Chinese cruiser Chaoyong

Chaoyong (Chinese: 超勇; pinyin: Chāoyǒng; Wade–Giles: Ch'ao-yung) was a cruiser in the late Qing Dynasty Beiyang Fleet. The first of the Chaoyong class, its sister ship was the Yangwei. The Imperial Japanese Navy warship Tsukushi was built to the same designs.

Background

The design for Chaoyong was advertised by its designer British naval architect Sir Edward James Reed at the Armstrong Whitworth shipyards at Newcastle upon Tyne in England as an example of a low-cost cruiser able to withstand larger Ironclad warships. In theory, the ship would rely on its small size and higher speed, along with a higher muzzle velocity main battery to attack larger, more cumbersome foes – very similar to the principles of Jeune Ecole, as promoted by French naval architect Emile Bertin. However, the British Admiralty was very skeptical of the idea, and had concerns over the seaworthiness of the design in the North Sea, and did not order any of the design for the Royal Navy. Armstrong Whitworth turned to overseas clients instead; however, rapid technological advances in ship design and naval artillery (with the advent of large calibre quick-firing guns) rendered the design with its weak armor and small guns obsolete within a few years.

Design

Chaoyong had an all-steel construction with waterproof bulkheads, a single smokestack, and twin masts, which could also be used for sails. The prow was reinforced for ramming. The power plant was a double expansion reciprocating steam engine with four cylindrical boilers driving twin screws. The ship had a number of technical innovations, including a hydraulic steering system and electrical incandescent light fixtures. The ship’s main armament were breech-loading 10-inch Armstrong Whitworth cannons, one on the bow and one on the stern, mounted in stationary gun shields. The ship also had four 5.1-inch guns, (two to each side), two 57-mm long guns, four 11 mm Gatling guns, four 37 mm Hotchkiss guns, two 4-barreled Nordenfeldt guns, as well as two torpedo tubes.

Service record

Chaoyong was laid down on 15 January 1880, launched on 11 November 1880, completed on 14 July 1881, and sailed back to Weihaiwei on 22 November 1881 together with her sister ship, Yangwei. The cost for both ships was 65 million taels of silver. Construction was rushed, due to strained relations between China and Russian Empire over the Ili River in Central Asia. On arrival, Chaoyong and Yangwei were both assigned to the Beiyang Fleet. As relations between China and the Empire of Japan became increasing strained over Korea, both vessels were dispatched to Incheon in a show of force. In 1886, both vessels were part of the fleet let by Admiral Ding Ruchang, calling on Hong Kong, the Japanese port of Nagasaki, Korean ports of Busan and Wonsan, and the Russian naval base of Vladivostok. However, due to poor maintenance, by 1890, Chaoyong could achieve a maximum speed of only 10 knots, and many of her weapons were not operational.

These issues were not addressed by the time of the First Sino-Japanese War, and despite the state of the vessel, Admiral Ding placed Chaoyong in the line of battle during the Battle of the Yalu River on 17 September 1894. She was attacked by the Japanese flying squadron consisting of the cruisers Yoshino, Takachiho, Akitsushima, and Naniwa, which fired high explosive shells from their quick-firing 6-inch and 4.7-inch guns. Within a few minutes, fires broke out on Chaoyong, which quickly engulfed the central superstructure with its numerous wooden partitions covered with thick layers of flammable varnish. She started list to starboard, taking on water rapidly and her crew ran the ship aground before she could sink. The surviving crew fled the stricken ship. On 18 September a Japanese salvage crew surveyed the wreckage, and deciding that it was not in any condition to be taken as a prize of war, exploded the wreckage.

References

• Chesneau, Roger and Eugene M. Kolesnik (editors), All The World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905, Conway Maritime Press, 1979 reprinted 2002, ISBN 0-85177-133-5
• Wright, Richard N. J. (2000). The Chinese Steam Navy 1862-1945. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-144-9.