Model of the battleship tsesarevich magazine ships of russia. Battleship "citizen" Battleship Tsesarevich
Squadron battleship"Tsesarevich"
January 10, 1899 enrolled in the lists of ships Baltic Fleet and June 26, 1899 was laid down at the Forge e Chantier shipyard in Toulon (France) by order of the Maritime Department.
Participated in the Russo-Japanese War.
On the night of January 27, 1904, when parking on the outer roadstead of Port Arthur, it was damaged by the explosion of a torpedo fired by an enemy destroyer, but remained afloat and on May 24, 1904, after filling the hole with the help of a caisson, it was again commissioned.
After a battle with the Japanese fleet in the Yellow Sea, on July 27, 1904, he left for Qingdao, where he was interned the next day.
In December 1908, he participated in providing assistance to the population of the city of Messina on the island of Sicily, affected by an earthquake.
It underwent a major overhaul in 1910 - 1911 at the Baltic Plant with the replacement of the main mechanisms, boilers and all guns.
Participated in the First World War and the February Revolution.
January 5 - 7, 1918 made the transition from Helsingfors (Helsinki) to Kronstadt. From May 1918 it was in the Kronstadt military port for long-term storage.
During the Civil War, the ship's artillery armament was used on ships of river and lake fleets and on land fronts.
In 1924, it was handed over to the Komgosfondov for dismantling and cutting into metal, and on November 21, 1925, it was excluded from the list of ships of the RKKF.
Displacement: 13105 tons. Dimensions: 118.82x23.22x7.93 m
Armament: 4 - 305/40 mm, 12 - 152/45 mm, 20 - 75/50 mm, 20 - 47 mm, 8 - 37 mm, 2 PTA and 2 NTA 381 mm.
Reservations - Krupp armor belt 120 - 249 mm, main caliber turrets from 63 to 254 mm, medium caliber turrets from 30 to 152 mm, conning tower 254 mm, deck - 38 - 69 mm.
Mechanisms - 2 vertical triple expansion machines 16500 hp 20 boilers of the Belleville system. 2 screws.
Speed 18.24 knots. Cruising range 5500 miles. Crew: 28 officers and 750 sailors.
4. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in France, 1903
5. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" on trials, Toulon, summer 1903
6. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" on trials, Toulon, summer 1903
7. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" on trials, Toulon, summer 1903
9. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" (photo date unknown)
10. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Port Arthur, 1904
11. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" (photo date unknown)
12. Correction of damage on the squadron battleship "Tsesarevich", Port Arthur, spring 1904
13. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" during repairs, Port Arthur, spring 1904
14. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" during repairs, Port Arthur, spring 1904
15. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" during repairs, Port Arthur, spring 1904 
16. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" during repairs, Port Arthur, spring 1904 
17. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Port Arthur, 1904 
18. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" (photo date unknown. Presumably spring 1904, Port Arthur) 
19. The squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" enters Qingdao, July 29, 1904 
20. The squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" enters Qingdao, July 29, 1904 
21. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao, summer 1904 
22. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao, summer 1904 
23. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao, summer 1904 
24. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao, summer 1904 
25. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao, summer 1904 
26. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao, summer 1904 
27. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao, summer 1904 
28. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao, summer 1904 
29. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao, summer 1904 
30. Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao, summer 1904 
31. German band on the front of the battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao, summer 1904 
On July 26, 1899, as part of the program for the construction of warships for the Far East, at the French shipyard "Forge and Chantier" in Toulon, by order of the Russian government, a new battleship was laid down, named "Tsesarevich". The ship had powerful armament for those times (4 305-mm, 12 152-mm guns of the Obukhov plant in two-gun turrets, 20 75-mm and 20 47-mm guns), 18-knot speed and good seaworthiness.
Its displacement was about 13 thousand tons. February 10, 1901 "Tsesarevich" was launched, and August 21, 1903 he entered service with the Baltic Fleet. In early September, the battleship left Toulon and headed for Port Arthur. On the night of January 27, 1904, while moored in the outer roadstead of Port Arthur, the Tsesarevich was damaged by a torpedo explosion fired by a Japanese destroyer, but remained afloat and, after sealing the hole with the help of a caisson, was re-commissioned. After the death of the battleship "Petropavlovsk" with the commander of the squadron, Vice Admiral S.O. Makarov March 31, 1904 "Tsesarevich" became the flagship of the squadron. On July 28, 1904, after a battle with the Japanese fleet in the Yellow Sea, he broke through to Qingdao, where he was interned by the Chinese government the next day. At the end Russo-Japanese War, in February 1906, the battleship returned to the Baltic and, after repairs, was retrained as battleships and included in the training navigation squad. As part of the detachment, he spent several long overseas voyages. In December 1908, he participated in providing assistance to the population of the city of Messina in Sicily affected by the earthquake. During the 1st World War, the battleship covered the raiding and mine-protecting actions of the light forces of the fleet. Since 1916 he was part of the defense forces of the Gulf of Riga. After February Revolution, was renamed to "Citizen". From September 29 to October 6, 1917, together with the battleship Slava, he actively participated in the Moonsund operation. In December 1917, he made the transition from Helsingfors to Kronstadt, where he remained in long-term storage. In the years civil war the ship's artillery armament was used on river, lake fleets and land fronts. In 1924, the Komgosfondov was handed over for disassembly and on November 21, 1925 was expelled from the RKKF.
The model is assembled almost completely "out of the box". and 47mm. from spare parts. BTT and aviation. Enjoy viewing! The Tsesarevich model was built in 1904.
