Bogatyr is a 1st rank cruiser of the Russian Imperial Navy. Lead cruiser of the Bogatyr class. Participated in the Russo-Japanese and First World Wars. Built by order of the Russian government in Germany.

Laid down on December 21, 1899, launched on January 17, 1901, commissioned into the fleet in August 1902.

According to the same project, the cruisers “Oleg”, “Kagul” (formerly “Ochakov”) and “Memory of Mercury” (formerly “Kagul”) were built in Russia, and another ship of the same type (“Vityaz”) burned unfinished on a slipway in S -Pb.

Main characteristics:

Displacement 6645 tons.
Length 134.0 m.
Width 16.6 m.
Draft 6.3 m.
Reservation Deck - 35/70,
towers - 125/90,
cutting - 140 mm.
Engines: 2 triple expansion steam engines, 16 Norman boilers.
Power 20,368 hp. With.
Speed ​​23 knots (43 km/h).
Crew 589 people.

Weapons:

Artillery 12 × 152 mm,
12 × 75 mm,
8 × 47 mm,
2 × 37 mm.
Mine and torpedo armament Four 381 mm torpedo tubes.

After construction, "Bogatyr" was transferred to the Far East as part of the Pacific Squadron of the Russian Imperial Navy and was included in the Vladivostok cruiser detachment.

On May 15, 1904, she ran into rocks in the Amur Bay, received serious damage, and with great difficulty the ship was saved and brought to Vladivostok for repairs. Throughout the Russo-Japanese War, “Bogatyr” was under repair.

After the war he was transferred to the Baltic Fleet. Carried out training trips in the Baltic Sea. Went to the Mediterranean and Black Seas. In December 1908, Russian sailors from the Bogatyr were among the first to come to the aid of the residents of Messina buried under the rubble; in total, about 1,800 people were saved. Before the First World War in 1912, machine repairs and partial modernization took place at the Kronstadt Steamship Plant.

He entered the First World War as part of the 2nd cruiser squadron.

On August 26, 1914, the cruisers Pallada and Bogatyr captured a code book from the German light cruiser Magdeburg, which ran aground near the island of Odensholm in the Gulf of Finland.
Russian authorities handed over the book to the British Admiralty, which played a decisive role in revealing the German naval code. The discovery of the code subsequently had a significant impact both on combat operations at sea and on the course of the war as a whole.
During the war, it underwent modernization repairs in 1915 at the Franco-Russian plant with the replacement of artillery from 152-mm guns in 45 calibers of the long Kane system with 130-mm guns of the Obukhov plant in 55 calibers long.

Throughout the war he successfully operated in the Baltic Sea, laid minefields, and participated in many combat operations. Like the rest of the fleet, it was forced to retreat after the change on the fronts that followed the 1917 revolution. Participated in the famous Ice Campaign of the Baltic Fleet.

In 1922 it was dismantled for metal.

Bogatyr-class cruisers are considered one of the most successful armored cruisers of the early 20th century.Initially, they were built to conduct raider operations on remote communications of the British Empire (in alliance with the German navies), but, ironically, they were forced to fight in the confined spaces of the Baltic and Black Sea against the German and Turkish fleets

By the end of the 19th century, the leading naval powers came to the conclusion that it was necessary to have cruisers in the fleet - ships capable of destroying enemy transport ships, as well as performing squadron service. According to naval theorists, the fleet needed three types of cruisers:

• large cruisers (in later sources appear as “heavy” or “armored”), intended for operations on ocean communications;
• medium cruisers (in later sources appear as “light” or “armored”), operating close to their own naval bases;
• small cruisers (in later sources appear as “auxiliary” or “advice notes”) - high-speed ships intended for reconnaissance in squadrons of linear forces.

The naval doctrine of the Russian Empire was generally consistent with global trends. Thus, the classification introduced in 1892 provided for the presence in the fleet of cruisers of the 1st (divided into armored and armored cruisers) and 2nd ranks. The shipbuilding programs adopted in Russia in 1896 and 1898–1904 provided for the construction of twenty cruisers of all types for the Baltic Fleet and two cruisers for the Black Sea Fleet. The bulk of the cruisers of the Baltic Fleet were intended for the Pacific Ocean squadron created within it (since May 12, 1904 - the 1st squadron of the Pacific Fleet). The Naval Ministry received the necessary funds, but spent them rather irrationally, eventually building only eighteen cruisers. The failure of the program was greatly facilitated by the Marine Technical Committee (MTK). As a result of the constant change in its requirements for the tactical and technical characteristics of new ships, the fleet eventually received six armored cruisers with a total displacement of 11,000–15,000 tons of four different types, nine armored cruisers with a total displacement of 7,000–8,000 tons of four different types and four armored cruisers with a total displacement 3000 tons of three different types.

