"Varangian"

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"Varangian"- Russian armored cruiser of the 1st rank, built in the USA according to an individual project and was part of the Russian Imperial Navy. He became famous throughout the world for his decision, in response to an offer to surrender, to take the unequal battle at Chemulpo against the superior forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy. In connection with the revolutionary events in Russia in October 1917, the Varyag was captured by the British and sold for scrap in 1920.

History of creation

Prerequisites for creation

In 1895 and 1896 In Japan, two shipbuilding programs were adopted, according to which by 1905 it was planned to build a fleet superior to the Russian naval forces in the Far East. The militarization of Japan has not gone unnoticed. Russia was implementing its own shipbuilding program to strengthen its navy, but it was clearly inferior to the growth rate of the Japanese fleet. Therefore, in 1897, an additional program “For the needs of the Far East” was developed, which included, in addition to other ships, the construction of the 1st rank armored cruiser “Varyag”.

Design

Due to the absence of a detailed design of the ship at the time of signing the contract, the supervisory commission that came to the shipyard from Russia, headed by Captain 1st Rank M.A. Danilevsky, in addition to monitoring the progress of construction, also coordinated emerging issues regarding the future appearance of the ship during its construction.

As a prototype for the construction of the Varyag, the shipyard management proposed taking a Japanese armored cruiser of the Kasagi type (Japanese. 笠置 ), but the Marine Technical Committee insisted on a Diana-class cruiser. At the same time, the contract provided for the installation on the ship of Belleville boilers, albeit heavier, but well proven in the Russian fleet for their reliability. Contrary to the requirements of the ship’s customer, on the instructions of Admiral General and Head of the Main Directorate of Shipbuilding and Supply V.P. Verkhovsky, preference was given to the option with Nikloss boilers, which were ingenious in idea but not tested in practice.

Construction and testing

Due to the workload of domestic factories, the Varyag was ordered in the USA in Philadelphia at the shipyard of The William Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Building Company. The contract was signed on April 11, 1898.

During construction, significant changes were made to the project, dictated by the initially signed contract with vague wording about the parameters of the ship. For example, the conning tower was increased in size, and it was raised to improve visibility. The height of the cruiser's side keels was increased from 0.45 to 0.61 m. Auxiliary mechanisms were provided with electric motors, and for fear of overloading the ship, gun shields were not installed.

The equipment for the construction and equipping of the ship mostly came from companies located in the USA. At the same time, the main caliber guns were supplied from Obukhovsky, and torpedo tubes from the Metal Plants of St. Petersburg. Anchors, anchor chains and anti-torpedo nets were ordered from England.

On January 11, 1899, the cruiser was enlisted in the fleet under the name “Varyag” in honor of the corvette of the same name sent during the American Civil War of 1861-1865. to aid the government of President Lincoln.

On October 19, 1899, the ship was launched. Construction of the ship was carried out at a rapid pace, but worker strikes and constant approvals of the ship's design did not allow the shipbuilders to meet the deadlines allotted by the contract. Due to objective reasons for the delay in the construction of the ship, no penalties were imposed by the Russian government.

On September 22, 1900, the cruiser was delivered to the customer exceeding the basic characteristics specified in the contract. At the same time, right up to
before the cruiser left for Russia in March 1901, the elimination of minor shortcomings continued, mainly related to imperfections
dynamos (electric generators) and boat mechanisms.

Cross section drawing

Booking scheme

Boiler diagram of the Nikloss system

Appearance of the ship upon completion of construction

Description of design

Frame

The cruiser's hull was equipped with a forecastle, which improved its seaworthiness in stormy seas. The basis of the hull was the keel, enclosed between the stems. The foundations of 30 steam boilers of the Nikloss system were installed on the flooring of the second bottom of the ship. The height of the ship's hull was 10.46 m. ​​Along the sides, above and below the slopes in the area of ​​the engine and boiler rooms, there were coal pits. In addition to their direct purpose, they also performed protective functions, forming a parapet around the vital mechanisms and systems of the ship. At the bow and stern ends of the ship there were magazines with ammunition, arranged in two compact groups of nine rooms each, which simplified their protection from defeat by the enemy.

Booking

All vital mechanisms, machines, boilers and cellars were covered with an armored carapace deck. The total thickness of the horizontal armored deck was 38 mm. The deck slopes descended to the sides 1.1 m below the waterline, their thickness was 76 mm. The spread of water from the side compartments, upon receipt of a hole, was delayed by limiting longitudinal bulkheads, spaced from the side by 1.62 m in the engine rooms and by 2.13 m in the boiler rooms.

On the slopes of the armored deck along the side, compartments were fenced off - cofferdams, which were designed to be filled with cellulose, which was later decided to be abandoned due to its fragility. Thus, the cruiser was surrounded by a kind of protective parapet 0.76 m thick and 2.28 m high, which prevented water from penetrating through holes at the waterline.

Electrical equipment

The cruiser “Varyag”, in comparison with ships of previous years of construction, had a relatively large percentage of equipment powered by electricity. Direct current electricity was generated by three steam dynamo machines. Each of them rotated two electric generators. Two steam dynamo machines with a power of 132 kW were located at the bow and stern of the ship under the armored deck, one with a power of 66 kW was located on the living deck. In a special compartment there was a battery of 60 batteries for emergency power supply of running lights, loud bells and other needs.

Electricity consumption on the ship.

Longitudinal diagram of the ship structure

(*) - with a load factor of 0.5.

Drainage system

View of the stern

Captain's saloon

Scheme (project) of distribution of sectors of firing from guns

152-mm/45 gun of the Kane “Varyag” system

View of the ship's forecastle

The drainage system consisted of signaling devices, drainage pumps and drives (electric motors). It ensured the pumping of incoming water from all rooms located under the armored deck of the ship. Water was removed from the boiler rooms using centrifugal pumps placed on a double bottom deck. They were driven by electric motors installed on the armored deck and connected to the pumps by a long shaft. According to the specifications, each pump had to pump out water in the volume of the entire compartment in an hour. Water was pumped out of the engine rooms by two circulation pumps of the main refrigerators.

To extinguish fires, a fire main was laid under the armored deck. To connect fire hoses, the pipe had branches that extended into all cellars, boiler rooms and engine rooms. Fire alarm sensors (thermostats) were installed in coal pits. Fires in coal pits were extinguished using steam.

Steering

The cruiser's steering, for the first time in the Russian fleet, had three types of drive: steam, electric and manual. The rudder blade was made in the form of a frame covered with sheet steel. The frame space was filled with wooden blocks. The steering wheel area is 12 m2. The steering wheel was controlled from the conning or wheelhouse. If they failed, control of the ship was transferred to the aft steering compartment, located under the armored deck.

Crew and habitability

On the cruiser "Varyag", in accordance with the specifications, the crew consisted of 21 officers, 9 conductors and 550 lower ranks. The crew's living quarters were located under the forecastle on the living deck, and aft on the armored deck. From the 72nd frame towards the stern there were cabins for the officers and command of the ship. The officers' cabins were single. The premises towards the stern were occupied by the commander. A wardroom was adjacent to them. On the living deck there was an infirmary, a pharmacy, a galley, a bathhouse and a ship's church.

Armament

Initially, it was planned to install on the ship: 2 x 203 mm; 10 x 152 mm; 12 x 75 mm; 6 x 47 mm guns and 6 torpedo tubes. But due to an overload of 30 tons, in the final version the cruiser received: 12 x 152/45 mm, 12 x 75/50 mm, 8 x 47/43 mm, 2 x 37/23 mm; 2 x 63.5/19 mm Baranovsky guns; 6 x 381 mm, 2 x 254 mm torpedo tubes and 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns, as well as barrage mines.

Main caliber

The cruiser's main caliber artillery, represented by 152 mm/45 guns of the Kane system, was combined into two batteries. The first included 6 guns located in the bow, the second - 6 stern guns. To increase the firing angles, all onboard guns were installed on platforms protruding beyond the side line - sponsons. The rate of fire of the guns reached 6 rounds per minute.

Auxiliary/anti-aircraft artillery

Small-caliber guns were still important in the fight against destroyers. To enhance their effectiveness and increase the firing angles, two 47-mm Hotchkiss rapid-fire guns were installed on the Varyag's tops. Another four such guns were located on the upper deck, two of them, in addition to two 37-mm Hotchkiss cannons and machine guns, were used to arm ship's boats and boats.

Two 7.62 mm machine guns were mounted on special brackets located on the bulwarks near the conning tower. After the ship was repaired in 1916, it became possible to fire at aircraft with machine guns.

The ship had two landing 63.5-mm Baranovsky cannons, located on the forecastle under the wings of the bow bridge. Wheel carriages were stored separately under the bow bridge behind the conning tower.

