 Peresvet at anchor, 1901 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Peresvet |
| Builders |
|
| Operators | |
| Preceded by | Rostislav |
| Succeeded by | Potemkin |
| Subclasses | Pobeda |
| Built | 1898–1903 |
| In commission | 1901–22 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Lost | 2 |
| Scrapped | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Pre-dreadnought battleship |
| Displacement | 13,320–14,408 long tons (13,534–14,639 t) |
| Length | 434 ft 5 in (132.4 m) |
| Beam | 71 ft 6 in (21.8 m) |
| Draft | 26 ft 3 in (8.0 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 3 shafts, 3Vertical triple-expansion steam engines |
| Speed | 18knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Range | 6,200 nmi (11,500 km; 7,100 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 27 officers, 744 men |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | |
ThePeresvet class was a group of threepre-dreadnought battleships built for theImperial Russian Navy around the end of the 19th century.Peresvet andPobeda were transferred to thePacific Squadron upon completion and based atPort Arthur from 1901 and 1903, respectively. All three ships were lost by the Russians in theRusso-Japanese War of 1904–05;Peresvet andPobeda participated in theBattles of Port Arthur and theYellow Sea and were sunk during thesiege of Port Arthur.Oslyabya, the third ship, sailed to the Far East with theSecond Pacific Squadron to relieve the Russian forces blockaded in Port Arthur and was sunk at theBattle of Tsushima with the loss of over half her crew.
Peresvet andPobeda weresalvaged after the Japanese captured Port Arthur and incorporated into theImperial Japanese Navy.Peresvet was sold back to the Russians duringWorld War I, as the two countries were by now allies, and sank after hitting Germanmines in the Mediterranean in early 1917 whilePobeda, renamedSuwo, remained instead in Japanese service and participated in theBattle of Tsingtao in late 1914. She became a gunnerytraining ship in 1917. The ship was disarmed in 1922 to comply with the terms of theWashington Naval Treaty and probablyscrapped around that time.
After the humiliating Russian defeat during theCrimean War of 1854–55,General AdmiralGrand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich understood that Russia would never be able to outbuild Britain or France, but still needed a maritime strategy that could defend Russia, give the fleet a useful role in peacetime and act as a deterrent. He decided that aguerre de course (commerce-raiding) strategy was Russia's only effective means of attacking theBritish Empire or France if war broke out and built a series of fast, long-range,armored cruisers likeRossia andRurik to implement his strategy.[1] The British responded by building the second-class battleships of theCenturion class to defeat the cruisers and the Russians countered with the three ships of thePeresvet class that were designed to support their armored cruisers. This role placed a premium on high speed and long range at the expense of heavy armament and armor.[2]
As was common with Russian ships of the time, changes were made while the ships were under construction. The most important was the revision of thesecondary armament from eight 6-inch (152 mm) and five 4.7-inch (119 mm) guns to eleven 6-inch guns and additional light guns. Only two ships were originally planned, but a third was ordered to keep theBaltic Works shipyard busy until a new design could be prepared. Ironically, it was completed before the second ship, despite having beenlaid down over three years later.[3]
ThePeresvet-class ships were 434 feet 5 inches (132.4 m)long overall, with abeam of 71 feet 6 inches (21.8 m) and adraft of 26 feet 3 inches (8.0 m). Designed todisplace 12,674long tons (12,877 t), they were 500–1,700 long tons (510–1,730 t) overweight and actually displaced 13,320–14,408 long tons (13,534–14,639 t). To reducebiofouling, the hulls of the first two ships were sheathed with wood and copper, but this was eliminated inPobeda to reduce weight. The vessels had a partialdouble bottom and the hull was divided by 10 watertight transversebulkheads; a centerline bulkhead divided the forward engine rooms. Each crew consisted of 27 officers and 744 enlisted men.[4]
The ships were powered by threevertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving onepropeller shaft, using steam generated by 30Belleville boilers. The engines were rated at 14,500indicated horsepower (10,813 kW), usingforced draft, and designed to reach a top speed of 18knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). All three ships slightly exceeded their specifications and reached top speeds of 18.3–18.5 knots (33.9–34.3 km/h; 21.1–21.3 mph) from 14,532–15,578 indicated horsepower (10,837–11,617 kW) during theirsea trials. They carried a maximum of 2,060 long tons (2,090 t) of coal which allowed them to steam for 6,200nautical miles (11,500 km; 7,100 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). Their electrical equipment consisted of four steam-drivendynamos with a total capacity of 555kilowatts (744 hp).[5]
