The cruiser "Varyag" needs no introduction. However, the battle of Chemulpo is still a dark page in Russian military history. Its results are disappointing, and there are still a lot of misconceptions about the participation of “Varyag” in this battle.
"Varyag" - a weak cruiser
In popular publications there is an assessment that the combat value of the Varyag was low. Indeed, due to poor quality work performed during construction in Philadelphia, the Varyag could not reach the contract speed of 25 knots, thereby losing the main advantage of a light cruiser.
The second serious drawback was the lack of armor shields for the main caliber guns. On the other hand, during the Russo-Japanese War, Japan, in principle, did not have a single armored cruiser capable of resisting the Varyag and the similarly armed Askold, Bogatyr or Oleg.
Not a single Japanese cruiser of this class had 12,152 mm guns. True, the fighting unfolded in such a way that the crews of Russian cruisers never had to fight an enemy of equal size or class. The Japanese always acted with certainty, compensating for the shortcomings of their cruisers with numerical superiority, and the first, but not the last in this glorious and tragic list for the Russian fleet, was the battle of the cruiser Varyag.
A hail of shells hit the Varyag and Koreets
Artistic and popular descriptions of the battle at Chemulpo often say that the “Varyag” and “Korean” (which did not receive a single hit) were literally bombarded by Japanese shells. However, official figures indicate otherwise. In just 50 minutes of the battle at Chemulpo, six Japanese cruisers spent 419 shells: “Asama” 27 - 203 mm. , 103 152 mm., 9 76 mm; "Naniva" - 14,152 mm; "Niitaka" - 53 152 mm, 130 76 mm. "Takachiho" - 10,152 mm, "Akashi" - 2,152 mm, "Chiyoda" 71,120 mm.
In response, the Varyag fired, according to Rudnev’s report, 1105 shells: 425 -152 mm, 470 - 75 mm, 210 - 47 mm. It turns out that Russian gunners achieved the highest rate of fire. To this we can add 22,203 mm, 27,152 mm and 3,107 mm of projectiles fired from the Koreyets.
That is, in the battle of Chemulpo, two Russian ships fired almost three times more shells than the entire Japanese squadron. The question remains debatable about how the Russian cruiser kept records of spent shells or whether the figure was indicated approximately based on the results of a survey of the crew. And could such a number of shells be fired on a cruiser that, by the end of the battle, had lost 75% of its artillery?
Rear Admiral at the head of the Varyag
As is known, after returning to Russia and upon his retirement in 1905, the commander of the Varyag, Rudnev, received the rank of rear admiral. Already today, one of the streets in South Butovo in Moscow received the name of Vsevolod Fedorovich. Although, perhaps, it would have been more logical to name Captain Rudnev, if necessary, to distinguish him among his famous namesakes in military affairs.
There is no mistake in the name, but this image requires clarification - in military history this man remained a captain of the 1st rank and commander of the Varyag, but as a rear admiral he could no longer prove himself. But an obvious mistake has crept into a number of modern textbooks for high school students, where the “legend” is already heard that the cruiser “Varyag” was commanded by Rear Admiral Rudnev. The authors did not go into detail and think about the fact that a rear admiral was somehow out of rank to command an armored cruiser of the 1st rank.
Two against fourteen
The literature often states that the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" were attacked by the Japanese squadron of Rear Admiral Uriu, consisting of 14 ships - 6 cruisers and 8 destroyers.
Here it is necessary to make several clarifications.
Outwardly, there was a huge numerical and qualitative superiority of the Japanese, which the enemy never took advantage of during the battle. It is necessary to take into account that on the eve of the battle at Chemulpo, the Uriu squadron consisted of not even 14, but 15 pennants - the armored cruiser Asama, armored cruisers Naniwa, Takachiho, Niitaka, Chiyoda, Akashi and eight destroyers and advice note "Chihaya".
True, even on the eve of the battle with the Varyag, the Japanese suffered non-combat losses. When the gunboat "Koreets" attempted to proceed from Chemulpo to Port Arthur, the Japanese squadron began dangerous maneuvering (which ended with the use of a gun) around the Russian gunboat, as a result of which the destroyer "Tsubame" ran aground and did not directly participate in the battle. The messenger ship Chihaya, which, nevertheless, was in close proximity to the battle site, did not participate in the battle. In reality, the battle was waged by a group of four Japanese cruisers, two more cruisers participated only sporadically, and the presence of Japanese destroyers remained a presence factor.
"A cruiser and two enemy destroyers at the bottom"
When it comes to military losses, this issue often becomes the subject of heated debate. The battle at Chemulpo was no exception, in which estimates of Japanese losses were very contradictory.
Russian sources indicate very high enemy losses: a destroyed destroyer, 30 killed and 200 wounded. They are based mainly on the opinions of representatives of foreign powers who observed the battle.
Over time, two destroyers and the cruiser Takachiho were already sunk (by the way, this data ended up in the feature film “Cruiser Varyag”). And if the fate of some Japanese destroyers raises questions, the cruiser Takachiho safely survived the Russo-Japanese War and died 10 years later with its entire crew during the siege of Qingdao.
