The article will talk about the cruiser "Russia". Consider the history of its creation, design, high-profile incidents - everything you would like to know about this legendary warship.
Quick reference
To begin with, it is worth noting that the “Russia” is an armored cruiser of the imperial and Soviet fleet. It was built at the shipyard of the Baltic Shipyard according to the engineering design of N. E. Titov. Construction began in the fall of 1893. Two years later, namely in the spring of 1895, the cruiser "Russia" was first launched. In September 1897, it was commissioned. In 1921, it was withdrawn from the fleet, and a year later it was given for disassembly.
The length was 144.2 m, the width was 2.9 m, and the height was 8 m. Three steam engines and two water tube boilers served as the engine . The speed was 36.6 km / h. The cruiser was equipped with torpedo weapons.
Design
The armored cruiser "Russia" is a continuation of the development of ideas started in the famous project "Rurik". However, in the first case, special attention was paid to the autonomy of navigation and its range, to achieve which it was necessary to reduce speed, armament, and reservation. The main differences between “Russia” and “Rurik” are also that this ship was equipped with two armored belts. Also, the engineers abandoned the heavy mast. Part of the artillery was already located in the casemates, and protective traverses were installed in the battery decks.
The main difference between “Russia” and similar inventions of other countries is its height and length. In those days, the ship was the owner of an incredible amount of displacement. The second famous name for the cruiser “Russia” is “Rurik No. 2”. That is what N. Chikhachev called him, who worked as the manager of the Ministry of the Sea.
So, the design of this cruiser began even before the Rurik was launched. The new militarized ship was planned to remain the same, but to increase armament and armoring. Admiral N. Chikhachev proposed replacing six 120-mm guns with four 152-mm guns. Acceptable angles of the bow guns were ensured by moving the wheelhouse. At the same time, the aft 152-mm gun was transferred from the battery deck. Now she was on the deck of the yute. However, then the linear gun, the engineers decided not to transfer from the forecastle, but did so only in 1904. It was also supposed to install the latest cartridge 75-mm guns, but the difficulty was in the multi-caliber artillery. At the same time, dividing semi-bulkheads between various tools in casemates were installed. The thickness of the armor increased from 37 mm to 305 mm in the battle tube. Also, the unprotected parts of the elevator mines were covered with 76-mm armor, although they remained completely open on the Rurik.
Building
The armored cruiser "Russia" was built for a very long time. This was caused by various design issues that arose due to the creation of a covered stone boathouse. It was also necessary to completely rebuild the shipbuilding workshop. However, already in the spring of 1895, more than 1,400 tons of metal, including 31 tons of bronze stem, were needed to manufacture the hull. Already in August, the propeller shaft brackets were installed . Then wood and copper began to sheathe the hull of the ship. In October, Belleville water tube boilers arrived from France. By this time, the assembly of the main machines was completed at the plant.
The plant planned in 1896 to introduce the cruiser to sea trials, so that after 12 months it was completely ready. However, the famous Mr. N. Chikhachev demanded the final delivery of the ship in the fall of 1896. At the same time, he was aware that the Obukhov plant planned to deliver 152 mm guns no earlier than the spring of 1898. But, despite this, the process of manufacturing various weapons and mine weapons accelerated. Some of the armor plates were brought from the United States. They were delivered from the Andrew Carnegie factory. For the urgency of the order, the American had to pay considerable amounts.
Due to the acceleration of work, launching was carried out in the spring of 1896. However, after this began active work on the installation of armored plates, which lasted until the end of summer. Workers did not have time to complete the project and the likelihood that the unfinished ship would remain to winter was quite high. To prevent this from happening, they decided to conduct the last stage of work in the port of Libava, which also had to be completed urgently. The completion of the construction of the ship was watched by the junior assistant shipbuilder A. Moiseev.
Incident
By the beginning of October 1896, a number of mooring trials had been successfully carried out on the cruiser Rossiya. For the first time on October 5, the Andreevsky pennant was raised on the deck, the flag, a hymn sounded. The commander’s report noted that up to 600 privates, about 70 non-commissioned officers and 20 officers were on the ship.
At the first exit on the Kronstadt raid there was a very strong wind. When the cruiser had already snuggled up to the parking spot on the Great Raid, the nose abruptly threw aside with one strong impulse. It was impossible to influence the weather in any way, so they pressed the entire board to the shallows, which led to the flooding of individual compartments. Meanwhile, this is exactly what helped soften the blow.
