The cruiser Varyag is a legend of the Russian fleet. It was built at the William Crump & Sons shipyard in Philadelphia (USA) by order Russian Empire and launched from the slipways of the Philadelphia docks (October 19) on November 1, 1899. In terms of technical characteristics, the "Varyag" had no equal - it became the fastest cruiser in the Russian fleet, was equipped with powerful cannon and torpedo armament, telephoned, electrified, equipped with a radio station and steam boilers of the latest modification. In 1901, "Varyag" entered service in the Russian Navy and was sent to the Far East to strengthen the squadron The Pacific.

During the Russo-Japanese War on February 9, 1904, the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets were blocked by a Japanese squadron of 15 ships in the Korean port of Chemulpo. The Russian sailors rejected the offer to surrender and lower the flags and entered into an unequal battle. During this battle, the crew of the cruiser "Varyag" fired more than a thousand shells, sank a Japanese destroyer and disabled two enemy cruisers.

But by the end of the battle, the Varyag itself had almost completely exhausted its combat capabilities to resist due to heavy losses in personnel and numerous serious injuries. According to the official document (the sanitary report for the war), the losses of the cruiser amounted to 130 people - 33 killed and 97 wounded.

The unequal fight lasted 50 minutes. Unable to break through, the ships returned to the port of Chemulpo, where they received an ultimatum from the Japanese to surrender. The Russian sailors refused. By decision of the officers' council, in order to avoid capture by the Japanese, the Varyag was flooded and the Korean was blown up. This feat became a symbol of courage and courage of Russian sailors.

The crews of the Russian ships were taken by foreign stationaries to Shanghai (China), and from there they were sent to Russia in neutral transports.

The day after the legendary battle, the entire world community started talking about the selfless bravery of the Russian sailors. Dozens of colorful albums, paintings, books, commemorative medals and postcards with portraits of commanders and images of "Varyag" and "Koreyets" were released. The famous song “In Memory of“ Varyag ”" appeared. The poems were written by the Austrian poet Rudolf Greinz, translated by Evgenia Studenskaya, and the pupil of the Astrakhan grenadier regiment Alexei Turishchev put them to music. The song has become truly popular.

For the first time in Russian history all participants in the battle (about 500 people) were awarded the highest military award - the St. George Cross. Commander Vsevolod Rudnev received a promotion and became the commander of the battleship Andrew the First-Called, which was still under construction in St. Petersburg.

Even the enemy was amazed by the actions of the Varyag during the battle - after the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese government created a museum in memory of the heroes of the Varyag in Seoul and awarded Vsevolod Rudnev with the Order of the Rising Sun.

In 1905, the Japanese raised the Varyag from the ocean floor and brought it into their fleet under the name Soya. During World War I, in 1916, Russia bought the Varyag from former enemies along with other captured ships of the First Pacific Squadron. On March 22, 1916, the cruiser, which received its former name, was enlisted in the Arctic Ocean flotilla as a flagship, and on March 27, 1916, the St. George flag was raised on it again. However, the ship needed serious repairs, and in February 1917 it was sent to the shipyard in Glasgow. After the revolution in Russia, Britain confiscated the cruiser for the debts of the tsarist government and in 1920 sold it to Germany as scrap metal. The route of the "Varyag" ended in 1920: following the dismantling, the cruiser landed on the stones and sank off the coast of South Scotland, in the Firth of Clyde, near the village of Lendelfoot.

In the spring of 2003, Russia began filming a two-part documentary television film "Cruiser Varyag", and in the summer of the same year a special expedition was organized to search for the remains of the "Varyag" in the Irish Sea with the participation of Russian scuba divers. On July 3, 2003, the film crew found the Varyag hull, which had been destroyed by an explosion, two miles from Lendelfoot, at a depth of 6-8 meters. Russian scuba divers managed to lift several fragments of the legendary cruiser to the surface. The grandson of the Varyag commander Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev, Nikita Rudnev, who had specially flown in from France, took part in the underwater expedition.

On July 30, 2006, a memorial plaque in honor of the legendary Russian cruiser was unveiled in the Scottish village of Lendelfoot, not far from the place where the Varyag found its last refuge. And on September 11, 2007, a monument to the Varyag was unveiled there.

Prepared based on materials from the site www.calend.ru

Orthodox calendar

Sermon

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

Dear brothers and sisters, while experiencing the events of this week, you and I can plunge into that state of mind that implies the need for a Christian to at least to a small extent participate in an event related to the feat of God for the sake of people.

The Path of Love presupposes a person's readiness to learn the most difficult art, the mastery of which was shown by the Lord Himself, having come to earth, diminishing Himself to a human body, clothed with flesh and then giving it up for crucifixion for human sins, showing an example of great humility. In this self-humiliation of the Lord, the amazing depth of His mercy and readiness to show how many paths there are to the Heavenly Kingdom are revealed before us.

With His pure hands, He washes the feet of disciples, people of low profession, His followers, called to the apostolic ministry. Calling them with Him to a special feast, to a meal where the first Eucharist is celebrated, He, lamenting, but loving the disciple who betrays Him, wants to save him until the last moment, but the soul that has departed from God with difficulty returns to its Savior. Here is the tragedy of a student who, in speed, is an example of despair leading to suicide. Next, you and I see the example of the Apostle Peter, who claims that he will not deny, but then does just that. And each of us in his life, unfortunately, repeats his path, expressing one thing with his lips, and manifesting another with his deeds. Then a prayer sounds in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Lord calls the disciples three times to pray together, but the apostles are asleep ... And the Savior asks the Father to grant Him the mercy that He must bear.