Reports from all Japanese cruiser commanders indicate that there were no losses or damage to their ships. Another question: where, after the battle in Chemulpo, did the main enemy of the Varyag, the armored cruiser Asama, “disappear” for two months? Neither Port Arthur nor Admiral Kammimura was part of the squadron operating against the Vladivostok cruiser squadron. And this was at the very beginning of the war, when the outcome of the confrontation was far from decided.
It is likely that the ship, which became the main target of the Varyag’s guns, received serious damage, but at the beginning of the war, for propaganda purposes, the Japanese side was undesirable to talk about this. From the experience of the Russo-Japanese War, it is well known how the Japanese tried for a long time to hide their losses, for example, the death of the battleships Hatsuse and Yashima, and a number of destroyers that apparently ended up at the bottom were simply written off after the war as beyond repair.
Legends of Japanese modernization
A number of misconceptions are associated with the service of the Varyag in the Japanese fleet. One of them is related to the fact that after the rise of the Varyag, the Japanese retained the Russian state emblem and the name of the cruiser as a sign of respect. However, this was more likely due not to the desire to pay tribute to the crew of the heroic ship, but to design features - the coat of arms and name were mounted in the aft balcony and the Japanese attached the new name of the cruiser “Soya” on both sides to the balcony grille. The second misconception is the replacement of Nicolossa boilers with Miyabara boilers on the Varyag. Although the vehicles had to be thoroughly repaired, the cruiser showed a speed of 22.7 knots during testing.
Songs that have become folk
The feat of the cruiser "Varyag" was widely reflected in literature, music and feature cinema. At least 50 songs about “Varyag” appeared after the Russo-Japanese War. Only three have survived to this day. Two of them, “Varyag” and “The Death of the Varyag” became widely known - with slightly changed text they run through the entire film “The Cruiser “Varyag””, and “The Death of the Varyag” was considered popular for a long time, although this is not so. Repninsky’s poems “Varyag” (“Cold waves are splashing”) were published less than a month after the legendary battle in the newspaper “Rus”, and then set to music by composer Benevsky, and the melody is consonant with a number of Russian war songs from the period of the Russo-Japanese War
November 1 marked 110 years since the legendary cruiser Varyag was launched.
The cruiser "Varyag" was built by order of the Russian Empire at the William Crump and Sons shipyard in Philadelphia (USA). It left the Philadelphia docks on November 1 (October 19, O.S.), 1899.
In terms of technical characteristics, the Varyag had no equal: equipped with powerful cannon and torpedo weapons, it was also the fastest cruiser in Russia. In addition, the Varyag was equipped with telephones, electrification, and a radio station and steam boilers of the latest modification.
After testing in 1901, the ship was presented to St. Petersburg residents.
In May 1901, the cruiser was sent to the Far East to strengthen the Pacific squadron. In February 1902, the cruiser, having sailed halfway around the world, dropped anchor in the Port Arthur roadstead. From that moment his service began as part of the squadron. In December 1903, the cruiser was sent to the neutral Korean port of Chemulpo to serve as a stationary vessel. In addition to the Varyag, there were ships of the international squadron on the roadstead. On January 5, 1904, the Russian gunboat "Koreets" arrived at the roadstead.
On the night of January 27 (February 9, new style), 1904, Japanese warships opened fire on the Russian squadron, which was stationed in the Port Arthur roadstead. The Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) began, lasting 588 days.
The cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets", located in the Korean Bay of Chemulpo, were blocked by a Japanese squadron on the night of February 9, 1904. The crews of Russian ships, trying to break through from Chemulpo to Port Arthur, entered into an unequal battle with a Japanese squadron, which included 14 destroyers.
During the first hour of the battle in the Tsushima Strait, the crew of the Russian cruiser fired more than 1.1 thousand shells. "Varyag" and "Koreets" disabled three cruisers and a destroyer, but they themselves received heavy damage. The ships returned to the port of Chemulpo, where they received an ultimatum from the Japanese to surrender. Russian sailors rejected him. By decision of the officers' council, the Varyag was sunk and the Koreets was blown up. This feat became a symbol of the courage and bravery of Russian sailors.
For the first time in Russian history, all participants in the battle (about 500 people) were awarded the highest military award - the Cross of St. George. After the celebrations, the Varyag crew was disbanded, the sailors entered service on other ships, and commander Vsevolod Rudnev was awarded, promoted, and retired.
The actions of the "Varyag" during the battle delighted even the enemy - after the Russian-Japanese War, the Japanese government created a museum in Seoul in memory of the heroes of the "Varyag" and awarded its commander Vsevolod Rudnev the Order of the Rising Sun.
After the legendary battle in Chemulpo Bay, the Varyag lay at the bottom of the Yellow Sea for more than a year. It was not until 1905 that the wreck was raised, repaired, and commissioned into the Imperial Japanese Navy under the name Soya. For more than 10 years, the legendary ship served as a training vessel for Japanese sailors, but out of respect for its heroic past, the Japanese kept the inscription on the stern - “Varyag”.
In 1916, Russia acquired former Russian warships Peresvet, Poltava and Varyag from its now ally Japan. After paying 4 million yen, the Varyag was enthusiastically received in Vladivostok and on March 27, 1916, the St. Andrew's flag was raised again on the cruiser. The ship was enlisted in the Guards crew and sent to reinforce the Kola detachment of the Arctic Fleet. On November 18, 1916, the cruiser Varyag was solemnly welcomed in Murmansk. Here she was appointed the flagship of the Kola Bay Naval Defense Forces.