The commanders decided to take the ship aground with the help of the Sisoi Veliky squadron battleship and the Admiral Ushakov armored coast guard, but all these attempts were doomed to failure, as the water level dropped significantly and the cruiser was firmly seated at the very bottom.
Solution
On October 27, in the morning, Admiral P. Tyrtov, the manager of the Ministry of the Sea, arrived at the scene of the accident. He agreed to deepen the soil under the port side, as this would help push the ship into a specially dug channel. At the same time, Helsingfors, Libau and St. Petersburg began to actively prepare dredging and excavating shells. At the end of October, when the water level rose again, another attempt was made to pull the ship aground with the help of a tugboat. But this time, the actions were unsuccessful.
The next day, the flag of Rear Admiral V. Messer was hoisted on the ship, which assumed full responsibility for managing the rescue operations. After 10 days, a large moat, up to 9 m deep, was already located on the port side. In parallel, the same work was being carried out on the right side. During each subsequent rise in the water, the cruiser was tried to be stranded with the help of the battleships Admiral Senyavin and Admiral Ushakov. To no avail.
Despite the approach of winter, the command decided to speed up work to deepen the bottom, instead of preparing the ship for a harsh wintering. Work continued even after the entire Baltic was covered with ice. Construction crews cut open passages for excavators. Finally, wooden hand spiers were installed. On the night of December 15, water began to rise, so a new attempt was immediately made. During this night, the cruiser advanced almost 25 m. In the morning, the ship continued to be pushed forward, slowly turning the canal into the fairway. In the afternoon, it became apparent that the cruiser was in clear water. After a couple of hours, the command ordered to drop an anchor opposite the Nikolaev dock in the Middle Harbor.
History
Initially, the ship was transported from the Baltic Sea to the Far East. There, under the command of A. Andreev, the cruiser became the flagship of the Vladivostok detachment. In the period 1904-1905 he managed to sink about ten Japanese ships and two submarines, as well as English and German ships.
In 1904, on August 1, there was a battle with a squadron of Japanese cruisers near Lake Ulsan in the Korea Strait. As a result, the ship was badly damaged. 48 people were killed and more than 150 were injured. For repairs, 152 mm guns were installed on the upper deck, instead of the old 75 mm. A linear gun was also brought here.
In the winter of 1904-1905, a warship was used as a floating fort to attack the Amur Bay. At the same time, the military headquarters considered the likelihood of an attack by Vladivostok on ice. For this, the cruiser was left to freeze.
From 1906 to 1909, a major overhaul was carried out at the Baltic factory in the Kronstadt workshops. Then it was possible to put into operation many mechanisms, housing, boilers. The economic vehicle was dismantled, the mast was eased.
In 1909, the ship was enrolled in the detachment of the first reserve. Two years later, he became part of the cruiser brigade in the Baltic Sea. From 1912 to 1913 he was on an Atlantic campaign with students from schools of non-commissioned officers. The next year also passed in the Atlantic. In 1914, the ship became the flagship among the cruisers of the Baltic Sea. In the fall of the same year, he took part in an attack on the enemy's communications nodes.
In the winter of 1915, the cruiser took part in laying minefields, a number of reconnaissance and raiding operations of the Fleet Light Force Detachment. From 1915 to 1916 there was a rearmament. In the fall of 1917, the ship was already part of the Baltic Fleet. In the winter of the same year he moved to Kronstadt.
In May 1918, it was mothballed in a military port. The following year, some of the 152-mm guns were surrendered to the military forces of Riga. In the summer of 1920, the ship was sold to the Soviet-German Derumetal JSC for scrap. In the fall of the same year, the ship was handed over to Rudmetalltorg for dismantling.
It is worth noting that at the end of 1922, during towing to Germany, the ship fell into a severe storm, which was why it was thrown out near Tallinn. A naval rescue expedition removed the cruiser and sent it to Kiel for disassembly.
The cruiser "Varangian"
In Russia, this ship, known since Soviet times, is today the flagship of the Pacific Fleet. It was built in the Ukrainian city of Nikolaev in the late 1970s. Launched in 1983, put into operation in 1989. At the moment, is part of the fleet.