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I am publishing another article from the old developments. This time it will be less alternative than usual. It is dedicated to two battleships at once, one of the best in the history of the Russian Imperial Fleet and, undoubtedly, one of the most beautiful - "Retvizan" and "Tsesarevich".
foreign experience
Even in the process of completing the construction of battleships of the Peresvet type, the MTK faced the question of designing the next series of battleships. At the same time, the idea of a qualitative superiority over a potential enemy was persistently settled in the minds of the admirals. Along with the popular views in society that "a Russian manufacturer will not build a normal thing," this led to the fact that the MTK began to advocate ordering new battleships abroad. The emperor himself was a supporter of such a decision, however, he had his own reasons for this - the desire to compare domestic ships and foreign ones. After the construction of single samples abroad, it was planned to replicate these ships at domestic shipyards. In this situation, even the all-powerful Minister of the Navy Nevsky was not able to block such a decision - he could only minimize the damage from such a decision (the minister himself was completely confident in the domestic manufacturer, in the organization of which he had already invested a lot of time and money). As a result, instead of the original 6 battleships, it was decided to build 3 ships: one each in Germany, France and the USA. German firms immediately dropped out of the competition, and the foreign order was reduced to two ships. The winners were the French company "Forge and Chantier" and the American "Krump".
"Tsesarevich" - a new experience, but not quite
The French project was a seaworthy battleship with a forecastle and the placement of all SK artillery in the towers. This decision has already been met in the Russian fleet on battleships of the "Poltava" type, and was rather controversial - the rate of fire and reliability of the turret installations was inferior to the casemate ones, even if it won with the best firing angles and firing conditions. In fact, some "variation on the theme" of the "Tsesarevich" was proposed even when designing the "Peresvetov" - the option of further increasing the size of the "Poltava" with the addition of 2 more towers with 152-mm guns was proposed, but the project was rejected, since it required a displacement of 14 .5 thousand tons. The French project, on the other hand, "fit" in 13 thousand tons with similar weapons, was protected by Krupp armor and, in general, had good characteristics. Its main feature was the presence of constructive anti-torpedo protection in the form of armored bulkheads, going away from the sides in the underwater part. However, it also had drawbacks - due to the complex shape of the sides for the ports of 75-mm guns, entire gates had to be cut through, many elements were made according to French standards, alien to Russian shipbuilding. The project advocated Grand Duke Alexey Alexandrovich, former Admiral General, who lived in France after retiring.
Under the terms of the contract, the battleship was supposed to enter service a little more than 3 years after the laying, in fact, it was built a year and a half longer. However, there were no fines - the delay was caused by strikes by French workers, who paralyzed the work of the shipyard for some time. The battleship barely managed to enter service and arrive at Far East before the start of the war with Japan. However, the customer was also partially to blame for the protracted construction - during the construction, contrary to the established tradition, changes were made to the project, among which was the introduction of reloading turret compartments for main battery turrets, which made it possible to increase the reload speed of main battery guns to 45 seconds. In addition, immediately before commissioning, the first in Russia centralized Geisler control system of the 1900 model, developed with the participation of Grigory Golubev, the senior gunner of the coastal defense battleship Admiral Ushakov, was mounted on the battleship.
During the war, "Tsesarevich" showed himself well, including in terms of survivability. Despite the heavy damage received during the war, the battleship quickly recovered, having managed to take part in the most important battles with the Japanese. After the war, he remained one of the main battleships for a long time. Pacific Fleet, and ceased to be part of the main forces of the fleet only after the entry into service of the first Pacific dreadnoughts. However, the Tsesarevich was finally put out of action only in 1920, and after Washington Agreement let go for scrap.
"Retvizan" - a classic is a classic
The American battleship ordered by Kramp was more conservative than the Tsesarevich. The artillery of the UK was located in the casemates, there was no anti-mine bulkhead. In general, it was full of proven solutions, with the exception of boilers - Crump got permission from the MTK to use Nikloss boilers, which were not very reliable. Nevertheless, the construction of the Retvizan went much faster than the Tsesarevich, and the battleship managed to enter service on time. As on the "Tsesarevich", on the ship built by Kramp, under-turret reloading compartments for the main battery towers were arranged, and later Geisler's control system mod. 1900. Actually, the Retvizan turned out to be the only ship in the entire Pacific Fleet that, by the beginning of the war with Japan, managed to test new equipment in practice - it is not surprising that it was considered by both warring parties to be the most combat-ready ship of the Pacific Fleet until mid-1904.
"Retvizan" survived the war and remained in service for a long time. In 1907-1908, it was overhauled, replacing the Nikloss boilers with more reliable Norman-Shukhov boilers, which, in addition to a slight increase in displacement, also caused an increase in power - as a result, the battleship "ran" at 19 knots of speed. During the First World War, the Retvizan was actively used to perform various tasks, survived the war and was scrapped along with other battleships of the Pacific Fleet after the conclusion of the Washington Treaty.
Result
Squadron battleship "Retvizan", 1902
Even during the beginning of the construction of "Retvizan" and "Tsesarevich", heated discussions began about which of the ships to take as a basis for the construction of new battleships at domestic shipyards. Some pointed out that "a classic is a time-tested classic" and pointed to the very successful Retvizan. Others, being supporters of seafaring battleships, demanded to take the Tsesarevich as a prototype, which had much better conditions for firing, albeit at the cost of a lower rate of fire of the SK towers. The final verdict had to be passed by the "highest authority" - the Minister of Marine, who quite unexpectedly supported the Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, who was in fact the main defender of the "Tsesarevich".
The battleship "Retvizan" is undoubtedly already an outstanding ship on paper, but the power plant, which is alien to our fleet, the worst conditions for firing and relatively worse seaworthiness compared to the high standard laid down in "Peresvet", in addition, tower installations 152- mm guns are more in line with the requirements of the time, despite the lower reliability and rate of fire. Further work on the development of domestic battleships should be carried out on the basis of the "Tsesarevich".