However, the cruiser's engines and boilers required immediate overhaul, and the artillery required rearmament. Just a few days before the February Revolution, the Varyag left for England, to the ship repair docks of Liverpool. The Varyag remained in the Liverpool dock from 1917 to 1920. The necessary funds for its repair (300 thousand pounds) were never allocated. After 1917, the Bolsheviks permanently erased the Varyag as a hero of the “tsarist” fleet from the history of the country.
In February 1920, while being towed through the Irish Sea to Glasgow (Scotland), where it was sold for scrap, the cruiser was caught in a strong storm and sat on rocks. All attempts to save the ship were unsuccessful. In 1925, the cruiser was partially dismantled on site, and the 127-meter hull was blown up.
In 1947, the feature film “Cruiser “Varyag”” was shot, and on February 8, 1954, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the “Varyag” feat, a gala evening was held in Moscow with the participation of veterans of the Battle of Chemulpo, where, on behalf of the Soviet government, the “Varangian” heroes received medals “For Courage” were awarded.Anniversary celebrations took place in many cities of the country.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the heroic battle in 2004, the Russian delegation erected a monument to the Russian sailors "Varyag" and "Koreyts" in Chemulpo Bay. The flagship of the Russian Pacific Fleet, the guards missile cruiser Varyag, was present at the opening of the memorial in the port of Incheon (formerly the city of Chemulpo).
The current Varyag, the successor to the legendary first-generation ship of the same name, is armed with a powerful multi-purpose strike missile system that allows it to hit surface and ground targets at a considerable distance. Also in its arsenal are rocket launchers, torpedo tubes and several artillery installations of various calibers and purposes. Therefore, NATO figuratively calls Russian ships of this class “aircraft carrier killers.”
In 2007, in Scotland, where the legendary "Varyag" found its final refuge, a memorial complex was opened, which was attended by the large anti-submarine ship (BOD) of the Russian Navy "Severomorsk". These monuments, made in Russian maritime traditions, became the first memorials to the Russian military spirit outside Russia and an eternal symbol of gratitude and pride for descendants.
In 2009, on the occasion of the 105th anniversary of the legendary battle with the Japanese squadron, a unique international exhibition project “Cruiser “Varyag” was created. The discovery of relics, including genuine rarities from the legendary ship and gunboat “Koreets” from the collections of Russian and Korean museums. A similar exhibition , demonstrating relics of the Russian fleet has never been seen in Russian history.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
The cruiser "Varyag" needs no introduction. However, the battle of Chemulpo is still a dark page in Russian military history. Its results are disappointing, and there are still a lot of misconceptions about the participation of “Varyag” in this battle.
"Varyag" - a weak cruiser
In popular publications there is an assessment that the combat value of the Varyag was low. Indeed, due to poor quality work performed during construction in Philadelphia, the Varyag could not reach the contract speed of 25 knots, thereby losing the main advantage of a light cruiser.
The second serious drawback was the lack of armor shields for the main caliber guns. On the other hand, during the Russo-Japanese War, Japan, in principle, did not have a single armored cruiser capable of resisting the Varyag and the Askold, Bogatyr or Oleg, which were similarly armed.
Not a single Japanese cruiser of this class had 12,152 mm guns. True, the fighting unfolded in such a way that the crews of Russian cruisers never had to fight an enemy of equal size or class. The Japanese always acted with certainty, compensating for the shortcomings of their cruisers with numerical superiority, and the first, but not the last in this glorious and tragic list for the Russian fleet, was the battle of the cruiser Varyag.
A hail of shells hit the Varyag and Koreets
Artistic and popular descriptions of the battle at Chemulpo often say that the “Varyag” and “Korean” (which did not receive a single hit) were literally bombarded by Japanese shells. However, official figures indicate otherwise. In just 50 minutes of the battle at Chemulpo, six Japanese cruisers spent 419 shells: “Asama” 27 - 203 mm. , 103 152 mm., 9 76 mm; "Naniva" - 14,152 mm; "Niitaka" - 53 152 mm, 130 76 mm. "Takachiho" - 10,152 mm, "Akashi" - 2,152 mm, "Chiyoda" 71,120 mm.
In response, the Varyag fired, according to Rudnev’s report, 1105 shells: 425 -152 mm, 470 - 75 mm, 210 - 47 mm. It turns out that Russian gunners achieved the highest rate of fire. To this we can add 22,203 mm, 27,152 mm and 3,107 mm of projectiles fired from the Koreyets.
That is, in the battle of Chemulpo, two Russian ships fired almost three times more shells than the entire Japanese squadron. The question remains debatable about how the Russian cruiser kept records of spent shells or whether the figure was indicated approximately based on the results of a survey of the crew. And could such a number of shells be fired on a cruiser that, by the end of the battle, had lost 75% of its artillery?
Rear Admiral at the head of the Varyag
As is known, after returning to Russia and upon his retirement in 1905, the commander of the Varyag, Rudnev, received the rank of rear admiral. Already today, one of the streets in South Butovo in Moscow received the name of Vsevolod Fedorovich. Although, perhaps, it would have been more logical to name Captain Rudnev, if necessary, to distinguish him among his famous namesakes in military affairs.
