Russian cruiser Bayan (1900)

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Bayan at anchor
History
Russian Empire
NameBayan
NamesakeBoyan
OrderedMay 1898
BuilderForges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer, France
Laid downMarch 1899
Launched12 June 1900
CompletedDecember 1902
CapturedBy Japan, 1 January 1905
FateSunk, 9 December 1904
Japan
NameAso
NamesakeMount Aso
Acquired1 January 1905
Commissioned22 August 1905
In service1908
Reclassified
Stricken1 April 1930
FateSunk as a target, 4 August 1932
General characteristics
Class and type
armoured cruiser
Displacement7,802 long tons (7,927 t)
Length449 ft (136.9 m)
Beam57 ft 6 in (17.5 m)
Draught22 ft (6.7 m)
Installed power
  • 26
    Belleville boilers
  • 16,500 ihp (12,300 kW)
Propulsion2 shafts, 2 vertical triple-expansion steam engines
Speed21 kn (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Range3,900 nmi (7,200 km; 4,500 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement573
ArmamentAs built:
2 × single 8 in (203 mm) guns
8 × single 6 in (152 mm) guns
20 × single
75 mm (3 in)
guns
2 × single 15 in (380 mm) torpedo tubes

As Aso:

2 × single 8 in (200 mm) guns
8 × single 6.0 in (152 mm) guns
16 × single
3 in (76 mm)
guns
2 × single 18 in (460 mm) torpedo tubes
Armour

The Bayan (Russian: Баян) was the

Port Arthur from the end of 1903. She suffered minor damage during the Battle of Port Arthur at the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05 and supported destroyers as they patrolled outside the harbour. After bombarding Japanese positions in July 1904, the ship struck a mine and was out of action for the next several months. Bayan was sunk during the Siege of Port Arthur and was then salvaged
by the Japanese after the war.

Renamed Aso by the

decommissioned in 1930 to serve as a target ship
. She was eventually sunk as a target in 1932.

Design and description

Unlike previous Russian armoured cruisers, the Bayan-class ships were designed as scouts for the fleet.[1] They were 449 feet 7 inches (137.0 m) long overall and 443 feet (135.0 m) between perpendiculars. They had a maximum beam of 57 feet 6 inches (17.5 m), a draft of 22 feet (6.7 m) and displaced 7,802 long tons (7,927 t). The ships had a crew of 573 officers and men.[2]

The Bayan class had two

Belleville boilers. Designed for a total of 16,500 indicated horsepower (12,304 kW) intended to propel the cruisers at 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph),[3] the engines actually developed 17,400 ihp (13,000 kW) during Bayan's sea trials in October 1902 and drove the ship to a maximum speed of 20.9 knots (38.7 km/h; 24.1 mph). She could carry a maximum of 1,100 long tons (1,118 t) of coal, which gave her a range of 3,900 nautical miles (7,200 km; 4,500 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[4]

Bayan's main armament consisted of two

75-millimetre (3.0 in) 50-calibre guns; eight of these were mounted in casemates on the side of the hull and in the superstructure. The remaining guns were located above the six-inch gun casemates in pivot mounts with gun shields. Bayan also mounted eight 47-millimetre (1.9 in) and two 37-millimetre (1.5 in) Hotchkiss guns. The ship had two submerged 15-inch (381 mm) torpedo tubes, one on each broadside.[4]

The ship used

Harvey armour throughout. Her waterline belt was 7.9 inches (200 mm) thick over her machinery spaces. Fore and aft, it reduced to 3.9 inches (100 mm). The upper armour strake and the armour protecting the casemates was 2.4 inches (60 mm) thick. The thickness of the armoured deck was 2 inches (50 mm); over the central battery it was a single plate, but elsewhere it consisted of a 1.2-inch (30 mm) plate over two 0.39-inch (10 mm) plates. The gun turret sides were protected by 5.9 inches (150 mm) of armour and their roofs were 1.2 inches thick. The barbettes were protected by armour plates 6.7-inch (170 mm) thick. The sides of the conning tower were 6.3 inches (160 mm) thick.[6]

Construction and career

Bayan, named after the

Robert Wiren,[10] made port visits in Greece, Italy and North Africa before sailing for Kronstadt. Arriving in April 1903, she was only there for several months before departing for Port Arthur on 7 August.[11] Together with the French-built battleship Tsesarevich, Bayan arrived on 2 December and they were both assigned to the First Pacific Squadron.[12]

On the night of 8/9 February 1904, the IJN launched a surprise attack on the Russian fleet at Port Arthur. Bayan was not hit by the initial torpedo-boat incursion and

Vice Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō, attacked. Tōgō had expected the surprise night attack by his ships to be much more successful than it was, anticipating that the Russians would be badly disorganized and weakened, but they had recovered from their surprise and were ready for his assault. The Japanese vessels had been spotted by the protected cruiser Boyarin, which was patrolling offshore, and alerted the Russian defences. Tōgō chose to attack the Russian coastal defences with his main armament and engage the ships with his secondary guns. Splitting his fire proved to be a poor decision as the Japanese eight-inch (203 mm) and six-inch guns inflicted inconsequential damage on the Russian ships, which concentrated all their fire on their opponents with some effect. Bayan suffered superficial damage from nine hits and numerous splinters; 6 crewmen were killed and 35 injured. The ship fired 28 eight-inch, 100 six-inch and 160 seventy-five-millimetre shells during the battle.[13]

Bayan sunk at her mooring in Port Arthur.

