 | This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(January 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 Russian corvetteVityaz | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Russia | |
| Name | Vityaz (1862–1882) |
| Namesake | Slavic folk character,Mikhail Skobelev |
| Laid down | August 23, 1861 |
| Launched | July 24, 1862 |
| Decommissioned | 1895 |
| Renamed | Skobelev (1882–1892) |
| Fate | Scrapped in 1895 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Bogatyr-class steamcorvette |
| Displacement | 2,156 tons |
| Length | 66.3 m (217 ft 6 in)[1] |
| Beam | 12 m (39 ft 4 in)[1] |
| Draft | 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in)[1] |
| Propulsion | Steam engines, sails |
| Speed | 11–12knots (20–22 km/h; 13–14 mph) |
| Armament |
|
Vityaz (Russian:Витязь,translit.Vityaz) was asteam corvette of theBaltic Fleet of theImperial Russian Navy. Later renamedSkobelev,Vityaz spent much of its career as an oceanographicresearch vessel, completing twocircumnavigations of the world in this capacity.
The ship waslaid down on August 23, 1861, and it waslaunched on July 24, 1862.[1]Vityaz was built atPori in theGrand Duchy of Finland, at the time a part of theRussian Empire.[1]
Vityaz was one of four sail-screwcorvettes of theBogatyr class, equipped with 17 guns and displacing 2,156 tons.[1] Equipped with a 160nominal horsepower/1,618 ihp (1,207 kW)steam engine built by theBelgian companyJohn Cockerill,Vityaz was capable of a speed of 12knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).[1]
At launch the corvette was armed with one No. 1 and 16 No. 2model 1855 cannons (ru).[1] These 60-poundersmoothbore cannons were developed by the Russian artillery generalN.A. Baumgart (ru) and adopted by theImperial Russian Navy in 1855. By 1870, the original guns had been replaced with newerrifled guns, including five 1867-model 6-inch guns, four 1867-model 9-pounder cannons, and three rapid fire guns.[1]
In 1863 and 1864,Vityaz participated in an expedition to North America as part of the squadron of Rear AdmiralS.S. Lesovsky (ru).
In 1869,Vityaz supported oceanographic research byStepan Makarov in theSea of Marmara and theMediterranean Sea.[2]
Vityazcircumnavigated the world from 1870 to 1874 under the command of CaptainP.N. Nazimov (ru). Sailing fromSt. Petersburg on a survey mission,Vityaz crossed theAtlantic Ocean and passed through theStrait of Magellan, accompanied by theethnologistNicholas Miklouho-Maclay. A planned stop atRapa Nui was cancelled due to political instability, but theVityaz did stop atMangareva from July 7–12, 1871, during which time Miklouho-Maclay spoke to Rapa Nui natives about their island.[3] On September 20, 1871,Vityaz deposited Miklouho-Maclay atAstrolabe Bay onNew Guinea, where he remained conducting research work for fifteen months.[4][5] On 30 August 1863,Vityaz rescued all on board theGermanbarqueCharlotte Christine, which had been wrecked whilst on a voyage fromVladivostok, Russia toChefoo,China.[6]Vityaz explored the strait betweenLong Island and New Guinea, which as a result was named theVitiaz Strait. After stops inJapan,China,India, and theArabian Peninsula,Vityaz passed through theSuez Canal, theStrait of Gibraltar, and theEnglish Channel and returned toKronstadt.
Vityaz was overhauled at Kronstadt in 1874 and again in 1881.[1] In 1877, Lieutenant CommanderP. A. Bolotnikov (ru) was appointed commander of the corvette.
On June 27, 1882, the corvette was renamedSkobelev in honor ofMikhail Skobelev, a Russian general who had died that year.
From 1883 to 1885,Skobelev, now under the command ofCaptain V.V. Blagodarev (ru), made a second circumnavigation. During this voyage,Skobelev transferred Miklouho-Maclay fromBatavia to New Guinea.
Scholars have argued that both of these voyages, which were supported by theImperial Russian Geographical Society and the Russian naval ministry, were aimed at establishing Russian colonies in the Pacific, although nothing came of any such plans.[4] The 1870s expedition contributed to fears from British settlers inNew Zealand that Russia might attack the colony,[7] while the appearance of Russian ships in the area in 1883 contributed to theUnited Kingdom,Germany, and theNetherlands partitioning New Guinea.[4]
In February 1892,Skobelev was converted into atraining ship.[1] In 1895, it was removed from the Russian navy andscrapped.
A second steam corvette of the Russian navy namedVityaz (ru) launched in 1883, when the older vessel remained in operation asSkobelev. This corvette also served as a research ship. The name was later assigned to aBogatyr-classcruiser that was destroyed by fire while under construction in 1901. TheSoviet research shipRV Vityaz, active from 1946 to 1979 and since preserved as amuseum ship, was named in honor of both the 1862 and 1884 vessels.[8] A second Soviet research ship namedVityaz operated from 1981 to 1992.
During construction of theOceanographic Museum of Monaco,Prince Albert I personally selected 20 noteworthy oceanographic research vessels to be inscribed on the new building'sfrieze.Vityaz, transliterated as "Vitiaz", was included on the basis of its two circumnavigatory expeditions.[9]
In 1971, a new theater named Vityaz opened on Miklouho-Maclay Street ofMoscow, named to commemorate the ethnographer's ship.[10] This theater closed in 2018 and was demolished so a shopping center could be built on the site.[10][11]
In 1987,Papua New Guinea issued a stamp depictingVityaz, part of a series of stamps featuring sailing vessels of significance to the country's history.[12][13]