There is no mistake in the name, but this image requires clarification - in military history this man remained a captain of the 1st rank and commander of the Varyag, but as a rear admiral he could no longer prove himself. But an obvious mistake has crept into a number of modern textbooks for high school students, where the “legend” is already heard that the cruiser “Varyag” was commanded by Rear Admiral Rudnev. The authors did not go into detail and think about the fact that a rear admiral was somehow out of rank to command an armored cruiser of the 1st rank.
Two against fourteen
The literature often states that the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" were attacked by the Japanese squadron of Rear Admiral Uriu, consisting of 14 ships - 6 cruisers and 8 destroyers.
Here it is necessary to make several clarifications.
Outwardly, there was a huge numerical and qualitative superiority of the Japanese, which the enemy never took advantage of during the battle. It is necessary to take into account that on the eve of the battle at Chemulpo, the Uriu squadron consisted of not even 14, but 15 pennants - the armored cruiser Asama, armored cruisers Naniwa, Takachiho, Niitaka, Chiyoda, Akashi and eight destroyers and advice note "Chihaya".
True, even on the eve of the battle with the Varyag, the Japanese suffered non-combat losses. When the gunboat "Koreets" attempted to proceed from Chemulpo to Port Arthur, the Japanese squadron began dangerous maneuvering (which ended with the use of a gun) around the Russian gunboat, as a result of which the destroyer "Tsubame" ran aground and did not directly participate in the battle. The messenger ship Chihaya, which, nevertheless, was in close proximity to the battle site, did not participate in the battle. In reality, the battle was waged by a group of four Japanese cruisers, two more cruisers participated only sporadically, and the presence of Japanese destroyers remained a presence factor.
"A cruiser and two enemy destroyers at the bottom"
When it comes to military losses, this issue often becomes the subject of heated debate. The battle at Chemulpo was no exception, in which estimates of Japanese losses were very contradictory.
Russian sources indicate very high enemy losses: a destroyed destroyer, 30 killed and 200 wounded. They are based mainly on the opinions of representatives of foreign powers who observed the battle.
Over time, two destroyers and the cruiser Takachiho were already sunk (by the way, this data ended up in the feature film “Cruiser Varyag”). And if the fate of some Japanese destroyers raises questions, the cruiser Takachiho safely survived the Russo-Japanese War and died 10 years later with its entire crew during the siege of Qingdao.
Reports from all Japanese cruiser commanders indicate that there were no losses or damage to their ships. Another question: where, after the battle in Chemulpo, did the main enemy of the Varyag, the armored cruiser Asama, “disappear” for two months? Neither Port Arthur nor Admiral Kammimura was part of the squadron operating against the Vladivostok cruiser squadron. And this was at the very beginning of the war, when the outcome of the confrontation was far from decided.
It is likely that the ship, which became the main target of the Varyag’s guns, received serious damage, but at the beginning of the war, for propaganda purposes, the Japanese side was undesirable to talk about this. From the experience of the Russo-Japanese War, it is well known how the Japanese tried for a long time to hide their losses, for example, the death of the battleships Hatsuse and Yashima, and a number of destroyers that apparently ended up at the bottom were simply written off after the war as beyond repair.
Legends of Japanese modernization
A number of misconceptions are associated with the service of the Varyag in the Japanese fleet. One of them is related to the fact that after the rise of the Varyag, the Japanese retained the Russian state emblem and the name of the cruiser as a sign of respect. However, this was more likely due not to the desire to pay tribute to the crew of the heroic ship, but to design features - the coat of arms and name were mounted in the aft balcony and the Japanese attached the new name of the cruiser “Soya” on both sides to the balcony grille. The second misconception is the replacement of Nicolossa boilers with Miyabara boilers on the Varyag. Although the vehicles had to be thoroughly repaired, the cruiser showed a speed of 22.7 knots during testing.
LJ user drugoi writes: The 44th Red Banner Brigade of anti-submarine ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet is located in the very center of Vladivostok, next to the sea terminal, opposite the fleet headquarters building. Four large Project 1155 anti-submarine ships stand side by side against the wall. From here these ships go on combat duty to the Gulf of Aden, where they protect merchant ships from pirates.
To the right of the four BODs is the floating hospital Irtysh, and to the left is the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, the guards missile cruiser Varyag.
The Project 1164.1 missile cruiser "Chervona Ukraine" was laid down at the 61st Communard plant in Nikolaev on July 31, 1979 (serial number 2010), on November 5, 1982 it was included in the list of ships of the USSR Navy, launched on August 28, 1983, entered service commissioned on December 25, 1989, and on February 28, 1990 included in the Pacific Fleet. After the collapse of the USSR, the cruiser went to Russia and in 1996, at the initiative of the ship’s crew, it was named “Varyag” - in honor of the famous armored cruiser of the 1st Pacific Squadron of the Russian Navy, a participant in the Battle of Chemulpo in 1904.
The main cruiser is the homing cruise missiles of the P-1000 “Vulcan” complex. The SM-248 missile launchers are located on the sides of the ship; they look very impressive and can easily distinguish the Varyag from other ships. Project 1164 cruisers are also called “aircraft carrier killers” - in fact, that’s what they were created for.