We need to understand that what we can contain is only partially revealed to us, only a part of that pain and suffering. It is about the dialogue of the Lord within Himself. After all, the Savior turns to God the Father, who is in Him. This is one of deepest secrets theology when it comes to the Holy Trinity. But at the same time, these words give us an example of what we must do in situations of special stress and trials: we must call God for help, adding at the same time: "Thy will be done!"

Then we hear about the betrayal that the disciple commits by kissing Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. What was it for? It was a sign. The fact is that after Communion the apostles were transformed and became so much like the Savior that it was difficult to determine who among these people was their Teacher. The Apostle Jude points to Jesus and is arrested. And here mercy is shown when the Lord asks to remove the knife, saying that he who came with a knife or with a sword will perish. Here, both the external and internal components of a Christian's life are indicated, which presuppose prayer, humility and a willingness to sacrifice oneself as a weapon. An amazing door opens before us, difficult to pass, but the only possible one for the salvation of our soul.

Let us try, dear brothers and sisters, to be attentive to words as much as possible in our life. Let us learn the art of following Christ in a willingness to start small, in a determination to show our efforts in bearing our cross. Amen!

Archpriest Andrei Alekseev

Few in our country have not heard of the feat of the cruiser Varyag. However, despite great amount of the material on this topic, many of the nuances of the life of the ship remain in the shadows. This article does not claim to be completeness or impartiality, since history, by definition, cannot be impartial, but it allows you to learn something new about the fate of the famous cruiser - a symbol of the heroism and valor of the Russian Navy.

The Varyag was built in Philadelphia and launched 113 years ago on November 1, 1899. According to many foreign newspapers, the cruiser was distinguished by its high speed and could well claim to be the first among the ships of its class. Nevertheless, from the very first day of its existence, "Varyag" showed itself not with better side, many systems and mechanisms were constantly failing, breaking down, out of order. The obstinate nature of the cruiser constantly demanded attention and "brought up" the crew with endless problems. The Varyag was the first ship built according to the new shipbuilding regulations, but this could only partially explain its countless design flaws. The most troublesome thing for the crew was the Nikloss steam boilers, which turned out to be not only capricious in their work, but also dangerous, constantly burning the sailors with overheated steam.

From the conclusion of the domestic commission of experienced specialists who examined the "Varyag": "... Nikloss's boilers are very curious, but they seem to be so only in idea, in practice, except for a number of faults and difficulties, they will give nothing."

In addition, there were mistakes in the project itself. There was not enough room for fresh water, coal, mine arsenal, anchors, spare parts. The officers' cabins were cramped and uncomfortable. But the biggest mistake of the developers was that the cruiser did not have the required stability. To correct the defect, it was necessary to add cast iron ingots with a total weight of 200 tons to the hold. And this led to a decrease in speed and an overconsumption of coal.

On May 3, 1901, the Varyag completed the crossing of the Atlantic, dropping anchor in the Kronstadt roadstead. After a series of repairs in August of the same year, the cruiser went to sea again. In Danzig, two emperors visited the ship at once: Nicholas II and Wilhelm II. At the end of September, the Varyag in the Mediterranean Sea got a secret order to proceed to the Far East with a visit to the Persian Gulf to demonstrate to the maritime powers (primarily Great Britain) the capabilities of the Russian fleet. For the same purpose, the ship also visited the port of Nagasaki. In addition, due to numerous breakdowns and failures in the operation of completely different systems of the new ship, our sailors were forced to make stops in Colombo, Karachi and a number of other ports. Finally, in February 1902, the Varyag ended up in Port Arthur.

In October, after completing another repair, the cruiser visited Chemulpo for the first time, but again spent the new 1903 in endless troubleshooting. In addition, due to the increased likelihood of war with Japan, various exercises were constantly conducted in the squadron. The routine of life on ships reached an unprecedented level of tension, for example, the repair of personal belongings began at a special signal from the flagship. In April, the "Varyag" on a training campaign performed its main purpose - a high-speed reconnaissance cruiser with a squadron, although it was no longer fast moving.

The beginning of the Russo-Japanese War found our cruiser and gunboat "Korean" on the Chemulpo raid. Other nearby warships belonged to England, France, Germany and the United States. On January 26, ships of the Japanese squadron appeared in the roadstead. Our ships are trapped. There was nowhere to wait for help in those days.

On the morning of January 27, 1904, the captain of the cruiser Varyag, Rudnev, told the crew: “There can be no talk about the delivery of the cruiser. We will not hand over the ship to them, nor will we surrender ourselves and we will fight to the last opportunity. "

According to the old tradition, all the sailors changed into clean uniforms, clearly realizing that they would hardly be able to stay alive. Raising anchors, "Varyag" and "Koreets" moved towards inevitable death. Allied ships were signaled: "Do not remember us with dashing!". The crews of foreign powers, lined up on the decks, saluted, and brass bands performed their anthems, as well as the anthem of the Russian Empire as a sign of special respect.

A Japanese squadron of six cruisers and eight destroyers awaited the Russians ten miles from Chemulpo. Most of the ships were newer, technically more advanced and more powerful in terms of weapons. And two armored cruisers were even superior to the armored Varyag by a head. Japanese shells on basis shimoses were more powerful than ours, pyroxylin. The artillery guns of Russian ships (unlike those of the Japanese) did not have optical sights and were aimed at the "peephole" as in the old days. And there was no need to talk about the Japanese superiority in firepower. The courageous "Varyag" took the battle with the Japanese squadron, not having the slightest chance of victory. A squadron that will shoot him in cold blood and mercilessly. But it is not for nothing that one glorious saying sounds: "Many enemies - a lot of honor!" On that day, the Japanese gave our sailors an exceptional honor.

