Cruisers of the 1st rank of the "Bogatyr" type (FAN). Armored cruiser Bogatyr Where is the cruiser Bogatyr located now?

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Construction

The contract for the construction of the cruiser by the Vulcan plant was signed on August 5, 1898. 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”, “Cagul” (formerly “Ochakov”) and “Memory of Mercury” (formerly “Cagul”) were built in Russia, and another ship of the same type (“Vityaz”) burned unfinished on a slipway in C -Pb.

Service

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.

In 1922 it was dismantled for metal.

Cruiser commanders

• 02/15/1899 - 08/1905 - captain 1st rank Stemman, Alexander Fedorovich
• 1905-1906- Bostrom, I. F.
• 03/13/1906 - 08/31/1906 - captain 2nd rank Vasilkovsky, Stanislav Frantsevich
• 1906-1908 - Girs, Vladimir Konstantinovich
• 1908-1911 - Rear Admiral Litvinov, Vladimir Ivanovich
• 1911-1912 - captain 1st rank Vorozheikin, Sergei Nikolaevich
• 1912-1915 - Krinitsky, Evgeniy Ivanovich
• 1915-1916 - Verderevsky, Dmitry Nikolaevich
• 1916-1917 - Koptev, Sergey Dmitrievich
• 1918.02-11 - von Gebhard, B. E.
• 1919-1921? - Kukel, Vladimir Andreevich

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Links

Literature

• Zablotsky V.P. The entire heroic army. Armored cruisers of the "Bogatyr" class. Part 1 // Marine collection. - 2010. - No. 3.
• Zablotsky V.P. The entire heroic army. Armored cruisers of the "Bogatyr" class. Part 2 // Marine collection. - 2011. - No. 1.
• Krestyaninov V. Ya. Part I // Cruisers of the Russian Imperial Navy 1856-1917. - St. Petersburg. : Galeya Print, 2003. - ISBN 5-8172-0078-3.
• Melnikov R.M. Cruiser "Bogatyr" // Slipway. - 2009. - No. 6.
• Nenakhov Yu. Yu. Encyclopedia of cruisers 1860-1910. - Minsk: Harvest, 2006. - ISBN 5-17-030194-4.

Excerpt characterizing Bogatyr (armored cruiser)