1. The pattern of missile action is impressive - after a salvo from one side, all eight missiles, after opening their wings, form a single group, a “wolf pack” with a leader - a separately flying missile, which guides the entire group to the target, adjusts the course for the remaining missiles, dumping information on them. When approaching the target, the lead missile selects the largest object (an aircraft carrier), directs one of the missiles with the so-called at it. “special ammunition” and divides the remaining objects between the rest of the “flock” missiles. All missiles include homing heads and strike objects. The mass of one rocket is almost five tons, the flight speed is about 2900 km/h. An enemy ship has no chance of staying afloat after being hit by such a missile. If the lead missile is shot down, another one, exactly the same, takes its place. The attack takes place without the participation of the ship’s crew using a “fire and forget” system. Interestingly, all this is technology from the early 70s.
2. Acquaintance with “Varyag” begins with prosaic bags of cabbage and carrots. The Admiral Panteleev BOD standing nearby is preparing to set off on a trip to the shores of Africa and is loading a supply of food.
3. They go on sea voyages for a long time and seriously stock up on everything they need. This is only a small part of the drinking water that is loaded into the holds of a warship.
4. The officer accompanying me advised me not to use a mobile phone: “If it’s a smartphone, it’s better to turn it off, otherwise it might burn out.” I didn’t believe it, but I turned it off just in case. The ship has a full set of radar weapons of the MP-152 “Ring” complex for detecting operating radios and location stations, homing heads of enemy missiles, their direction finding and suppression. Perhaps there was some reason in the officer’s words.
5. On the forecastle of the Varyag there is an AK-130 - a ship’s automatic cannon. Fires a high-explosive fragmentation projectile at a speed of 90 rounds per minute and a range of up to 23 kilometers. Fully automatic - operates independently until the ammunition runs out. They say it has no analogues in the world. We knew how to do something, but something that shoots. There were problems with consumer goods, but the guns were always excellent. AK-130 is no exception. In the initial sketches of the ship, there were 12 launchers (six per side) and instead of one twin-barrel gun there were two single-barreled A-100s. In 1972, Admiral Gorshkov ordered the addition of four more launchers to fire two full eight-missile salvoes, and the two AK-100s were replaced with one twin-barreled AK-130. The ship became significantly heavier, the speed and ammunition of artillery guns decreased (720 rounds versus 2000).
6. Despite modern means of communication, the signal flag system remains the main communication for watercraft in the fleet. The Russian Navy uses the code of signals of the USSR Navy. 32 signal flags correspond to the letters of the Russian alphabet: Vedi - “The course leads to danger”, Zhivete - “Make a medium move”, Y - “Detected a mine”, etc. This photo shows the signalman's position on the cruiser. The metal box contains signal flags, which, if necessary, are raised on vertical halyards to the yardarm. To the left of the box are black “running balls”, which in the sea indicate the speed of the ship. The lower the “ball” is located, the higher the speed. By the way, the Varyag can travel at a speed of 32 knots. When he goes at such speed, the breakers behind him are ten meters high.
7. “What is that little red thing turning blue?” On the wall are silhouettes of ships and planes of Russia and NATO countries. A hint for the signalman who is observing what is happening around the ship.
8. This is the wheelhouse of the ship. From here it is controlled in everyday conditions. The cabin is connected to the combat information center BIUS "Lesorub-1164" by a command elevator.
9. Place of the commander of the cruiser “Varyag”, guard captain 1st rank Eduard Moskalenko.
10. Everything here really reminds us of the 70s. So reliable and iron. "Warm tube sound." I tried my best not to photograph anything secret, but go figure, where everything is.
11. “Tovs” - I love these naval words. Huys, biteng, twindeck, southwest, coaming, sternpost, binnacle - all this smells of the salty sea wind and is incredibly exciting.
12. The shifts went to their places of work. The Kavtarangs racked their brains: “What would I show you that’s so unclassified?” We agreed on some screen No. 22. Sailor Renat from Bashkortostan sat in the operator’s seat and began pressing buttons, turning on monitors - depicting the activities at the combat post. It looked quite authentic.
13. The same Renat, who caught the attention of the officers at the wrong time, enlivened the ship’s library room, pretending to be sorting out the mail that had arrived on the ship. The library is good. Small, but everything is there. In general, the Varyag is a fairly comfortable ship. The wardrooms are decorated with wood, there are paintings hanging, and carpets on the floor. There is a swimming pool with a waterfall, healing showers, a large steam room, and a sauna. The accommodation cabins are air conditioned and the ship has four air refrigeration units.
14. Walking on a cruiser involves long walks along endless corridors and sudden descents and ascents along vertical ladders. In the fourth compartment we go lower and lower, to where the sailors' quarters are. Weapons are, of course, interesting, but I really wanted to see how sailors live on one of the most powerful cruisers in the world.
16. On the screen of the competition for the best cabin, you can see, for example, that cabin No. 14, which scored a bolt for the competition in December, apparently received a big star from the commanders and then became advanced, without falling below the rating of “four”.
17. This is how the night shift rests in the now exemplary cockpit No. 14. I opened the door for a couple of seconds and took a few pictures of the sleeping sailors.