From a letter from the Minister of the Navy Nevsky to representatives of the ITC
"Retvisan" was not even saved by Krump's initiative to create a semi-tank version of the battleship - Nikloss's boilers and the casemate location of artillery still put an end to the project. As a result, battleships of the Borodino type, which are an enlarged and modified Tsesarevich, were laid down at the Russian shipyards in St. Petersburg.
As for "more high level foreign shipbuilding", then the Western admirals were defeated. "Tsesarevich" and "Retvizan" turned out to be little better than the domestic "Peresvet" and its development projects, and the fact that the "Tsesarevich" was taken as a prototype for replication at native shipyards is more likely a coincidence or correct the calculation of the French designer Lagan than the superiority of the French design ideas: battleships with a forecastle and turrets of the SK figured among the projects in Russia before.After ordering two battleships abroad, it was later decided to cope with the construction of the linear fleet on their own. and remained the only foreign battleships in the Russian Imperial Fleet.
In addition, the result of a comparison of foreign and domestic battleships clearly proved to Emperor Nicholas II the correctness of the course taken by Minister Nevsky. After that, the power of the Minister of the Navy in the affairs of the Navy became virtually unlimited, which had a positive effect on the development of the Russian Imperial Fleet. The potential laid down by Nevsky's policy will make Russia one of the most powerful maritime powers in the world for many decades to come.
What is changing on the "Tsesarevich"
Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich", 1903
1) We remove 37-mm and 47-mm small-caliber guns - -28 tons;
2) We put 4 57/50-mm guns - +8 tons;
3) Add turret transfer compartments for main battery towers - +50 tons;
4) We increase the elevation angles of the gun, strengthening the structure will cost an additional +20 tons;
5) We slightly change the location of the 75-mm guns (in the nose, due to the use of rodless anchors, space is freed up).
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6) Colleague countryman pointed out that I had missed the barrage mines that I usually remove from ships. In total, there were, apparently, 20 of them - this gives about 15 tons of savings (taking into account the equipment of the cellars);
What we change on "Retvizan"
1) We remove small-caliber - -32.8 tons;
2) We put 8 57-mm guns - +16 tons;
3) Add a turret compartment - +50 tons;
4) We increase the elevation angles of guns, reinforcements +20 tons;
1st edit
5) In addition, we refuse the system of copper balls that pop up in case of compartment flooding. It will not affect the weight load. Idea submitted Goncharov Artem;
6) We remove 45 mines of the barrier, which gives about 34 tons of savings (together with the equipment of cellars for storage);
7) Add 2 inches of thickness to the armor at the ends. It will cost about 70 tons.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the squadron battleship "Tsesarevich"
"Tsesarevich" in typical colors of the Pacific Fleet, 1904
Displacement: 13,135 tons
Dimensions: 117.25x23.2x7.92 m
Mechanisms: 2 shafts, 2 PM VTR, 20 Belleville boilers, 16,300 hp = 18 knots
Fuel supply: 800/1350 tons of coal
Range: 5500 miles (10 knots)
Armor (krupp): lower chord 160-250 mm, upper chord 120-200 mm, GK turrets 250 mm, GK turret roofs 63 mm, GK barbettes 100-250 mm, SK turrets 150 mm, SK turret roofs 30 mm, SK barbettes 127 mm, wheelhouse 254 mm, casings KO 19 mm, PTP 40 mm, deck 40-50 mm
Armament: 4 305/40 mm, 12 152/45 mm, 20 75/50 mm, 4 57/50 mm guns, 4 381 mm torpedo tubes
Crew: 29/750 people
Tactical and technical characteristics of the squadron battleship "Retvizan"
Squadron battleship "Retvizan" in typical colors of the Pacific Fleet, 1904
Displacement: 13,005 tons
Dimensions: 116.5x22x7.6 m
Mechanisms: 2 shafts, 2 PM VTR, 24 Nikloss boilers, 16,000 hp = 18 knots
Fuel supply: 1016/2000 tons of coal
Range: 4900/8000 miles (10 knots)
Armor (krupp): belt 102-229 mm, upper belt 152 mm, bulkheads 178 mm, towers 229 mm, roofs of towers 51 mm, barbettes 203 mm, battery and casemates 127 mm, wheelhouse 254 mm, deck 51-76 mm
Armament: 4 305/40 mm, 12 152/45 mm, 20 75/50 mm, 8 57/50 mm guns, 6 381 mm torpedo tubes
Crew: 28/722 people
1) While back and forth, conjuring over the "Aurora" and drawing the "Neva" (training cruiser), I suddenly realized who would become Nevsky's successor as Minister of the Navy. The personality is very real. I wonder if colleagues will guess who it is? I say right away - not Makarov.
2) Concerning Geisler's OMS arr. 1900 - did not describe it in detail, but it is understood that this is an improved centralized system like the one that was on the Varyag. Considering the article on the Ushakovs, the conclusion about the need to introduce centralized control could appear in 1898-1899, during the construction process - Retvizan and Tsesarevich could receive such a system upon entry into service. "Peresvet" and "Poltava" will receive it already directly at the beginning of the REV.
3) There are not so many articles left on the REV. After that, I will immediately deal with dreadnoughts. So far, the list of articles looks like this:
Squadron battleships of the "Borodino" type (material is ready);
Training cruisers of the 1st rank of the "Neva" type (material is ready);
Cruisers of the 1st rank of the "Pallada" type (material is ready);
Auxiliary cruisers of the III rank of the Vladivostok Volunteer Fleet (the material is almost ready);
Minelayers of the "Amur" type;
Collective article on destroyers, destroyers and submarines of the times of the REV (the material is almost ready);
About full-scale tests in the RIF in 1888-1907;
Development of the RIF under the Minister of Marine Nevsky, analysis of the REV and the changes of 1905-1907;
4) In the course of writing the article, "off-plot" alternatives were drawn:
Dreadnought a la "Michigan" from "Mikasa";
Battleship a la "Tsesarevich" from "Poltava";
Half-tank version of "Retvizan".