Mine and torpedo weapons

Communications, detection, auxiliary equipment

The cruiser was equipped with a remote fire control system using special indicators installed near the guns and in the cellars. Data on firing parameters and type of shells were specified directly from the conning tower. Determination of the distance to the target was carried out by three rangefinder stations, two of them were located on the tops and one on the forward bridge.

The controls, communications and surveillance on the cruiser were concentrated mainly on the stern and bow bridges. The conning tower of the cruiser was an oval armored parapet protected by 152 mm armor. A flat roof with overhangs bent downwards and protruding beyond the dimensions of the parapet was attached to the upper end of the deckhouse parapet, forming inspection slits 305 mm high, with brackets. . The conning tower was connected to the armored deck by a vertical armored pipe with a wall thickness of 76 mm, which led to the central post. The drives and cables of the ship's control devices were hidden in this pipe.

Above was a transverse bridge on which searchlights and taillights were installed. The wheelhouse was located in the center of the bridge. There were five compasses on the cruiser. The two main ones were located on the roof of the chassis and on a special area of ​​the aft bridge.

For internal communications, in addition to speaking pipes and sailor messengers, a telephone network was organized that covered almost all the service areas of the ship. Telephone sets were installed in all cellars, in boiler rooms and engine rooms, in officers' cabins, in the conning and wheelhouses, and at gun posts.

Launching

At the roadstead in Philadelphia, USA

Electrical alarm systems (bells, indicators, fire alarm sensors, sirens, etc.) were available in the command staff's cabins, at combat posts and in the conning tower. In addition to warning calls, the cruiser retained a staff of drummers and buglers. To communicate with other ships, in addition to the radio station, the cruiser had a large staff of signalmen.

Overall Project Assessment

The Diana-class cruisers, which entered service before the start of the Russo-Japanese War, were obsolete and no longer met modern requirements. "Diana", "Pallada" and "Aurora" were distinguished by good reliability of their mechanisms, but in all respects they were inferior to modern foreign-built armored cruisers.

“Varyag” and the armored cruiser “Askold” were essentially experimental cruiser-type ships with a displacement of 6,000 tons. “Varyag” was designed more thoughtfully and compactly than ships of the “Diana” type. The forced placement of artillery at the extremities freed it from cramped magazines along the sides. The ship had good seaworthiness; boats and boats were very well located on it. The machine and boiler rooms were spacious, their equipment and ventilation system deserved the highest praise.

During factory testing at maximum speed, "Varyag" showed outstanding results. So, on July 12, 1900, the Varyag developed a speed of 24.59 knots. During 12-hour continuous tests, the Varyag showed an average result of 23.18 knots. During 24-hour tests, the Varyag covered 240 miles during its run at an economical speed of 10 knots, consuming 52.8 tons of coal (that is, 220 kg per mile).

But the actual cruising range of a ship always differs significantly from the calculated one obtained from test results. Thus, during long-distance voyages, the Varyag at a speed of 10 knots consumed 68 tons of coal per day, which corresponds to the longest cruising range of 4288 miles.

One of the disadvantages of the Varyag was the unreliability of the power plant. The cruiser spent a significant part of her pre-war service in Port Arthur at the quay wall undergoing endless repairs. The reason was both the careless assembly of the machines and the unreliability of the Nicloss system boilers.

Repair and modernization of the ship

1906 - 1907

View of the deck from the forward bridge

During the overhaul of the ship, raised from the bottom by the Japanese after it was sunk in the battle of Chemulpo, the appearance of the cruiser changed greatly. First of all, because of the new navigation bridges, chart room, chimneys and fans. The top platforms on the masts were dismantled. The 75 mm Hotchkiss guns were replaced with 76 mm Armstrong guns. Mine net poles have been removed from the sides of the ship.

1916

The Russian acceptance committee found the ship returned by Japan to be in poor technical condition. For example, the service life of Nikloss boilers until the resource was completely exhausted was no more than 1.5 - 2 years. During repairs in Vladivostok, the bow 152/45-mm Kane guns, as well as two of the same guns on the poop, were moved to the center plane on the cruiser. As a result of this, the number of guns in a broadside increased to eight. Shortened armor shields were installed on all openly mounted guns. The gun guidance mechanisms have been repaired and the elevation angles have been increased from 15° to 18°. Dead moves in mechanisms have been eliminated. Machine guns are adapted for firing at aircraft. During sea trials, using 22 of 30 boilers, the Varyag reached a speed of 16 knots.

Service history

Sea trials off the coast of the USA
1901

"Varyag" after the battle at Chemulpo
1904

"Soya" (Japanese) 宗谷 ) - Japanese educational
ship - 1905 - 1916

"Varyag" and the battleship "Chesma" (formerly "Poltava") in Vladivostok - 1916

The Varyag landed on rocks off the coast of Scotland - 1920.

Before the start of the Russo-Japanese War

March 20, 1901 - the cruiser “Varyag” with a Russian crew on board sailed from the USA to the shores of Russia. The passage to Kronstadt across the Atlantic took a little more than two months and on May 3, having traveled 5083 miles, the ship arrived at its destination.

August 5, 1901 - the cruiser left Kronstadt and escorted the imperial yacht "Standard" with Nicholas II to Danzig, Kiel and Cherbourg.

September 16, 1901 - "Varyag" continued its voyage to the Far East, passing through the Suez Canal and entered Persian Gulf, where he visited Kuwait with a diplomatic mission on board. After which, with a call at Singapore and Hong Kong, he arrived in Port Arthur on February 25, 1902. During the transition, short-term repair work on the Nikloss boilers was carried out repeatedly in the parking areas. The created special commission came to the conclusion that the maximum speed of the Varyag for a short period of time should be considered 20 knots, and for a longer period - 16.

March-April 1902 - in Port Arthur in the armed reserve (exercises on the roadstead, without going to sea for tactics training), all the time in which was allocated to the repair of ship mechanisms.

May-July 1902 - cruising in Talienwan Bay, off the coast of the Kwantung Peninsula and Thornton Island.

August-September 1902 - in Port Arthur (in the armed reserve), repairing boilers.

October 1902 - campaign in Chemulpo.

October 1902 - March 1903 - in Port Arthur.

April 1903 - in Talienvan Bay.

May 1903 - in Chemulpo.

June-September 1903 - in Port Arthur (in the armed reserve), the departure of a number of officers and the transfer to the reserve of 30 experienced sailors, mainly from the engine room.

October 1903 - December 1903 - in Port Arthur, due to the weakness of the repair base, the speed of the Varyag was limited to 17 knots and briefly 20. For a full repair, parts for the power plant were ordered in Russia, which did not arrive before loss of a ship in the battle of Chemulpo.

December 1903 - transitions between Chemulpo, Seoul and Port Arthur.

Russo-Japanese War

January 27, 1904 - the cruiser "Varyag", together with the gunboat "Koreets", having refused to accept the terms of the Japanese command's ultimatum to surrender, took on an unequal battle against the superior forces of the Japanese squadron under the command of Rear Admiral Uriu (2 armored cruisers "Asama" and "Chiyoda", 4 armored cruisers "Naniwa", "Niitaka", "Takachiho", "Akashi"; 8 destroyers). Having suffered significant casualties during the battle and received severe damage that did not allow the battle to continue, the Varyag returned to Chemulpo, where the crew went ashore and the ship was scuttled.

According to the report of the commander of the Varyag, one destroyer was sunk by the cruiser’s fire and the cruiser Asama was damaged, and the cruiser Takachiho sank after the battle; the enemy supposedly lost about 30 people killed. Official Japanese sources and archival documents do not confirm any hits Japanese ships, nor the presence of any losses.

February 1904 - the Japanese began raising the Varyag, but by October they stopped unsuccessful attempts to pump water out of the ship’s hull due to large number holes

April 1905 - lifting work was resumed, a caisson was built over the cruiser and on August 8 the ship rose from the bottom.

November 1905 - the cruiser was towed to Yokosuka for major repairs, which lasted until 1907. The helm from the cruiser "Varyag" was removed and transferred to the flagship of the Japanese fleet, the battleship "Mikasa". "Varyag" was renamed "Soya" (Japanese. 宗谷 ) and enlisted as a training ship in the Imperial Japanese Navy.

World War I

Early 1916 - Japan, an ally of Russia in World War I, agreed to sell some captured ships of the First Pacific Squadron. Among them was the cruiser Varyag, which had previously served as a training ship for Japanese cadets for nine years.

On June 18, 1916, the Varyag, henceforth equipped with a guards crew, went to sea and on November 17, 1916 arrived in Murmansk.

November 30, 1916 - enlisted in the Arctic Ocean Flotilla.
Due to the poor technical condition of the ship and the lack of full-fledged repair bases in the North, an agreement was reached with the British Admiralty to repair the Varyag.

March 19, 1917 - arrival in British Birkenhead (eng. Birkenhead) for docking for major repairs.