In the 1990s he was engaged in the tasks of the inter-naval transition. Later it was part of the Pacific Fleet. It got its present name “Varyag” only in 1996, and before that it was called as “Chervona Ukraine”. In 1994, 2004 and 2009, he visited the port of Incheon in the Republic of Korea. In 2002, he visited the Japanese military base of Yokosuka.
In the fall of 2008, he was in the Korean port of Busan on an unofficial visit. In the spring of 2009 he visited the port of Qingdao (China). Then the cruiser went to the American port of San Francisco. In 2011, the ship took part in the Russian-Chinese exercises.
A year later, he participated in the same exercises on the Yellow Sea. In 2013, the cruiser was undergoing scheduled repairs. Passed Russian-Chinese exercises in the Sea of Japan, participated in the verification of the Eastern and Central Fleet. In the spring of 2015, the dock repair was completed. In the same year, the ship received the Order of Nakhimov. In the winter of 2016, he entered the Mediterranean Sea, where he performed a special military task.
Today, the ship participates in exercises of artillery and missile firing. Since the spring of this year, cruised in the waters of the oceans. In June, the cruiser returned to Vladivostok.
Modern cruisers of Russia
The country's navy has more than 200 surface ships and more than 70 submarines, of which about 20 are nuclear. We will consider the most powerful cruisers of the Russian Navy.
This is the ship Peter the Great. The huge nuclear cruiser of Russia, which is recognized as the largest strike ship in the world. This is the only ship from the Soviet Orlan project, which is still afloat. Despite the fact that it was built in 1989, it was launched into the water only after 9 long years. Nuclear cruisers of Russia are represented by three more ships, such as the Admiral Lazarev, Admiral Ushakov and Admiral Nakhimov.
The next heavy cruiser in Russia is the Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov. It was built at the Black Sea plant. Launched in 1985. Known under various names ("Leonid Brezhnev", "Riga", "Tbilisi"). After the collapse of the USSR, it became part of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy. He served in the Mediterranean, but also took part in the rescue operation of the Kursk submarine.
The military cruiser of Russia "Moscow" is a powerful multi-purpose missile ship. Originally called "Glory." It was commissioned in 1983. It is the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. He took part in a military operation in Georgia. In 2014, he participated in the blockade of the Ukrainian Navy.
"Peter the Great"
Here we are talking about the largest cruiser in Russia. It is important to note that the main purpose of the ship is to destroy enemy carrier groups. When laying, it was called “Kuibyshev”, and after - “Yuri Andropov”. The cruiser reached 250 m in length, 25 m in width, and 59 m in height. Thanks to the nuclear installation, the ship can reach speeds of up to 60 km / h. Initially designed for operation over 50 years. The crew consists of 1035 people, who are accommodated in 1600 rooms. There are 15 showers, 2 baths, a pool and a sauna.
As for weapons, the cruiser is able to hit large surface targets, but at the same time protect the territory from air and underwater attacks of the enemy.
New models
New cruisers for the Russian Navy are also under construction. As for the immediate plans, in 2017 shipbuilding work will continue. Until 2020, it is planned to get 8 Russian submarines from the Borey project, 54 surface ships and more than 15 submarines.
In 2014, the raider “Vasily Bykov” was bookmarked. Until 2019, it is planned to develop 12 more models from the same series. They will be designed for environmental monitoring, the interception of pirates and smugglers.
Photos of Russian cruisers that you could see in the article confirm the strength and power of the country's Navy. Every year, work is underway and new plans are being made. Russian shipbuilding is developing rapidly and is absorbing new technological advances. The article also presents the model of the cruiser "Russia" - one of the very first armored ships of the Navy, demonstrating the greatness and fortitude of the imperial power.
Summing up, it is worth noting that the Russian Navy is the power and strength of our state. Old ships and cruisers are put on alert thanks to modern technology. At the same time, advanced destroyers and submarines are created every year. The best specialists, advanced equipment and well-functioning work are the guarantor of the Russian Navy. Today, our fleet is the best in terms of equipment and combat readiness in the world. Russian citizens have something to be proud of.
The article was written for educational purposes for those who wanted to learn more not only about the military power of our state, but also the history of the creation of the legendary ships and cruisers - “Russia”, “Varyag”, “Peter the Great”.