At about noon, the first shots from the most formidable enemy ship "Asama" identified the weak points of the "Varyag": the absence of simple gun shields and armored towers, which led to large losses in the personnel of the crews. After twenty minutes of hurricane fire, almost all the guns on the starboard side, with which the Varyag was directed to the enemy, were destroyed or damaged, and fires began on the ship. Under incessant shelling with the help of the Koreyets covering it, the Varyag turns to the Japanese with a different side. His return shots find targets, one destroyer goes to the bottom, fires start on another cruiser. Suddenly "Varyag" runs aground, representing an excellent target. The Japanese squadron begins to converge quickly. But a miracle happens, a series of large-caliber hits on the port side push the ship aground. Having received a hole below the waterline, the cruiser heels to the port side, the team unsuccessfully tries to pump out the water, and fire tornado continues to walk throughout the ship. Soon the steering control is destroyed, Captain Rudnev miraculously survives as a result of the explosion of a shell in the conning tower. But the Russian sailors show miracles of courage, discipline and skill, the cruiser Asama, inadvertently approaching, receives a number of direct hits. Out of harm's way, the Japanese decide to withdraw his battle. Under the cover of the Koreyets, the undefeated cruiser returns to the Chemulpo raid.

“... I will never forget this amazing sight,” the captain of the French ship later recalled, “the entire deck was covered with blood, corpses and remains of bodies lay everywhere. Nothing remained intact, everything was rendered useless, broken, riddled. Smoke was coming from many holes, and the slope to the port side was increasing. "

As a result of the battle that lasted about an hour, the Varyag sank one destroyer and damaged four cruisers; according to various estimates, the Japanese lost about thirty people killed and two hundred wounded. "Varyag" got stronger, he lost almost all the guns. 31 sailors were killed, 91 seriously wounded and about a hundred received minor injuries. In this situation, the wounded Rudnev, in agreement with the opinion of the military council, decided to destroy the ships, and place the teams on the ships of the allies. At 18:10 the Korean was blown up and the Varyag was flooded. Russian sailors were stationed on French, British and Italian ships. Allied military medics provided all the necessary assistance to the wounded. And only the Americans did not take on board any of our sailors, explaining this by the lack of permission from the capital.

One of the French newspapers later wrote: "The American navy is probably still very young to get hold of the high traditions that the navies of other nations have."
The domestic newspaper "Rus" answered them this way: "Youth hardly plays a significant role when it comes to basic moral decency ...".

The heroes who returned to their homeland were welcomed everywhere. Congratulatory letters and telegrams came from European countries. The sailors who distinguished themselves in Chemulpo were awarded the St.George crosses, and the captain of the first rank V.F. Rudnev was awarded the Order of St. George of the fourth degree. In addition, he was elevated to the rank of adjutant wing, receiving a place in the retinue of the Russian emperor. The same order was received by G.P. Belyaev (captain of the Koreyets) and every officer from the Varyag. Later, Rudnev was appointed commander of the new battleship "Andrew the First-Called", but in October 1905, for sympathy for the revolutionary-minded sailors and the riots that took place in the ship's crew, he fell out of favor. He was fired from service and retired to a small family estate in the Tula province. In 1913, at the age of 58, after a long illness, Vsevolod Fedorovich died ...

However, the story of the glorious cruiser does not end there. In 1904, the Japanese adopted solution raise the Varyag from the bottom. Contrary to the calculations, the work took more than a year, costing the Japanese treasury a million yen, and ended only in October 1905. The ship was repaired and put into operation. "Varyag" received a new name - "Soya". It is curious that at the stern the Japanese retained the original name of the proud cruiser. An extraordinary decision, which violated the traditions of any sea power, was enshrined in the decree of Emperor Mutsuhito himself. And this best of all characterizes how highly the country of the Rising Sun appreciated the valor of Russian sailors. The displayed fearlessness and contempt for death was fully consistent with the spirit of the samurai and the code of honor of Bushido. And the fact that the Russians were their enemies made little difference. The Japanese knew how to respect such opponents and admired their courage. The cruiser Soya was used as an illustrative example for the education of Japanese sailors. Each new crew of recruits or cadets who came to study for him were lined up on the deck and told the story of how this Russian cruiser refused to surrender, accepting battle with an entire squadron.

Only in 1916, during the First World War, Japan agreed to sell the Varyag and a number of other Russian ships it had captured. After the payment of four million yen, on March 27, the ship was consecrated again and our flags, jacks and pennants were raised. This time, a command of the guards crew was sent to the valiant cruiser. When the team took over the Varyag, it was in a terrible state, almost all systems, mechanisms and devices required repair. And again, endless work began throughout the ship. In mid-June, the cruiser Varyag and the battleship Chesma left Vladivostok. They had a long journey to the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. Accidents on the "Varyag" happened one after another, the guardsmen constantly worked in an emergency mode. At the end of August, our ships appeared in Aden, where they were repainted in combat color. On September 8, the ships entered the Mediterranean Sea, where they parted. The battleship "Chesma" went to Alexandria, and the cruiser "Varyag" to La Valetta, performing complex anti-submarine maneuvers. In early October, he was already in the Atlantic. Near Ireland, the cruiser fell into a terrible storm, a leak formed in the hold, and the ship miraculously did not go to the bottom. Also, only thanks to luck "Varyag" manages to avoid the German submarines. Although the British transport in the wake was destroyed by a German torpedo. On November 17, the cruiser reaches Russia and stops at Aleksandrovsk (now Polyarny).