After the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia, on December 8, the ship was requisitioned by the British and sold in 1920 for scrapping. While en route to the dismantling site, the Varyag sat down on rocks in the Irish Sea 500 m from the Scottish coast, not far from the village of Lendalfoot. Lendalfoot). Location coordinates: 55° 11" 3" N; 4° 56" 30" W.

Until 1925, the hull of the cruiser Varyag stood at the wreck site until it was blown up and cut into pieces so as not to interfere with shipping and fishing.

Commanders

• March 1899 - March 1903 - captain 1st rank Vladimir Iosifovich Behr
• March 1903 - January 1904 - captain 1st rank Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev
• March 1916 - December 1917 - Captain II rank Karl Joakimovich von Dehn

Perpetuation of memory

The memory of the dead sailors is immortalized by a monument at the Vladivostok Marine Cemetery.

Monuments to the commander of the cruiser V.F. Rudnev were erected in Tula, Novomoskovsk and the village of Savino, Zaoksky district, Tula region.

In the regional center of Lyubino, Omsk region, a monument to the Varyag fireman F.E. Mikhailov was unveiled.

On February 10, 2004, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the battle, Memorial plaque and a monument.

Image of an event in art and culture

The songs “Our proud Varyag does not surrender to the enemy” and “Cold waves are splashing” are dedicated to the feat of the crews of the cruiser “Varyag” and the gunboat “Koreets”.

In 1946, the film “Cruiser “Varyag”” was shot in the USSR.

In 1958 and 1972, postage stamps with the image of the cruiser were issued in the USSR.

In 2003, an expedition led by VGTRK journalist Alexei Denisov managed to find the exact place where the cruiser sank in the Irish Sea and discovered its wreckage at the bottom. The story about this was included in the two-part documentary film “Cruiser “Varyag””, dedicated to the centenary of the Battle of Chemulpo.

Modeling

The Central Naval Museum in St. Petersburg houses a model of the cruiser "Varyag", made in the USA on a scale of 1:64 in 1901, as well as a model of the cruiser's main steam engine, made by S.I. Zhukhovitsky on a scale of 1:20 in the 1980s.

After the feat of the crew of the cruiser "Varyag", the German writer and poet Rudolf Greinz wrote the poem "Der "Warjag"" dedicated to this event. It was published in the tenth issue of the German magazine Jugend. In Russia, it was translated into Russian by Evgenia Studenskaya. Soon, the musician of the 12th Astrakhan Grenadier Regiment, Turishchev, who took part in the ceremonial meeting of the heroes “Varyag” and “Korean”, set these poems to music. The song was first performed at a gala reception given by Emperor Nicholas II in honor of the officers and sailors of the Varyag and the Korean. The song became very popular in Russia.

Image gallery

Video

The cruiser "Varyag" needs no introduction. However, the battle of Chemulpo is still a dark page of Russian military history. Its results are disappointing, and there are still a lot of misconceptions about the participation of “Varyag” in this battle.

"Varyag" - a weak cruiser

In popular publications there is an assessment that the combat value of the Varyag was low. Indeed, due to poor quality work performed during construction in Philadelphia, the Varyag could not reach the contract speed of 25 knots, thereby losing the main advantage of a light cruiser.

The second serious drawback was the lack of armor shields for the main caliber guns. On the other hand, Japan during the period Russo-Japanese War in principle, it did not have a single armored cruiser capable of resisting the Varyag and the Askold, Bogatyr or Oleg, which were similarly armed.

Not a single one had 12 152 mm guns Japanese cruiser of this class. True, the fighting unfolded in such a way that the crews of Russian cruisers never had to fight an enemy of equal size or class. The Japanese always acted with certainty, compensating for the shortcomings of their cruisers with numerical superiority, and the first, but not the last in this glorious and tragic list for the Russian fleet, was the battle of the cruiser Varyag.

A hail of shells hit the Varyag and Koreets

Artistic and popular descriptions of the battle at Chemulpo often say that the “Varyag” and “Korean” (which did not receive a single hit) were literally bombarded by Japanese shells. However, official figures indicate otherwise. In just 50 minutes of the battle at Chemulpo, six Japanese cruisers spent 419 shells: “Asama” 27 - 203 mm. , 103 152 mm., 9 76 mm; "Naniva" - 14,152 mm; "Niitaka" - 53 152 mm, 130 76 mm. "Takachiho" - 10,152 mm, "Akashi" - 2,152 mm, "Chiyoda" 71,120 mm.

In response, the Varyag fired, according to Rudnev’s report, 1105 shells: 425 -152 mm, 470 - 75 mm, 210 - 47 mm. It turns out that Russian gunners achieved the highest rate of fire. To this we can add 22,203 mm, 27,152 mm and 3,107 mm of projectiles fired from the Koreyets.

That is, in the battle of Chemulpo, two Russian ships fired almost three times more shells than the entire Japanese squadron. The question remains debatable about how the Russian cruiser kept records of spent shells or whether the figure was indicated approximately based on the results of a survey of the crew. And could such a number of shells be fired on a cruiser that, by the end of the battle, had lost 75% of its artillery?

Rear Admiral at the head of the Varyag

As is known, after returning to Russia and upon his retirement in 1905, the commander of the Varyag, Rudnev, received the rank of rear admiral. Already today, one of the streets in South Butovo in Moscow received the name of Vsevolod Fedorovich. Although, perhaps, it would have been more logical to name Captain Rudnev, if necessary, to distinguish him among his famous namesakes in military affairs.

There is no mistake in the name, but this image requires clarification - in military history this man remained a captain of the 1st rank and commander of the Varyag, but as a rear admiral he could no longer prove himself. But an obvious mistake has crept into a number of modern textbooks for high school students, where the “legend” is already heard that the cruiser “Varyag” was commanded by Rear Admiral Rudnev. The authors did not go into detail and think about the fact that a rear admiral was somehow out of rank to command an armored cruiser of the 1st rank.

Two against fourteen

The literature often states that the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" were attacked by the Japanese squadron of Rear Admiral Uriu, consisting of 14 ships - 6 cruisers and 8 destroyers.

Here it is necessary to make several clarifications.

Outwardly, there was a huge numerical and qualitative superiority of the Japanese, which the enemy never took advantage of during the battle. It is necessary to take into account that on the eve of the battle at Chemulpo, the Uriu squadron consisted of not even 14, but 15 pennants - the armored cruiser Asama, armored cruisers Naniwa, Takachiho, Niitaka, Chiyoda, Akashi and eight destroyers and advice note "Chihaya".

True, even on the eve of the battle with the Varyag, the Japanese suffered non-combat losses. When the gunboat "Koreets" attempted to proceed from Chemulpo to Port Arthur, the Japanese squadron began dangerous maneuvering (which ended with the use of a gun) around the Russian gunboat, as a result of which the destroyer "Tsubame" ran aground and did not directly participate in the battle. The messenger ship Chihaya, which, nevertheless, was in close proximity to the battle site, did not participate in the battle. In reality, the battle was waged by a group of four Japanese cruisers, two more cruisers participated only sporadically, and the presence of Japanese destroyers remained a presence factor.

"A cruiser and two enemy destroyers at the bottom"

When we're talking about about military losses, this issue often becomes the object of heated debate. The battle at Chemulpo was no exception, in which estimates of Japanese losses were very contradictory.

Russian sources indicate very high enemy losses: a destroyed destroyer, 30 killed and 200 wounded. They are based mainly on the opinions of representatives of foreign powers who observed the battle.

Over time, two destroyers and the cruiser Takachiho were sunk (by the way, this data ended up in the feature film “Cruiser Varyag”). And if the fate of some Japanese destroyers raises questions, the cruiser Takachiho safely survived the Russo-Japanese War and died 10 years later with its entire crew during the siege of Qingdao.

Reports from all Japanese cruiser commanders indicate that there were no losses or damage to their ships. Another question: where did he “disappear” for two months after the battle in Chemulpo? main opponent"Varyag" armored cruiser "Asama"? Neither Port Arthur nor Admiral Kammimura was part of the squadron operating against the Vladivostok cruiser squadron. And this was at the very beginning of the war, when the outcome of the confrontation was far from decided.

It is likely that the ship, which became the main target of the Varyag’s guns, received serious damage, but at the beginning of the war, for propaganda purposes, the Japanese side was undesirable to talk about this. From the experience of the Russo-Japanese War it is well known how the Japanese long time they tried to hide their losses, for example, the death of the battleships Hatsuse and Yashima, and a number of destroyers that apparently ended up at the bottom were simply written off after the war as beyond repair.