The increase in the number of armored cruisers built due to a decrease in the number of armored cruisers is usually associated with the course of the Navy Ministry to abandon the previously planned cruising war against the British Empire in favor of a plan to create an armored squadron that would be superior in strength to the Japanese fleet. The appearance of armored cruisers with a displacement of 3,000 tons, optimally adapted for operations on Japanese trade routes close to Russian naval bases, is fully consistent with this assumption. But the appearance of larger (so-called “7000-ton”) cruisers does not fit into the anti-Japanese doctrine - ships armed with 152-mm guns were too powerful to fight Japanese cruisers of the 2nd rank and too weak to fight turret-mounted armored cruisers , armed with 203 mm guns. The emergence of 7,000-ton armored cruisers was more a consequence of numerous compromises aimed at creating a universal cruiser to fight any potential enemy than a fully meaningful and calculated decision. Such attempts to create the “ideal weapon”, as a rule, end in a waste of time and resources, but, fortunately, the largest series of 7000-ton cruisers were built, definitely the most advanced cruisers of the “Bogatyr” type, which were to a certain extent ahead of their time and anticipated the advent of in the 30s, tower cruisers of the so-called “Washington” type.

Performance characteristics

The final version of the “Program for a cruiser of 6,000 tons of displacement”, prepared for April 13, 1898, formulated the basic requirements for the ship:

• displacement - 6000 tons;
• cruising range - about 4000 miles at a speed of 10 knots;
• speed – at least 23 knots;
• the use of 152-mm Kane cannons with a barrel length of 45 calibers as the main artillery armament (the method of placing guns was not regulated);
• armoring the deck and conning tower.

It is interesting that the first ships of the new type were laid down in May 1897 - almost a year before the final version of the “Program” was adopted. Due to administrative confusion (Russian admirals were never able to finally agree on the requirements for a new type of cruiser) and short construction times, which forced them to turn to various shipbuilding companies, the Imperial Navy, as mentioned earlier, received nine armored cruisers of four different types.

Diagram of the cruiser "Memory of Mercury" as of 1907

The construction of Bogatyr-class cruisers was carried out by four different shipyards (one German and three Russian).

The hull of the cruiser "Vityaz", laid down in 1900 (date of ceremonial laying - June 4, 1901) at the Galerny Ostrov shipyard in St. Petersburg, was destroyed by a powerful fire on June 13, 1901, which led to the need to lay down the cruiser "Oleg" instead " The cruisers "Bogatyr" and "Oleg" were built for the Baltic Fleet, and the "Cahul" and "Ochakov" for the Black Sea Fleet.

Design

Bogatyr-class cruisers had a three-tube silhouette with a short forecastle and poop deck. Structurally, Russian-built ships were somewhat different from the lead cruiser, which was caused by both objective (during the construction process the range of weapons was changed) and subjective nature (strange as it may sound from the point of view of modern realities, but at the beginning of the twentieth century there was no such concept both the internal design specifications and the parts produced by different contractors differed significantly from each other). The visible difference between the “Black Sea” cruisers and the “Baltic” ones was the smooth line of the stem without thickening in its middle part.

Cruiser "Memory of Mercury" (until 03/25/1907 - "Cahul"), 1917
Source: ru.wikipedia.org

The cruiser "Ochakov" at the outfitting wall. Sevastopol, 1905
Source: ru.wikipedia.org

Armament

Initially, during the construction of armored cruisers, the MTK assumed the installation of:

• main caliber artillery (bow and stern 203 mm and side 152 mm guns);
• 47- and 75-mm “mine-resistant” guns;
• 37- and 47-mm Hotchkiss boat guns;
• two surface (course and stern) and two underwater 381-mm torpedo tubes.

However, the Admiral General of the Russian Fleet, Grand Duke Alexey Alexandrovich, ordered the unification of the main caliber guns, replacing the 203 mm guns with 152 mm ones. The ideologist of this decision was the authoritative naval artilleryman N.V. Pestich, who believed that “a hail of shells from 152 mm cannons will cause more damage to the enemy than fewer hits from 203 mm and other larger guns”. As a result, the Bogatyr-class cruisers received twelve 152-mm Kane cannons with a barrel length of 45 calibers (four in two-gun bow and stern turrets, four in casemates on the upper deck (side of both masts) and four in sponsons in central part of the ship) with a total ammunition load of "2160 separate cartridges".