Japanese cruiser Soya (1907-1916). In Vancouver, 1909

"Varyag" is appointed the flagship of the ships protecting the Kola Bay. But since he urgently needs repairs, it was decided to send him to England. At the same time, it was planned to re-equip the ship with new weapons. On February 25, 1917, the Varyag departed for Glasgow. On board the ship were British and French officers, as well as Russian pilots who were sent to the Allies for training. However, while the ship was sailing, a change of power took place in Russia. On the evening of March 4, the cruiser stopped in Liverpool, and in the morning the crew announced the abdication of Nicholas II and the establishment of the Provisional Government. After two days of anxious expectation, the Russian consul, keeping silent about the mutinies in Helsingfors and Kronstadt, congratulated the sailors on their newfound freedom, announcing that from that moment the word "master" would be added to the ranks of junior ranks.

At the very end of March, Great Britain calculated the time and cost of repair work on the Varyag - twelve months and 300 thousand pounds. As a result, at the end of spring, almost the entire team left. Some of them went to America to receive ships purchased from the United States, the rest went home to Russia. About a dozen sailors remained on the cruiser for protection. When the new Soviet government announced the withdrawal of our country from the First World War, the British arrested all domestic ships in the ports. Among them was the unarmed "Varyag". The St. Andrew's flag was lowered on the ship and replaced with the British naval banner. In the early spring of 1918, all the captured Russian sailors were free and went to Murmansk on a Portuguese steamer. And since the Soviets categorically refused to pay old debts, the Varyag was scrapped.

Obviously, the wayward ship was strongly opposed to ending his life in this way…. Obviously, to be cut into pieces at the factory seemed shameful to him…. Obviously, he, having spent so many years in Japanese captivity, took over something from the Eastern state. In 1920, on his way to a cutting site in the Firth of Clyde off the coast of Scotland, the legendary Varyag fell into a storm and made himself a hara-kiri, throwing himself on the rocks and ripping open the bottom. Attempts to remove the ship were unsuccessful. Neither immediately nor later in the summer of 1923, when several German and English companies... By the fall of 1924, only a wreck remained of the ship: the bow was jammed by rocks, and the stern was hidden under water.

In the summer of 2003, Russian scuba divers carried out special search for the remains of a cruiser in the Irish Sea. The team found the destroyed Varyag hull two miles from the Scottish village of Lendelfoot at a depth of eight meters. They also managed to raise to the surface some fragments of the famous ship. VF Rudnev's grandson Nikita Rudnev, who is currently living in France, took an active part in this underwater expedition. July 30, 2006 in the near locality from the place of the last refuge of the "Varyag", the village of Lendelfoot, a solemn opening of a memorial plaque took place.

On July 13, 2009, a number of relics related to the feat of our ships in Chemulpo were brought from South Korea to Russia, which on July 25, on the eve of the Day of the Navy, as part of the traveling exhibition "Cruiser" Varyag ". Finding Relics ”appeared in the State Hermitage Museum. And on November 11, 2010 at the embassy Russian Federation In Seoul, the mayor of Incheon handed over to our ambassadors, kept in a local museum, the jack of the cruiser Varyag.

The Varyag is the most famous military vessel in the history of the Russian fleet. Many articles and books have been written about his feat, songs have been composed, films have been made. And this is true, because you need to know your history and keep it carefully. And also to love the Motherland, not to forget the heroes who have spared neither talents, nor strengths, nor lives for it. We who live today must be worthy of their blessed memory.

The cruiser Varyag is a legend of the Russian fleet. It was built at the William Crump and Sons shipyard in Philadelphia (USA) by order of the Russian Empire and was launched from the slipways of the Philadelphia docks (October 19) on November 1, 1899. In terms of technical characteristics, the "Varyag" had no equal - it became the fastest cruiser in the Russian fleet, was equipped with powerful cannon and torpedo armament, telephoned, electrified, equipped with a radio station and steam boilers of the latest modification. In 1901, the Varyag entered service with the Russian Navy and was sent to the Far East to reinforce the Pacific squadron. During the Russo-Japanese War on February 9, 1904, the first rank cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets were blocked by a Japanese squadron of 15 ships in the Korean port of Chemulpo. The Russian sailors rejected the offer to surrender and lower the flags and entered into an unequal battle, which they lost. After the battle, the "Korean" was blown up, the "Varyag" was flooded. In 1905, the Japanese raised the Varyag and brought it into their fleet under the name Soya. During World War I, in 1916, Russia bought the Varyag from former enemies along with other captured ships of the First Pacific Squadron.

On March 22, 1916, the cruiser, which received its former name, was enlisted in the Arctic Ocean flotilla as a flagship, and on March 27, 1916, the St. George flag was raised on it again. The ship needed major repairs. In February 1917, he was sent to the Glasgow shipyard. However, after the revolution in Russia, Britain confiscated the cruiser for the debts of the tsarist government and in 1920 sold it to Germany as scrap metal. The route of the "Varyag" ended in 1920: following the dismantling, the cruiser landed on the stones and sank off the coast of South Scotland, in the Firth of Clyde, near the village of Lendelfoot. In the spring of 2003, Russia began filming a two-part documentary television film "Cruiser" Varyag ", and in the summer of the same year a special expedition was organized to search for the remains of the" Varyag "in the Irish Sea with the participation of Russian scuba divers. On July 3, 2003, the film crew found the Varyag hull, which had been destroyed by an explosion, two miles from Lendelfoot, at a depth of 6-8 meters. Russian scuba divers managed to lift several fragments of the legendary cruiser to the surface. The grandson of the Varyag commander Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev, Nikita Rudnev, who had specially flown in from France, took part in the underwater expedition. On July 30, 2006, a memorial plaque in honor of the legendary Russian cruiser was unveiled in the Scottish village of Lendelfoot, not far from the place where the Varyag found its last refuge. On September 11, 2007 a monument to the Varyag was unveiled. The monument was erected in the village of Lendelfoot - it was there, in the Irish Sea, that a Russian cruiser sank in 1920.