I have not yet decided to deal with them seriously or not - they will not be recorded in the "canon" anyway. Is it Mikasa...
Appendix No. 2: Squadron battleships "Retvizan" and "Tsesarevich"
(From the archive of V.P. Kostenko)
A series of battleships of the Peresvet type was built according to the main shipbuilding program of 1895, according to which 5 battleships were scheduled for construction. The last 2 ships of this program differed sharply from Peresvet and belonged to two completely different types, although with the same artillery armament and approximately the same tonnage. They were simultaneously ordered to two foreign factories in 1898 after an additional emergency appropriation for shipbuilding and were vivid spokesmen for two opposing trends in naval technology and tactics of the late 19th century. These differences were based on a different understanding of the naval battle situation.
The Russian Naval Ministry, giving abroad an order for 2 battleships to the best factories in France and the United States, sought to obtain two opposite technical solutions to the same tactical task: to obtain an exemplary warship for squadron combat, in order to then make a project choice when building a series of 5 battleships under the program of 1898, which they decided to build already in Russia at St. Petersburg factories. These two ships, with the same tonnage, artillery and speed, had a completely different hull design, armor system, artillery location, seaworthiness, people's side height and appearance.
Project "Tsesarevich"
A completely different type of ship in terms of design and location of artillery was the battleship "Tsesarevich", which is the embodiment of the ideas of the French naval engineer Emile Bertin. In many respects, he was the spokesman for the new principles of military shipbuilding in matters of armor protection from artillery shells and torpedo explosions, as well as in matters of survivability and unsinkability.
The technique of further development of the warship type adopted and improved the new principles laid down in the Tsesarevich project, applying them to ships created after the Russo-Japanese War on the basis of the received combat experience. Thus, the "Tsesarevich" turned out to be the ancestor of several subsequent generations of battleships, and many of its features, assimilated by subsequent ships, can be traced back to the era of battleships that entered the modern, world war.
The project was developed by the chief engineer of the company " Forges et Chantiers de la Mediterranee"In Toulon by engineer M. Lagane. The main design features of the Tsesarevich are the product of the gradual development of the French type of battleships, starting with Jaureguiberry" (1893) and ending with the Republigue" and "Democratic" (1904) class. "Republigue" was designed by engineer Bertin at the same time with the "Tsesarevich", but was completed a little later.
Typical features of the "Tsesarevich", which distinguished it not only from the "Retvisan", but also from all previous series of Russian battleships ("Petropavlovsk", "Peresvet") were the following characteristic design features:
a) Location of decks: 4 above-water decks, including 2 armored ones throughout the ship, namely: lower armored deck - 40 mm, battery or main deck - 50 mm, upper - 7 mm and spard from stem to stern 1 2-dm . towers. The height of the freeboard with the stem on the forecastle is 7.8 m (26 ft.).
b) seaworthiness. The high freeboard and the blockage of the outer skin above the armor belt ensured high seaworthiness in fresh ocean weather.
c) Booking. Along the waterline from waist to stern there were 2 continuous armor belts. The lower main belt had an upper edge 500 mm above the waterline. The lower shelf under the waterline is 1,500 mm.
The thickness of the armor plates at the upper edge: between 12-in. towers was equal to 250 mm, with a lower edge of 1 70 m, in the bow and stern from 12-dm. towers from 230 to 1 70 mm. The upper belt had 200 mm, in the nose from 12-in. towers decreased to 120 mm, aft from 12-dm. towers up to 130 mm.
The total height of the belt armor: amidships - 3.67 m, in the bow - 4.4 m, in the stern - 4.0 m.
2 armored decks: the main one covered the side armor, along the entire length of the ship, 50 mm thick; the lower one, 300 mm above the waterline, consisted of 2 layers of 20 mm each (40 mm in total).
The anti-mine armored bulkhead on a length of 88.8 m at a distance of about 2 m from the side, from 2 layers of 20 mm each (40 mm in total) sticks normally to the outer skin along the cheekbone and replaces the 5th stringer; connected along a radius of 2 m with the lower armored deck.
Towers 12-in. guns: rotating part - 254 mm, shirt under armor -30 mm, filed pipes - 229 mm, shirt - 30 mm, roofs from 3 layers with a total thickness of 60 mm.
Elliptical conning tower (dimensions inside the cabin 3.85x3.25 m): vertical armor - 251 mm, roof - 45 mm, wire protection pipe - 1 27 mm
The total weight of Krupp cemented armor, armored decks, mine bulkhead, wooden lining and armored sides is 4325 tons or 33% of the normal displacement.
d) Location of artillery: 4 12-inch. guns in twin turret mounts on the forecastle and poop.
Axes of guns 12-dm. bow tower - 9.6 m above the waterline.
12 6-in. guns in 6 two-gun turrets, of which there are 4 turrets on the spardeck: 2 turrets behind the bow 12-inch turret and 2 ahead of the stern 12-inch turret, with shelling fore and aft, within an arc of 135 °.
On the upper deck, amidships between the stokers, there are 2 towers, each with firing at the bow and stern in an arc of 180 °.
16 75-mm guns are placed: 8 guns in the central battery on the main deck, 2 guns in the stern on the main deck, 2 in the bow on the upper deck, 2 on the bow bridge, 2 on the aft bridge.
Fire directly at the bow and stern: 2 12-inch, 8 6-inch, 4 75-mm.
Fire directly along the beam: 4 12-in., 6 6-in. and 8 75 mm.
e) Scheme of unsinkability, "Tsesarevich" according to the system introduced by Bertin, was the first ship to receive a high armor belt from bow to stern of 2 rows of plates, rising above the water level by 2.1-7 m, and 2 continuous armored decks along the waterline .
