The Russian cruiser "Rurik" became known worldwide thanks to the unequal battle in the Korean Gulf during the Russo-Japanese war. The surrounded crew decided to flood the ship so that it would not go to the enemy. Before the defeat in the Gulf of Korea, the cruiser was able to disperse the forces of the Japanese fleet for several months, entering raids from Vladivostok.
Construction
The famous armored cruiser “Rurik” became the brainchild of the Baltic factory. This ship was created in the heat of a military race with the British fleet. The ship was to become a worthy analogue of the British high-speed cruisers "Blake". In 1888, engineers at the Baltic Shipyard proposed a draft project to Admiral Chikhachev and the Marine Technical Committee (MTK).
The draft design has been revised. At MTK, the future cruiser Rurik saved some design and technical flaws. The drawings were approved by Emperor Alexander III. Construction began on May 19, 1890. After two years of operation, the Baltic Shipyard prepared the Rurik cruiser. He was launched in 1892, and in 1895 the ship was put into operation.
It was assumed that the ship will be the first in a series of cruisers of the same type. The “Stormbreaker” and “Russia” built after it became not twin brothers, but modifications (with increased displacement). Interestingly, the Rurik cruiser was created as a potential interceptor of British merchant ships. It was assumed that it would be used in the event of a war with Britain. In addition, the terms of reference included the requirement to create a ship capable of navigating from the Baltic Sea to the Far East without resorting to refueling with coal. In order to pass this route, the crew needed to swim the southern seas and go around almost all of Eurasia.
In the pacific fleet
Almost immediately after the Rurik cruiser was built, the Navy decided to transfer it to the Pacific Ocean. This relocation was associated with an escalation of tension in the Far East. The port of registration of the new ship was the port of Vladivostok. The alleged conflict with Britain did not happen.
Instead, the Russo-Japanese War broke out in February 1904. At that time, Rurik was, as usual, in Vladivostok. An order followed to go to sea and strike at Sino-Japanese trade and water traffic. The ships that went sailing exchanged fireworks with the city. Crowds of civilians escorted them. The main task of the squadron, which in addition to Rurik included Bogatyr, Russia, and Stormbreaker, was to divert the Japanese forces. If the enemy fleet were divided, it would be easier to defend Port Arthur fortress.
"Rurik," operating in the Sea of Japan, was supposed to destroy transport ships carrying troops and military cargo, coastal ships and enemy structures located on the shore. Since the cruiser was noticeably outdated, it was possible to go on a campaign only as a whole detachment, and not separately. The squadron returned to Vladivostok only for the parking necessary to replenish the running out of supplies.
First trip
In the first campaign, the cruisers went to the Sangar Strait. It was planned that the next target would be the city of Genzan (modern Wonsan). However, on the way the ships got into a storm. Since the calendar was winter, the water that fell into the guns soon turned into ice. Because of this, the squadron became incapacitated. Weather and climatic conditions were indeed not the best. In order to leave Vladivostok, the cruisers had to wait for the icebreaker to open their way through the frozen bay.
It was this inconvenience that led the Russian leadership to occupy the Chinese fortress of Port Arthur. Her port did not freeze. The strategically important and convenient Port Arthur also wanted the Japanese. The city and the ships in it were blocked. The Rurik squadron was supposed to disperse the enemy’s forces in order to ease the port’s position while the ships of the Baltic Fleet came to the rescue. Due to icing of the guns, the detachment returned to Vladivostok for a short while.
Vladivostok defense
In the port, the masters repaired the Rurik. The cruiser (the type of which was armored) was replenished with food supplies, and he again hit the road. The second campaign began. There were no Japanese ships in the sea. But even this voyage of the Russian squadron forced the enemy to transfer part of his forces in order to frighten the Russians.
In March, the enemy squadron, having left the Yellow Sea, headed to Askold Island in the Gulf of Peter the Great near Vladivostok. The squad included the latest Japanese tower cruisers Azuma, Izumo, Yakumo and Iwate. They were accompanied by several light ships. The squadron opened fire on Vladivostok. Shells did not reach the city, but the inhabitants were seriously scared. The Rurik anchored in the port ten minutes after the first volleys sounded. There were ice in the bay. They prevented from leaving the port quickly. A detachment of cruisers ended up in the Ussuri Gulf at a time when the Japanese were already leaving their positions. It was dusk, and the ships, after another twenty miles and seeing the enemy on the horizon, stopped. In addition, in Vladivostok, they began to fear that the Japanese had left mines somewhere nearby.