Legends of Japanese modernization

A number of misconceptions are associated with the service of the Varyag in the Japanese fleet. One of them is related to the fact that after the rise of the Varyag, the Japanese retained the Russian state emblem and the name of the cruiser as a sign of respect. However, this was more likely due not to the desire to pay tribute to the crew of the heroic ship, but to design features - the coat of arms and name were mounted in the aft balcony and the Japanese attached the new name of the cruiser “Soya” on both sides to the balcony grille. The second misconception is the replacement of Nicolossa boilers with Miyabara boilers on the Varyag. Although the vehicles had to be thoroughly repaired, the cruiser showed a speed of 22.7 knots during testing.

The cruiser "Varyag" has become a truly legendary ship in Russian history. It became famous due to the battle at Chemulpo, at the very beginning of the Russo-Japanese War. And although the cruiser “Varyag” has already become almost a household name, the battle itself is still unknown to the general public. Meanwhile, for the Russian fleet the results are disappointing.

True, then two domestic ships were immediately opposed by an entire Japanese squadron. All that is known about the “Varyag” is that it did not surrender to the enemy and preferred to be flooded rather than captured. However, the history of the ship is much more interesting. It is worth restoring historical justice and debunking some myths about the glorious cruiser “Varyag”.

The Varyag was built in Russia. The ship is considered one of the most famous in the history of the Russian fleet. It is obvious to assume that it was built in Russia. Nevertheless, the Varyag was laid down in 1898 in Philadelphia at the William Cramp and Sons shipyards. Three years later, the ship began serving in the Russian fleet.

Varyag is a slow ship. Poor quality work during the creation of the vessel led to the fact that it could not accelerate to the 25 knots specified in the contract. This negated all the advantages of a light cruiser. After a few years, the ship could no longer sail faster than 14 knots. The question of returning the Varyag to the Americans for repairs was even raised. But in the fall of 1903, the cruiser was able to show almost the planned speed during testing. Nikloss steam boilers served faithfully on other ships without causing any complaints.

Varyag is a weak cruiser. In many sources there is an opinion that “Varyag” was a weak enemy with low military value. The lack of armor shields on the main caliber guns caused skepticism. True, Japan in those years, in principle, did not have armored cruisers capable of fighting on equal terms with the Varyag and its analogues in terms of weapon power: “Oleg”, “Bogatyr” and “Askold”. No Japanese cruiser of this class had twelve 152 mm guns. But the fighting in that conflict was such that the crews of domestic cruisers did not have the opportunity to fight an enemy of equal size or class. The Japanese preferred to engage in battle with an advantage in the number of ships. The first battle, but not the last, was the battle of Chemulpo.

"Varyag" and "Koreets" received a hail of shells. Describing that battle, domestic historians talk about a whole hail of shells that fell on Russian ships. True, nothing hit the “Korean”. But official data from the Japanese side refutes this myth. In 50 minutes of battle, the six cruisers spent a total of 419 shells. Most of all - "Asama", including 27 caliber 203 mm and 103 caliber 152 mm. According to the report of Captain Rudnev, who commanded the Varyag, the ship fired 1,105 shells. Of these, 425 are 152 mm caliber, 470 are 75 mm caliber, and another 210 are 47 mm. It turns out that as a result of that battle, the Russian artillerymen managed to demonstrate a high rate of fire. The Koreets fired about fifty more shells. So it turns out that during that battle, two Russian ships fired three times more shells than the entire Japanese squadron. It remains not entirely clear how this number was calculated. It may have been based on a survey of the crew. And could a cruiser, which by the end of the battle had lost three quarters of its guns, fire so many shots?

The ship was commanded by Rear Admiral Rudnev. Returning to Russia after retirement in 1905, Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev received the rank of rear admiral. And in 2001, a street in South Butovo in Moscow was named after the brave sailor. But it is still logical to talk about the captain, and not about the admiral in the historical aspect. In the chronicles of the Russian-Japanese War, Rudnev remained a captain of the first rank, commander of the Varyag. He did not show himself anywhere or in any way as a rear admiral. And this obvious mistake even crept into school textbooks, where the rank of the Varyag commander is incorrectly indicated. For some reason, no one thinks that a rear admiral is not qualified to command an armored cruiser. Fourteen Japanese ships opposed two Russian ships. Describing that battle, it is often said that the cruiser “Varyag” and the gunboat “Koreets” were opposed by the entire Japanese squadron of Rear Admiral Uriu of 14 ships. It included 6 cruisers and 8 destroyers. But it’s still worth clarifying something. The Japanese never took advantage of their huge quantitative and qualitative advantage. Moreover, initially there were 15 ships in the squadron. But the destroyer Tsubame ran aground during maneuvers that prevented the Korean from leaving for Port Arthur. The messenger ship Chihaya was not a participant in the battle, although it was located close to the battle site. Only four Japanese cruisers actually fought, with two more sporadically engaging in combat. The destroyers only indicated their presence.

Varyag sank a cruiser and two enemy destroyers. The issue of military losses on both sides always causes heated discussions. Likewise, the battle at Chemulpo is assessed differently by Russian and Japanese historians. Domestic literature mentions heavy enemy losses. The Japanese lost a scuttled destroyer, killing 30 people and wounding about 200. But these data are based on reports from foreigners who observed the battle. Gradually, another destroyer began to be included in the number of those sunk, as well as the cruiser Takachiho. This version was included in the film “Cruiser “Varyag”. And while the fate of the destroyers can be debated, the cruiser Takachiho went through the Russo-Japanese War quite safely. The ship with its entire crew sank only 10 years later during the siege of Qingdao. The Japanese report does not say anything at all about the losses and damage to their ships. True, it is not entirely clear where, after that battle, the armored cruiser Asama, the main enemy of the Varyag, disappeared for two whole months? He was not present at Port Arthur, as well as in the squadron of Admiral Kammimura, which acted against the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers. But the fighting had just begun, the outcome of the war was unclear. One can only assume that the ship, which the Varyag mainly fired at, was still seriously damaged. But the Japanese decided to hide this fact in order to promote the effectiveness of their weapons. Similar experiences were observed in the future during the Russo-Japanese War. The losses of the battleships Yashima and Hatsuse were also not immediately recognized. The Japanese quietly wrote off several sunken destroyers as being beyond repair.

The story of the Varyag ended with its sinking. After the ship's crew switched to neutral ships, the Varyag's seams were opened. It sank. But in 1905, the Japanese raised the cruiser, repaired it and put it into operation under the name Soya. In 1916, the ship was bought by the Russians. Walked First World War, and Japan was already an ally. The ship was returned to its former name “Varyag”, it began to serve as part of the Arctic Ocean flotilla. At the beginning of 1917, the Varyag went to England for repairs, but was confiscated for debts. The Soviet government had no intention of paying the tsar's bills. Further fate The ship was an unenviable one - in 1920 it was sold to the Germans for scrapping. And in 1925, while being towed, it sank in the Irish Sea. So the ship is not resting off the coast of Korea.

The Japanese modernized the ship. There is information that the Nicoloss boilers were replaced by the Japanese with Miyabara boilers. So the Japanese decided to modernize the former Varyag. It's a delusion. True, the car could not be repaired without repairs. This allowed the cruiser to achieve a speed of 22.7 knots during testing, which was less than the original.

As a sign of respect, the Japanese left the cruiser a sign with his name and the Russian coat of arms. This step was not associated with a tribute to memory heroic story ship. The design of the Varyag played a role. The coat of arms and name were mounted in the aft balcony; it was impossible to remove them. The Japanese simply fixed the new name, "Soya", on both sides of the balcony grille. No sentimentality - complete rationality.

“The Death of the Varyag” is a folk song. The Varyag's feat became one of the bright spots of that war. It is not surprising that poems were written about the ship, songs were written, pictures were written, and a film was made. At least fifty songs were composed immediately after that war. But over the years, only three have reached us. “Varyag” and “Death of Varyag” are best known. These songs, with slight modifications, are played throughout the entire feature film about the ship. For a long time it was believed that “The Death of the Varyag” was a folk creation, but this is not entirely true. Less than a month after the battle, Y. Repninsky’s poem “Varyag” was published in the newspaper “Rus”. It began with the words “Cold waves are splashing.” Composer Benevsky set these words to music. It must be said that this melody was in tune with many war songs that appeared during that period. And who the mysterious Ya. Repninsky was was never established. By the way, the text of “Varyag” (“Up, oh comrades, everything in its place”) was written by the Austrian poet Rudolf Greinz. The version known to everyone appeared thanks to the translator Studenskaya.

In On cuts and kickbacks in Tsarist Russia

The development of a fire control system for the battleship Borodino was entrusted to the Institute of Precision Mechanics at the court of His Imperial Highness. The creation of machines was carried out Russian Society steam power plants. A leading research and production team whose developments have been successfully applied on warships around the world. Ivanov's guns and self-propelled mines designed by Makarov were adopted as weapon systems...

All of you, there on the upper deck! Stop the ridicule!

