Russian battleship Petropavlovsk (1897)

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Petropavlosk
Career Russian Naval Ensign
Builder: Galerniy Yard, Saint Petersburg Russia
Laid down: January, 1893
Launched: 1 November 1894
Completed: 1897
Commissioned: 1897
Fate: Sunk by mine off Port Arthur, 13 April 1904
General characteristics
Displacement: 11,354 tons
Length: 112.5 m
Beam: 21.3 m
Draft: 8.6 m
Propulsion: 2 shaft triple expansion steam engines, 14 coal fired cylindrical boilers, 10,600 hp (7,900 kW)
Speed: 16.8 knots
Range: 3,790 nm, 1,310 tons coal
Complement: 662
Armament: 4 × 12 inch guns, (2 × 2)
12 × 6 inch guns (4 × 2, 4 × 1)
10 × 47 mm guns
28 × 37 mm guns
6 torpedo tubes
Armour: Harvey armour
Belt 8-12 inch
Turrets 10-inch (250 mm)
Secondary turrets 5-inch (130 mm)
Conning tower 9-inch (230 mm)
Deck 3-inch (76 mm)

The Petropavlovsk (Петропавловск) was the lead ship of the Petropavlovsk class of battleships built for the Imperial Russian Navy.

[edit] Service Life

In 1901, with tensions between Russia and Japan rising, the Petropavlovsk was assigned to the East Asia Squadron (later to become the First Pacific Squadron) of which she become the flagship.

At the beginning of Russo-Japanese war, in March and early April of 1904, she was involved in actions against the Japanese under the newly arrived Admiral Stepan Makarov. On April 13, 1904 the Petropavlovsk struck a mine off Port Arthur and went down with a large number of her crew including Admiral Makarov and famous Russian battle painter Vassily Vereshchagin. Among people on board the battleship who survived the sinking was Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich, cousin of Emperor Nicholas II.

[edit] References

  • Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905, 1979