18. In the next cockpit, a sailor was writing something important in a journal. Next to him stands a cage with a parrot screwed to the table. The parrot was there and resting.
19. The holy of holies of the missile cruiser is the galley. The ceilings here are low and a sailor with a rag in his hand, putting things in order, walked with his head bent, which gave his figure a sad look. Nearby, two other sailors began to open cans with a simple knife, for which they immediately received a scolding from the officers accompanying me. Everything has to be perfect for someone else's eyes, I understand.
20. A ship's cat is an indispensable accessory for any warship to combat rodents. Or, as they say here, “squirrels.” Seals and vital cables in a metal braid - these are the conditions for the coexistence of people and rodents. There are several cats on the ship; they are brought in one at a time to the combat unit. The cats of the cruiser "Varyag" are popular with guests in different countries where the ship calls. It happens that they are given as gifts - one of the ship's cats now lives in an Orthodox church in Singapore. Mother, they say, was happy with such a gift. Another was given to a local admiral in Indonesia.
21. I wanted to take one lifebuoy as a souvenir. They didn’t give me a government circle, but they gave me something else.
22. We had lunch with the officers, talked, then moved to the work cabin, where we talked some more. I didn’t want to leave, but time was running out for them and for me. When leaving, I took a few more pictures on the deck of the Varyag and on the shore.
24. It seemed to me that everything was in order on the cruiser. He goes to sea and conducts training exercises. “Varyag” is a welcome guest in foreign ports; queues line up for people wishing to take a tour of the ship. As the officers said: “The French Mistral is parked nearby - there is no one there, but to us there is a queue for the entire pier, thirty thousand people come for several days of visit.” You can see how proud the sailors are of their “Varyag” and their service. They invited me to go on a hike - I have to think about it, I’m not friends with the jocks, although I really want to, of course. Because this is real.
The cruiser "Varyag" was built in 1899. The ship became part of the Pacific Flotilla. On the eve of the Russo-Japanese War, the Varyag set sail for the neutral Korean port of Chemulpo (modern Incheon). Here he found himself at the disposal of the Russian embassy. The second such vessel was the gunboat “Koreets”.
On the eve of the battle
On New Year's Eve 1904, Captain Vsevolod Rudnev received a secret encryption. It reported that the Korean emperor learned about the movement of ten Japanese ships towards Chemulpo (the death of the cruiser "Varyag" occurred at one time in the bay of this port). So far there has been no war, although both countries were actively preparing for it. Japan was looked down upon in Russia, which left the army and navy in a difficult position when the conflict really broke out.
The Japanese flotilla was commanded by Admiral Sotokichi Uriu. His ships arrived off the Korean coast to cover the landing. The flotilla was supposed to stop the Varyag if it decided to leave the bay and interfere with the transfer of the ground army. On January 27 (old style), enemy ships appeared in the coastal waters. It was the first day of the Russo-Japanese War.
The situation in the port of Chemulpo was complicated by the fact that ships from other countries were there: Great Britain, France, Italy and the USA. On the morning of January 27, Japanese Admiral Uriu sent a message to their representatives that he was going to attack Russian ships. In this regard, neutral ships were asked to leave the roadstead before 16:00 so that they would not come under fire. The Europeans notified Captain Rudnev about the Japanese warning. It became clear that a battle was inevitable, despite the obvious violation of international law (the drama took place in the port of a third country).
The approach of the Japanese flotilla
By morning, the landing of the three thousand-strong ground contingent had already been completed. Now the transport ships had left the battle area, and the warships could begin preparing for the upcoming attack. In the port, a fire was visible at the Japanese landing site. The enemy deliberately put psychological pressure on the Russian sailors. The heroic death of the cruiser "Varyag" showed that all these attempts were doomed to failure. The Russian sailors and their officers were ready for anything, although they had to humiliatingly wait for the enemy to attack and helplessly watch the landing.
Meanwhile, the commanders of the foreign ships sent a written protest to the Japanese. This paper had no effect. The foreigners did not dare to take any other steps. Their ships retired to the port and did not show themselves in any way during the battle. and the gunboat were blocked in the bay. They could not go out to the open sea, since the road was blocked by a Japanese flotilla of ten ships. The subsequent death of the cruiser "Varyag" was largely due to paralysis and inept actions of the command in Port Arthur. The fleet commanders behaved irresponsibly. They made no attempt to prevent the disaster, although reports of the approaching Japanese squadron had been received for months.
"Varyag" leaves Chemulpo
Captain Vsevolod Rudnev, realizing that it was pointless to wait for help from foreigners or his own superiors, decided to break out of the bay and take the fight. There was simply no talk of capitulation. At 10 o'clock in the morning the captain arrived at the cruiser and informed the officers of his decision. The general opinion was unanimous - to try to break through, and if the attempt fails, then to sink the ships.
The doctors were the first to prepare for battle. Doctors, nurses and paramedics set up dressing stations. For the next few days they forgot about what sleep was - they had too much work. At 11 o'clock Rudnev gave a speech to the whole team. The sailors supported the captain with a loud “Hurray!” No one was afraid of the death of the cruiser "Varyag", no one wanted to give up, folding their hands in advance. The reaction to “Korean” was similar. Even the cook, who was a civilian worker, refused to leave the ship and take refuge in the consulate. When the Varyag left the port, foreign crews lined up on the decks of their ships. So the French, Italians and British paid tribute to the courage of the crew, who had an unequal battle ahead. In response, the national anthems of these countries were played on the Varyag.