The upper armor covered the belt armor, and the lower one descended to the lower edge of the belt by 2.5 m under the load waterline. The armor belt of 2 sides and 2 armored decks associated with it formed an armor box closed on all sides, or a kind of pontoon, divided into a large number of compartments by longitudinal and transverse bulkheads at the waterline level. This armored checkered layer at the waterline level was supposed to ensure combat stability and buoyancy of the battleship in case of all artillery damage, and also reliably cover all living quarters below the waterline from the penetration of both whole shells and fragments when ruptured between the armored decks.
All the main transverse bulkheads were brought to the lower armored deck, firmly connected to it and had no doors. There were no similar shafts or necks from the lower armored deck to the holds. All mines, elevators and coal loading arms and ventilation ducts were brought either to the battery deck, or even higher to the upper one. In order to go down from the lower deck into the cockpits or into the holds, it was first necessary to go up to the battery deck and from there go down the vertical impenetrable shaft.
On the lower armored deck, isolated from the holds, watertight doors were installed in the transverse bulkheads on the rims (near the centreline). With such an arrangement of doors, they did not pose a threat to unsinkability, while at the same time providing an extremely important message along the ship, between 2 armored decks, completely protected by armor from bursts of high-explosive shells and shrapnel.
According to the combat schedule and water alarm, the doors had to be kept battened down.
f) The principle of compartment autonomy. The rooms above the lower armored deck within the side protected by the mine bulkhead were divided by the main transverse bulkheads into autonomous compartments, which had all systems and pipelines that were not connected with adjacent compartments.
The main compartments, in addition to 2 terminal ones, were:
1. Bow compartment 12-in. towers.
2. Compartment 2 nasal 6-in. towers.
3. Compartment of the bow boiler room.
4. Compartment 2 medium 6-inch. towers.
5. Compartment of the aft boiler room.
6. Compartment 2 engine rooms separated by a diametrical bulkhead.
7. Compartment 2 aft 6-in. towers.
8. Compartment aft 12-inch. towers.
Two end compartments remained outside the mine bulkheads: the bow ram and the stern helmsman. Each main compartment had its own independent hold systems: flooding, drainage, drain and bypass, fire and ventilation, as well as plumbing and intercom.
No pipelines cut through the transverse bulkheads below the armored deck and were enclosed with all branching pipes only within their compartment. Of the main compartments, 5 had their own 800-ton tidal turbines driven by electric motors. There were 8 turbines in total. Large compartments had two turbines each. Bypass pipes were connected to these turbines with clinkets on transverse bulkheads from smaller adjacent compartments.
2 end compartments and 3 6-inch compartments did not have their own outflow turbines. towers (bow, middle and stern). To drain small amounts of water from holds, onboard and double-bottom compartments, there were 8 hold-fire 50-ton steam pumps installed on the cockpits of the respective compartments. The fire main ran along the entire ship along the lower deck under a 50-mm armored battery deck with vertical branches down to the pumps and up to the fire horns in each compartment.
On the battery deck, the side of which did not have armor protection, there were 5 transverse watertight bulkheads with doors that were battened down by a water alarm.
g) Mine protection. On the "Tsesarevich", following the example of the French battleship "Jaureguiberry", an onboard armored bulkhead was arranged from two layers of 20 mm sheets (40 mm thick in total), at a distance of 2 m from the outer skin. At that time, it was believed that such underwater protection was quite sufficient to protect the interior of the ship from the effects of an 18-inch explosion. Whitehead torpedoes with a charge of 80-120 kg of pyroxylin or barrage mines. The side armored bulkhead with its upper edge passed along the radius into the lower deck and was made of the softest shipbuilding steel, which allowed very significant deformations without rupture in the expectation that this would absorb the energy of the gases during the explosion. The disadvantage of this design was the lack of direct strong connection between the lower armor deck and the lower shelf of the main armor belt.
The belt and deck armor were connected in the form of a horizontal stringer or platform made of sheets 16-20 mm thick and up to 2 m wide, which served as the floor of the corridor behind the armor. However, during the explosion of torpedoes, mines and shells below the armor belt, this platform, covering the outer and inner side compartments, had to fall into the sphere of destruction, and therefore water through the hole filled not only the lower side compartments, but also the upper hull behind the armor, as well as the compartment on the lower deck if the aft corridor bulkhead was damaged.
On ships of later construction, the Russian-built battleships Suvorov, Orel and Slava, as well as on 5 French battleships of the Republique series (1902) and on 6 ships of the Danton series (1909), this drawback was eliminated. The last French battleships of the Danton type were built taking into account the experience of the Russo-Japanese War.
h) Placement of coal pits.
Since boiler rooms, engine rooms and bomb cellars were directly adjacent to the armored anti-mine bulkhead from the inside, it was necessary to abandon the arrangement of onboard coal pits so as not to violate the integrity of the armored bulkheads by installing doors or necks, which would create the danger of flooding the boiler rooms during a mine explosion with open mouths for coal loading.
In order to avoid this danger, the Tsesarevich had to abandon the arrangement of side coal pits and leave the side compartments unused, and switch to transverse pits at the main bulkheads of boiler rooms to store consumable coal. Spare pits were placed on the lower armor deck along the corridors behind the armor. Therefore, the placement of coal pits on the "Tsarevich" differed sharply from the previous types of battleships "Petropavlovsk", "Peresvet" and "Retvizan", which had side pits. This location presented significant inconveniences:
a) coal in the side compartments served as an additional and quite effective protection during mine explosions due to the absorption of gas energy for crushing and compressing coal;
b) side compartments were not used to accommodate payloads, as a result of which the battleship lost a large underwater volume, amounting to 2 sides: 2292 m2, which was 13% of the ship's normal displacement. This led to great constraint in the placement of holds and a sharp reduction in the capacity of pits, and consequently to a decrease in the navigation area.
The normal supply of coal was taken at 800 tons, and the total capacity of all the pits was 1370 tons, while on the battleship Retvizan, which was being built at the same time, full stock coal reached up to 2000 tons, and on ships of the Peresvet type even up to 2500 tons.
i) Appearance.