It was not difficult to say “tomorrow” and maintain a tone of decency; but to come home alone, to see your sisters, brother, mother, father, to confess and ask for money to which you have no right after your word of honor was given.
We weren't sleeping at home yet. The youth of the Rostov house, having returned from the theater, having had dinner, sat at the clavichord. As soon as Nikolai entered the hall, he was overwhelmed by that loving, poetic atmosphere that reigned in their house that winter and which now, after Dolokhov’s proposal and Iogel’s ball, seemed to thicken even more, like the air before a thunderstorm, over Sonya and Natasha. Sonya and Natasha, in the blue dresses they wore at the theater, pretty and knowing it, happy, smiling, stood at the clavichord. Vera and Shinshin were playing chess in the living room. The old countess, waiting for her son and husband, was playing solitaire with an old noblewoman who lived in their house. Denisov, with shining eyes and tousled hair, sat with his leg thrown back at the clavichord, clapping them with his short fingers, striking chords, and rolling his eyes, in his small, hoarse, but faithful voice, sang the poem he had composed, “The Sorceress,” to which he was trying to find music.
Sorceress, tell me what power
Draws me to abandoned strings;
What fire have you planted in your heart,
What delight flowed through my fingers!
He sang in a passionate voice, shining at the frightened and happy Natasha with his agate, black eyes.
- Wonderful! Great! – Natasha shouted. “Another verse,” she said, not noticing Nikolai.
“They have everything the same,” thought Nikolai, looking into the living room, where he saw Vera and his mother with the old woman.
- A! Here comes Nikolenka! – Natasha ran up to him.
- Is daddy at home? - he asked.
– I’m so glad you came! – Natasha said without answering, “we’re having so much fun.” Vasily Dmitrich remains for me one more day, you know?
“No, dad hasn’t come yet,” said Sonya.
- Coco, you have arrived, come to me, my friend! - said the countess's voice from the living room. Nikolai approached his mother, kissed her hand and, silently sitting down at her table, began to look at her hands, laying out the cards. Laughter and cheerful voices were still heard from the hall, persuading Natasha.
“Well, okay, okay,” Denisov shouted, “now there’s no point in making excuses, barcarolla is behind you, I beg you.”
The Countess looked back at her silent son.
- What happened to you? – Nikolai’s mother asked.
“Oh, nothing,” he said, as if he was already tired of this same question.
- Will daddy come soon?
- I think.
“Everything is the same for them. They don't know anything! Where should I go?” thought Nikolai and went back to the hall where the clavichord stood.
Sonya sat at the clavichord and played the prelude of the barcarolle that Denisov especially loved. Natasha was going to sing. Denisov looked at her with delighted eyes.
Nikolai began to walk back and forth around the room.
“And now you want to make her sing? – what can she sing? And there’s nothing fun here,” thought Nikolai.
Sonya struck the first chord of the prelude.
“My God, I am lost, I am a dishonest person. A bullet in the forehead, the only thing left to do is not sing, he thought. Leave? but where? anyway, let them sing!”
Nikolai gloomily, continuing to walk around the room, glanced at Denisov and the girls, avoiding their gaze.
“Nikolenka, what’s wrong with you?” – asked Sonya’s gaze fixed on him. She immediately saw that something had happened to him.
Nikolai turned away from her. Natasha, with her sensitivity, also instantly noticed her brother’s condition. She noticed him, but she herself was so happy at that moment, she was so far from grief, sadness, reproaches, that she (as often happens with young people) deliberately deceived herself. No, I’m having too much fun now to spoil my fun by sympathizing with someone else’s grief, she felt, and said to herself:
“No, I’m rightly wrong, he should be as cheerful as I am.” Well, Sonya,” she said and went out to the very middle of the hall, where, in her opinion, the resonance was best. Raising her head, lowering her lifelessly hanging hands, as dancers do, Natasha, energetically shifting from heel to tiptoe, walked through the middle of the room and stopped.
"Here I am!" as if she was speaking in response to the enthusiastic gaze of Denisov, who was watching her.
“And why is she happy! - Nikolai thought, looking at his sister. And how isn’t she bored and ashamed!” Natasha hit the first note, her throat expanded, her chest straightened, her eyes took on a serious expression. She was not thinking about anyone or anything at that moment, and sounds flowed from her folded mouth into a smile, those sounds that anyone can make at the same intervals and at the same intervals, but which a thousand times leave you cold, in the thousand and first times they make you shudder and cry.
This winter Natasha began to sing seriously for the first time, especially because Denisov admired her singing. She no longer sang like a child, there was no longer in her singing that comic, childish diligence that was in her before; but she still did not sing well, as all the expert judges who listened to her said. “Not processed, but a wonderful voice, it needs to be processed,” everyone said. But they usually said this long after her voice had fallen silent. At the same time, when this raw voice sounded with irregular aspirations and with efforts of transitions, even the expert judges did not say anything, and only enjoyed this raw voice and only wanted to hear it again. In her voice there was that virginal pristineness, that ignorance of her own strengths and that still unprocessed velvet, which were so combined with the shortcomings of the art of singing that it seemed impossible to change anything in this voice without spoiling it.
“What is this? - Nikolai thought, hearing her voice and opening his eyes wide. -What happened to her? How does she sing these days? - he thought. And suddenly the whole world focused for him, waiting for the next note, the next phrase, and everything in the world became divided into three tempos: “Oh mio crudele affetto... [Oh my cruel love...] One, two, three... one, two... three... one... Oh mio crudele affetto... One, two, three... one. Oh, our life is stupid! - Nikolai thought. All this, and misfortune, and money, and Dolokhov, and anger, and honor - all this is nonsense... but here it is real... Hey, Natasha, well, my dear! Well, mother!... how will she take this si? I took it! God bless!" - and he, without noticing that he was singing, in order to strengthen this si, took the second to the third of a high note. "My God! how good! Did I really take it? how happy!” he thought.

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 according to the same drawing and perfect similarity in everything, calling it “Mercury”, assigning it to the same crew, to which the awarded flag with 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 to "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.

“Bogatyr” was the third, after the cruisers “Varyag” and “Askold”, armored cruiser, 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 a/o ”Vulkan” (Germany). Intended to perform the functions of a reconnaissance cruiser for a squadron and joint operations with destroyers. The ship was distinguished by a 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 type 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 adapted to supply projectiles with ballistic tips, the third cruiser of the Baltic Fleet “Vityaz” (laid down on October 21, 1900 in the Elling of Galerny Island in St. Petersburg) was destroyed on the slipway on May 31, 1901 as a result of a fire and on July 1, 1901 , due to the inexpediency of restoration, was excluded from the lists of ships of the Baltic Fleet. Two of the same ships were ordered for the Black Sea Fleet under the shipbuilding program of 1895.

Laid down on September 9, 1899 on the s/v f. "A.S. Vulcan" Stettin, Germany. Launched on January 17, 1901. Entered service on August 7, 1902. Enlisted on January 11, 1899. During the Russo-Japanese War, was part of the Vladivostok cruiser detachment. Operated on enemy communications between Japan and Korea. 2 On May 1904, in the fog, she jumped onto the coastal rocks near Cape Bruce in the Amur Bay and, having received a hole in the hull, lay down on the ground on June 5, 1904, and was put into dock for repairs, in which she remained until the end of the war. In December 1908, she took part. in providing assistance to the population of Messina on the island of Sicily, affected by the earthquake. Major repairs of the hull and mechanisms in 1909-1912 at the Franco-Russian plant in St. Petersburg with the replacement of boiler water pipes. In 1912, major repairs of the main mechanisms at the Kronstadt Steamship Plant. During the First World War, he carried out raiding and mine-laying operations on enemy communications, covered active mine laying of the light forces of the fleet. In the winter of 1916, he was re-equipped with 16-130mm guns with the installation of new guns. On October 25, 1917 it became part of the Soviet Baltic Fleet. From February 24 to February 27, 1917, he moved from Revel to Helsingfors and from March 12 to March 17, 1918 - to Kronstadt. Since May 1918 it was in the port for long-term storage. During the Civil War, 8 - 130mm guns were dismantled and installed on ships of the Volga Military Flotilla, 4 - 130mm guns were transferred to the SDF. On July 1, 1922, it was sold to the joint Soviet-German joint stock company “Derumetall” as scrap 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 ship’s instruments and equipment were used to restore the same type cruiser “Commintern” MSChM (formerly “Kahul”).

