The battleship cruiser Rurik (1892). Ships of the Russian Imperial Navy

The Russian cruiser Rurik became famous throughout the world due to the unequal battle in the Korean gulf during the Russo-Japanese War. Surrounded by the crew decided to flood the ship so that it did not get to the enemy. Before the defeat in the Gulf of Korea, the cruiser managed to disperse the forces of the Japanese fleet for several months, leaving for raids from Vladivostok.

Building

The famous armored cruiser "Rurik" became the brainchild of the Baltic plant. This ship was created in the heat of a military race with the British fleet. The ship was to become a worthy analogue of the English fleet cruisers "Blake". In 1888, the engineers of the Baltic plant offered a rough draft of the project to Admiral Chikhachev and the Marine Technical Committee (ITC).

The outline design was redesigned. In the MTC, the future cruiser Rurik relieved some shortcomings in design and technical equipment. The drawings were approved by Emperor Alexander III. Construction began on May 19, 1890. After two years of work, the Baltic Shipyard prepared the cruiser Rurik. It was launched in 1892, and in 1895 the ship was put into operation.

It was assumed that the ship would be the first in a series of similar cruisers. The "Gromoboy" and "Russia" built after him became not twin brothers, but modifications (with increased displacement). It is interesting that the cruiser Rurik was created as a potential interceptor of British merchant ships. It was supposed that it would be used in such a way in the event of war with Great Britain. In addition, the technical task was to create a ship capable of moving from the Baltic Sea to the Far East, without resorting to refueling with coal. In order to pass this route, the crew had to swim the southern seas and bend almost all of Eurasia.

In the Pacific Fleet

Almost immediately after the cruiser "Rurik" was built, the fleet decided to transfer it to the Pacific Ocean. This redeployment was connected with the escalation of tension in the Far East. The port of Vladivostok became the place of registration of the new ship. The alleged conflict with Great Britain did not happen.

Instead, in February 1904, the Russo-Japanese War began. At this time, "Rurik" as usual was in Vladivostok. Followed orders to go to sea and strike at Japanese-Chinese trade and water communication. The ships that sailed to the sea exchanged salutes with the city. Crowds of civilians followed them. The main task of the squadron, which in addition to "Rurik" included "Bogatyr", "Russia" and "Gromoboy", was to distract the Japanese forces. If the enemy fleet split, it would be easier to defend the fortress of Port Arthur.

"Rurik", acting in the Sea of Japan, was supposed to destroy transport ships that transported troops and military cargo, coastal ships and enemy structures located on the shore. Since the cruiser was visibly obsolete, it was only possible to march in a detachment, not separately. In Vladivostok, the squadron returned only for parking, which is necessary to replenish the stock.

The first hike

In the first cruise of the cruiser went to the Sangara Strait. It was planned that the next goal would be the city of Genzan (modern Wonsan). However, in the way the ships got into a storm. Since the calendar was winter, the water that fell into the guns, soon turned into ice. Because of this, the squadron became incapacitated. The weather and climate conditions were really not the best. In order to leave Vladivostok, the cruisers had to wait until the icebreaker opened their way through the frozen bay.

It was this inconvenience that caused the Russian leadership to occupy the Chinese fortress of Port Arthur. Her port did not freeze. The Japanese wanted strategically important and convenient Port Arthur. The city and the ships that were in it were blocked. The squadron of the "Rurik" was to disperse the enemy's forces in order to facilitate the position of the port, while the ships of the Baltic Fleet were supporting them. Due to the icing of the guns, the detachment briefly returned to Vladivostok.

Protection of Vladivostok

In the port, the masters repaired the Rurik. The cruiser (whose type was armored) was replenished with food supplies, and he again set off. The second campaign began. In the sea of Japanese ships was not. But even this voyage of the Russian squadron forced the enemy to transfer some of their forces in order to frighten the Russians.

In March the enemy squadron, leaving the Yellow Sea, went to the island of Askold in the Peter the Great Bay near Vladivostok. In the detachment were the newest Japanese cruiser "Azuma", "Izumo", "Yakumo" and "Iwate". They were accompanied by several light ships. The squadron opened fire on Vladivostok. Shells did not reach the city, but the residents were frightened. "Rurik" anchored in the port within ten minutes after the first volleys were heard. There were ice in the bay. They prevented quickly to leave the port. A detachment of cruisers was in the Ussuriisk Bay at a time when the Japanese were already leaving their positions. Twilight came, and the ships, after another twenty miles and saw the enemy on the horizon, stopped. In addition, Vladivostok began to fear that the Japanese had left mines nearby.