Aft 152-mm turret of the cruiser "Ochakov"
Source: nashflot.ru

The rejection of 203-mm guns is often criticized by experts, citing the opinion of the commander of the cruiser "Cahul", Captain 1st Rank S.S. Pogulyaev, who during the First World War insisted on replacing the two-gun 152-mm turrets with single-gun 203-mm turrets. According to Pogulyaev, after such changes « the cruiser even met with the Goeben(referring to the German battlecruiser Geben - author's note.) will not have that offensive, difficult character of complete defenselessness to which a ship armed only with six-inch guns is doomed.”. To a certain extent, we can agree with both points of view. On the one hand, Pestich was right, since the experience of the Russian-Japanese War showed that fire adjustments can only be made with a salvo of at least four guns, which made the two 203-mm Bogatyr guns suitable for firing only when pursuing or breaking away from enemy and excluded their use in a broadside salvo. On the other hand, Pogulyaev is right, since already during the First World War it became clear that it was impossible to conduct salvo fire jointly (centrally) with turret and deck guns for the following reasons:

• different rates of fire for turret and casemate guns due to differences in the methods of aiming them;
• more difficult adjustments to the firing of turrets due to the dispersion of projectiles caused by their rotation;
• differences in adjustments when controlling fire due to the use of different types of sights;
• different firing ranges during lethal fire due to the inability of tower elevators to supply projectiles with ballistic tips.

Alternating targeted salvoes of turret guns with salvoes of deck guns turned out to be practically impossible - the turrets required test salvos, and a special fire manager was needed for them. As a result, the bow and stern turrets were used only when pursuing or separating from the enemy (in such cases, the presence of more powerful 203 mm guns would have been preferable). Thus, we can say that Pestich’s theoretically correct idea was incorrectly implemented in practice. The anti-mine artillery, which consisted of twelve 75-mm Kane guns with a barrel length of 50 calibers (eight at the level of the upper deck, four above the casemates) with a total ammunition load of "3600 unitary cartridges" and six 47 mm Hotchkiss guns. A striking example of the low effectiveness of 75-mm guns is the attempt by Russian cruisers to shoot Turkish troops near the port of Rize during the First World War. After twenty-eight ineffective shots (according to the report, 75-mm shells that hit the water at the waterline did not explode, but ricocheted and exploded on the shore), the Laibs were destroyed by 152-mm guns. In addition to the above-mentioned guns, the cruisers received two 37- and 47-mm Hotchkiss boat guns.

Attempts to change the artillery armament of the new cruisers began literally immediately after the project was approved. Of the many proposed projects, several of the most noteworthy should be highlighted. Thus, already on September 20, 1899, the Baltic Plant presented a project that provided for the turret placement of all twelve 152-mm guns. This solution made it possible to significantly increase the effectiveness of main caliber artillery through the use of central aiming. However, this undoubtedly progressive project was rejected due to the impossibility of producing the required number of towers in a timely manner. After the Russo-Japanese War, the commander of the cruiser "Oleg", Captain 1st Rank L.F. Dobrotvorsky, proposed dismantling four onboard 152 mm and all 75 mm guns, replacing the casemate 152 mm guns with American 178 mm guns. Dobrotvorsky’s project also included armoring casemates and installing an 89-mm armor belt, which, in essence, turned the ship from an armored cruiser into an armored one. The Navy Ministry recognized this project as too radical, limiting itself to more conservative changes. At a certain stage, the project of A. A. Bazhenov to replace eight 75 mm guns with six 120 mm guns was considered as the main one, which was supposed to increase the firepower of the ship by 15%, but this idea was not implemented either. In accordance with the entry in the MTK journal for artillery No. 13 dated September 21, 1907, it was recognized that “The installation of 120-mm guns could indeed increase the fire of the cruisers, but unfortunately, there are currently no machine tools or guns of this caliber in stock, and their manufacture will take considerable time. Therefore, it would be more correct to postpone the issue of rearmament of these cruisers until the future, timed to coincide with the time of their overhaul.”. As a result, in the winter of 1913–14, ten (according to other sources, eight) 75-mm guns were dismantled on the cruiser “Memory of Mercury” (until March 25, 1907 – “Cahul”), and the number of 152-mm guns was increased to sixteen. In March-April 1915, the cruiser "Kahul" (until 03/25/1907 - "Ochakov") underwent a similar modernization. In 1916, it was decided to replace all 152 mm guns with 130 mm guns with a barrel length of 55 calibers. In fact, before the start of the revolution, guns had been replaced on all cruisers except the Memory of Mercury. In addition, in the last years of the existence of the Russian Empire, the development of aviation raised the question of the need to arm cruisers with anti-aircraft guns, and in 1916, the “Black Sea” cruisers received two, and the “Baltic” - four 75-mm Lander anti-aircraft guns.