Laid down on July 6, 1902 at the Elling of the New Admiralty of St. Petersburg. Launched on August 14, 1903. Entered service on October 12, 1904. Enlisted on November 5, 1901. During the Russo-Japanese War, it was part of the second Pacific squadron of the Baltic Fleet. After the Battle of Tsushima he went to Manila, where from May 27, 1905 he was interned by local authorities. From December 16, 1907 he was a member of the guards crew. Overhaul of the body and mechanisms in 1910-1911 at the French-Russian plant in St. Petersburg. During the First World War, he carried out raiding and mine-laying operations on enemy communications, and covered active mine laying of the light forces of the fleet. In the winter of 1916, it was re-equipped with 16-130mm guns, new gun launchers were installed, and the conning tower was remodeled for this purpose. On October 25, 1917 it became part of the Soviet Baltic Fleet. From April 5 to April 10, 1918 he made the transition from Helsingfors to Kronstadt. From November 27 to November 29, 1918, he ensured the landing of troops in Narva Bay, from June 13 to June 16, 1919, he fired at the Krasnaya Gorka fort, and was part of the bunker. On June 18, 1919, while patrolling the Tolbukhin lighthouse in the Gulf of Finland, she was torpedoed and sunk by an English torpedo boat. In 1919, part of the ship's 130mm guns was removed and sent to the land fronts. In 1938, EPRON was raised by the Baltic Party and handed over to Glavvtorchermet for dismantling. According to some reports, on the cruiser “Bogatyr” 152mm guns (except 4) were enclosed in armored casemates. However, such work was not carried out on the cruiser due to tactical inexpediency and high cost, although one of the commanders of the cruiser “Oleg” made such proposals to the Marine Technical Committee.

Laid down on August 23, 1901 at the Boathouse of the Nikolaev Admiralty. Launched on May 20, 1902. Entered service in 1905. Enlisted on April 21, 1901. Overhaul of the hull and mechanisms from January 6, 1913 to May 1, 1914 in the port of Sevastopol. During the First World War, he participated in raid operations on enemy communications and coastlines, carried out reconnaissance and blockade services off the coast of Turkey, provided and covered raid and mine-laying operations of other naval forces. He escorted and carried out anti-submarine defense of brigades of battleships. From January 23 to April 5, 1916, he participated in the Trebizond offensive operation, and in October 1916 he shelled oil storage facilities and port facilities in Constanta. From December 1916 to April 1917, the hull and mechanisms were repaired in the Sevastopol military port with rearmament. On December 16, 1917 it became part of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet. On March 28, 1918, it was mothballed and handed over to the Sevastopol military port for storage, where on May 1, 1918 it was captured by the Germans and used as a floating barracks to house a special detachment of the Mediterranean Division. On November 24, 1918, it was captured from the Germans by Anglo-French troops and handed over to the White Guards, on February 19, 1919 it was disarmed, and in the period from April 22 to April 24, 1919, by order of the British command, the main mechanisms were blown up. On April 29, 1919, it was liberated by units of the Soviet Ukrainian Front, but on June 24, 1919 it was again captured by the White Guards, and on November 14, 1920 it was abandoned by Wrangel’s troops during the evacuation from Sevastopol to Istanbul. On November 22, 1920, it was captured by units of the Red Army and in 1921, after undergoing repairs, it was included in the MSChM. In 1923 she was restored and on November 7, 1923 she was recommissioned as a training cruiser. Since June 1941 it was used as a minelayer. On July 16, 1942, while parked in the port of Poti, it was disabled by German aircraft. In August-September 1942, it was disarmed to staff coastal artillery batteries No. 743 formed on August 17, 1942. 744, 746, 747 (2 - 130mm guns), No. 173 (3 - 76.2 mm guns) and No. 770 (3 - 45mm guns) ) - on the approaches to Tuapse. Sunk as a fireship at the mouth of the river. Hopi for the creation of a breakwater, February 2, 1943 excluded from the lists of the Soviet Navy. On March 31, 1946, an anti-roll bar, relocated from Sochi, was installed on the ship’s hull. art. battery No. 626.