New tasks

Failures of the first days of the war led to personnel rotation in the leadership of the fleet. The tsarist government appointed the commanders of Admiral Makarov. He put before the "Rurik" and his squadron new tasks. It was decided to abandon the strategy of raids on the Japanese coast. Instead, "Rurik" now had to prevent the transfer of enemy troops to Genzan. This Korean port was a Japanese bridgehead, from there land operations began.

Makarov allowed to go to sea in any composition (no matter, it would be a squadron or separate ships). He reasoned from the fact that Russian guns are more powerful and effective than Japanese ones. The Admiral was wrong. Shakkozakidatelskie mood in Russia on the eve of the war were a common thing. The Japanese were not perceived as serious opponents.

The economy of this Asian country has long been isolated. And only in recent years in Tokyo, forced reforms in the army and the navy began. The new armed forces were built according to the Western European pattern. The technique was also purchased foreign and only of the best quality. On Japanese intervention in the Far East in Moscow looked down on, considering the Japanese upstarts. It was because of this frivolous attitude and the whole war was lost. But so far, the prospects were unclear, and the headquarters hoped for the luck and boldness of Russian sailors.

Distracting maneuvers

More than a month "Rurik" stood in the port. Meanwhile, Admiral Makarov was killed near Port Arthur. He was on the battleship "Petropavlovsk", which landed on a mine. The Japanese command decided that after the tragic death of the Admiral, the Russians would not yet be pushed out of the encircled Port Arthur for a long time. Therefore, in Tokyo, the order was given to defeat the group based in Vladivostok.

At this time, "Rurik" again went on a campaign. This time the squadron moved towards the Japanese city of Hakodate. In the sea, she caught a transport ship, which was sunk by a torpedo launched by Russia. The prisoners told us that Admiral Kamimura's squadron was nearby. Then the Russian ships turned back to Vladivostok, and did not reach Hakodate. By lucky chance this time the troops did not meet. Kamimura's ships were much stronger than Russian ones, which could lead to unconditional defeat.

But even in such a dubious position, "Rurik" successfully fulfilled the set goal. The Vladivostok squadron was supposed to divert some of the enemy's forces from Port Arthur. Since April, Kamimura's ships have not left the Sea of Japan, which was only in Russia's hands. In May, by an unfortunate coincidence, the cruiser Bogatyr was in an accident, buried in the rocks of Cape Bruce. After the incident, three ships remained in the squadron.

Fight in the Shimonoseki Strait

On the last day of the spring of 1904, three cruisers again set out on a voyage. Before entering the Shimonoseki Strait, they stumbled upon Japanese transport ships. Radists skillfully put radio interference, because of which the enemy could not give a distress signal to Admiral Kamimura. Japanese ships rushed in all directions. In the morning, through the fog on the horizon, the sentry cruiser Tsushima appeared.

The ship tried to hide and get to the shore. A general chase has begun. The Russian squadron managed to overtake the Izumo Maru transport ship. It was sunk after intensive shelling. About a hundred people were removed from the ship. The rest swam in different directions. Crews "Rurik" and "Russia" did not dare to separate from the "Thunderbolt" and stopped the chase.

One more enemy transport caught fire at the entrance to the Shimonoseki Strait. The ship even tried to go to the ramming of Gromoboy, but nothing happened. He was shot at point-blank range and finally finished off with a torpedo. The ship sank. There were about a thousand soldiers and eighteen powerful howitzers that the Japanese intended to use for the siege of Port Arthur. The situation of the encircled city was getting worse. Under these conditions, the Vladivostok squadron almost never left the sea, and if it stopped at its port, it was only to quickly replenish the reserves. Time to repair and replace worn parts was not.

The last collision

After a long maneuver on August 14, 1904, the cruisers "Russia", "Gromoboy" and "Rurik" finally collided with the Japanese squadron. There were six ships in it. They were superior to Russian vessels in armor protection and firepower. Vladivostok detachment went to the rescue ships trying to escape from the encirclement in Port Arthur.