"Varangian"

Historical data

common data

EH

real

doc

Reservation

Armament

Ships of the same type

"Varangian"- Russian armored cruiser 1st rank, built in the USA by individual project and was part of the Russian Imperial Navy. He became famous all over the world for the decision, in response to the offer of surrender, to accept an unequal battle at Chemulpo against the superior forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy. In connection with revolutionary events in Russia in October 1917, the Varyag was captured by the British and sold for scrap in 1920.

History of creation

Prerequisites for creation

In 1895 and 1896. in Japan, two shipbuilding programs were adopted, according to which, by 1905, it was envisaged to build a fleet superior to the naval forces of Russia in the Far East. The militarization of Japan did not go unnoticed. Russia was implementing its own shipbuilding program to strengthen the military fleet, but it was clearly inferior to the growth rate Japanese navy... Therefore, in 1897, an additional program "For the needs of the Far East" was developed, which included, among other ships, the construction of an armored cruiser of the 1st rank "Varyag".

Design

Due to the lack of a detailed design of the ship at the time of signing the contract, the supervisory commission headed by Captain I Rank M.A. Danilevsky, who left Russia for the shipyard, in addition to monitoring the progress of construction, also coordinated emerging issues on the future appearance of the ship in the process of its construction.

As a prototype for the construction of the "Varyag", the shipyard management proposed to take a Japanese armored cruiser of the "Kasagi" type (Jap. 笠置 ), but the Marine Technical Committee insisted on a Diana-class cruiser. At the same time, the contract provided for the installation on the ship, albeit heavier, but well-proven in the Russian fleet for their reliability, Belleville boilers. Contrary to the requirements of the customer of the ship, at the direction of the admiral-general and head of the Main Directorate of Shipbuilding and Supply V.P. Verkhovsky, preference was given to the variant with the Nikloss boilers, which were ingenious in idea, but not tested in practice.

Build and test

Due to the workload of domestic factories "Varyag" was ordered in the USA in Philadelphia at the shipyard of The William Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Building Company. The contract was signed on April 11, 1898.

During construction, significant changes were made to the project, dictated by the initially signed contract with vague wording about the parameters of the ship. For example, the conning tower was increased in size, in addition, it was raised to improve visibility. The height of the cruiser's side keels was increased from 0.45 to 0.61 m. Auxiliary mechanisms were provided with electric motors, and gun shields were not installed due to fear of overloading the ship.

Most of the equipment for building and equipping the ship came from firms located in the United States. At the same time, the main caliber guns were supplied from Obukhovsky, and torpedo tubes from the St. Petersburg Metal Works. Anchors, anchor chains and anti-torpedo nets were ordered in England.

On January 11, 1899, the cruiser was included in the lists of the fleet under the name "Varyag" in honor of the corvette of the same name, sent during the American Civil War in 1861-1865. to aid the government of President Lincoln.

October 19, 1899 the ship was launched. The construction of the ship was carried out at a rapid pace, but the workers' strikes and the constant approval of the ship's project did not allow the shipbuilders to meet the deadlines allotted by the contract. Due to the objective reasons for the delay in the construction of the ship, no penalties were imposed by the Russian government.

On September 22, 1900, the cruiser was handed over to the customer, exceeding the main characteristics laid down in the contract. At the same time, right down
until the cruiser left for Russia in March 1901, the elimination of minor flaws continued, mainly related to imperfections
dynamos (electric generators) and boat mechanisms.

Cross-sectional drawing

Booking scheme

Boiler diagram of the Nikloss system

Appearance of the ship upon completion of construction

Description of the structure

Frame

The hull of the cruiser was made with a forecastle, which improved its seaworthiness in a stormy sea. The basis of the hull was the keel, enclosed between the pins. The foundations of 30 Nikloss steam boilers were installed on the deck of the second bottom of the ship. The height of the ship's hull was 10.46 m. ​​Coal pits were located along the sides, above and below the slopes in the area of ​​the engine and boiler rooms. In addition to their direct purpose, they also performed protective functions, forming a parapet around the vital mechanisms and systems of the ship. In the bow and stern ends of the ship, there were ammunition cellars, brought together in two compact groups of nine rooms each, which simplified their protection from being hit by the enemy.

Reservation

All vital mechanisms, machines, boilers and cellars were covered by an armored carapace deck. The total thickness of the horizontal armored deck was 38 mm. The deck slopes descended to the sides 1.1 m below the waterline, their thickness was 76 mm. The spread of water from the side compartments, upon receiving a hole, was delayed by limiting longitudinal bulkheads, which were 1.62 m from the side in the engine rooms and 2.13 m in the boiler rooms.

On the slopes of the armored deck along the side, compartments were fenced off - cofferdams, intended according to the project to be filled with cellulose, which was later decided to be abandoned due to its fragility. Thus, the cruiser was girded with a kind of protective parapet 0.76 m thick and 2.28 m high, which did not allow water to penetrate through the holes at the waterline.