Laid down on August 13, 1901 at the Lazarevsky Admiralty, Sevastopol. Launched on September 21, 1902. Entered service on June 10, 1909. Enlisted on April 21, 1901. From November 11 to November 15, 1905, while being completed, he led the uprising of the naval division, during the suppression of which he was severely damaged. During the First World War, he participated in raid operations on enemy communications and coastlines, carried out reconnaissance and blockade services off the coast of Turkey, provided and covered raid and mine-laying operations of other naval forces. He escorted and carried out anti-submarine defense of brigades of battleships. From January 23 to April 5, 1916 he took part in the Trebizond offensive operation. Overhaul of the hull and mechanisms from September 25, 1916 in the Sevastopol military port with rearmament. On December 16, 1917, it became part of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet, but on May 1, 1918 it was captured by German troops and on May 2, 1918, as a BPS, it was included in the German Navy on the Black Sea. On November 24, 1918, it was captured by Anglo-French troops and placed at the disposal of the White Guard. On May 3, 1919 he was enlisted in the naval forces of southern Russia. On November 14, 1920, he was taken away by Wrangel during the evacuation from Sevastopol to Istanbul and then to Bizerte, where he was interned by the French authorities on December 29, 1920. On October 29, 1924, France recognized it as the property of the USSR, but due to the difficult international situation it was not returned; in the late 20s it was sold by Rudmetalltorg to a French private company for scrapping and in 1933 dismantled in Brest for metal.

Selecting a long-range reconnaissance concept

When developing the requirements for a long-range reconnaissance aircraft, MTK specialists sought to obtain a cruiser that was stronger and faster than similar cruisers of the Japanese and British fleets. The Japanese Kasagi-class armored cruisers were considered the most serious and likely enemy. The design of these cruisers was developed on the basis of the cruiser Takasago, built for the Japanese fleet by the British company Armstrong. "Kasagi" and its sistership "Chitose" were built in the USA, had a normal displacement of 4760-4900 tons (the total was close to 6000 tons), a speed of 22.5 knots and were armed with two 203-mm guns in the extremities and ten 120-mm guns in the side installations These ships were considered the most combat-ready armored cruisers of the Japanese fleet and the Russian project was supposed to surpass them.

According to the assignment, the new cruisers were to have a full speed of 23 knots, and a cruising range of at least 5,000 miles at a 10-knot speed was required. The use of Belleville water-tube boilers was envisaged. The specialists of the MTK artillery department decided to install 12 152-mm Kane guns on the cruisers, believing that they would be able to fire more metal per unit of time than the Japanese opponents with their mixed weapons. 203 mm guns were considered too heavy for cruisers, and 120 mm guns were considered too light. In addition, it was necessary to install 12 75-mm guns and 8 47-mm guns to repel attacks by destroyers. Six torpedo tubes were provided.

The displacement of the cruisers was limited for economic reasons to 6,000 tons, which, given the given parameters for speed, range and armament, excluded the installation of an onboard armor belt. Therefore, MTK considered it possible to limit itself to the carapace armored deck, without specifying its specific thickness. The armored deck was to be supplemented by side coal pits and cofferdams. The protection of personnel was completely ignored.

Project selection

Despite certain successes in domestic shipbuilding, the capacity of Russian shipyards and factories turned out to be insufficient to meet the emergency needs of the fleet. Therefore, in 1898, it was decided to transfer part of the orders for warships under the 1898 program to foreign companies on a competitive basis. Among them were three long-range reconnaissance cruisers. At the same time, the capacities of the domestic industry were insufficiently utilized.

6000 ton cruiser design competition

“Design programs” compiled in great haste were sent to Russian and foreign factories in April 1898. The conditions for obtaining a contract were determined if the specified characteristics were met - the construction period was 28 months and the cost was 4 million rubles.

Urgency forced the director of the Maritime Ministry to order the competition committee to proceed with final discussions without waiting for the receipt of all projects from interested manufacturers. As a result, five companies took part in the competition - Nevsky Zavod, the Italian company Ansaldo, the German Germania, Schichau and Govaldswerke. Although the project of the company "Schihau" was recognized as the best in terms of firepower and artillery protection, the commission considered that the project of the company "Germany", a branch of the famous concern "Krupp", was best arranged within the allotted displacement. The corresponding decision was made on July 3, 1898, and on July 27, 1898, Nicholas II gave permission to order the ship. On August 4, 1898, a contract was signed with the Germania company for the construction of the cruiser Askold.

In addition, without any competition, on April 11, 1898, a contract was signed with the American company Crump for the construction of another cruiser with a displacement of 6,000 tons - the future Varyag. At the same time, William Crump did not even present a preliminary design and suggested that the Navy Ministry take the Kasaga, previously built by his company, as a prototype. The very fact of such an order was explained by the assertiveness of W. Crump, who managed to “persuad” Russian officials to give him two lucrative orders.