"Tsesarevich" due to the high freeboard, elevated bed nets with a bulwark and developed rostra, 2-storey bow and stern bridges with deckhouses, heavy masts, huge pipes and a large number towers on the spardeck was an excellent target for enemy shells.
In this regard, he had a great resemblance to the French battleships of the nineties of the Galouis and Suffren types.
Advantages of the Tsesarevich type over the Retvizan type
1) More developed armor protection of the waterline along the entire length and good coverage of the extremities.
2) The presence of 2 solid armored decks.
3) The formation of an armored checkered layer along the entire length of the ship with a height of 2 to 2.9 m above the waterline and 1.5 m below the waterline.
4) Anti-mine side protection from armored bulkheads on a length of 3/4 of the ship.
5) Placement of the entire 6-inch. artillery in 2 gun turrets protected by 6-in. armor and heavy fire on the diametrical plane.
Comparison of the battleships "Retvizan" and "Tsesarevich"
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Name of elements |
"Retvizan" |
"Tsesarevich" |
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Bookmark year |
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Descent date |
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Entry into service |
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Construction plant |
Cramp (Philadelphia) |
Forges et Chantiers (Toulon) |
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Normal design displacement |
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travel speed |
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Mechanism power |
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Fuel supply |
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Coal pit capacity |
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Main measurements in meters |
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Artillery |
4 12 in./40 cal. |
4 12 in./40 cal. |
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12 6 in./45 cal. |
12 6 in./45 cal. |
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Booking: Lower armor belt |
9-inch between the main towers |
10-dm. bow to stern |
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Upper armor belt |
9-inch between the main towers |
8-dm. bow to stern |
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3rd belt: casemates and battery |
5-dm. kaz. 6-inch op. |
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Lower deck (horizon, part) |
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Lower deck: (bevels) |
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Main battery deck |
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Towers 12-in. guns (temporary part) |
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Towers 12-in. guns (under. pipe) |
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Towers 6-in. guns (temporary part) |
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Towers 6-in. guns (under. rough) |
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Casemates 6-dm. guns (upper) |
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Conning tower |
1. Hull (including mine bulkhead, wooden parts, 5118.50 armor lining, internals and fittings)
2. Booking 3347.80
3. Supply, including - 295.20
anchors and ropes (113.60)
moorings and tugs (10.00)
boats (65.00)
water tanks and distillers (12.00)
galleys (16.00)
tarpaulins, flags, navigation accessories (7.60)
miscellaneous supplies and supplies (71.00)
4. Masts with tops and rigging 43.00
5. Auxiliary mechanisms (steam and electric) 106.50
6. Machines and boilers with water 1430.00
7. Artillery with ammunition 1363.00
8. Mines and electricity 203.00
9. Normal fuel capacity 800.00
10. Crew with luggage 82.65
11. Provision for 60 days 99.85
12. Water for ten days 20.50
13. Displacement reserve 200.00
Total: 13110.00
Steam mechanism weight
1. Main machines with accessories and refrigerators 442.00
2. Shafts 108.00
3. Propellers 25.00
4. Auxiliary mechanisms (circulation pumps and pump) 35.20
5. Pipeline and water receivers 56.00
6. Platforms and ladders of cars 17.00
7. Tools and spare parts 27.00
8. Machine fans 60.00
9. Boilers 14.00
10. Nutrient tanks 3.00
Total weight of mechanisms 787.00
Water in refrigerators and pipes 22.00
Total weight of mechanisms with water 809.20
Boiler weight
1. Boilers with masonry and economizers 366.50
2. Purifiers, expanders, tanks, 6.50
3. Donkey 9.50
4. Air blowers 6.50
5. Smoke outlets and chimney 40.00
6. Platforms and ladders 15.00
7. Pipeline in stokers 36.00
8. Fans 14.00
9. Tools and spare parts 28.00
10. Nutrient tanks 16.00
Total weight of boilers without water 538.00
Water in boilers 49.00
Water in tanks 33.80
Total weight of boilers with water 620.80
Steel case (as part of the article "Case with devices")
1. Outer plating from keel to lower shelf 419.00
2. Shirt behind armor 170.80
3. Sheathing above the armored deck 84.20
4. Horizontal keel 20.20
4. Reinforcements of the outer skin 41.30
5. Laying of the upper armored deck 263.20
6. Battery deck lining 103.50
7. Upper deck lining 67.00
8. Mine bulkhead 769.90
Total steel case 1939.10
Shirt for rotating turret armor 85,00
Tower Reinforcements 283.00
Wooden parts of the hull 183.00
Armor lining and bolts 157.00
Internal devices 116.50
Particular things on the body 333.00
Booking
1. Lower armor belt 775.40
2. Upper armor belt 663.40
3. Upper armored (battery) deck 730.00
4. Armored commings 41.50
5. Conning tower with communication pipe 62.50
6. Armor of the supplied pipes 12-dm towers 215.00
7. Rotating armor of 12-inch towers 288.00
8. Armor of the supplied tubes of 6-dm towers 292.00
9. Rotating armor of 6-inch towers 280.00
Total booking weight 3347.8
Coal at normal load - in the hold 588.00 - on the lower deck 212.00
Notes.
The distribution of load items is given according to a handwritten copy from the collection of papers of the famous shipbuilder V.P. Kostenko, who in 1904-1905. served as an assistant builder of the Orel squadron battleship, which was being prepared for a campaign with other Borodino-class ships as part of the 2nd Pacific Squadron. By the nature of his official activity, V.P. Kostenko had to constantly monitor the compliance of the design data of numerous articles of the Orel design load with its actual values, and also compare them with the corresponding parameters of the Tsesarevich, the prototype of the entire series of battleships of the Borodino class, which included "Eagle".