The fire control system was French, mod. 1899. The set of instruments was first presented at an exhibition in Paris and was immediately purchased for the RIF by its commander, Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich (according to the recollections of relatives, le Beau Brummel, who almost permanently lived in France).

Barr and Studd brand horizontal base rangefinders were installed in the conning tower. Boilers of the Belleville design were used. Mangin spotlights. Worthington steam pumps. Martin's anchors. Ston pumps. Medium and anti-mine caliber guns - 152- and 75-mm cannons of the Canet system. Rapid-fire 47 mm Hotchkiss guns. Whitehead system torpedoes.

The Borodino project itself was a modified design of the battleship Tsesarevich, designed and built for the Russian Imperial Navy by specialists from the French shipyard Forges and Chantiers.

To avoid misunderstandings and unfounded reproaches, it is necessary to make an explanation for a wide audience. The good news is that most of the foreign names in the Borodino EDB design belonged to systems manufactured under license in Russia. On the technical side, they also met the best world standards. For example, the generally accepted design of the sectional boiler of the Belleville system and the very successful guns of Gustave Canet.

However, the French fire control system alone on the Russian EBR makes one think. Why and why? It looks as ridiculous as the Aegis on the Soviet Orlan.

There are two bad news.

A great empire with a population of 130 million people, with a high-quality education system (for the elite) and a developed scientific school - Mendeleev, Popov, Yablochkov. And besides, there are all kinds of foreign technologies all around! Where is our domestic “Belleville”? But he was an engineer-inventor V. Shukhov, an employee of the Russian branch of the Babcock & Wilksos company, who patented a vertical boiler of his own design.

In theory, everything was there. In practice, there are solid Belvilles, the Nikloss brothers and the Tsarevich EBR at the Forges and Chantiers shipyard as a standard model for the Russian fleet.

But, what is especially offensive, ships at domestic shipyards were built many times slower. Four years for EDB Borodino versus two and a half years for Retvizan (Cramp & Sans). Now you shouldn’t become like a recognizable hero and ask: “Why? Who did it?" The answer is on the surface - a lack of tools, machines, experience and skilled hands.

Another problem is that even with “mutually beneficial cooperation” in the conditions of an “open world market,” there are no torpedoes of the Makarov design in service with the French fleet. And in general there is nothing observed that would indicate an exchange of technologies. Everything, everything according to the old, proven scheme. We give them money and gold, in return they give them their technical innovations. Belleville boiler. Whitehead's mine. iPhone 6. Because the Russian Mongols in terms of creative process- completely impotent.

Speaking specifically about the fleet, even licenses were not always enough. We just had to take and place orders at foreign shipyards.

The fact that the cruiser “Varyag” was built in the USA is no longer hidden. It is much less known that the second participant in the legendary battle, the gunboat “Korean”, was built in Sweden.

Armored cruiser "Svetlana", built in Le Havre, France.
Armored cruiser "Admiral Kornilov" - Saint-Nazaire, France.
Armored cruiser "Askold" - Kiel, Germany.
Armored cruiser "Boyarin" - Copenhagen, Denmark.
Armored cruiser "Bayan" - Toulon, France.
The armored cruiser Admiral Makarov was built at the Forges & Chantiers shipyard.
The armored cruiser Rurik was built at the English shipyard Barrow Inn Furness.
The battleship Retvizan, built by Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia, USA.
Series of destroyers "Whale", Friedrich Schichau shipyard, Germany.
The Trout series of destroyers were built at the A. Norman plant in France.
Series "Lieutenant Burakov" - "Forges & Chantiers", France.
Series of destroyers “Mechanical Engineer Zverev” - Schichau shipyard, Germany.
The lead destroyers of the “Horseman” and “Falcon” series were built in Germany and, accordingly, Great Britain.
"Batum" - at the Yarrow shipyard in Glasgow, UK (the list is incomplete!).

A regular participant in “Military Review” spoke very caustically about this:

Well, of course, they ordered ships from the Germans. They built well, their cars were excellent. Well, clearly in France, like an ally, plus kickbacks to the Grand Dukes. One can also understand the order to the American Crump. He did it quickly, promised a lot and delivered everything no worse than the French. But it turns out that under the Tsar Father, we even ordered cruisers in Denmark.
Comment from Eduard (qwert).

The irritation is well understandable. Given the colossal gap in technology and labor productivity, building a series of armored cruisers is equivalent to building a modern spaceport. Outsourcing such “fat” projects to foreign contractors is unprofitable and ineffective in all respects. This money should go to the workers of the Admiralty shipyards and move the domestic economy. And together with it, develop our own science and industry. This is what everyone has strived to do at all times. Steal from profits, not losses. But we don’t do that.

We did it differently. The scheme was called “to steal a ruble, harm the country for a million.” The French have a contract, they, whoever needs it, get a kickback. Their shipyards are sitting without orders. Industry is deteriorating. Qualified personnel are not needed.

There was a time when they even tried to build dreadnought battleships, but it would be better not to try. During the implementation of this most complex project, all the shortcomings of pre-revolutionary Russia were clearly revealed. There is a widespread lack of production experience, machines and competent specialists. Multiplied by incompetence, nepotism, kickbacks and chaos in the offices of the Admiralty.

As a result, the formidable “Sevastopol” took six years to build and by the time the St. Andrew’s flag was raised it was completely outdated. “Empress Maria” turned out to be no better. Look at their peers. Who entered service at the same time as them in 1915? Isn't it the 15-inch Queen Elizabeth? And then say that the author is biased.

They say that there was still the mighty “Ishmael”. Or it wasn't. The battle cruiser “Izmail” turned out to be an unbearable burden for the Republic of Ingushetia. It’s a rather strange habit to pass off as an achievement something that you didn’t do.

Even in Peaceful time, with the direct help of foreign contractors, the ships over and over again turned into long-term construction projects. With the cruiser everything turned out to be even more serious. When Izmail reached 43% readiness, Russia entered into a war that lacked any purpose, objective benefit, and was impossible to win. For “Ishmael” this was the end, because... Some of its mechanisms were imported from Germany.

If we talk outside of politics, then the Izmail LCR was also not an indicator of the heyday of the empire. Dawn has already begun to glow in the East. Japan stood up to his full height with his 16-inch “Nagato”. One that even their British teachers were taken aback by.

Time passed, there was not much progress. From the author’s point of view, industry in Tsarist Russia was in complete decline. You may have an opinion different from the author’s, which, however, will not be easy to prove.

Go down to the engine room of the destroyer Novik and read what is stamped on its turbines. Come on, bring some light here. Really? A.G. Vulkan Stettin. Deutsches Kaiserreich.

Things didn't work out with the engines from the very beginning. Climb into the engine nacelle of the same “Ilya Muromets”. What will you see there? Engines of the Gorynych brand? Really, surprise. Renault.

Legendary royal quality

All the facts indicate that the Russian Empire languished somewhere at the very bottom of the list of developed states. After Great Britain, Germany, the States, France and even Japan, which, having gone through the late Meiji modernization, by the 1910s. managed to bypass RI in everything.

In general, Russia was not at all where it should be for an empire with such ambitions.

After this, jokes about “Ilyin’s light bulb” and the state program for eliminating illiteracy no longer seem so funny. Years passed and the country healed. Fully. It would become a state with the best education in the world, with advanced science and a developed industry that could do everything. Import substitution in the most important industries (military industry, atom, space) was 100%.

And the descendants of the degenerates who fled will continue to whine in Paris for a long time about “the Russia they lost.”
Author A. Dolganov.

"Varyag" - armored cruiser of the 1st rank of the 1st Pacific squadron of the Russian Navy in 1901-1904. Participant in the battle at Chemulpo (1904).

In 1898, in the city of Philadelphia, the armored cruiser “Varyag” was laid down by order of the Russian Naval Ministry. The shipyard of the American Company William Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia on the Delaware River was chosen as the site for the construction of the ship. The parties signed a contract on April 11, 1898.

One of the weak points of the cruiser was the new Nickolas steam boilers; they allowed for high speeds, sometimes up to 24 knots, but were extremely unreliable in operation. Due to some deficiencies found when the ship was accepted, the Varyag was commissioned at the beginning of 1901. During the construction of the cruiser, 6,500 people worked at the shipyard. Simultaneously with the construction of the Varyag, the Russian leadership ordered the construction of the battleship Retvizan for the Russian Pacific squadron. It was being built on a nearby slipway.

In accordance with the preliminary specifications, the mass of the hull, taking into account practical things, was supposed to be 2900 tons.

The cruiser's hull was equipped with a forecastle, which improved its combat and performance characteristics in stormy seas. The basis of the hull was the keel, enclosed between bronze stems. On the flooring of the second bottom, foundations for 30 Nikloss boilers were installed on specially prepared sites. The height of the ship's hull was 10.46 m.