Project of the company "Vulcan"

Although the design was very similar in appearance to the Yakumo and looked like a smaller copy of it, the limited displacement did not allow the installation of an armor belt and forced a significant weakening of both the artillery and its protection. At the same time, the requirement for a speed of 23 knots led to the installation of more powerful machines, as well as to a reduction in the width of the hull and the abandonment of double sides at the ends. As a result, the project of the Vulcan company was recognized as the best, with some reservations, and on August 4, 1898, a contract was signed for the construction of the lead cruiser. The company undertook to deliver the ship in 24 months, without taking into account the time for approval of specifications and drawings. At the same time, an agreement was reached on the transfer to the Russian side of technical documentation for organizing the construction of cruisers of this type at domestic shipyards. In fact, the agreement was not drawn up quite adequately, which required the conclusion of a new agreement with Vulcan at the end of 1899 for the transfer of documentation for an additional fee.

The technical project was submitted to the MTK for consideration on October 4, 1898. Based on the results of its study, the MTK made 110 comments and suggestions. The question of the type of boilers became especially acute. MTK specialists insisted on Belleville system boilers, which had proven themselves well in the Russian fleet, but the Germans persistently proposed installing lighter and more compact Norman boilers on the cruiser. Despite the objections of MTK, Vice Admiral F.K. Avelan, the temporary manager of the Ministry of the Navy, supported the company’s proposals. Refinement of the project continued throughout 1899, even after the start of construction of the cruiser Bogatyr at the shipyard in Stettin.

Design

Housing and architecture

Cruisers of the "Bogatyr" type were three-tube, two-masted ships with a developed forecastle and poop deck. The body was assembled using rivets, using a bracket system, from steel sheets and profiles. The vertical keel was watertight along the double bottom and passed at the ends to the stems of a cast structure. A stem with a ram was installed in the bow, and a sternpost in the stern. Five stringers were installed on both sides of the keel, and six in the area of ​​the engine rooms. Frames with a spacing of 1 m were installed between them. Sheathing sheets were attached to the set, which were attached overlapping horizontally and end-to-end vertically.

The cruisers had three solid metal decks laid on beams. The height of the inter-deck space was 1.98 m. The upper deck was covered with teak, the rest with linoleum. To ensure unsinkability, the hull had 16 watertight bulkheads, which divided it into 17 watertight compartments. Cofferdams were installed along the side at the waterline level. They were supposed to be filled with cellulose, but negative reviews about the use of this material forced them to abandon cellulose and the cruisers served with empty cofferdams. Coal pits were also located at the sides, both above and below the armored deck and served as additional protection.

The hull was painted three times outside and inside, and the underwater part was also coated with a special compound to protect against corrosion and fouling. The total weight of the hull including armor was 3,490 tons, its cost was estimated at 2,532,510 rubles. 1,823,000 rivets were used to connect the hull structures.

Booking

MTK chose the 152-mm gun of the Kane system as the main caliber of the new cruisers. Designed in France by Gustav Canet, it made an excellent impression on the Russian military delegation in 1891 and, after purchasing the appropriate license, it was adopted into service with the Russian fleet in 1892.

In field conditions, with cartridge loading, it was possible to achieve a rate of fire of up to 10 rounds per minute. In practice, the rate of fire was 6 - 7 rounds per minute. Since the weight of a unitary cartridge was too great, since 1901 the Russian fleet switched to separate loading. The weapon was generally quite modern, but during the Russo-Japanese War a number of its shortcomings were revealed. In particular, the lifting mechanism turned out to be weak, the lifting arches broke, and the knurls failed.

The Bogatyr-class cruisers carried 12 152-mm guns, the ammunition included 180 rounds per barrel - that is, a total of up to 2160 shells and charges. The guns were located in two two-gun turrets at the ends of the ship, four single-gun casemates along the sides, shifted towards the ends, as well as in four deck installations behind the shields. The distribution of artillery ensured the fire of four guns at the bow and stern; eight 152-mm barrels could fire on board. Formally, according to the latter indicator, the “Bogatyrs” had superiority over the “Varyag” and “Askold” and this was an important argument in their favor, but in practice everything turned out differently.

The anti-mine caliber of the cruisers was represented by 75 mm guns developed by Kane. 12 of these guns were openly mounted on the upper deck, forecastle, poop and bridge. The placement of these guns interspersed with 152 mm made fire control difficult. The 75-mm artillery was primarily tasked with combating enemy destroyers, but the realities of combat operations clearly showed that the 75-mm caliber is too small to effectively hit destroyers and counter-destroyers that have seriously grown in size. The situation was aggravated by the fact that these guns only had an armor-piercing projectile.

Mine and torpedo weapons

Although the characteristics of torpedo weapons at the end of the 19th century left much to be desired, arming large ships with torpedo tubes was seen as a necessary measure for self-defense, as well as for the rapid sinking of damaged enemy ships. The original project envisaged the installation of four torpedo tubes on the cruisers - two surface and two underwater. Ultimately, only the Bogatyr received a full set of torpedo tubes; the rest of the cruisers had only two underwater torpedo tubes installed in a special compartment under the armored deck. The ammunition load was two torpedoes for each vehicle. In accordance with the terminology of that time, they were called self-propelled Whitehead mines. Used Model 1898 torpedoes. They had the following characteristics: caliber - 381 mm; length - 5.18 m; weight - 430 kg; charge - 64 kg of pyroxylin; cruising range - 550 m at a speed of 28.5 knots and 915 m at a speed of 25 knots.