Cruiser "Memory of Mercury". Judging by the presence of an anti-aircraft gun, the photo was taken no earlier than 1916
Source: forum.worldofwarships.ru

The initial project envisaged arming each cruiser with two surface and two underwater 381-mm torpedo tubes, but in November 1901, Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich decided not to install surface torpedo tubes on ships with a displacement of up to 10,000 tons for safety reasons. As a result, only two underwater torpedo tubes of 381 mm caliber were installed on the cruisers Oleg, Ochakov and Cahul.

Booking

Unlike many of their “contemporaries,” the Bogatyr-class armored cruisers received very serious armor (according to the project, the armor weight was 765 tons or about 11% of the ship’s displacement). The thickness of the armor deck reached 35 mm in the flat part and 53 mm on the slopes, and above the engine and boiler rooms it was reinforced to 70 mm. A number of sources claim that the thickness of the bevels on the Black Sea cruisers reached 95 mm, but most likely we are talking about armor in the area of ​​the engine and boiler rooms. An armored dome 32–83 mm thick was located above the vehicles. The main caliber towers had a wall thickness of 89–127 mm and a roof thickness of 25 mm. The armor of the casemates was 20–80 mm, the feed – 63–76 mm, the barbettes – 75 mm, and the gun shields – 25 mm. The conning tower, connected to the below-deck premises by a shaft with 37 mm armor, had 140 mm walls and a 25 mm roof. Cofferdams filled with cellulose, which quickly swells when water penetrates, were installed along the waterline. According to the engineers, watertight bulkheads and horizontal platforms were supposed to provide the ship with buoyancy and stability.

Cruiser "Kahul" (until March 25, 1907 - "Ochakov")
Source: tsushima.su

Indicative in terms of assessing the ship’s armor protection and its survivability are the results of the shelling of the cruiser “Ochakov” on November 15, 1905 by naval and coastal artillery during the suppression of the uprising that broke out on board. In total, 63 holes were noted in the ship, especially a lot of damage appeared at the level of the middle and battery decks - here the starboard side was torn apart in fourteen places by exploding fortress artillery shells hitting the waterline. In many places, the intermediate deck was torn off, the side cofferdams were broken, the shell supply shafts and coal loading pipes were broken, and many rooms were destroyed. Thus, a 280-mm shell, which exploded in a reserve coal pit on the slope of the armored deck, tore off the rivets and tore apart the intermediate deck located above it for ten spacings. However, a significant part of the shells did not penetrate the deck, and only two damage was noted in the engine room:

• A 254-mm shell from the battleship Rostislav hit the left side between the armor and intermediate decks, piercing the outer plating, cofferdam, inclined armor and the 70 mm thick armored deck flooring itself;
• The 152-mm projectile pierced the outer skin between the armor and intermediate decks and passed through the side cofferdam and the 85 mm thick glacis of the engine hatch.

The shooting of the Ochakov proved the high resistance of Bogatyr-class cruisers to artillery fire. "Ochakov", which suffered explosions of 152-mm shells in the aft artillery magazine and burned out almost to the ground, retained stability and buoyancy. The underwater protection of the cruisers turned out to be less reliable: on June 17, 1919, the cruiser Oleg, which was shelling the rebel forts Krasnaya Gorka and Gray Horse, sank within twelve (according to other sources - five) minutes after being hit by a single torpedo fired from an English torpedo ship. boats SMV-4.

Power plant

The creation of the power plant was accompanied by a serious conceptual dispute: the contractor (German company Vulcan A.G.) proposed to equip the cruiser with Nikloss system boilers designed to provide high speed, and the chief inspector of the mechanical part of the Russian Imperial Navy, Lieutenant General Nikolai Gavrilovich Nozikov, insisted on using slower, but more reliable Belleville boilers, which even allowed the use of sea water. Having considered both options, MTC made a compromise decision - to oblige the use of Norman boilers when designing the power plant of the Bogatyr cruiser. In the final version, the ship received a two-shaft power plant, criticized for both low reliability and low speed, consisting of two vertical triple expansion steam engines and sixteen Norman boilers with a total capacity of 20,370 hp. With. Critics of the reliability of this installation refer to repeated complaints from cruiser commanders about the operation of Norman's boilers. However, without denying the fact of complaints, they should be treated critically. Thus, in accordance with the report of the senior mechanic of the cruiser “Cahul”, captain 1st rank V. G. Maksimenko dated January 28, 1915, the reason for the decrease in the cruiser’s speed was:

« Firstly, the use of coal briquettes, which cannot be considered a good fuel for full speed, secondly, the poor condition of the boilers, a significant part of which worked without cleaning for four times longer (up to 1270 hours) than expected, and finally , thirdly, a drop in power and increased steam consumption due to the fact that the piston rings in the high-pressure cylinders burst (at 124 rpm)».