New challenges
The failures of the first days of the war led to personnel rotations in the leadership of the fleet. The tsarist government appointed Admiral Makarov as commander. He set new tasks for Rurik and his squadron. It was decided to abandon the strategy of raids on the Japanese coast. Instead, the Rurik now had to impede the transfer of enemy troops to Genzan. This Korean port was a Japanese bridgehead, from where land operations began.
Makarov allowed to go to sea in any composition (it does not matter if it will be a squadron or individual ships). He reasoned on the assumption that Russian guns are more powerful and efficient than Japanese ones. The admiral was wrong. Happer moods in Russia on the eve of the war were commonplace. The Japanese were not perceived as serious opponents.
The economy of this Asian country has long been isolated. And only in recent years in Tokyo began forced reforms in the army and navy. The new armed forces were built on the Western European model. The equipment was also purchased abroad and only of the best quality. The Japanese intervention in the Far East in Moscow was looked down upon, considering the Japanese upstarts. It was because of this frivolous attitude that the whole war was lost. But so far the prospects were unclear, and the headquarters hoped for luck and courage of the Russian sailors.
Distracting maneuvers
For more than a month, Rurik stood at the port. Meanwhile, Admiral Makarov died near Port Arthur. He was on the battleship Petropavlovsk, which hit a mine. The Japanese command decided that after the tragic death of the admiral, the Russians would not pop out of the encircled Port Arthur for a long time. Therefore, Tokyo gave the order to defeat a group based in Vladivostok.
At this time, "Rurik" went camping again. This time the squadron moved towards the Japanese city of Hakodate. In the sea she caught a transport ship, which was sunk by a torpedo launched by "Russia". The prisoners told that there was a squadron of Admiral Kamimura nearby. Then the Russian ships turned back to Vladivostok, never reaching Hakodate. Fortunately, the troops did not meet this time. Kamimura’s ships were much stronger than the Russian, which could lead to unconditional defeat.
But even in such a precarious situation, "Rurik" successfully fulfilled its goal. The Vladivostok squadron was supposed to divert part of the enemy’s forces from Port Arthur. Since April, Kamimura’s ships have not left the Sea of Japan, which was only to Russia's advantage. In May, due to an unfortunate coincidence of circumstances, the Bogatyr cruiser had an accident, buried in the rocks of Cape Bruce. After this incident, three ships remained in the squadron.
Fight in the Shimonosek Strait
On the last day of the spring of 1904, three cruisers set sail again. Before entering the Shimonoseki Strait, they came across Japanese transport ships. Radio operators skillfully put radio interference, because of which the enemy could not give a distress signal to Admiral Kamimura. Japanese ships rushed scattered. In the morning, through the fog, the Tsushima Sentinel cruiser appeared on the horizon.
The ship tried to hide and get to the shore. The general chase began. The Russian squadron managed to overtake the Izumo Maru transport ship. It was sunk after heavy shelling. About a hundred people were removed from the ship. The rest sailed in different directions. The crews of "Rurik" and "Russia" did not dare to part with the "Thunderbolt" and stopped the chase.
At the entrance to the Shimonoseki Strait, another enemy vehicle caught fire. The ship even tried to go to the ram of the Thunderbolt, but nothing came of it. He was shot at point blank range and finally finished off with a torpedo. The ship sank. It was about a thousand soldiers and eighteen powerful howitzers that the Japanese were going to use for the siege of Port Arthur. The situation of the surrounded city was getting worse. Under these conditions, the Vladivostok squadron almost did not leave the sea, and if it stayed in its port, it was only to quickly replenish supplies. There was no time to repair and replace worn parts.
Last clash
After long maneuvers on August 14, 1904, the cruisers Rossiya, Gromoboy, and Rurik finally encountered the Japanese squadron. There were six ships in it. They surpassed Russian ships in armor protection and firepower. Vladivostok detachment went to the rescue of ships trying to escape from the environment in Port Arthur.
