Russian battleship Petropavlovsk (1894)
 A Russian postcard of Petropavlovsk
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Russian Empire | |
| Name | Petropavlovsk |
| Namesake | Battle of Petropavlovsk |
| Builder | Galernii Island Shipyard, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire |
| Laid down | 19 May 1892[Note 1] |
| Launched | 9 November 1894 |
| In service | 1899 |
| Fate | Sunk by Port Arthur , 13 April 1904 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Petropavlovsk-class pre-dreadnought battleship |
| Displacement | 11,354 long tons (11,536 t) |
| Length | 376 ft (114.6 m) |
| Beam | 70 ft (21.3 m) |
| Draft | 28 ft 3 in (8.61 m) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion | 2 shafts; 2 triple-expansion steam engines |
| Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Range | 3,750 nmi (6,940 km; 4,320 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 725 |
| Armament |
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| Armor | |
Petropavlovsk (
At the beginning of the
. The arrival of the competent and aggressive Makarov after the Battle of Port Arthur had boosted Russian morale, which plummeted after his death.Design and description
The design of the Petropavlovsk-class ships was derived from the battleship
The four
Russian manufacturers of the
Construction and career
Petropavlovsk was named for the successful Russian defense during the 1854
Battle of Port Arthur
After the Japanese victory in the
On the night of 8/9 February 1904, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the Russian fleet at Port Arthur. Petropavlovsk was not hit and sortied the following morning when the Japanese Combined Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō, attacked. Tōgō had expected the night attack by his ships to be much more successful than it was, and anticipated that the Russians would be badly disorganized and weakened, but they had recovered from their surprise and were ready for his attack. The Japanese ships were spotted by the protected cruiser Boyarin, which was patrolling offshore and alerted the Russian defenses. Tōgō chose to attack the Russian coastal defenses with his main armament and engage the ships with his secondary guns. Splitting his fire proved to be a poor decision as the Japanese 8- and 6-inch guns inflicted little damage on the Russian ships, which concentrated all their fire on the Japanese ships with some effect. Petropavlovsk was lightly damaged in the engagement by one 6-inch and two 12-inch shells, killing two and wounding five.[11] In return she fired twenty 12-inch and sixty-eight 6-inch shells at the Japanese battleships, but none hit.[12][13] Displeased by the poor performance of the First Pacific Squadron, the Naval Ministry replaced Stark with the dynamic and aggressive Vice Admiral Stepan Makarov,[14] regarded as the navy's most competent admiral,[15] on 7 March.[14] As a result of the damage incurred in the attack by the more heavily armored Tsesarevich and the subsequent lengthy repair time, Makarov was compelled to retain Petropavlovsk as his flagship, against his better judgement.[12][13]
Sinking
Having failed to
Early on the morning of 13 April, the Russian destroyer Strashnii fell in with four Japanese destroyers in the darkness while on patrol. Once her captain realized his mistake, the Russian ship attempted to escape but failed after a Japanese shell struck one of her torpedoes and caused it to detonate. By this time the armored cruiser Bayan had sortied to provide support, but it was only able to rescue five survivors before a Japanese squadron of protected cruisers attacked. Escorted by three protected cruisers, Makarov led Petropavlovsk and her sister Poltava out to support Bayan, while ordering the rest of the First Pacific Squadron to follow as soon as they could. In the meantime, the Japanese had reported the Russian sortie to Tōgō, who arrived with all six Japanese battleships. Heavily outnumbered, Makarov ordered his ships to retreat and to join the rest of the squadron that was just exiting the harbor.[18] After the squadron had united and turned back towards the enemy, about two nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) from the shore, Petropavlovsk struck one or more mines at 09:42 and sank almost instantly,[19] taking with her 27 officers and 652 enlisted men, including Makarov and the war artist Vasily Vereshchagin.[20][21] Seven officers and 73 men were rescued.[8]
Makarov's arrival had boosted the morale of the squadron, and his death dispirited the sailors and their officers. His replacement,
Notes
References
- ^ McLaughlin, pp. 84–85, 90.
- ^ McLaughlin, pp. 84, 88–89.
- ^ Friedman, p. 265.
- ^ McLaughlin, pp. 84–85, 89–90.
- ^ Silverstone, p. 381.
- ^ McLaughlin, pp. 84, 86, 90.
- ^ Kowner, p. 358.
- ^ a b McLaughlin, p. 90.
- ^ Westwood, pp. 15–21.
- ^ McLaughlin, p. 160.
- ^ Forczyk, pp. 41–43.
- ^ a b Gribovskij, p. 49.
- ^ a b Balakin, p. 38.
- ^ a b Forczyk, p. 44.
- ^ Westwood, p. 46.
- ^ Grant, pp. 48–50.
- ^ Balakin, pp. 33–36.
- ^ Corbett, I, pp. 179–82.
- ^ Vinogradov, pp. 72–73.
- ^ Balakin, p. 39.
- ^ a b Taras, p. 27.
- ^ Forczyk, p. 46.
- ^ McLaughlin, p. 162.
- ^ Westwood, p. 50.
Sources
- Balakin, Sergei (2004). Морские сражения русско-японской войны 1904–1905 [Naval Battles of the Russo-Japanese War] (in Russian). Moscow: Morskaya Kollektsya (Maritime Collection). LCCN 2005429592.
- ISBN 978-1-55750-129-5.
- Forczyk, Robert (2009). Russian Battleship vs Japanese Battleship, Yellow Sea 1904–05. London: Osprey. ISBN 978-1-84603-330-8.
- Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
- Grant, R. Captain (1907). Before Port Arthur in a Destroyer; The Personal Diary of a Japanese Naval Officer. London: John Murray. OCLC 31387560.
- Gribovskij, V. (1994). "The Catastrophe of March 31 of 1904 (The Wreck of the Battleship Petropavlovsk)". Gangut (in Russian). 4. ISSN 2218-7553.
- Nicolai Ivanovich Kravchenko. The Last Days and the Death of V. V. Vereshchagin: Memoirs of N.I. Kravchenko. – SPb. : Typography of. E. Manasevich, [B.G.] (1904).
- ISBN 978-0-8108-4927-3.
- McLaughlin, Stephen (2003). Russian & Soviet Battleships. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-481-4.
- Silverstone, Paul H. (1984). Directory of the World's Capital Ships. New York: Hippocrene Books. ISBN 978-0-88254-979-8.
- Taras, Alexander (2000). Корабли Российского императорского флота 1892–1917 гг [Ships of the Imperial Russian Navy 1892–1917]. Library of Military History (in Russian). Minsk: Kharvest. ISBN 978-985-433-888-0.
- Vinogradov, Sergei; Fedechkin, Aleksei (2011). Bronenosnyi kreyser "Bayan" i yego potomki. Od Port-Artura do Moonzunda [Armored Cruiser "Bayan" and her Offspring. From Port Artur to Moonsund.] (in Russian). Moscow: Yauza / EKSMO. ISBN 978-5-699-51559-2.
- Westwood, J. N. (1986). Russia Against Japan, 1904–1905: A New Look at the Russo-Japanese War. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-88706-191-2.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1904 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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