In general, problems with the reliability of the power plant of the Bogatyr-class cruisers were caused more by improper maintenance and poor quality of fuel and water than by the type of steam boilers. The statements about the low speed of the cruiser due to the installation of Norman boilers instead of Nikloss boilers also seem unfounded. The power plant of the cruisers allowed them to reach speeds of up to 24 knots, while the Varyag cruiser equipped with Nikloss boilers, due to frequent boiler breakdowns, in practice developed a speed of no more than 23.75 knots instead of the declared 26 knots. It is interesting that the most economical were the Bogatyr, which was not built in Germany at all, whose range with a coal reserve of 1220 tons was 4900 miles (at a speed of 10 knots), and the Oleg, not built in St. Petersburg (the same 4900 miles, but with coal reserves of 1,100 tons), and the “Black Sea” cruisers (5,320 miles at a speed of 10 knots and a coal reserve of 1,155 tons).

The crew size of each Bogatyr-class cruiser according to the project was 550 people (including 30 officers).

Most experts consider Bogatyr-class ships to be one of the most successful armored cruisers of the early twentieth century. However, the very idea of ​​​​using large armored cruisers turned out to be erroneous, since during the First World War the fleet needed small armored cruisers with a displacement of about 3,000 tons and large armored cruisers with turret-mounted 203-mm guns.

Combat service

When making calculations, German designers assumed the maximum service life of Bogatyr-class cruisers to be twenty years (in accordance with the design specifications), but in fact the Ochakov and Kagul served much longer, successfully surviving three Russian revolutions, the Civil War and the First World War ( "Cahul" managed to take part in the Second World War). The most striking event in the history of these ships was the Sevastopol uprising of 1905, which began on November 11 in the naval division and involved about 2,000 sailors and soldiers. Official Soviet historiography devoted a lot of works to this uprising that were more propaganda than historical, leaving in the memory of readers the indecision of Lieutenant Schmidt who led it and the story of the unparalleled courage of the crew of the cruiser "Ochakov". Upon closer examination, the picture of events is not so clear-cut. At the height of the uprising, under the control of “revolutionary sailors” who acted with the full connivance of demoralized officers, in addition to the unfinished cruiser “Ochakov”, there were the battleship “St. Panteleimon”, the mine cruiser “Griden”, the gunboat “Uralets”, the minelayer “Bug”, the destroyers “ Fierce", "Zorkiy" and "Zavetny", as well as destroyers No. 265, No. 268, No. 270. It is unknown how the uprising would have ended if not for the endurance and personal courage of General Meller-Zakomelsky, who managed to keep under control the only combat-ready battleship of the Black Sea Fleet, the Rostislav, and coastal batteries.

The suppression of the uprising itself, contrary to the legends, took place almost with lightning speed. Judging by the logbook of the battleship "Rostislav", fire on "Ochakov" and "Svirepoy" was opened at 16 o'clock, and already at 16 o'clock 25 minutes the following entry was made in the log: “A fire started on Ochakov, he stopped the battle, lowered the battle flag and raised the white one”. Judging by the same magazine, the Rostislav fired four 254 mm (one salvo) and eight 152 mm shells (two salvos). According to the testimony of the captured officers on board the Ochakov, the cruiser fired no more than six return shots. This was the end of “Ochakov’s” “courageous” resistance. During the battle, 63 shells hit the ship, which led to a fire, which delayed the cruiser's entry into service for three years. Contrary to the myth, the cruiser "Kahul" did not take part in the shelling of its sistership, and the birth of this myth is associated with the renaming of the cruisers in 1907. In accordance with the decree of Emperor Nicholas I, for the special courage shown by the brig "Mercury" in the battle with Turkish ships in May 1829, the St. George (Guards) ship "Memory of Mercury" was to be permanently included in the Black Sea Fleet. Formally, the text of the decree read: “When this brig becomes unable to continue serving at sea any longer, build another similar vessel based on the same drawing and perfect similarity in everything, calling it “Mercury”, assigning it to the same crew, and transferring the awarded flag to it. pennant". But by the beginning of the twentieth century, the construction of a sailing brig looked like such an obvious anachronism that they followed not the letter, but the spirit of the decree. It was not its sistership that took part in the shelling of Ochakov, but the cruiser Memory of Mercury, laid down back in 1883. After the exclusion of the old cruiser from the fleet (this happened on April 7, 1907), its name and the St. George flag on March 25, 1907 (probably we are talking about the old style date) were transferred to the combat-ready cruiser "Kahul", and at the same time the cruiser "Ochakov" was being completed "was renamed "Kahul". In Soviet historiography, this is usually interpreted as a kind of revenge of tsarism, late for a year and a half, but, probably, the renaming was due to the desire to leave in the fleet a ship named after the frigate "Kahul", which distinguished itself in the Battle of Sinop. By the beginning of the First World War, both of these ships were part of a semi-brigade of cruisers subordinate to the commander of the mine division of the Black Sea Fleet.