The ships'main battery consisted of four 45-caliber,10-inch (254 mm) guns mounted in electrically powered twin-gun turrets, one forward and one aft of thesuperstructure. These guns had major development problems as they proved to be too weak to use a full-strength charge of propellant and had to be reworked and the charge reduced. The guns inPeresvet andOslyabya were the original model and could be elevated to a maximum of +35°, while the reinforced guns used inPobeda could only elevate to a maximum of +25°. The guns were designed to fire once every 40 seconds, but in service they fired at half that rate. The ships carried 75rounds for each gun.[6] The older guns fired a 496-pound (225.2 kg) shell at amuzzle velocity of 2,270 ft/s (692 m/s) whilePobeda's newer ones may have reached a muzzle velocity of 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s). At an elevation of +6°, the gun had a range of 8,760 yards (8,010 m).[7] The secondary armament of thePeresvet-class ships consisted of eleven45-caliber, 6-inchCanet Model 1891quick-firing (QF) guns, 10 mounted incasemates on the sides of the hull and one underneath theforecastle as abow chaser. Each gun was provided with 220 rounds.[6] They fired shells that weighed 91 pounds (41.4 kg) with a muzzle velocity of 2,600 ft/s (792.5 m/s). They had a range of 12,602 yards (11,523 m) when fired at an elevation of +20°.[8]
Smaller guns were carried for close-range defense againsttorpedo boats. These included 20quick-firing (QF) 75-millimeter (3.0 in)Canet Model 1891 guns. Of these guns, eight were mounted inembrasures in the hull, four on the main deck, four on the battery deck and the last four at the corners of the superstructure on the forecastle deck. The ships carried 300 rounds for each gun.[6] The gun had a muzzle velocity of 2,830 ft/s (862 m/s) with its 10.8-pound (4.91 kg) shells. It had a range of about 8,606 yards (7,869 m) at an elevation of +20°.[9] The smaller guns included twenty QF47-millimeter (1.9 in)Hotchkiss guns in hull embrasures and on the superstructure. Each gun had 810 rounds provided.[10] They fired a 3.2-pound (1.5 kg) shell.[11] Eight 37-millimeter (1.5 in) Hotchkiss guns were positioned between the 47-millimeter guns on the forecastle deck.[12] They fired a 1.1-pound (0.50 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 1,540 ft/s (470 m/s).[13]
ThePeresvet class had five 15-inch (381 mm)torpedo tubes, three of which were above water, one in the bow and one pair ofbroadside tubes, and two broadside underwater tubes. The ships carried a total of 12 torpedoes. They also carried 45mines to be laid to protect theiranchorage in remote areas.[12]
The ships were fitted with Liuzholstadiametric rangefinders that used the angle between two vertical points on an enemy ship, usually thewaterline and thecrow's nest, to estimate the range. The gunnery officer consulted his references to get the range and calculated the proper elevation anddeflection required to hit the target. He transmitted his commands via a Geisler electro-mechanicalfire-control transmission system to each gun or turret.Oslyabya and the rest of the Second Pacific Squadron were also fitted with Perepelkintelescopic sights for their guns, but their crews were not trained in how to use them.[14]
The first two ships usedHarvey armor for most of their armored vertical surfaces except for the gun turrets and their support tubes, which were made fromKrupp armor.Pobeda, however, used Krupp armor for all of her heavy vertical armor. Over the machinery spaces, the maximum thickness of their waterlinearmor belt was 9 inches (229 mm) which reduced to 7 inches (178 mm) abreast themagazines. The belt tapered to a thickness of 5 inches (127 mm) over the machinery spaces and 4 inches (102 mm) over the magazines. The belt covered 312 feet (95.1 m) of the ships' length and was 7 feet 9 inches (2.4 m) high, of which the upper 36 inches (914.4 mm) was intended to be above the waterline, but the ships were significantly overweight. So much of the belt was submerged thatPeresvet only had 14 inches (356 mm) of armor exposed at normal load; atfull load the effect was even greater and the belt was completely submerged.Oslyabya was even more overweight and only had 3 inches (76 mm) of her belt armor showing at normal load. The belt in both ships terminated in 7-inch transverse bulkheads, leaving the ends of the ships unprotected. The transverse bulkheads of the waterline belt inPobeda were eliminated as the belt was extended to the ends of the ship with 4-inch armor plates. Above the waterline belt in all three ships was a shorterstrake of armor that protected the middle of the ships. It was 188 feet (57.3 m) long and 4 inches thick. The ends of the upper belt were closed off by 4-inch angled transverse bulkheads.[15]