Electrical equipment

The cruiser "Varyag", in comparison with the ships of the previous years of construction, had a relatively large percentage of equipment powered by electricity. DC electricity was generated by three parodynamo machines. Each of them rotated two electric generators. Two parodynamo machines with a power of 132 kW each were located in the bow and stern of the ship under the armored deck, one with a power of 66 kW was located on the living deck. In a special compartment there was a battery of 60 batteries for emergency power supply of navigation lights, loud bells and other needs.

Longitudinal diagram of the ship's device

(*) - with a load factor of 0.5.

Drainage system

Stern view

Captain's salon

Scheme (draft) of the distribution of sectors of firing from guns

152-mm / 45 gun of the Kane "Varyag" system

View of the ship's tank

The drainage system consisted of alarms, drainage pumps and drives (electric motors). It provided pumping out of the incoming water from all the rooms under the armored deck of the ship. Water was removed from the boiler rooms using centrifugal pumps located on the double bottom deck. Electric motors installed on the armored deck and connected to the pumps with a long shaft were used as a drive for them. According to the specifications, each pump was supposed to pump out water in the volume of the entire compartment in an hour. From the engine rooms, water was pumped out by two circulation pumps of the main refrigerators.

To extinguish fires, a fire main was laid under the armored deck. To connect fire hoses, the pipe had branches that extended into all cellars, boiler rooms and engine rooms. Fire alarm sensors (thermostats) were installed in coal pits. The fires in the coal pits were extinguished with steam.

Steering

For the first time in the Russian fleet, the steering of a cruiser had three types of drive: steam, electric and manual. The rudder blade was made in the form of a frame, sheathed with sheet steel. The space of the frame was filled with wooden blocks. The steering wheel area is 12 m 2. The steering was carried out from the conning tower or the wheelhouse. In the event of their failure, control of the ship was transferred to the aft steering compartment, located under the armored deck.

Crew and habitability

On the cruiser "Varyag", in accordance with the specification, the crew consisted of 21 officers, 9 conductors and 550 lower ranks. The living quarters of the crew were located under the forecastle on the living deck, and in the aft part on the armored deck. From the 72nd frame towards the stern went the cabins of the officers and the command of the ship. The officers' cabins were single. The premises towards the stern were occupied by the commander. A wardroom adjoined them. On the living deck there was an infirmary, a pharmacy, a galley, a bathhouse and a ship's church.

Armament

Initially, it was supposed to install on the ship: 2 x 203-mm; 10 x 152 mm; 12 x 75mm; 6 x 47 mm guns and 6 torpedo tubes. But due to an overload of 30 tons, in the final version, the cruiser received: 12 x 152/45-mm, 12 x 75/50-mm, 8 x 47/43-mm, 2 x 37/23-mm; 2 x 63.5 / 19 mm Baranovsky guns; 6 x 381 mm, 2 x 254 mm torpedo tubes and 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns, as well as barrage mines.

Main caliber

The cruiser's main battery artillery, represented by 152 mm / 45 Kane guns, was combined into two batteries. The first consisted of 6 guns located in the bow, the second - 6 stern guns. All onboard guns to increase the angles of fire were installed on sites protruding beyond the side line - sponsons. The rate of fire of the guns reached 6 rounds per minute.

Auxiliary / anti-aircraft artillery

Small-caliber cannons were still of great importance in the fight against destroyers. To enhance their effectiveness and increase the angles of fire, two 47-mm Hotchkiss rapid-fire guns were installed on the Varyag's tops. Four more such guns were located on the upper deck, of which two, in addition to two 37-mm Hotchkiss cannons and machine guns, were used to arm ship's boats and boats.

Two 7.62 mm machine guns were mounted on special brackets located on the bulwarks near the conning tower. After the ship was repaired in 1916, it became possible to fire at aircraft from machine guns.

The ship had two 63.5-mm amphibious guns of Baranovsky, located on the forecastle under the wings of the bow bridge. The wheeled carriages were stored separately under the bow bridge behind the conning tower.

Mine torpedo armament

Communication, detection, auxiliary equipment

On the cruiser, a remote fire control system was introduced using special indicators installed at the guns and in the cellars. Data on the parameters of fire and the type of shells were set directly from the conning tower. Determination of the distance to the target was carried out by three ranging stations, two of them were located on the tops and one on the front bridge.

The control, communications and surveillance facilities on the cruiser were focused mainly on the stern and bow bridges. The conning tower of the cruiser was an oval-shaped armored breastwork protected by 152-mm armor. A flat roof with overhangs bent down and protruding beyond the dimensions of the parapet was fastened to the upper end of the parapet of the deckhouse, forming viewing slots with a height of 305 mm. ... The conning tower was connected to the armored deck by a vertical armored tube with a wall thickness of 76 mm, which led to the central post. In this pipe, the drives and cables of the ship's control devices were hidden.

Above, there was a transverse bridge, on which searchlights and hackabort lights were installed. The wheelhouse was located in the center of the bridge. There were five compasses on the cruiser. The two main ones were located on the roof of the undercarriage and on a special platform for the aft bridges.

For intercom, in addition to the communication pipes and the messenger sailors, a telephone network was organized, covering almost all the service premises of the ship. Telephones were installed in all cellars, in boiler rooms and engine rooms, in officers' cabins, in the conning tower and in the wheelhouse, at gun posts.

Launching

On the roadstead of Philadelphia, USA

Electrical signaling devices (bells, indicators, fire alarm sensors, sirens, etc.) were available in the cabins command staff, at combat posts and in the conning tower. In addition to warning calls, the cruiser retained a staff of drummers and buglers. To communicate with other ships, in addition to the radio station, the cruiser consisted of a large staff of signalmen.

