Russian coast defense ship Admiral Ushakov

Admiral Ushakov in 1897
History
Russian Empire
Name:	Admiral Ushakov
Builder:	New Admiralty Shipyards, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Laid down:	1 January 1892
Launched:	1 November 1893
Completed:	January 1895
Commissioned:	February 1895
Fate:	Scuttled during Battle of Tsushima, 28 May 1905
General characteristics
Class & type:	Admiral Ushakov-class coastal defense ship
Displacement:	4,971 long tons (5,051 t)
Length:	87.3 m (286 ft 5 in)
Beam:	15.85 m (52 ft 0 in)
Draught:	5.9 m (19 ft 4 in)
Propulsion:	2 shaft Reciprocating VTE steam engines 8 cylindrical coal-fired boilers 5,750 shp (4,290 kW) 450 tons coal
Speed:	16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement:	404
Armament:	4 × 255 mm (10 in) guns (2×2) 4 × 120 mm (4.7 in) guns (1×4) 6 × 47 mm (2 in) 3-pounder guns 10 × 37 mm (1.5 in) 1-pounder guns 4 × 381 mm (15 in) torpedo tubes
Armour:	Belt: 254 mm (10 in) Deck: 75 mm (3 in) Turrets: 200 mm (8 in) Conning tower: 200 mm (8 in)

Admiral Ushakov was the lead ship in her class of armoured warships (coastal battleships) of the Imperial Russian Navy, and named after Admiral Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov the Russian naval commander of the 18th century.

Service life

Admiral Ushakov was part of the Baltic Fleet at the beginning of the Russo-Japanese war. Admiral Ushakov was chosen to form part of Admiral Nikolai Nebogatov's Third Pacific Squadron which was sent out to reinforce Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky on his journey to the Far East. The ship was obsolete and was not considered suitable for a voyage to the Pacific.^[1] However the Admiralty insisted on including Admiral Ushakov and her sister ships General Admiral Graf Apraksin and Admiral Seniavin to bolster their force. Journeying via the Suez Canal and across the Indian Ocean, they linked up with Rozhestvensky's fleet off Cam Ranh Bay in Indochina and proceeded together to the Straits of Tsushima.

At the Battle of Tsushima, on 27–28 May 1905, Admiral Ushakov was separated from Nebogatov during the night and fought to the last. She was twice hit below the water line and once above, the blazing wreck being scuttled on the evening of 28 May.

Notes

References

• Corbett, Julian (1994). Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905. ISBN 1-55750-129-7. 
• Hore, Peter (2005). Battleships. Anness Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7548-1407-6. 
• Pleshakov, Constantine (2002). The Tsar's Last Armada: The Epic Voyage to the Battle of Tsushima. ISBN 0-465-05792-6. 
• Semenov, Vladimir (1912). The Battle of Tsushima. E.P. Dutton & Co. 
• Tomitch, V. M. (1968). Warships of the Imperial Russian Navy Battleships 1. 

Admiral Ushakov-class coastal defense ships  Imperial Russian Navy Admiral Ushakov Admiral Seniavin General Admiral Graf Apraksin  Imperial Japanese Navy Mishima (ex-Admiral Seniavin) Okinoshima (ex-General Admiral Graf Apraksin) Followed by: Gangut List of coastal defence ships of the Imperial Russian Navy