The sides of the gun turrets were 9 inches thick and 2.5 inches (64 mm) of armor protected their roofs; their supporting tubes were 8 inches (203 mm) thick. The face of the casemates for the 6-inch guns was five inches thick and their rears were protected by 2-inch (51 mm) armor plates. The casemates at each end of the ships were protected by 5-inch transverse bulkheads. Bulkheads 0.75 inches (19 mm) thick separated the 75-millimeter gun positions.Peresvet had twoconning towers, each with sides 6 inches thick, but the other two ships only had a forward conning tower with 9-inch sides. A communications tube 3 inches thick connected each conning tower to the armored deck in all three ships. The flat part of the deck in the centralarmored citadel consisted of a 1.46-inch (37 mm) plate over the normal 0.75-inch structural steel deck plate; the sloped portion connected to the lower edge of the waterline belt and was 2.5 inches thick. Outside the citadel the armored deck consisted of 2.25-inch (57 mm) plates laid over the 1 inch (25 mm) deck plating. On the first two ships the deck armor consisted ofmild steel; inPobeda it was a chrome-nickel steel alloy.[15]
| Ship | Builder[16] | Laid down[16] | Launched[16] | Entered service[16] | Cost[17] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peresvet (Пересвет) | Baltic Works,Saint Petersburg | 21 November 1895[Note 1] | 19 May 1898 | 1901 | 10,540,000rubles |
| Oslyabya (Ослябя) | New Admiralty Shipyard, Saint Petersburg | 21 November 1895 | 8 December 1898 | 1903 | 11,340,000 rubles |
| Pobeda (Победа) | Baltic Works, Saint Petersburg | 21 February 1899 | 10 May 1900 | 1902 | 10,050,000 rubles |
Peresvet, named afterAlexander Peresvet, a Russianmonk who fought against the Golden Horde at theBattle of Kulikovo in 1380, andPobeda (the Russian wordpobeda means "victory") steamed to theFar East almost immediately after entering service in 1901 and 1902 respectively. Upon her arrival,Peresvet became theflagship of the squadron's second-in-command,Rear Admiral PrincePavel Ukhtomsky.[18] During theBattle of Port Arthur (February 1904) on the second day of the war,Peresvet was not hit, butPobeda was hit onceamidships, sustaining little damage but losing two men killed and four wounded.[19]Pobeda struck a mine during the squadron'ssortie on 13 April and remained under repair for almost two months.[18] Both ships had some of their anti-torpedoboat guns and secondary armament removed during the summer to bolster the defenses of the port. They participated in theBattle of the Yellow Sea on 10 August 1904;Pobeda was only lightly damaged by 11 large-caliber hits, butPeresvet, hit 39 times, suffered a considerable amount of flooding. More guns were landed after the squadron's return to Port Arthur, but theImperial Japanese Army captured the hills overlooking the harbor in November, and this allowed Japanese 28-centimeter (11 in)siege guns to fire directly at the Russian ships.Pobeda andPeresvet were hit many times, andPobeda sank on 7 December 1904 from the accumulated damage.Peresvet wasscuttled in shallow water on the same day.[20]
Construction ofOslyabya, named afterRodion Oslyabya (another monk who had fought at the Battle of Kulikovo), was greatly delayed, and the ship found herselfen route to the Far East when the Russo-Japanese War began in February 1904. She was ordered home and assigned to the Second Pacific Squadron that was intended to relieve the forces in Port Arthur. The ship served as the flagship of Rear Admiral BaronDmitry von Fölkersam, second-in-command of the squadron, but he died two days before the Battle of Tsushima in May 1905.Oslyabya led the SecondDivision of the squadron during the battle and was the target of numerous Japanese ships during the early part of the battle. Many of the hits on the ship were along the waterline and caused extensive flooding. Efforts to counteract the resultinglist destroyed her remaining stability and she sank just over an hour after the Japanese opened fire—the first modern battleship to be sunk solely by gunfire.[21] Sources differ on the exact number of casualties, but the lowest figure given is 471.[22][Note 2]
The Japanese raised, repaired, and rearmedPeresvet andPobeda. They incorporated the refurbished vessels into the Imperial Japanese Navy asSagami andSuwo, respectively, and reclassified them as first-classcoastal defense ships.[24] After the beginning of World War I in 1914,Sagami was sold to Russia in March 1916 and arrived inVladivostok on 3 April 1916, where she resumed her former name ofPeresvet.[18] The Russian Navy intended the ship for service with the Russian Arctic flotilla, andPeresvet sailed for the Arctic, but struck two mines offPort Said, Egypt, on 4 January 1917. The mines, laid by the German submarineSM U-73, sankPeresvet with the loss of 167 lives after she had caught fire.[25]
During World War ISuwo served as the flagship for the Japanese squadron during thesiege of Tsingtao from 27 August to 7 November 1914.[26] The ship served as flagship of the Second Squadron of theSecond Fleet in 1915–1916 before becoming a gunnery-training ship for the rest of the war.[27] In April 1922, in compliance with theWashington Naval Treaty,Suwo was disarmed at theKure Naval Arsenal.[24] During the removal of her armor, the ship capsized on 13 July.[18] She was probably scrapped in 1922–1923, but at least one source suggests she was re-floated andhulked, serving until being broken up at Kure in 1946.[24][28][29][Note 3]
Media related toPeresvet class battleship at Wikimedia Commons