The balance of forces between the parties
Which squadron was the cruiser Varyag supposed to resist? The story of the ship's death might not have happened at all if it had fought under different combat conditions. Every Japanese ship was within his power. The exception was Asama, one of the best armored cruisers in the whole world. "Varyag" was the embodiment of the idea of a strong and fast reconnaissance aircraft. His main advantage in the battle was a swift attack and a short but deafening blow to the enemy.
The Varyag could best demonstrate all these qualities on the open sea, where it would have room to maneuver. But its location, and subsequently the place of death of the cruiser “Varyag”, was in a narrow fairway full of shallows and stones. Under such conditions, the ship could not accelerate and effectively hit the enemy. Due to the narrow course, the cruiser had to fly at gunpoint from the Japanese. Therefore, the outcome of the battle was determined only by the ratio of the number of guns. A dozen ships had many more of them than a cruiser and gunboat.
The situation became especially hopeless due to the presence of Asama. The guns of this cruiser were practically invulnerable, as they were hidden behind thick turret armor. For comparison: on Russian ships the artillery was open and deck-based. In addition, half of the Korean guns were simply outdated. During the battle they were completely inactive.
Start of the battle
The Japanese ships predetermined the place of death of the cruiser "Varyag", standing ten miles from the Korean Chemulpo. When the squadrons met, a signal followed asking for surrender. “Varyag” proudly remained silent to this proposal. The first shots from the Asama were fired around 12 o'clock. They were produced at a time when the ships were at a distance of about 8 kilometers from each other.
Everyone understood that the death of the cruiser Varyag was inevitable. The fight, however, was accepted. Two minutes after the first Japanese shots, shooting began on the starboard side of the Varyag. It was led by Kuzma Khvatkov, the senior gunner. On the eve of the battle, he was lying in the hospital after an operation. Having learned about the upcoming battle, the gunner demanded to be discharged and soon arrived on board the Varyag. Khvatkov, with rare courage, continued to fire continuously throughout the entire battle, even after all his assistants were killed and wounded.
The first hit of a Japanese shell destroyed the upper bow bridge and broke the fore shrouds. Because of this, a fire started in the chart room. An explosion followed, killing junior navigator Alexei Nirod and signalman Gavriil Mironov. Timofey Shlykov, a brave and determined boatswain, began to lead the fire extinguishing efforts.
Fire on board
Columns of black smoke were the first signs that marked the death of the cruiser Varyag. The date January 27, 1905 became the day of courage and persistence of the Russian crew. The fire allowed the Japanese to easily adjust fire on the enemy. The Varyag's guns were aimed mainly at Asama. The fire was carried out with armor-piercing shells, which actually tore through the thick armor and exploded inside the ship. Therefore, the damage caused to the Japanese was not as obvious as the fire on the Russian cruiser.
The cruiser "Asama" fired diversionary fire. It distracted the attention of the Varyag's guns, thanks to which other ships of the Japanese flotilla could shoot the enemy with impunity. The shells began to hit the target more and more often. Thus, the death of the cruiser “Varyag” was gradually approaching. Photos of the heroic crew and their ship soon appeared in all the world's newspapers.
But on the afternoon of January 27, the sailors and officers clearly had no time for the future. After another hit, the deck flooring caught fire. The fire became extremely dangerous, because there was a signal system nearby, as well as elevators. They tried to put out the flames with powerful jets of water supplied from hoses. Meanwhile, the gunners standing at the open guns fell dead due to the deadly whirlwind of fragments raised by enemy shells.
The doctors worked intently and silently. The flow of wounded increased. People who were seriously injured found the strength to get to the hospital on their own. The lightly wounded did not pay any attention to the damage and remained at their posts. The death of the cruiser “Varyag” was so heroic and unprecedented. And the main ship also happened to find itself under heavy fire from the enemy, who reveled in their numerical superiority.
Maneuver
When the Varyag moved eight miles away from Chemulpo, the captain decided to turn to the right in order to get out of the fire and bring the guns on the left side into battle. The ship began to maneuver, and at that moment the ship was hit by two large shells. The heroic death of the cruiser "Varyag" has become even closer. Due to the explosion, the ship lost steering control. Some of the fragments went straight into the control room, where, in addition to the captain, there were some officers and musicians. The drummer and staff bugler died, many were wounded, but no one wanted to go to the hospital and leave Rudnev.
Due to the loss of the steering wheel, the order was given to switch to manual control. No one wanted the enemy to have the sinking of the cruiser Varyag easily. The Russo-Japanese War had just begun, and there were many more similar battles ahead, when Russian ships found themselves outnumbered. Their crews, following the crew of the Varyag, showed miracles of courage and devotion to duty.
The cruiser got within five miles of the enemy flotilla. The Japanese fire intensified. It was at this time that the Varyag received the most severe and fatal damage. A large-caliber shell pierced the stern on the left side. Water poured into the holes and began to flood the coal stokers. Quartermasters Zhigarev and Zhuravlev rushed into the room. They prevented the further spread of water and flooding of other stokers. The death of the cruiser Varyag was postponed over and over again. In short, the Russian crew fought with that stubbornness that only happens to doomed people driven into a corner.