(Personal archive of V.P. Kostenko., Folder XVII -I).
Weight is given in metric tons (1 mt = 1000 kg)
"Tsesarevich" at the wall - the holes were patched up, the mast was seized with additional stretch marks, because after the fight began to sway.
Upon arrival in Qingdao on the evening of July 29, the commander was in no hurry with orders to replenish coal reserves and order the materials necessary for repairs. He was not inspired by the example of those who had come earlier and were already preparing to leave for the breakthrough of Novik and Silent. Worse than that, Captain 1st Rank Ivanov found it convenient to evade the recommendations that the commander of the Fearless, Lieutenant P.L., turned to him for. Trukhachev (1867-1916).
Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao. Starboard
Arriving on the morning of July 30 along with the Merciless, he apparently believed that the ships that had broken through should also go to Vladivostok together. Having taken over the overall command, speeding up the replenishment of the coal reserves on the destroyers with the help of her team, the "Tsesarevich" could put a whole detachment into the sea. Depending on the situation, he could either make a breakthrough to Vladivostok or go south to wait for the arrival of the 2nd Pacific Squadron in hard-to-reach areas of French or even foreign colonies. A campaign to connect with the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers was not excluded.
Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao. Bow turret and starboard side
All this was quite realistic in the presence of special cruisers of the Volunteer Fleet in the Russian fleet. After all, their operations already at the beginning of the war caused a great commotion among firms involved in military smuggling. A wide development of cruising operations was planned, which was quite realistic to be associated with the fate of the ships that had broken through. Recall that S.O. Makarov considered a breakthrough to Port Arthur (and, possibly, to Vladivostok) of the battleship Oslyabya, captured by the beginning of the war in the Red Sea, quite real.
Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao. Damage to the second chimney
But the commander of yesterday's flagship and his staff did not find the strength to fulfill their duty to the end and prevent disarmament in neutral Qingdao. The ships were left to themselves and acted completely uncoordinated. "Novik", hurrying to leave before morning, and not having received help from the "Tsesarevich", left the port with an incomplete supply of coal. This circumstance played, as it soon became clear, a fatal role in his fate. "Besshumny" made every effort to cope with the repairs in the shortest possible time, until the Japanese swooped down on the port, and have time to leave for a breakthrough. "Fearless", waiting for his readiness, was in a hurry with the acceptance of coal. There is no mention in the documents about the assistance to the ships during all this time from the side of the "Tsesarevich".
Having evaded all initiatives and quite pleased with the circumstances, commander N.M. Ivanov retired with a sense of accomplishment.
Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao. Medium six inch tower
On the morning of July 30, he moved ashore to a German hospital, leaving his ship on his own to solve the problems created by them, Ivanov. Admiral Matusevich was also there. But the ship, despite the strange behavior of its two most senior commanders, did not give up. The hope for the possibility of repair and subsequent breakthrough was aroused by the telegram of Emperor Nicholas II transmitted to the ships on July 31, encouraging the crew "in the mind of sacredly and honorably fulfilled duty to the throne and homeland."
German band on the front of the battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao, summer 1904
In the response telegram of Admiral Matusevich addressed to the head of the naval ministry, feelings of reverence were expressed, with which everyone on the battleship and destroyers perceived the "highly merciful words" of the emperor, and wishes were expressed for "sending health and prosperity to the beloved sovereign emperor and the highly newborn heir." Further, loyal feelings and the unanimous desire of the crews of the ships "to bear our lives again for the glory of the throne and the fatherland" were expressed. Alas, reality did not confirm these lofty feelings of all-devotion to the throne. The Germans, however, in order not to expose the ships to Japanese attacks from the sea, on July 31 they transferred them to the inner basin, and on August 1 the governor announced that the Tsesarevich was allowed to stay for 6 days. It was explained by the need to bring the ships into the condition necessary for going to sea (but not for full combat readiness). From "Merciless" on the day of arrival, they first demanded to leave the port within 24 hours (as from "Novik" before that), and then, referring to the permission of the German emperor, the parking period was extended until midnight from 3 to 4 August.
But on August 2, the attitude of the usually amiable German authorities suddenly changed. At 10 in the morning, the commanders of all ships were announced the order of Kaiser Wilhelm II immediately - by 11 o'clock, lower the flags and disarm. Everyone was lost in conjecture about the reason for such exceptional perfidy. After all, Russian ships in all the years preceding the war got used to the feelings of cordiality, hospitality and even friendship that were constantly manifested by the German authorities (especially in Kiel). Germany in that war clearly sympathized with Russia, and German ships with a cargo of coal were already preparing (under contracts concluded with private firms) to accompany the campaign of Z.P. Rozhdestvensky.
Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao, summer 1904
But N.A. Matusevich, either due to depression from the wound he had experienced or excessive delicacy, did not even try to explain to the Germans the absurdity of their demands: the ships that began repairs needed much more time to go to sea. He did not consider it necessary to use his right of the strong, which allowed him to simply ignore the dishonest German ultimatum. The authorities in St. Petersburg, as is often done in Russia and as it had just happened with the cruisers "Petersburg" and "Smolensk" operating in the Indian Ocean, preferred to simply disown their ships. Unprofessionalism supreme authorities reappeared in all its ugliness.
To Qingdao
Without waiting for a response from St. Petersburg to his urgent request, Matusevich ordered the ships to obey the German demands. The ships lowered their flags and on the same day began to unload ammunition ashore. They handed over to the Germans locks from 75-mm guns, parts from locks of large guns and two covers of spool boxes of medium-pressure cylinders. They brought all the guns and revolvers ashore, leaving only 50 for guard duty.
Squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" in Qingdao after arrival. At the side of the raft, from which the sailors close up the holes. There is a sun awning on the bow.