All vital mechanisms, machines, boilers and cellars were covered by an armored deck made of “extra-soft nickel steel”, stretching from stem to stem at a height of 6.48 m from the main line. Above the engine room, the deck rose to a height of 7.1 m; to the sides its bevels descended below the waterline by about 1.1 m. The armor was riveted from 19 mm and 38 mm plates; the total thickness of the horizontal deck and bevels was 38 and 76 mm, respectively. The viscosity of the armor material caused the projectile to ricochet when it hit it at an acute angle. All armor plates were supplied by the Carnegie Steel Company, located in Pittsburgh. In the middle of the deck along the center plane above the boiler rooms there were openings for chimneys, and above the engine rooms for a skylight. Along the sides, above and below the slopes in the area of ​​the engine and boiler rooms, there were coal pits. In addition to their direct purpose, they also performed protective functions, forming a parapet around the vital mechanisms and systems of the ship.

In the area of ​​the coal pits, adjacent to the outer skin of the side, there were cofferdam compartments 0.76 m wide and 2.28 m high for storing cellulose. But due to the fragility of cellulose, its compartments were not filled. Armor covers were installed around the chimneys, skylight, rudder drives, ammunition elevators and other devices that passed through the armored deck. The muzzle parts of the torpedo tubes also had enhanced protection. The hatch covers in the armored deck could be opened both from the inside and from the outside.

Under the armored deck, on the second bottom, all the main units, mechanisms and machinery of the ship were located. Here, at the bow and stern ends, there were magazines with ammunition, divided into two groups of nine rooms, which simplified their protection.

Initially, in accordance with the “Program for Designing a Cruiser,” it was planned to install 2,203 mm on the ship; 10 152 mm; 12 75 mm; 6 47-mm guns and 6 torpedo tubes, 2 of the latter being underwater. In total, 440.5 tons were allocated for artillery weapons according to the project; in reality it was almost 30 tons heavier.

In the final version of the project, the “six-thousander” cruisers (“Varyag”, “Askold” and “Bogatyr”) had 12 152/45 mm, 12 75/50 mm, 8 47/43 mm (two of them with removable mounts ), 2 37/23-mm; 2 63.5/19-mm Baranovsky guns; 6 381 mm TA and 2 7.62 mm machine guns. In addition, it was planned to install removable TA for boats, as well as barrage mines deployed from special rafts.

"Varyag" was equipped with all these numerous weapons. Unlike other cruisers, all TAs on it were located above the water. The cruiser's large artillery (152 mm and 75 mm guns) was combined into three batteries. The first included 6 152-mm guns located in the bow, the second - 6 stern 152-mm guns; in the third - 12 75 mm guns.

All the cruiser's guns, including small-caliber ones, had continuous numbering, with odd numbers on the starboard side and even numbers on the left side. Numbering - from bow to stern:

152 mm Kane guns of the 1891 model. On the forecastle - No. 1 and No. 2. On the upper deck - guns No. 3 - No. 12;

75-mm Kane guns of the 1891 model on Meller machines. On the upper deck - No. 13 - No. 22; on the living deck in the commander's salon - No. 23 and No. 24;

47 mm Hotchkiss guns of the 1896 model. On the forecastle on the sponson of guns No. 5 and No. 6 are guns No. 27 and No. 28. Guns No. 25 and No. 26 were mounted on removable mounts designed for steam boats, No. 29 and No. 30 were mounted on the foremast top, and No. 31 and No. 32 - on the top of the mainmast;

37 mm Hotchkiss guns of the 1896 model. Both guns No. 33 and No. 34 were mounted on a platform behind the aft bridge;

63.5 mm Baranovsky model 1882 landing guns. Guns No. 35 and No. 36 were located on the forecastle under the wings of the bow bridge. Wheel carriages for them were stored separately - under the bow bridge behind the conning tower;

The machine guns were mounted on special brackets located on the bulwarks near the conning tower. Before firing, the crew folded back a special platform, stood on it and fired. Exactly such platforms were prepared in the stern of the ship under the whaleboats. If desired, detachable 47-mm guns No. 25 and No. 26 could be installed on the same brackets.

As already mentioned, all torpedo tubes on the cruiser were surface-mounted. Two of them were located in the stems at the ends of the ship in a stationary position; four - on the sides: two in the ship's church and two in the wardroom. The onboard vehicles were rotary; their guidance was carried out using a ball device. In the initial position they were in a disassembled state; they had to be collected before firing. Firing from the onboard devices was carried out using the energy of powder gases, and from the bow, due to the danger of flooding with water, using compressed air.

In addition, the ship had 254 mm torpedo tubes for arming steam boats. In the stowed position, they were secured to the decking of the longitudinal bridges next to the boats.

The cruiser's ammunition was stored in 18 cellars. They contained shells of all calibers, as well as torpedoes, throwing mines, barrage mines and cartridges for machine guns and small arms. For the main caliber, armor-piercing, high-explosive, cast iron and segment projectiles were used; for firing from 75 mm guns - only armor-piercing and cast iron.

According to the state, the cellars contained 2,388 cartridges (charges in cases) and shells for 152-mm guns (199 rounds per barrel), 3,000 unitary cartridges for 75-mm guns (250 per barrel), 5,000 unitary cartridges for 47-mm guns (625 per barrel), 2584 unitary cartridges for 37 mm guns (1292 per barrel), 1490 unitary cartridges for 63.5 mm guns (745 per gun), 12 torpedoes with a caliber of 381 mm (Despite the fact that all reference and special literature speaks of 381-mm torpedo tubes, there is reason to believe that in fact on the Varyag they had a caliber of 450 mm. This assumption is based on measurements of the dimensions of the torpedo tubes given in the original drawings of the Kramp plant, and is indirectly confirmed by photographs of the available on a torpedo cruiser), six throwing mines with a caliber of 254 mm and 35 barrage mines (according to other sources - 22).

The supply of ammunition for all calibers was carried out by elevators with electric and manual drives. Shells and cartridges were fed upward in gazebos with four shots each, and the gazebos were rolled up to the guns on special monorails and there they were unloaded onto a tarpaulin spread on the deck. Monorails were laid to all guns located on the upper deck; there were them in all the cellars. Shells and cartridges (cases) were delivered to guns No. 1 and No. 2 using folding monorails or carried manually directly from the elevators. Shots were delivered to the guns mounted on the tops by lifts located inside the masts. The 152 mm guns were served by 12 elevators (one per gun); 75 mm guns - three; 47 mm guns - two; the remaining elevators were intended for 37 mm guns and Baranovsky cannons. The lifting speed of the gazebos by electric drive is 0.8 - 0.9 m/s, manually 0.2 - 0.4 m/s.

The cruiser was equipped with a remote fire control system using special indicators installed near the guns and in the cellars. Data on firing parameters and type of shells were specified directly from the conning tower.

Determination of the distance to the target according to the project was to be carried out by six rangefinder stations using Luzhol-Myakishev micrometers. In fact, the Varyag was equipped with only three such stations; two of them were located on the tops and one on the forward bridge.

Steam engines triple expansion with 20,000 hp. were located in two adjacent engine rooms and had a height of 4.5 m together with the foundation. Their excess power, revealed during full-stroke tests, was a kind of “dead weight”, since it could not be realized with the existing steam output of the boilers.

The cruiser's four-cylinder engines had one high (14 atm), medium (8.4 atm) and two low (3.5 atm) pressure cylinders. Accordingly, their diameters were equal to 1.02, 1.58 and 1.73 m. The piston stroke was 0.91 m. The maximum angular speed of the shaft rotation was 160 rpm. The piston rods were made of forged nickel steel and were hollow. The steel shafts of the main machines are also forged.

In accordance with the design drawings, it was planned to install two four-blade propellers with removable blades with a diameter of 4.4 m on the Varyag. However, during construction they were replaced with two three-bladed propellers with fixed blades and a standard pitch of 5.6 m. Auxiliary two-cylinder cars.

While the ship was moving at full speed (during tests in the USA), the temperature in the engine rooms reached 31° and 43° - on the lower and upper platforms, respectively.

Stop command with full speed forward until the car came to a complete stop was completed in 15 seconds; “Move forward” - in 8 s, and changing from full forward to full backward - in 25 s.

The three boiler rooms of the cruiser housed 30 Nikloss water-tube boilers: 10 in the bow; on average - 8 and in the aft - 12. The height of each boiler with a foundation is 3 m, of which 2 m was occupied by a collector with pipes. Each boiler had three fireboxes lined with brick. All boilers were combined into four groups, each with its own chimney, and the bow one was narrower than the others. The heating surface area of ​​all 30 boilers was 5786 m2, and the area of ​​the swinging grates was 146 m2. The design operating pressure in the boilers was taken to be 18 atm (test - 28.1 atm). During running 12-hour progressive tests, the pressure in the boilers did not exceed 17.5 atm, the temperature in the boiler room on the upper platforms reached 73°, on the lower ones - 50°. Water was supplied to the boilers using 10 feed pumps. The amount of water in the boilers is 110t; another 120 tons were additionally stored in the double-bottom space. High pressure steam from the boilers to the machines was supplied through a pipeline with a diameter of 381 mm. Slag from the boiler room was thrown out through special shafts equipped with an electric drive. The total cooling surface of the two main refrigerators is 1120 m2.