The damage to Bayan was repaired in several days and subsequently the cruiser patrolled off Port Arthur. Together with the protected cruiser Novik, the ship sortied on 11 March 1904 to support the destroyer Steregushchiy. Under attack by Japanese destroyers, the ship was sunk before help arrived.[14] 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 Bayan had sortied to provide support, but was only able to rescue five survivors before a Japanese squadron of protected cruisers attacked. Vice Admiral Stepan Makarov led a force of two battleships and three cruisers out to support Bayan and also ordered 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 and he 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 harbour. En route, however, his flagship, Petropavlovsk, struck a mine and sank almost instantly.[15]

Bayan sailed with the rest of the Pacific Squadron on 23 June in an abortive attempt to reach Vladivostok. The new squadron commander, Rear Admiral Wilgelm Vitgeft, ordered the squadron to return to Port Arthur when it encountered the Japanese fleet shortly before sunset, as he did not wish to engage his numerically superior opponents in a night battle.[16] After bombarding Imperial Japanese Army positions on 27 July, the ship struck a mine[17] and was under repair until September.[11] After the death of Vitgeft during the Battle of the Yellow Sea on 10 August, Wiren was promoted to rear admiral and became the commander of the First Pacific Squadron. Bayan was subsequently trapped in Port Arthur[18] and sunk at her mooring by five 28-centimetre (11 in) howitzer shells on 9 December.[19]

Japanese service

For other ships with the same name, see Japanese ship Aso.
Aso at Maizuru, 1908

After the war, Bayan's wreck was refloated on 24 June and towed to

3-inch 40 caliber Armstrong N guns.[21]

On 7 September 1908, Aso, together with the ex-Russian protected cruiser

Yokosuka on 7 August. The next year the two ships made a cruise to Australia and Southeast Asia that last from 1 February to 3 July 1910. They were briefly relieved of their assignment to the Training Squadron on 25 September before rejoining it on 1 April 1911. The next training cruise lasted from 25 November 1911 to 28 March 1912 and took the cadets to the same destinations as the 1910 cruise. On 20 April 1912, Aso was transferred away from the Training Squadron[22] and she was refitted in March 1913. During this refit, her eight-inch guns were replaced by a pair of six-inch guns 50 caliber guns and her torpedo tubes were removed.[23] Aso and Soya were reassigned to the Training Squadron on 1 December 1914 and they made their last training cruise from 20 April to 23 August 1915,[22] during which they visited Rabaul, New Guinea, and Fremantle, Australia.[24]

Aso at Yokosuka, 1924

In 1917, Aso was converted into a minelayer,

navy list on 1 April 1930 and renamed Hai Kan No. 4.[21] She was sunk on 4 August 1932 by two submarine torpedoes after serving as a target for the heavy cruisers Myōkō and Nachi.[26]

Notes

  1. ^ All dates used in this article are New Style

Footnotes

  1. ^ Vinogradov & Fedechkin, p. 4
  2. ^ McLaughlin, p. 75
  3. ^ Campbell, p. 190
  4. ^ a b McLaughlin, pp. 68, 75
  5. ^ Watts, p. 100
  6. ^ McLaughlin, p. 68
  7. ^ Silverstone, p. 373
  8. ^ McLaughlin, pp. 60–61, 68
  9. ^ Watts, p. 99
  10. ^ Kowner, p. 409
  11. ^ a b McLaughlin, p. 78
  12. ^ Corbett, I, p. 51
  13. ^ Vinogradov & Fedechkin, pp. 60–65
  14. ^ Vinogradov & Fedechkin, p. 68
  15. ^ Corbett, I, pp. 179–182
  16. ^ Warner & Warner, pp. 305–306
  17. ^ Corbett, I, pp. 357, 466
  18. ^ Corbett, II, pp. 46, 77–78, 103–104
  19. ^ a b c Lacroix & Wells, p. 656
  20. ^ Silverstone, p. 326
  21. ^ a b c Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 76
  22. ^ a b Lacroix & Wells, pp. 656–657
  23. ^ Budzbon, p. 226
  24. ^ Hirama, p. 142
  25. ^ a b Lengerer, p. 52
  26. ^ Lacroix & Wells, p. 109

Bibliography

External links

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