Power plant

On Bogatyr-class cruisers, 16 thin-tube Norman boilers were installed (all boilers were coal-fired), with a total heating surface of 4600 m², generating steam with a working pressure of 18 atm. They belonged to the triangular type, with small-diameter tubes, and were located in three boiler compartments: in the bow - four boilers with fireboxes along the way, in the middle and aft - 6 boilers each with fireboxes facing the side.

The ships' power plant consisted of two four-cylinder triple expansion engines, each with a rated power of 9,750 horsepower. This was to provide a design top speed of 23 knots (43 km/h). The fuel supply was up to 1220 tons of coal, the boiler water supply was 280 tons. Cruisers of this type had an estimated range of 4,900 miles at 10 knots. The cruisers had four steam generators that produced a current of 105 volts; on the Bogatyr they were located in one compartment, on the others in two compartments of two.

The cruisers were equipped with two three-bladed bronze propellers with a diameter of 4900 mm and a pitch of 5700 mm, the design of which made it possible to change the propeller pitch by installing other blades.

Crew

Service

"Bogatyr"

The cruiser "Bogatyr" was ceremonially laid down at the Vulkan shipyard in Stettin on December 9, 1899, although its construction actually began earlier. Construction was held back by numerous project approvals between the builder and the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The cruiser was launched on January 17, 1901. In November 1901, factory tests of the vehicles were carried out, but the final delivery of the cruiser was delayed by the unavailability of the turrets, which were supposed to be manufactured in Russia but mounted in Germany. Acceptance tests took place only in June 1902 in the Bay of Danzig, while the cruiser showed an average speed of 23.55 knots. German Emperor Wilhelm II also got acquainted with the ship, calling the Bogatyr the best ship built abroad for the Russian fleet. On September 24, 1902, the cruiser arrived in Kronstadt.

During the outbreak of the Russian-Japanese War, "Bogatyr" acted as part of the Vladivostok detachment and, together with other cruisers, made three cruises in January - April 1904 with the aim of disrupting Japanese communications, which did not produce serious results. On May 2, 1904, the commander of the cruiser detachment, Rear Admiral K. P. Jessen, went on the Bogatyr to inspect the state of defense in Posiet Bay. Following in the fog, at a speed dangerous for such conditions, the cruiser collided with the rocks at Cape Bruce. The struggle to save the cruiser lasted the whole month and only on June 1, 1904, the ship was removed from the cliff and transferred to Vladivostok. Repairs in the conditions of the Vladivostok port turned out to be difficult and continued intermittently for more than a year. "Bogatyr" went to sea only on September 5, 1905, after the end of the war.

"Knight"

Vityaz was to be the first Bogatyr-class cruiser built in Russia. The order for the construction of Galerny Island was issued to the Admiralty on January 9, 1900. A. I. Mustafin, who had previously supervised the construction of the armored cruisers Diana and Pallada, was appointed the ship's builder. Translating the drawings from the metric system of measures into Russian, as well as agreeing with the Vulcan company on the necessary corrections to the project took a lot of time, and only in September 1900 were the last drawings received from Germany. MTK instructed A.I. Mustafin to calculate the main parameters of the cruiser, after which it turned out that the ship’s displacement would be 6781 tons, which was 400 tons more than the original project.

The actual laying of the Vityaz took place on October 21, 1900, when the first sheets of bottom structures were placed on the slipway. By January 1, 1901, the degree of readiness of the corps was 3%. The ship received the name “Vityaz” on April 21, 1901. On May 4, 1901, the cruiser Vityaz was officially accepted into the fleet and assigned to the 18th naval crew. On May 23, 1901, the official ceremony of laying down the ship took place with the participation of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich. By June 1, 1901, the corps' readiness level was 10%.

"Oleg"

The decision to build the cruiser “Oleg”, to replace the “Vityaz” that died on the slipway, was made already on June 9, 1901. The head of the Naval Ministry ordered the construction of the cruiser to begin in the stone boathouse of the New Admiralty immediately after the launch of the squadron battleship Borodino from it. All equipment ordered for Vityaz was to be used for this construction. The actual laying of the ship took place on November 1, 1901, the official laying ceremony took place on July 6, 1902 with the participation of Nicholas II. During construction, a number of changes were made to the project, which increased the displacement from 6250 tons to 6440 tons. On August 14, 1903, "Oleg" was launched.

According to existing plans, it was planned to present it for testing in a year and another year to send it to the Far East. However, the Russo-Japanese War caused changes in pre-war plans and funds were allocated for the accelerated completion of a number of ships, including Oleg. On August 22, 1904, the cruiser went to sea for the first time and arrived in Kronstadt. Tests of "Oleg" dragged on until October 1904, while the cruiser was able to reach a speed of no more than 20.6 knots, and stability tests were not carried out at all due to the rush.