Cruiser "Bogatyr"

building Vulkan, Stettin, Germany
laid down autumn 98/9.12.99
launched 01/17/01
staffed Aug. 1902
displacement 6,410/6,700 t
dimensions 127/132.4/134x16.6x6.29 m
mechanisms 2 VTR shafts, 16 Norman boilers; 19.500hp=23kt/test 20.161=23.45kt.
coal 720/1.220 t
range 2,760 (12), 4,900 (10) miles
armor (large) turrets 90-125/25, barbettes 51-73, casemates 19-80, gun shields 25, wheelhouse 140/25, feed 35, deck 35-70 (slopes), glacis above MO 85mm.
total armor weight 765 t (11.4%)
armament 12-152/45(180), 12-75/50(300), 8-47/43, 2-37/23, 2-63.5/19 (des), 2 bullets, 4 TA 381 mm ( 2 under, 2 over)
crew 30/550 people (in 1905 19/589)
Completed the development of a class of armored 6,000-ton long-range reconnaissance cruisers. Thanks to good protection, he could fight even armored cruisers with some chance of success. Three more cruisers of this type were built. After the clipper ships built in 1876-81. this was the largest series of cruisers of the same type in the Russian fleet.
He was part of the Vladivostok cruiser detachment. He sat down on the rocks near Cape Bruce in the Amur Bay on May 2, 1904. Repairs until July 1905. After the war he served in the Baltic. Participated in the suppression of the uprising in the Sveaborg fortress, foreign voyages, and the First World War (in 1915-16 it was rearmed with 16 130-mm guns). In 1922, it was sold for scrap in Germany, and the mechanisms were used to restore the same type of Black Sea cruiser "Memory of Mercury".

Cruiser "Oleg"

building New Admiralty, St. Petersburg
laid down 1.11.1901/6.07.02
launched 08/14/1903
completed October 1904
displacement 6.440; 7.400 t.
dimensions 126.7/132/134x16.6x6.3 m
mechanisms 2 VTR shafts, 16 Norman boilers; 19.500hp=23kt/21.8kt
coal 720/1.100 t.
range 3000 (12); 4900 (10) miles
armor (large) turrets 89-127, casemates 35-80, wheelhouse 140/25, feed 35, deck 35-70 (bevels) mm
weapons 12-152/45 (199), 12-75/50, 8-47, 2-37, 2 TA 381mm (underwater)
crew 21/559 people (in 1905 601 people, including headquarters)
Repeated "Bogatyr" with minor changes in armor and weapons.
In a battle with Japanese cruisers on May 14, she received significant damage, her speed dropped to 10 knots (13 killed, 37 wounded). Interned in Manila on May 21, 1905. After the war he served in the Baltic. Participated in foreign voyages, the 1st World War and the Civil War (in 1916 it was re-equipped with 16,130/55 guns). Sunk by the English torpedo boat SMV-4 near the Tolbukhin lighthouse in the Gulf of Finland on June 17, 1919.

Cruiser "Ochakov"

The cruiser Ochakov was laid down in Nikolaev in the spring of 1901, launched on September 21, 1902, and entered service in June 1909. On November 15, 1905, he led the uprising of the naval division under the leadership of Lieutenant Schmidt, during the suppression of which he was severely damaged. In 1907 it was renamed Cahul. Participated in the First World War. Overhauled in 1916. In the spring of 1918 it was captured by the Germans. In November 1918 it was captured by Anglo-French troops. In November 1920, he was taken by Wrangel to Bizerte, where he was interned. In 1924 it was recognized as the property of the USSR, but was not returned. In 1933 it was scrapped.
Technical data:

Cruiser "Kahul"

The cruiser Kagul was laid down in Nikolaev on September 23, 1901, launched in the spring of 1902, entered service in 1907 and was renamed Memory of Mercury. It underwent a major overhaul from January 1913 to May 1914. Participated in the First World War. In 1916-1917 it underwent repairs and rearmament. In May 1918 it was captured by the Germans. In November 1918 it was captured by Anglo-French troops. In 1919, it was disarmed and blown up by order of the British command. In 1923 she was restored and on November 7, 1923 she was put back into service as a training ship. Since June 1941 it was used as a minelayer. On July 16, 1942, it was put out of action by German aircraft. Disarmed and scuttled at the mouth of the Hopi River in 1942. In 1943, it was excluded from the lists of Navy vessels.
Technical data:
Length - 134.1 m. Width - 16.6 m. Draft - 6.3 m. Displacement - 7070 tons. Mechanism power - 19500 hp. Speed ​​- 21.0 knots. Armament - 12-152 mm, 12-75 mm, 8-47 mm, 2-37 mm, 6 torpedo tubes; since 1916: 16-130 mm Reservation - 35-70 mm armored deck, 140 mm conning tower, 125 mm turrets, 102 mm casemates Cruising range - 4900 miles Personnel - 576 people