The Japanese guns were quicker and more powerful 4 times. This ratio predetermined the sad outcome of the battle. Already at the beginning of the clash it became clear that the enemy owns the advantage. Then it was decided to return ships to the port of Vladivostok. It was not possible to do this. The cannons of the cruiser Rurik tried to keep the enemy at a safe distance, but after another well-aimed volley the ship's forage received a dangerous hole.

Due to the hit the steering wheel stopped operating, the control was lost. Water rushed into the compartments. Steering and tillage were flooded within an hour. The blades stuck, because of what the crew on the ship became a helpless hostage to the situation. The speed of the vessel continued to decline, although it maintained its previous course. "Rurik" (cruiser of 1892) began to lag behind other squadron ships. The distance between them increased steadily.

Surrounded by

In the Korean Strait, the Russian squadron came under the command of Karl Jessen. When the captain realized that it was bad, he gave the order of "Russia" and "Thunderbolt" to cover "Rurik" from the Japanese fire. Distracting maneuver was meaningless. The crews of these ships suffered heavy losses. Sailors and officers fell dead under the heavy bombardment of the enemy.

For this reason, "Russia" and "Gromoboy" were forced to leave the Korean Strait. At first, Jessen hoped that the armored cruisers of the Japanese, representing the greatest danger, would pursue the flagship and leave the "Rurik" alone. The guns of the ship could protect him from the attacks of light ships. If the team quickly corrected the damage, the cruiser could continue the way back home or at least go towards the Korean shore.

The Japanese really rushed after "Russia". However, when it was out of reach of the ships of the Imperial Navy, they returned to the battlefield. At this time, "Rurik" tried to maneuver and continued to resist, although due to damage, his firepower significantly weakened. Then the crew made an attempt to go on ramming light Japanese ships. Those were able to evade and, as a precautionary measure, retreated to a greater distance. All they had to do was wait for the surrounded ship to sink, and the death of the cruiser Rurik would be inevitable. Finally, Russian sailors launched a torpedo from the last surviving torpedo vehicle. However, the projectile did not hit the target.

Order of Ivanov-Thirteenth

At the very beginning of the battle the captain of the "Rurik" Evgeni Trusov died. A senior officer was also fatally wounded, who was to replace him. A total of 800 people in the team killed 200 and another 300 were injured. The last surviving senior officer was Konstantin Ivanov. At the end of the five-hour battle, when his outcome was already clear, this man took command.

Meanwhile, the Japanese began to signal that they were ready to accept the enemy's surrender. The squadron was commanded by Admiral Hikonozyo Kamimura. He was just returning after the pursuit of "Russia" and "Thunderbolt" and was now waiting for the answer of the encircled crew. When Ivanov realized that all means of resistance had been exhausted, he ordered the ship to be flooded. Usually the Russian fleet used special charges for this purpose, which undermined the ship. However, this time they were damaged. Then the crew decided to open the kingstones - special latches. After that water poured into the ship's system even more. "Rurik" (cruiser of 1892) quickly sank, first overturned to the port side, and then completely submerged.

The cruiser's exploit and glory

Russia lost the Russian-Japanese war, but its army and navy again to the whole world demonstrated their courage and loyalty to duty. In the Strait of Korea, the cruiser Rurik collided with ships that were much more modern and powerful than it. Obsolete ship with bad armor, however, took the fight. The feat of the cruiser Rurik was highly appreciated not only at home, but also in foreign countries, and even in Japan itself.

Officer Konstantin Ivanov wore No. 13 in his carriage. It was a naval tradition that spread to namesakes. After the war and return to his homeland, he was awarded numerous awards (like all his comrades). The emperor, having learned about his number, changed his surname with his highest order. Konstantin Ivanov became Constantine Ivanov-Thirteenth. Today the Russian fleet continues to remember the feat and the faithful service of the cruiser. It is curious that back in the 1890s Alexander Kolchak was an assistant to the watchman on the ship. Much later, he became an admiral, and later - one of the leaders of the White movement and the main opponents of the new Bolshevik power.

In 1906, the cruiser Rurik 2 was launched. It was named in honor of its predecessor, flooded during the Russo-Japanese War. The ship became the flagship of the Baltic Fleet. Cruiser "Rurik 2" took part in the First World War, conducting a constant exchange of fire with the German courts. This ship also died. It was blown up on a mine on November 20, 1916 near the coast of the island of Gotland.