Coal pits were adjacent to the boiler rooms. Coal was taken from them through special necks located in the boiler room. It was transported to the fireboxes on rails in trolleys.

Coal was loaded into the pits through 16 necks with a diameter of 508 mm located on the upper deck.

The Davis mechanism, which was the basis of the cruiser's steering gear, was the first in the Russian fleet to have three types of drive: steam, electric and manual. The rudder blade was made in the form of a three-section frame, sheathed in sheet steel 9 mm thick. The frame space was filled with wooden blocks. The steering wheel area is 12 m2.

The steering wheel was controlled either from the combat or from the wheelhouse; in the event of their failure, the control was transferred to the steering compartment, located under the armored deck.

The cruiser "Varyag", unlike previously created ships, had a large percentage of equipment powered by electricity. In this regard, the ship's energy consumption exceeded 400 kW. This required significant amount fuel. For example, out of 8,600 tons of coal consumed per year, 1,750 tons were spent on lighting, 540 tons on the desalination plant, and 415 tons on heating and galleys.

The ship's power sources were three dynamos. The power of the two, located in the bow and stern, was 132 kW each, and the power of the generator located on the living deck was 66 kW. They generated an electric current of 105 V. In addition, a 2.6 kW generator with a circuit voltage of 65 V was used to lift boats and boats. There was also a steering generator in the tiller compartment; V Everyday life it more often served for lighting. In addition, in a special compartment there was a battery for emergency power supply of running lights, loud bells and other needs.

To extinguish fires, a fire main with a diameter of 127 mm was laid under the armored deck. To connect fire hoses, the pipe had branches with a diameter of 64 mm, which extended into all cellars, boiler rooms and engine rooms. Fire alarm sensors were installed in coal pits. Fires in coal pits were extinguished using steam.

The drainage system consisted of signaling devices, drainage pumps and drives (electric motors). It ensured the pumping of incoming water from all rooms located under the armored deck of the ship.

Water was removed from the boiler rooms using centrifugal pumps placed on a double bottom deck. They were driven by electric motors installed on the armored deck and connected to the pumps by a long shaft. The productivity of one pump is 600 m3/h. The diameters of the inlet pipes on all pumps were the same - 254 mm. Water was pumped out of the engine rooms by two circulation pumps of the main refrigerators with a capacity of 2x1014 m3/h.

The ventilation system could provide 5-fold air exchange within an hour in all rooms below the armored deck, 12-fold in the cellars and 20-fold in the dynamo rooms.

To protect against torpedoes while anchored in open roadsteads, the ship was equipped with metal nets. They were hung along the sides on poles. In the traveling position, the poles were laid along the sides in an inclined position, and the nets were placed on special shelves.

The cruiser's anchorage consisted of two fairleads with sac-cluses, four Hall anchors with rods, anchor chains, two capstans, a windlass with a drive, breakouts and a crane for cleaning the anchors. The mass of each anchor is 4.77 tons. Two of them were installed on special cushions on the starboard side: the first, closer to the fairlead, was the main anchor, the second was the spare one. On the left side there is one guard. The fourth was attached to the front wall of the conning tower foundation. Anchor chains with a length of 274 m and a caliber of 54 mm were attached to both main anchors. In addition to the main chains, the cruiser had two more spare ones, each 183 m long. The anchors were lifted by a windlass located under the forecastle. The drive of the windlass and capstan located on the forecastle is steam; stern spire - electric. The anchors were removed after lifting by a crane installed on the forecastle not far from the huys rod. To work with the spare anchor, a collapsible crane was used, installed on the forecastle. In the stowed position it was stored on the roof of the wheelhouse.

In addition to anchors, the cruiser had one stop anchor and three verpas weighing 1.18 tons, 685 kg, 571 kg and 408 kg, respectively. The stop anchor was located on the left side behind the “casemate” of the 75 mm gun on special brackets. On the starboard side, in the area of ​​whaleboat No. 1, one verp was fixed on brackets, the rest were placed on the port side.

The cruiser's rescue craft included two 12.4 m long steam boats; one 16-oar and one 14-oar longboat; two 12-oar boats; two 6-oared whaleboats; two 6-oar yawls and two trial 4-oar boats. All of them were made of galvanized steel. Except for two yawls, all watercraft were installed on rostra. The sixes were located on the sides on the forecastle in front of the first chimney; trial boats - next to 12-oar boats on rostra.

The controls, communications and surveillance on the cruiser were concentrated mainly on the stern and bow bridges, including the wheelhouse and conning tower. The cruiser's conning tower, increased compared to the design from 2.8x2.3 m to 4.2x3.5 m, was an oval armored parapet protected by 152 mm armor. To ensure the normal operation of the combat and traveling compasses, the roof and floor of the cabin were made of bronze and brass. Above there was a transverse bridge on which combat lights (searchlights) and taillights were installed. The pilothouse, also made entirely of sheet brass and copper, was located in the center of the bridge. There were fifteen windows in its walls: five in front, four on the sides and two in the back. There are four doors. The bridge rested on the roof of the conning tower and 13 racks installed on the forecastle.

There were five compasses on the cruiser. The two main ones were located on the roof of the chassis and on a special area of ​​the aft bridge. The non-magnetic zone of these compasses is 4.5 m.

The Varyag's communications equipment included a telephone network, speaking pipes and a staff of messengers. If the latter were a traditional type of communication, then the telephone was almost a novelty in the Russian fleet. It covered almost all of the ship's service areas. Telephone sets were installed in all cellars, in boiler rooms and engine rooms, in the cabins of the commander, senior officer, and mechanical engineer, in the conning and wheelhouses, and at gun posts.

Electrical alarm systems (bells, indicators, fire alarm sensors, sirens, etc.) were available in the command staff's cabins, at combat posts and in the conning tower. In addition to warning calls, the cruiser, paying tribute to traditions, retained a staff of drummers and buglers (drummers gave signals for artillery crews on the starboard side, and buglers on the left). To communicate with other ships, in addition to the radio station, the cruiser had a large staff of signalmen transmitting messages using flags, flags, figures, Tabulevich lanterns and a mechanical semaphore (removed in the summer of 1901 due to cumbersomeness and inconvenience of use).

The Varyag had six spotlights with a mirror diameter of 750 mm. They were located on masts (one at a time) and bridges (two at a time).

On the cruiser "Varyag", in accordance with the specifications, the crew consisted of 21 officers, 9 conductors and 550 lower ranks. Before the ship left for Russia, there were 19 officers, a priest, 5 conductors and 537 lower ranks on board. 558 people took part in the battle on January 27, 1904: 21 officers, a priest, 4 conductors, 529 lower ranks and 3 civilians. Another 10 crew members of the Varyag were left in Port Arthur before leaving for Chemulpo.

The crew's living quarters were located under the forecastle on the living deck, and aft on the armored deck. From the 72nd shp. towards the stern were the cabins of the officers and command of the ship. The officers' cabins were single, with an area of ​​6 m2; cabins for the senior officer, mechanical engineer and senior navigator - 10 m2 each. The premises towards the stern at a length of 12.5 m were occupied by the commander. Adjoining them was a wardroom with an area of ​​92 m2. On the living deck there was an infirmary, a pharmacy, a galley, a bathhouse (25 m2) and a ship's church. On the living deck, all doors, except the watertight ones, were sliding.

During its service, the Varyag was painted as follows. Before leaving for Russia and in Russia from September 1900 to May 1901: the hull and masts are white; the lower bends of chimneys and fans (pipes and funnels) are yellow; the upper bends of the chimneys, the topmasts of both masts and the yards are black; the underwater part is green and the inner surface of the bells is red.

During the voyage as part of the escort of Emperor Nicholas II from August to September 1901: the hull and masts are white; chimney elbows and fans (pipes and funnels) are yellow; the crowns of the chimneys are 1.5 m wide, the topmasts of both masts and the yards are black; the inner surface of the bells is red; the underwater part is red.

When switching to Far East and in Port Arthur from August 1901 to September 1903: hull and masts - white; the lower bends of chimneys and fans (pipes and funnels) are yellow; the upper bends of the chimneys, the topmasts of both masts and the yards are black; the inner surface of the bells is red; the underwater part is red.