Literature

“Bogatyr” was the third armored cruiser after the cruisers “Varyag” and “Askold”, developed according to one tactical and technical specification within the framework of the new shipbuilding program of 1898 “for the needs of the Far East.” Project by “Vulcan” company (Germany). Intended to perform the functions of a reconnaissance cruiser for a squadron and joint operations with destroyers. The ship was distinguished by high (for its time) speed with an optimal combination of offensive and defensive elements. Unlike the cruiser “Varyag”, the lead ship of the conditional series, a third of the 152-mm guns were enclosed in turrets, and the rest were placed behind shield armor or in casemates. Cruisers of this class were considered the best representatives of medium armored cruisers in the Russian fleet. However, turret guns could not fire at the same time as airborne guns due to differences in aiming methods. In addition, the tower elevators were not designed to feed ballistic-tipped projectiles.

Tactical and technical data:
Displacement: 7428 tons
Dimensions: length – 132.02 meters
width – 16.61 meters
draft - 6.77 meters
Power plant: 2 vertical triple expansion steam engines, 16 boilers, 2 propellers, 20368 hp.
Speed: 23.1 knots
Cruising range: 1440/2760 miles (23/12 knots)
Crew 576 people
Armament: 2x2 and 8x1 152/45, 12x1 75/50 mm guns, 4x1 7.62 mm machine guns, 2 underwater 381 mm torpedo tubes, 150 mines
since 1916: 16x1 130/55 mm guns, 4x1 7.62 mm machine guns,
Reservations: deck – 35 mm, conning tower – 140 mm, turrets from 90 to 125 mm, elevators – 35 mm

“Bogatyr”
On January 23, 1899, she was included in the list of ships of the Baltic Fleet and on December 21, 1899, she was laid down at the Vulcan shipyard in Stettin (Germany), launched on January 30, 1901, and entered service on August 20, 1902. During the Russo-Japanese War he was part of the Vladivostok cruiser detachment. Acted on enemy communications between Japan and Korea. On May 15, 1904, in the fog, he jumped onto the coastal rocks at Cape Bruce in the Amur Bay and, having received a hole in the hull, lay down on the ground. On June 18, 1904, she was refloated and docked for repairs, where she remained until the end of the war. In December 1908, he participated in providing assistance to the population of the city of Messina on the island of Sicily, which suffered from an earthquake. Overhauled in 1909-1912. at the Franco-Russian plant in St. Petersburg (repair of housing and mechanisms with replacement of water heating tubes of boilers). In 1912, a major overhaul of the main mechanisms was carried out at the Kronstadt plant. During the First World War, raiding and mine-laying operations on enemy communications covered active mine laying of the light forces of the fleet. In the winter of 1916, it was re-equipped with 16 130-mm guns with the installation of new artillery fire control devices. Participated in the February revolution. On November 7, 1917 it became part of the Red Baltic Fleet. From February 24 to 27, 1918, he moved from Revel (Tallinn) to Helsingfors (Helsinki) and from March 12 to 17, 1918 to Kronstadt. Since May 1918 it was in long-term storage. During the Civil War, 8 130-mm guns were dismantled and installed on the ships of the Volga Military Flotilla, 4 130-mm guns were transferred to the North Dvina Flotilla. On July 1, 1922, it was sold to the joint Soviet-German enterprise Derumetall for dismantling for metal. At the end of 1922, it was towed to Germany and on November 21, 1925, expelled from the RKKF. Cylinders, parts, machines, part of the instruments and equipment of the ship were used to restore the same type cruiser of the Black Sea Naval Forces “Commintern” (“Memory of Mercury”).

1st rank cruisers, built according to the design of the German company Vulcan. They were built as a development of the “Diana” type (some of the main battery guns were placed in turrets, Krupp-type armor was used).

“Bogatyr”, “Vityaz” and “Oleg” were built for the Baltic Fleet, “Ochakov” and “Kahul” - for the Black Sea. By the time they were commissioned, they were considered one of the most successful cruisers in the world. They had a three-pipe silhouette with a short forecastle and poop deck.

The thickness of the armored deck reached 35 mm in the flat part and 53 mm on the slopes; in the area of ​​MO and KO it was strengthened to 70 mm. An armored dome with a thickness of 32-83 mm was placed above the vehicles. The main battery turrets had wall thicknesses of up to 127 mm and a 25 mm roof, while the conning tower had 140 mm walls and a 25 mm roof. The shaft connecting the wheelhouse with the below-deck spaces was protected by 37 mm armor. The armor weight was 765 tons (11.4% of displacement).
In addition to the turret artillery, four 152-mm cannons were located in casemates on the upper deck (on the sides of both masts), and four more were in sponsons in the central part of the hull. Eight 75-mm guns were located on the upper deck level, the rest were above the casemates.