That day, as if already knowing what had happened, a Japanese destroyer showed up at the port. Quarrels with Germany were not part of the plans of the Japanese, and they did not attempt to capture the battleship. Satisfied with the information about the disarmament of the battleship, the destroyer immediately withdrew. The countdown to the imprisoning of ships has begun.
"Tsesarevich" with open aft ports of 75 mm guns.
With ease, with one stroke of the pen, to abandon the magnificent warship, the construction of which alone took five years, this decision cannot be called anything other than a crime. However, with the "Diana" in Saigon they acted even more magically. Despite the fact that the French authorities did not make any demands for disarmament and guaranteed to carry out the entire repair of the ship, the disarmament order was sent here as well. And this happened on August 22, when the ship could, if desired, go to sea and, for sure, join the squadron of Z.P. Rozhdestvensky. In the name of the Admiral General, the order was given by Vice Admiral Avelan, head of the Naval Ministry. And before the wisdom of this order, it remains only to shrug.
"Tsesarevich" - broken pipes, traces of fragments on the hull and boats.
So the rulers of St. Petersburg, it is not clear "" thinking about it, "surrendered" all the ships that had broken through with ease. For some reason they were considered unnecessary for the war. Having obeyed the will of the Admiral-General, the Tsesarevich also plunged into the new, now not driven by anything, unhurried - for the whole war - repair season. Not having time, as it was possible on the Diana, to leave the ship as a group before disarmament, the officers of the battleship, together with the routine of the repair and coastal service, set about comprehending the invaluable combat experience that fell to their lot. After all, he could still be useful. As, once on August 1, 1904, the 2nd squadron of the Pacific Fleet began a campaign in Kronstadt.
"Tsesarevich" - sealing a hole in the board. To facilitate the foremast, the spars were removed and placed on the deck at the bow house.
Fate did not leave the optimistic ship with its worries either - it arranged so that one of the officers (the flag officer of the headquarters, Lieutenant M.A. Kedrov), had the opportunity, like the three officers of the "Diana", to take part in the campaign "and the battle of squadron Z. It is not known with what attention (and whether he generally considered it necessary) Zinovy Petrovich reacted to their experience, but having the most information (the flag officer of the headquarters of Makarov and V.K. Witgeft), Lieutenant Kedrov received an appointment far from the tasks of generalizing experience - an artillery officer on the cruiser (armed passenger steamer) "Ural" The system, as if aiming to destroy the fleet, remained true to itself.
"Tsesarevich" - the ship's ladder was damaged in battle, so a German ladder with wheels was installed at the side.
The main question in the fate of the "Tsesarevich" remains unanswered - why the ministry, without blinking, agreed to disarm the ship. What, it would seem, the most energetic efforts should have been made in order to save for the war a magnificent new battleship with a shelled crew! Instead, an absurd disarmament order was issued that caused general amazement.
"Tsesarevich" - view of the deck with rowing vessels. The stern pipe was badly damaged by hits from two large-caliber shells and, so as not to fall apart, was pulled together with additional cables.
The heroes of this dark story did not leave their explanations. Bypassed her in his work ("The meaning and work of the headquarters on the basis of the experience of the Russian-Japanese war") and Lieutenant A.N. Shcheglov (1874-1953). But there is no doubt that here, too, the result of the activity of the Main Staff was manifested, all the military orders of which, according to A.N. Shcheglova, "were not substantiated and directly harmful." As a result, “the fleet died from disorganization, and this is entirely the fault of the Main Naval Staff, which rightfully owns 90% of the failures of our fleet.” One can, without risking a big mistake, offer the following explanations for the fate of the “Tsesarevich” in Qing-tao, which are quite consistent with by the "chaotic" nature of the activities of the headquarters, which is so frankly mentioned in the work of Lieutenant Shcheglov.
"Tsesarevich" in 1905 after repair - the foremast was completely removed and new chimneys were installed.
Turning to the motives that somehow made it possible to understand the decision of the St. Petersburg strategists, one cannot escape the feeling of their involvement or direct belonging to some virtual world where the laws of logic and common sense do not apply. For how else to explain that, being seemingly in a mortal battle with an extremely active, active and enterprising enemy, while suffering constant setbacks, having lost the first squadron in the most mediocre way and preparing the second for the campaign, they so carelessly abandoned the experience of the war and the two newest ones, as the air of the necessary own battleships, from the "Glory", despite the opportunity to have time to put it into operation, and the "Tsesarevich", which could well have avoided disarmament. And at the same time - this is the plot for an exciting documentary detective story - desperate, albeit obviously doomed to failure (the whole deal could not take place without the knowledge of England, which was then in alliance with Japan), attempts were made to smuggle the acquisition of the notorious "exotic cruisers".
On the "Tsesarevich" during repair work
In front of the eyes of the whole world and to its ridicule, for more than a year, a spectacle of multi-stage intrigues was played out with many flocked to profit, promising to "arrange" the purchase of "intermediaries", in which leading role with a fake passport, in a wig and with a false beard, the old adjutant of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, Rear Admiral A.M. Abaza. This adventure could also be accompanied by the emperor’s bluff, who, despite failures, continued to be condescending or even contemptuous of the enemy (it is known that in resolutions he allowed himself expressions like “macaque”), and therefore a demonstrative rejection of the “Tsesarevich” could portray the breadth of the Russian soul and the boundless possibilities of Russia, capable of crushing the enemy, regardless of the number of battleships.
The internal antipathy of the chief of staff to the battleship, which for so long aroused his righteous anger and indignation, could also manifest itself. The withdrawal of the battleship from the game could somehow be combined in the sick imagination of Zinovy \u200b\u200bPetrovich with a triumph over his opponents in the eternal undercover bureaucratic struggle. Who knows the truth now...
1905 Internment in Qingdao. Russian destroyers (from left to right) - "Brave", "Courageous", "Merciless", "Fearless", "Silent". The main mast "Tsesarevich" is visible in the background.