From September 1903 until the moment of death: from the waterline to the waterline - olive color (in accordance with the order for painting ships in war color, a strip 0.9 m wide had to be marked on the chimneys orange color); the underwater part is red.

During repairs in Vladivostok and the passage to Hong Kong from March to July 1916: from the waterline to the waterline - spherical color; chimney crowns 1m wide - black; the underwater part is most likely red.

During the transition from Hong Kong to Greenock from July to November 1916: from the waterline to the waterline - “half-white” color (as in the document - Author); chimney crowns 1m wide - black; the underwater part is red.

During the passage from Greenock to the capture by the British from November 1916 to November 1917: from klotik to waterline - spherical color; chimney crowns 1m wide - black; the underwater part is red.

On December 27, 1903, the commander of the cruiser “Varyag” Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev received an order from the Russian governor to go to the Korean international port of Chemulpo (the current port of Inchhon, South Korea). According to the command's plan, the cruiser was supposed to establish reliable communications between Port Arthur and our envoy in Seoul, as well as indicate the Russian military presence in Korea. It was forbidden to leave the port of Chemulpo without an order from senior command. Due to the difficult fairway and shallow water, the Varyag dropped anchor in the outer roadstead. A few days later he was joined by the gunboat "Korean". Very soon it became clear that the Japanese were preparing for a major landing operation. On January 25, the commander of the cruiser V.F. Rudnev personally went to the Russian ambassador to pick him up and go home with the entire mission. But Ambassador Pavlov did not dare to leave the embassy without an order from his department. A day later, the port was blocked by an armada of a Japanese squadron consisting of 14 ships. The flagship was the armored cruiser Osama.

On January 27, the commander of the cruiser Varyag received an ultimatum from Admiral Urio. The Japanese commander offered to leave the port and surrender to the mercy of the victors, otherwise he threatened to attack Russian ships right in the roadstead. Having learned about this, the ships foreign countries sent a protest - to go into battle in a neutral roadstead, at the same time they refused to accompany the Russians to the sea, where they would have more opportunities to maneuver and repel an attack.

The cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" began to prepare for battle. According to tradition, all sailors and officers changed into clean shirts. At 10:45 V. F. Rudnev addressed the crew with a speech. The ship's priest blessed the sailors before the battle.

At 11:20 the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" weighed anchor and went towards the Japanese squadron. As a sign of the sailors' admiration, the French, British, and Italians lined up the crews of their ships on the decks. On the Varyag the orchestra played national anthems in response to Italian ship The anthem of the Russian Empire sounded. When Russian ships appeared in the roadstead, the Japanese raised a signal offering to surrender, the commander of the cruiser ordered not to respond to enemy signals. Admiral Urio waited in vain for several minutes for an answer. At first, he could not believe that the Russians were not coming to surrender, but to attack his squadron. At 11:45, the flagship Osama opened fire on the cruiser Varyag. One of the first shells hit the upper bow bridge and destroyed the rangefinder station, the navigator's combat unit was killed. Two minutes later, the Varyag opened strong return fire from the starboard side.

It was especially hard for the gunners who were on the upper deck. The Japanese used new tactics for the first time in this battle - they literally bombarded the cruiser "Varyag" with high-explosive shells of strong explosive action, even when hitting the water such a shell scattered into hundreds of pieces.

The Russian fleet used powerful armor-piercing shells. They pierced the sides of enemy ships without exploding.

When the next explosion tore off stern flag, the boatswain raised a new one, risking his life. At 12:15 Rudnev decided to bring the left side gun into battle. When the ship began to turn around, two large shells hit it simultaneously. The first hit the room where all the steering gears were located, fragments of the second flew into the conning tower, three people standing next to Rudnev were killed on the spot. The commander of the cruiser "Varyag" himself was wounded in the head, but, despite the concussion, he remained at his post and continued to lead the battle. When the distance between the opponents was reduced to 5 km, the gunboat “Koreets” entered the battle.

It is curious that not a single Japanese shell hit it. The day before, the commander ordered the masts to be shortened, which prevented the Japanese from accurately determining the distance and adjusting the shooting.

At 12:25, the Varyag opened fire from the port side. The Osama's aft bridge was destroyed by a direct hit, after which a severe fire broke out on the flagship. By this time, the second Japanese cruiser Takatiha, having received serious damage, was forced to withdraw from the battle. One of the destroyers sank. At 12:30 two shells pierced the side of the cruiser "Varyag" under water. The cruiser began to list to port. While the team was sealing the holes, Rudnev decided to return to the port of Chemulpo. At the raid, he planned to repair the damage and put out the fires, so that he could then return to battle again.

At 12:45, as the raid approached, the general fire stopped. During the battle, the Varyag managed to fire 1,105 shells at the enemy. At 13:15, the wounded and smoking “Varyag” dropped anchor in the roadstead. According to eyewitnesses, its entire deck was covered in blood. There were 130 wounded sailors lying in the charred premises of the cruiser. 22 people died during the battle. Of the 12 six-inch guns, two remained in working order. Further resistance was not possible. And then the military council of the cruiser decided to prevent the Japanese from sinking the ships, and to place the crew on foreign ships by agreement. Having received Rudnev’s appeal, the commanders of European ships immediately sent boats with orderlies. Several sailors died during the evacuation. The French cruiser "Pascal" took the most of all - 352 people, the British took 235 people, the Italians - 178. At 15:30 on the "Varyag" the kingstons and flood valves were opened, the "Korean" was blown up.

On February 9, 1904, at 18:10, the light armored cruiser "Varyag" lay on its left side and disappeared under water.

Not a single officer or sailor was captured after the battle. Respecting the courage shown in that battle, Admiral Urio agreed to let them pass through the combat zone to return to their homeland.

Two months later, the steamer with the sailors “Varyag” and “Korean” arrived in Odessa. The heroes of Chemulpo were greeted with the thunder of orchestras and demonstrations of thousands. The sailors were showered with flowers and an unprecedented explosion of patriotic feelings. All participants in the battle were awarded St. George's crosses. Each sailor received a personalized watch from the emperor. Then the first songs appeared dedicated to the cruiser “Varyag” and the gunboat “Koreets”.

However, the story of the legendary cruiser did not end there. Soon after the battle it became clear that the Varyag did not sink deeply. During low tides, the water level in Chemulpo Bay dropped to 9 meters. Having learned about this, the Japanese began work on raising the cruiser Varyag. Within a month, divers and special equipment were delivered to Chemulpo from Japan. The cruiser's guns, masts and pipes were removed, coal was unloaded, but all attempts to raise it in 1904 ended in failure. Only on August 8, 1905, after the creation of special caissons, was it possible to tear the cruiser away from the muddy bottom. In November 1905, the Varyag reached Japan under its own power. For almost two years the cruiser "Varyag" was in the city of Yokosuka on major renovation. The work to raise and restore it cost the Japanese treasury 1 million yen. In 1907, he was enlisted in the Japanese Navy under the name "Soya". At the stern, as a sign of respect for the enemy, an inscription of the cruiser's former name was left. For nine years, the cruiser was a training ship for the cadet school. It taught how to defend the honor of your homeland.

After the First World War, the Russian government began negotiations on the transfer of several captured ships. After lengthy bidding, the Russian government bought the Varyag from the Japanese. In March of the same year, the cruiser set sail for Russia. On March 21, 1916, thousands of residents of Vladivostok watched as three Russian ships flying Japanese flags entered the Golden Horn Bay. These were the battleships of the first Pacific squadron “Poltava”, “Peresvet” and the legendary cruiser “Varyag”. After 12 years, the cruiser moored again at her native shores. The ships were accepted back into the Russian fleet. From now on, they were staffed only by guards crews.

At the end of 1916, the cruiser Varyag was assigned to the Arctic Ocean flotilla. Soon it was sent to England for repairs. In 1917 he arrived in Liverpool. The further fate of the “Varyag” was tragic. After news of the October coup in Russia, the British government ordered all Russian ships to be detained in its ports, by which time the cost of repairing the Varyag was estimated at 300,000 pounds sterling. When it became clear that the Bolsheviks were not going to pay the tsar’s debts, the British confiscated the Varyag and after some time sold it to one of the German companies for scrapping. On February 5, 1920, two tugs took him to the port of Glasgow. While being towed, a severe storm arose in the Irish Sea. Off the coast of Southern Scotland, the Varyag hit rocks and sank, although again not deeply. During low tides, the cruiser's hull protruded from the water by almost 2 meters. All attempts to remove him from the cliff were unsuccessful. Then the new owners began to dismantle it directly into the sea. In 1925, all work at the Varyag crash site was completed. Thus ended the fate of the legendary ship, but the feat of its crew was not forgotten.

On August 9, 1992, a monument to the commander of the cruiser V.F. was unveiled in the village of Savina. Rudnev. In the summer of 1997, a monument to the cruiser Varyag was erected in Vladivostok.