Japanese guns were 4 times faster and more powerful. This ratio predetermined the sad outcome of the battle. Already at the beginning of the clash, it became clear that the enemy had the advantage. Then it was decided to return the ships to the port of Vladivostok. It was not possible to do this. The guns of the cruiser "Rurik" tried to keep the enemy at a safe distance, but after the next well-aimed salvo of the ship's feed, it received a dangerous hole.
Due to the hit, the steering wheel ceased to function, and control was lost. Water gushed into the compartments. The wheelhouse and the wheelhouse were flooded within an hour. The blades are jammed, which is why the crew on the ship became a helpless hostage to the situation. The speed of the ship continued to decline, although it kept the same course. "Rurik" (cruiser 1892) began to lag behind other ships of the squadron. The distance between them steadily increased.
Surrounded by
The Russian squadron entered the Korean Strait under the command of Karl Jessen. When the captain realized that the matter was bad, he gave the order to “Russia” and “Thunder” to cover the “Rurik” from the Japanese fire. A distracting maneuver was pointless. The crews of these ships suffered heavy losses. Sailors and officers fell dead under heavy fire from the enemy.
For this reason, “Russia” and “Stormbreaker” were forced to leave the Strait of Korea. At first, Jessen hoped that the armored cruisers of the Japanese, the greatest danger, would chase the flagship and leave the Rurik alone. The guns of the ship could protect it from attacks by light ships. If the team promptly corrected the damage, the cruiser could continue on its way back home, or at least go towards the Korean coast.
The Japanese really rushed after the "Russia". However, when she was out of the reach of the ships of the imperial fleet, they returned to the scene of the battle. At this time, the Rurik tried to maneuver and continued to resist, although due to damage its firepower was significantly weakened. Then the crew attempted to go into a ram of light Japanese ships. They were able to evade and, as a precaution, moved a great distance. All they had to do was wait until the surrounded ship began to sink, and the death of the cruiser "Rurik" would become inevitable. Finally, Russian sailors launched a torpedo at the enemies from the last surviving torpedo tube. However, the shell did not hit the target.
Order of Ivanov the Thirteenth
At the very beginning of the battle, the captain of "Rurik" Yevgeny Trusov died. The senior officer, who was supposed to replace him, was mortally wounded. A total of 800 people in the team killed 200 and about 300 were injured. The last surviving senior officer was Konstantin Ivanov. At the end of the five-hour battle, when its outcome was already clear, this man took command.
Meanwhile, the Japanese began to signal that they were ready to accept the surrender of the enemy. The squadron was commanded by Admiral Hikonojo Kamimura. He was just returning after the pursuit of “Russia” and “Thunderbolt” and was now waiting for the response of the encircled crew. When Ivanov realized that all means of resistance had been exhausted, he ordered the ship to be flooded. Usually, the Russian fleet used special charges for this purpose, which undermined the ship. However, this time they were damaged. Then the crew decided to open the kingstones - special valves. After that, water poured into the ship system even more. The Rurik (the cruiser of 1892) quickly sank, first capsizing to the port side, and then completely under water.
Feat and Glory of the Cruiser
Russia lost the Russo-Japanese War, but its army and navy once again demonstrated their courage and loyalty to the whole world. In the Korean Strait, the cruiser Rurik collided with ships that were much more modern and powerful. An outdated ship with poor armor, however, accepted the battle. The feat of the cruiser “Rurik” was highly appreciated not only at home, but also in foreign countries, and even in Japan itself.
Officer Konstantin Ivanov wore number 13 in his carriage. It was a naval tradition that extended to namesakes. After the war ended and his return to his homeland, he was marked by numerous awards (like all his comrades). Upon learning of his number, the emperor changed his name with the highest order. Konstantin Ivanov became Konstantin Ivanov the Thirteenth. Today, the Russian fleet continues to remember the feat and loyal service of the cruiser. It is curious that back in the 1890s, Alexander Kolchak served as an assistant to the chief of the watch on board the ship. Much later, he became an admiral, and after - one of the leaders of the white movement and the main opponents of the new Bolshevik government.
In 1906, the cruiser Rurik 2 was launched. It was named after its predecessor, flooded during the Russo-Japanese War. The ship became the flagship of the Baltic Fleet. The cruiser "Rurik 2" took part in the First World War, waging a constant skirmish with German ships. This ship also perished. It was blown up by a mine on November 20, 1916, off the coast of Gotland.