"Cahul"

The cruiser "Cahul" was laid down on March 14, 1901 in the covered boathouse No. 7 of the Nikolaev Admiralty, and the official laying took place on August 23, 1901. The cruiser was launched on May 20, 1903. Formally, the Cahul entered service in 1905, but its tests actually ended only in August 1907. At the same time, the cruiser developed a speed of 24.75 knots, but deck artillery was not installed on it. On March 25, 1907, “Cahul” was renamed “Memory of Mercury”. From October 6, 1913 to May 1, 1914, “Memory of Mercury” underwent major repairs in Sevastopol. During the renovation, the armament was changed - 10 75 mm guns were removed, and 4 152 mm guns were installed instead.

The restoration of the cruiser took four years, and on March 25, 1907, it was renamed Cahul. The cruiser entered service on June 10, 1909, but improvements continued into 1910.

Project evaluation

As a result of the implementation of the 1898 program, the Russian fleet received large armored cruisers of three different projects. “Varyag”, “Askold” and “Bogatyr” had a similar displacement and showed comparable speed during testing. At the same time, “Askold” and “Bogatyr” showed themselves to be very reliable ships in service, while “Varyag” (according to its commander Rudnev) constantly had serious problems with machines and boilers.

The cruisers carried the same weapons, the difference was in the armor protection of the artillery and its location. On the Varyag, the guns did not have any protection; six 152-mm barrels could fire on board. In the ship's only engagement, this resulted in heavy losses among the gunnery crew. "Askold" had seven main caliber guns in a broadside salvo, all guns were covered with shields. “Bogatyr” looked the best in this regard, since two-thirds of the 152-mm guns were in turrets and casemates, the rest were covered with shields, and eight barrels could fire on board. In practice, problems with the turrets led to the fact that in terms of the power of a one-minute broadside, the Bogatyr was at the level of the Varyag, but at the time of ordering the cruiser they did not yet know about this and made a natural decision to multiply the German project with the help of domestic industry

The Russian Imperial Navy served for almost 200 years. Its power reached a high level during the Russo-Japanese War. By 1905, the fleet had become the third most powerful in the world. The cruiser "Bogatyr" took part in two wars, conquered the seas and lived for almost 22 years.

Project history

"Bogatyr" - an armored cruiser, was designed at the beginning of the 20th century. The reason for its development was the same Japan, which at that time was exciting with its power and strength. Two years before the start of the new century, the Japanese created a program to equip and increase the power of their fleet.

Russia decided not to lag behind, so with the project “For the needs of the Far East” it began to design ships that could gain superiority over the enemy. Initially, it was planned to create two types of armored cruisers with different displacements. But then the program slowed down due to the fact that the plans of 1895 were not fulfilled.

The Maritime Ministry decided to seek help from shipbuilding firms abroad. After holding a small competition, Russia drew attention to the project presented by Germany. The country presented a ship with powerful artillery and a displacement of 6,250 tons.

Implementation of the planned

They began building the cruiser the very next year after drawing up the project plan. At the end of 1899, the lead ship was laid down, with the bright and powerful name “Bogatyr”. Construction of the future sea fighter has begun in full swing. While working on the ship, the Germans decided to transfer 3 more drawings to Russia, thanks to which armored cruisers of the Bogatyr type were to appear.

Construction did not go smoothly. Problems constantly arose with the supply of parts and directly with the design. Both sides argued all the time and could not agree on the final project even during its implementation. Because of this, the deadlines were constantly postponed, and the ship was not ready.

At the beginning of 1901, the cruiser "Bogatyr", the drawings of which were successfully turned into a powerful vessel, took to the water. After conducting a lot of tests, including speed tests, the ship was handed over to the customer in 1902, and it was able to go into battle.

Far East

The course to the Far East was decided after the cruiser “Bogatyr” became a full-fledged combat ship and underwent shooting training. Two squadron battleships and two cruisers went to the Pacific Ocean with him.

Only 2 years later the ship was able to enter into real battle. The entire “Bogatyr” squad was dressed in olive color, Russia declared war with Japan. Cruising was begun. This process was stopped by the sinking of the coastal steamer, the capture of the crew and a storm.

The next cruising only launched the attack and already in March a detachment of 4 cruisers and 2 destroyers bombarded Vladivostok. Over time, more help from 15 ships sailed to him. The Vladivostok detachment was supposed to distract attention, which it did very well.

At the end of April, the cruiser "Bogatyr", whose weapons were one of the most powerful in the detachment, joined the cruisers "Gromoboy" and "Russia". Two destroyers were sent with them. It was quiet cruising that produced excellent results.