Retreat
Meanwhile, the “Korean” began to cover the “Varyag”, which was making an important maneuver. His small projectiles were finally able to reach enemy ships. Return shooting began. Soon a fire broke out on one of the Japanese cruisers, and another destroyer began to sink. When the turn was completed, the guns on the left side joined the battle. The gunners, the main heroes of the battle, enraged by the death of their comrades, fired without stopping. The result was not long in coming. One of the shells destroyed the stern bridge of the Asama, the best Japanese cruiser. The author of the successful shot was gunner Fedor Elizarov, who stood behind the six-inch gun No. 12.
After the turn, the captain directed the ship back to the roadstead, trying to delay the death of the cruiser Varyag. The date of this event became one of the most striking and tragic in the history of the Russian fleet. By 13 o'clock the battle had stopped, as the Varyag was finally back in the roadstead.
During the battle they fired more than 1,100 shells. The crew lost half of the team on the upper deck. Fans and boats were turned into sieve. The deck and sides received numerous holes, which is why the Varyag appeared to list to the left side.
Sinking of the cruiser
Foreign ships, which had previously been in the roadstead, prepared to leave for the port so as not to interfere with the Japanese to finish off the Russians. Rudnev, assessing the situation, realized that the cruiser had lost most of its combat power. It was impossible to fight in such conditions. At a short military council, the captain decided to open the seams and scuttle the ship.
The evacuation of the team began. The wounded sailors and officers were passed on to each other in their arms. The death of the cruiser "Varyag" and the boat "Koreets" was approaching. Most of the Russians moved to neutral ships. The last crew members left on the ship to scuttle it remained in the water. Someone got to the ships by swimming, but Vasily Belousov remained holding on to the ice floe waiting for the arrival of the French boat.
"Korean" was blown up. Foreigners asked to do without such a measure in relation to the cruiser. The fact was that the wreckage of the gunboat collided at great speed with the water surface next to the neutral ships. The roll of the "Varyag" became stronger and stronger. From a distance, new explosions were periodically heard on it - this fire consumed the surviving cartridges and shells. Finally the ship sank. At 18 o'clock the final death of the cruiser "Varyag" was noted. The image of a ship that entered battle against unequal forces and its heroic crew remained forever in the memory of the Russian fleet.
Return of the crew to their homeland
23 people died in the battle, another 10 seriously wounded died in hospitals after evacuation. The remaining crew left for their homeland in mid-February. The heroic death of the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" has already become known to the whole world. Sailors and officers in every country where they stopped were greeted with cordiality and undisguised admiration. Telegrams and letters were sent to them from all over.
A large delegation of compatriots met the crew in Shanghai, where the gunboat Manjur was then located. The Consul General and Ambassador of Russia in Constantinople hurried to meet the heroes, despite their very short stop in this city. Glory was ahead of the sailors. The crew had to return to their homeland, landing in Odessa. In this city, preparations for his meeting took place for several weeks.
The heroes were awarded right on board the arriving ship. It should be said that all crew members were awarded, regardless of rank. A fireworks display was given in honor of those who arrived. The whole city was choked with festive rejoicing. The picture was similar in Sevastopol, where the Black Sea Fleet was based. On April 10, 1904, 600 sailors and 30 officers of the Varyag and Koreyets left for St. Petersburg in a special train. Along the way, the train stopped in Moscow and at several other stations. Everywhere, townspeople and top officials of the cities were invariably waiting for the train.
On the 16th the crew finally arrived in St. Petersburg. On the platform of the Nikolaevsky station he was met by relatives, representatives of the city duma, the army, the nobility and, of course, all the highest ranks of the Russian fleet. At the head of this crowd stood Admiral General Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich.
The sailors marched solemnly along the festively decorated Nevsky Prospect. The street was packed to capacity with citizens. Soldiers from the capital's garrison were lined up along the entire avenue to hold back the crowd. The ceremonial orchestra was inaudible amid the incessant shouts and applause. The culmination was the meeting of the crew and Tsar Nicholas II.
The further fate of the ship
The Japanese were amazed by the behavior and courage of the Russians. It is significant that Emperor Mutsuito in 1907 sent Captain Vsevolod Rudnev the Order of the Rising Sun, II degree. The death of the cruiser "Varyag" was remembered year after year not only in Russia, but also in Japan. In Tokyo they decided to raise and repair the cruiser. It was incorporated into the Imperial Navy and given the name "Soya". For seven years she was used as a training ship. The name "Varyag" on the stern of the ship was retained by the Japanese as a sign of respect for the courage of Russian sailors and officers. Once the cruiser even went on a trip to
Russia and Japan became allies. The tsarist government bought Varyag back. In 1916, he returned to Vladivostok under the Russian flag. The ship was transferred to the Arctic Ocean flotilla. On the eve of the February Revolution, the cruiser went to Great Britain for repairs. The authorities of this country confiscated the Varyag when the Bolsheviks refused to pay the debts of the tsarist government. In 1920, the ship was sold to the Germans for scrap metal. In 1925, the cruiser was caught in a storm while being towed and finally sank in the Irish Sea.