Overall project assessment

The Diana-class cruisers that entered service before the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War were outdated and no longer met modern requirements. "Diana", "Pallada" and "Aurora" were distinguished by good reliability of mechanisms, but in all respects they were outperformed by modern armored cruisers of foreign construction.

"Varyag" and armored cruiser "Askold", in fact, were experimental cruiser-type ships with a displacement of 6,000 tons. "Varyag" was designed more thoughtfully and compactly than ships of the "Diana" type. The forced placement of artillery at the extremities saved him from cramped cellars along the sides. The ship had good seaworthiness, boats and boats were very well located on it. The machine-boiler rooms were spacious, their equipment and ventilation system deserved the highest praise.

During the factory tests at maximum speed, "Varyag" showed outstanding results. So, on July 12, 1900, the Varyag developed a move of 24.59 knots. During 12-hour continuous testing "Varyag" showed an average result of 23.18 knots. On 24-hour trials, the Varyag covered 240 miles during the run at an economical speed of 10 knots, using 52.8 tons of coal (that is, 220 kg per mile).

But the actual cruising range of the ship always differs significantly from the calculated one obtained from the test results. So, during long-distance crossings "Varyag" at a speed of 10 knots spent 68 tons of coal per day, which corresponds to the greatest cruising range of 4288 miles.

One of the disadvantages of the "Varyag" was the unreliability of the power plant. The cruiser spent a significant part of the pre-war service in Port Arthur at the quay wall in endless repairs. The reason lay in both the careless assembly of the machines and the unreliability of the Nikloss boilers.

Repair and modernization of the ship

1906 - 1907

Deck view from the forward bridge

During the overhaul of the ship, which was raised from the bottom by the Japanese after it was sunk in the battle of Chemulpo, appearance cruiser has changed a lot. First of all, because of the new navigation bridges, navigational cabin, chimneys and fans. Mars platforms were dismantled on the masts. The 75mm Hotchkiss guns were replaced with 76mm Armstrong guns. The poles of anti-mine nets were removed from the sides of the ship.

1916 g.

The Russian admissions committee found the ship returned by Japan in poor technical condition. For example, the service life of Nikloss boilers until the full depletion of the resource was no more than 1.5 - 2 years. During the repairs in Vladivostok, Kane's nose 152/45-mm guns were moved to the center plane on the cruiser, as well as two of the same guns on the poop. As a result, the number of guns in the side salvo increased to eight. All the guns that stood open were fitted with shortened armor shields. The gun guidance mechanisms were repaired and the elevation angles were increased from 15 ° to 18 °. Dead motions of mechanisms are eliminated. Machine guns are adapted for firing at aircraft. During sea trials with 22 boilers out of 30, "Varyag" developed a speed of 16 knots.

Service history

Sea trials off the coast of the United States
1901 g.

"Varyag" after the battle at Chemulpo
1904 g.

"Soya" (jap. 宗谷 ) - Japanese educational
ship - 1905 - 1916

"Varyag" and the battleship "Chesma" (formerly "Poltava") in Vladivostok - 1916

Sitting on the stones "Varyag" off the coast of Scotland - 1920

Before the outbreak of the Russo - Japanese War

March 20, 1901 - the cruiser "Varyag" with a Russian crew on board sailed from the United States to the shores of Russia. The passage to Kronstadt across the Atlantic took just over two months and on May 3, having covered 5,083 miles, the ship arrived at its destination.

August 5, 1901 - the cruiser left Kronstadt and escorted the imperial yacht Shtandart with Nicholas II to Danzig, Kiel and Cherbourg.

September 16, 1901 - "Varyag" continued to march on Far East, having passed through the Suez Canal, entered the Persian Gulf, where he visited Kuwait with a diplomatic mission on board. After that, with a call to Singapore and Hong Kong, he arrived on February 25, 1902 in Port Arthur. During the passage, short-term repairs to Nikloss boilers were repeatedly carried out in the parking areas. The created special commission came to the conclusion that the maximum speed of the "Varyag" for a short period of time should be considered 20 knots, and for a longer period - 16.

March-April 1902 - in Port Arthur in the armed reserve (exercises in the roadstead, without going out to sea for tactical training), all the time during which it was allotted to the repair of ship mechanisms.

May-July 1902 - cruising in Talienwan Bay, off the coast of the Kwantung Peninsula and Thornton Island.

August-September 1902 - in Port Arthur (in the armed reserve), boiler repair.

October 1902 - a campaign to Chemulpo.

October 1902 - March 1903 - in Port Arthur.

April 1903 - in Talienvan Bay.

May 1903 - in Chemulpo.

June-September 1903 - in Port Arthur (in the armed reserve), the departure of a number of officers and the transfer to the reserve of 30 experienced sailors, mainly from the engine room.

October 1903 - December 1903 - in Port Arthur, due to the weakness of the repair base, the speed of the Varyag was limited to 17 knots and for a short time 20. For a full repair in Russia, parts for the power plant were ordered, which did not have time to arrive before loss of the ship in the battle at Chemulpo.

December 1903 - Crossings between Chemulpo, Seoul and Port Arthur.

Russo - Japanese War

January 27, 1904 - the cruiser "Varyag" together with the gunboat "Koreets", refusing to accept the terms of the ultimatum of the Japanese command to surrender, took an unequal battle against the superior forces of the Japanese squadron under the command of Rear Admiral Uriu (2 armored cruisers "Asama" and "Chiyoda", 4 armored cruisers "Naniwa", "Niitaka", "Takachiho", "Akashi"; 8 destroyers). Having suffered significant human damage during the battle and received severe damage that did not allow the battle to continue, the Varyag returned to Chemulpo, where the team went ashore and the ship was sunk.