The first injury the ship received occurred in May. Sea visibility was extremely low, despite moving at a speed of 10 knots. A team of officers tried to reason with the captain, but all persuasion was in vain. As a result, the Bogatyr was damaged by rocks near Cape Bruce. This event was sad for the entire crew. In addition to the fact that the ship received holes and several compartments were flooded, it could not get off the rocks on its own.

The help that arrived that day did not bring results. The weather also did not play into the sailors' hands. A force 10 storm forced the evacuation of the entire “heroic” crew. After the storm, a mechanic and workers arrived on the ship. The damage was severe. Almost half of the compartments were flooded, and the ship turned around on the rocks.

It took a month and a half to remove the ship from the rocks. All this time he was unloaded until he was completely “liberated.” Until the end of the war, the towed Bogatyr remained in the port of Vladivostok. The ship was still destined to meet the Japanese, but in peacetime. "Bogatyr" accompanied the cruiser "Russia" to the port of Racine. There were two opposing admirals on the ship. Here they discussed the terms of the peace treaty, which they later concluded in Portsmouth.

Baltic adventures

In 1906, “Bogatyr” was returned to service. He was included in the Special Detachment, which was supposed to sail with midshipmen and non-commissioned officers. In the same year, the ship took part in restoring order at the Sveaborg fortress. The uprising was suppressed by artillery fire.

Later, the cruiser "Bogatyr" set sail in the Mediterranean Sea. Here he had to visit Naples at the funeral of N.V. Muravyov, and later rescue earthquake victims off the Italian coast. A few years later, the ship's crew was awarded for this help and for saving 2,400 residents of Messina. In 1912, the cruiser was repaired at the Kronstadt plant, and the next year it sailed the Mediterranean Sea.

Serious fight

Just 13 days after the Germans declared war on the Russians, Bogatyr was able to realize its potential and, together with the cruiser Pallada and two destroyers, knock out an important enemy. A combination of circumstances or fate led to the fact that the German light cruiser Magdeburg landed on the rocks not far from the lighthouse. There was no one to help them, and the crew could not cope with the problem on their own. These attempts were noticed by Russian intelligence officers, and they decided to send our combat detachment here.

The captains of the Bogatyr and Pallada knew about each other’s existence, but had no idea that the command had sent the destroyers Lieutenant Burakov and Zealny to help. Despite the fact that the cruisers were supposed to cover their battle brothers, the destroyers arrived at Magdeburg faster, but were unable to detect the enemy.

The mistake of the German captain, who decided to fire at the lighthouse, gave away their location. The destroyers began to fire at the enemy ship, and the Bogatyr and Pallada approached from the other side and began to attack the Magdeburg. Due to the thick fog, the Russian detachment could not see that the German destroyer had already evacuated the cruiser's crew.

The Russian cruisers also took a toll on the allied destroyers, who mistakenly appeared to be enemies, and they, in turn, fired torpedoes at the Bogatyr and Pallada. In the morning, the Russian captains figured out the problem and focused on the Magdeburg and the auxiliary destroyer.

The enemy ship could not withstand the shelling and blew up its ship. This operation became key thanks to the documents found on board the German cruiser, which later helped to decipher enemy radiograms.

At the end of 1914, the cruiser managed to lay a couple of treacherous mines, which blew up a German cruiser. A year later, the ship again served the Russian fleet with mines and a damaged enemy ship. Throughout the First World War, "Bogatyr" successfully identified enemies, laid mines and sank ships.

Last breath

After the start of the revolution, the cruiser had to retreat, as changes were observed at the front. Afterwards, he participated in the Baltic Fleet. Later, the ship was sent for storage to the port of Kronstadt. For about 4 years, the cruiser “Bogatyr” was disarmed. In the summer of 1922, the ship was sold for scrap, taken to the Germans, and they dismantled it. The cruiser was officially removed from the list of the Russian Navy only in 1925.

Brethren

The series of brothers "Bogatyr" was very successful. Among them were “Vityaz”, “Oleg”, “Ochakov”, “Kahul”. The last two were renamed two and three times. Each of the cruisers served for a long time, except for the Vityaz. This ship burned down during construction and was not put into operation.

The Bogatyr was the very first to be launched, as is known, in 1901, followed by the Ochakov. True, he entered service not as quickly as his “elder brother”, only in 1909. He served until 1920 and was detained by the French. “Cahul” was renamed twice, first to “Memory of Mercury”, later to “Comintern”. During World War II, it was disarmed and sunk to create a breakwater.

The last cruiser from the Oleg series also did not live long, only until 1919, due to a torpedo attack by a British boat. But in 1938 it was raised from the bottom and cut into metal.

The cruiser "Bogatyr", a photo of which is presented in the article, became very popular due to its exploits. This ship appeared in the game World of Warships. He takes place in the Soviet branch at level 3. The project developers tried to recreate it as accurately as possible.

Several times creative people tried to immortalize the cruiser "Bogatyr". Its model was created on a scale of 1/100, while it was made as close as possible to the original. Some exhibits can be disassembled in half, along the waterline, in order to install electric motors inside to control the cruiser on the water.