The cruiser “Vityaz” ceased to exist while still on the slipway: on June 13, 1901, its hull was destroyed by a powerful fire. “Oleg” and “Bogatyr” went through the Russo-Japanese War (“Oleg” was interned by the Americans in Manila after the Battle of Tsushima, and “Bogatyr” jumped onto the rocks due to a navigation error in May 1904 and was incapable of combat until the end of the war), in 1906 returned to the Baltic and were repaired. In addition to the main caliber, the ships carried 12-75 mm, 4-47 mm guns, 4 machine guns, and 2-457 mm underwater guns.

In 1916, both ships underwent a major overhaul with complete re-equipment: the 152-mm Kane guns were replaced with 16 new 130-mm L/55 guns from the Obukhov plant, with the installation of new fire control devices. Four 75-mm anti-aircraft guns appeared; it was possible to take up to 150 (overloaded) anchor mines.

"Oleg" survived the world war, but not the revolution; in 1919, she took part in Great Britain's undeclared war against Soviet Russia in the Baltic (by that time her burnt-out boilers did not allow her to sail above 12 knots). While leaving to shell the rebel forts “Krasnaya Gorka” and “Seraya Loshad”, around midnight on June 17, 1919, he was attacked by the English torpedo boat SMV-4 under the command of Lieutenant Egar at the Tolbukhin lighthouse. The boat fired a torpedo at the cruiser and sped off into the darkness at a speed of 35 knots. "Oleg" sank within 12 minutes, killing 5 people.

In 1938 it was raised and scrapped. “Bogatyr” was sold for metal to Germany in 1922.

The fate of the Black Sea cruisers was more difficult. The cruiser Ochakov, which was being completed afloat, found itself at the epicenter of a riot among sailors at the Sevastopol base. On the night of November 8/21, 1905, the crew killed some of them and threw some of their officers overboard, after which they elected a revolutionary committee and Lieutenant P.P. as commander. Schmidt (1867-1906), who arrived on the cruiser from the city. While the rebel sailors were rallying, the fleet command took emergency measures.
On November 15/28, 1905, the cruiser was heavily damaged by fire from coastal batteries, caught fire and threw out a white flag. Those arrested, Schmidt and three sailors, were shot by court verdict; the name “Ochakov” was excluded from the lists of the fleet by decree of the Tsar.

One way or another, the commissioning of the damaged cruiser dragged on for three years. During this time (in March 1907), the dirty ship received its name from the cruiser of the same type "Cahul", and it (after commissioning) had to be called "Memory of Mercury". In April 1917, the ship was returned to its former name "Ochakov", but not for long.
In 1906-1909, the cruisers were rearmed according to the Baltic model (the number of mines accepted for overload reached 290). On the "Memory of Mercury" in the winter of 1913/1914, the 10-75 mm guns were removed, but the number of 152 mm L/45 guns reached 16. "Kahul" underwent the same rearmament in 1915. In the fall of the following year, the cruiser was rearmed again: all six-inch guns were dismantled , instead they installed 10 (then 14) 130 mm L/55 guns; both ships received two 75-mm anti-aircraft guns.

Wrangel 11/14/1920 the ship left for Turkey, from there to Bizerte (French Tunisia). There he was part of the “last squadron of Russia” before its disbandment, and was surrendered to the French authorities on October 29, 1924. At the end of the 1920s, it was sold to France for scrap, dismantled in 1933 in Brest.

“Memory of Mercury” was heavily damaged by the British in Sevastopol on April 24, 1919 (the vehicle’s cylinders were blown up) and abandoned by Wrangel’s troops during the evacuation from Crimea.

In 1921-1923 it again entered service as a training cruiser MSChM (12/31/1922 renamed “Comintern”).
In 1930-1931 it underwent a major overhaul and at the beginning of 1941 it was converted into a minelayer. At that time, the ship's armament consisted of 8-130 mm, 3-76.2 mm, 3-45 mm and 2-25 mm guns, 5-12.7 mm machine guns, 2 bomb launchers, 195 anchor mines.

10/10/1942 (according to other sources, 07/17) “Comintern” was sunk at the mouth of the Hopi River (Poti region) as an element of a breakwater. A new base for the Black Sea Fleet, which left Crimea for Transcaucasia, was created here. Artillery battery No. 626 was installed on the deck of the sunken cruiser in 1943. Its skeleton remains in the indicated place to this day.