According to the report of the Varyag commander, the cruiser sank one destroyer and damaged the Asama cruiser, and the Takachiho cruiser sank after the battle; the enemy allegedly lost about 30 people killed. Official Japanese sources and archival documents do not confirm either hitting Japanese ships or the presence of any losses.

February 1904 - the Japanese began to lift the Varyag, but by October they had stopped unsuccessful attempts to pump water out of the ship's hull due to a large number holes.

April 1905 - lifting work was resumed, a caisson was built over the cruiser and on August 8 the ship rose from the bottom.

November 1905 - the cruiser was towed to Yokosuka for overhaul, which lasted until 1907. The helm was removed from the Varyag cruiser and transferred to the flagship of the Japanese fleet, the battleship Mikasa. 宗谷 ) and enlisted as a training ship in the Japanese Imperial Navy.

World War I

Early 1916 - Japan, an ally of Russia in the First World War, agreed to sell some of the captured ships of the First Pacific Squadron. Among them was the cruiser Varyag, which had previously served as a training ship for Japanese cadets for nine years.

June 18, 1916 "Varyag", henceforth manned by a guard crew, went to sea and on November 17, 1916 arrived in Murmansk.

November 30, 1916 - Enlisted in the Arctic Ocean Flotilla.
Due to the poor technical condition of the ship and the absence of full-fledged repair bases in the North, an agreement was reached with the British Admiralty to repair the Varyag.

March 19, 1917 - arrival at the British Birkenhead (eng. Birkenhead) for docking for major repairs.

After October revolution 1917 in Russia, on December 8, the ship was requisitioned by the British and sold in 1920 for scrap. On the way to the place of disassembly, "Varyag" sat down on stones in the Irish Sea, 500 meters from the Scottish coast, near the village of Lendalfoot (eng. Lendalfoot). Location coordinates: 55 ° 11 "3" N .; 4 ° 56 "30" W. D.

Until 1925, the hull of the cruiser "Varyag" stood at the crash site until it was blown up and cut into pieces so as not to interfere with navigation and fishing.

Commanders

• March 1899 - March 1903 - Captain I Rank Vladimir Iosifovich Baer
• March 1903 - January 1904 - Captain I rank Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev
• March 1916 - December 1917 - Captain II Rank Karl Ioakimovich von Den

Memorialization

The memory of the dead sailors is immortalized by a monument at the Vladivostok Sea Cemetery.

Monuments to the commander of the cruiser V.F. Rudnev were installed in Tula, Novomoskovsk and the village of Savino, Zaoksky district, Tula region.

In the regional center of Lyubino, Omsk region, a monument to the stoker "Varyag" F.E. Mikhailov was unveiled.

On February 10, 2004, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the battle, a memorial plaque and monument were unveiled in the South Korean port of Incheon.

The image of the event in art and culture

The ship is presented in World of Warships as a premium Tier III cruiser of the same name.

The feat of the crews of the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" are dedicated to the songs "Our proud" Varyag "does not surrender to the enemy" and "Cold waves are splashing".

In 1946, the film "Cruiser Varyag" was shot in the USSR.

In 1958 and 1972, postage stamps with the cruiser image were issued in the USSR.

In 2003, an expedition led by VGTRK journalist Alexei Denisov managed to find the exact place of the cruiser death in the Irish Sea and find its wreckage at the bottom. The story of this was included in a two-part documentary"Cruiser" Varyag "", dedicated to the centenary of the Battle of Chemulpo.

Modeling

In the Central Naval Museum in St. Petersburg there is a model of the cruiser "Varyag", made in the USA on a scale of 1:64 in 1901, as well as a model of the main steam engine of the cruiser made by S.I. Zhukhovitsky on a scale of 1:20 in the 1980s.

After the feat of the crew of the cruiser "Varyag" German writer and poet Rudolf Greinz wrote a poem "Der" Warjag "" dedicated to this event. It was published in the tenth issue of the German magazine Jugend. In Russia, it was translated into Russian by Evgenia Studenskaya. Soon the musician of the 12th Astrakhan Grenadier Regiment Turishchev, who took part in the solemn meeting of the heroes of "Varyag" and "Koreyets", put these poems to music. For the first time, the song was performed at a gala reception hosted by Emperor Nicholas II in honor of the officers and sailors of the Varyag and Koreyets. The song became very popular in Russia.

Image gallery

Video

Good evening, dear readers of the Sprint-Answer website. In this article you can find out the correct answer to the thirteenth (last) question in the TV game "Who want to be a millionaire?" for January 6, 2018... This was a rerun of the November 19, 2016 issue. The game was attended by Marat Basharov and Anastasia Volochkova. On the site you can find all the answers to the questions in this game.

Where was the cruiser "Varyag" built and launched in 1899?

"Varangian"- armored cruiser of the 1st rank of the 1st Pacific squadron of the Russian Navy in 1901-1904. Participant in the battle at Chemulpo (1904). The cruiser was laid down in 1898. Construction was carried out in Philadelphia at the William Cramp and Sons shipyards. In 1900, the ship was transferred to Navy Russian Empire and entered service in 1901.

The cruiser Varyag was built in the USA in Philadelphia. And it was built specially by order of the Russian Empire. It is also known to have been launched in Philadelphia on November 1, 1899. Therefore, the correct answer to this question would, of course, be the United States.

A: in Germany
B: in the Netherlands
C: in USA
D: In Great Britain

The correct answer to the question: in the USA, the players refused to answer the question and took away the prize in the amount of 400,000 rubles.