The ''Borodino''-class battleships were a group of five
pre-dreadnought battleship
Pre-dreadnought battleships were sea-going battleships built between the mid- to late- 1880s and 1905, before the launch of in 1906. The pre-dreadnought ships replaced the ironclad battleships of the 1870s and 1880s. Built from steel, protec ...
s built for the
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from ...
around the end of the 19th century. Their design was based on that of the French-built modified to use Russian equipment. The first four ships were finished after the start of the
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...
of 1904–1905 and were among the ships ordered to sail from the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
to the
Far East
The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.
The ter ...
to relieve the
Pacific Squadron
The Pacific Squadron was part of the United States Navy squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially with no United States ports in the Pacific, they operated out of storeships which provided naval s ...
besieged by the Japanese in
Port Arthur. Three of these ships were sunk and one was captured by the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...
at the
Battle of Tsushima in 1905. The fifth and final ship, , was not completed in time to participate in the war and served with the
Baltic Fleet through
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Design and description
Tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...
Nicholas II had desired a
warm-water port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...
on the Pacific since his accession to the throne in 1894. He achieved this ambition in March 1898 when Russia signed a 25-year lease for Port Arthur and the
Liaotung Peninsula
The Liaodong Peninsula (also Liaotung Peninsula, ) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located between the mouths of the Daliao River (the h ...
with China. Japan had previously forced China to sign over the port and its surrounding territory as part of
the treaty that concluded the
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the ...
of 1894–1895, but the
Triple Intervention
The Tripartite Intervention or was a diplomatic intervention by Russia, Germany, and France on 23 April 1895 over the harsh terms of the Treaty of Shimonoseki imposed by Japan on the Qing dynasty of China that ended the First Sino-Japanese War. ...
of France, Russia, and Germany forced them to return the port in exchange for a sizeable increase in the indemnity paid by the Chinese. Japan invested much of the indemnity money in expanding its fleet, while Russia began a major building programme ("For the Needs of the Far East") to defend its newly acquired port that included the ''Borodino''-class battleships.
The ''Borodino''s were the most numerous class of battleships ever built by Russia. Although they were intended to be near duplicates of ''Tsesarevich'', as soon as the contracts were signed, it became clear that they would be quite different from the French-built ship. The basic problem facing the navy was that the ''Borodinos'' would have heavier engines and larger turrets which would require a designer to build a ship which had the same speed, draft, guns and armor as ''Tsesarevich'', but a greater displacement. The new design was drawn up by D. V. Skvortsov of the Naval Technical Committee (NTC). He completed his new design in July/August 1898, one month after the original contract had been signed. The new concept was roughly tons heavier and slightly larger and wider than the ''Tsesarevich.''
As might be expected, the ''Borodino''s greatly resembled ''Tsesarevich'', although Skvortsov added two more casemates, each containing four guns, one at the bow and the other aft. These guns were added to the already existing dozen 75 mm guns emplaced along the sides above the armor belt. This caused the
tumblehome
Tumblehome is a term describing a hull which grows narrower above the waterline than its beam. The opposite of tumblehome is flare.
A small amount of tumblehome is normal in many naval architecture designs in order to allow any small projecti ...
used on the rest of the hull to be deleted over the twelve guns and flat-sided armor was used in its place. Thus the five ''Borodino''-class battleships had tumblehome hulls only fore and aft of their 75 mm guns emplaced along their sides. The centreline
bulkhead between the engine and boiler rooms caused a danger of capsizing if one side flooded and the narrow
belt armor
Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal armor plated onto or within the outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and aircraft carriers.
The belt armor is designed to prevent projectiles from penetrating to ...
became submerged when overloaded. As such, naval historian
Antony Preston regarded these as some of the worst battleships ever built.
The ships were
long at the waterline and long
overall
Overalls, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers".
Overalls were ...
, with a
beam of and a
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
of , more than designed. Their normal displacement ranged from , more than their designed displacement of . They were designed for a crew of 28 officers and 754 enlisted men,
[McLaughlin, p. 136] although carried 928 crewmen during the Battle of Tsushima.
[Campbell 1978, p. 187]
The ''Borodino''-class ships were powered by two 4-cylinder
triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam generated by 20
Belleville boiler
There have been a vast number of designs of steam boiler, particularly towards the end of the 19th century when the technology was evolving rapidly. A great many of these took the names of their originators or primary manufacturers, rather than a m ...
s. The engines were designed to reach a top speed of . The
lead ship
The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels.
Large ships are very complex and may ...
, ''Borodino'', was fitted with a copy of the La Seyne machinery installed in ''Tsesarvich'' and built by the
Franco-Russian Works. The remaining four ''Borodino''s were supplied with machinery designed and built by the
Baltic Works. ''Borodino''s engines were rated at and its boilers had a working pressure of ; the machinery of her
sisters
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...
was rated at and their boilers had a working pressure of . Other differences were that ''Borodino'' was equipped with
economiser
Economizers (US and Oxford spelling), or economisers (UK), are mechanical devices intended to reduce energy consumption, or to perform useful function such as preheating a fluid. The term economizer is used for other purposes as well. Boiler, po ...
s for her boilers as well as three-bladed screws, while her sisters lacked economisers and had four-bladed propellers.
[McLaughlin, pp. 137, 144]
Because the ships were being prepared to go to the
Far East
The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.
The ter ...
shortly after completion, they conducted only abbreviated
sea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...
s. Only reached her designed speed during these trails, despite her engines producing only . The engines of her sisters produced more power, but they were slower during their trials. At deep load they carried of coal that provided them a range of at a speed of . The ships were fitted with six steam-driven generators with a total capacity of .
[
]
Armament and fire control
The main armament of the ''Borodino'' class consisted of two pairs of 40- caliber 12-inch guns mounted in French-style, electrically powered, twin-gun turret
A gun turret (or simply turret) is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechani ...
s fore and aft. The turrets had a maximum elevation of +15° and 60 rounds per gun were carried.[ The guns fired one shell every 90–132 seconds. They fired a shell at a muzzle velocity of to a range of at maximum elevation.`
The secondary armament of the ships consisted of a dozen 45-caliber Canet Model 1891 (QF) guns mounted in six electrically powered twin-gun turrets on the upper deck. The turrets had a maximum elevation of +15° arc of fire and the center turrets could cover 180°. Each six-inch gun was provided with 180 rounds.][ Their rate of fire was about 2–4 rounds per minute.][Forczyk, p. 30] They fired shells that weighed with a muzzle velocity of . They had a maximum range of approximately .[
A number of smaller guns were carried for defense against ]torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...
s. These included twenty 50-calibre Canet QF guns mounted in hull embrasure
An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions (merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a space hollowed out ...
s. The ships carried 300 shells for each gun.[ They fired a shell at a muzzle velocity of to a maximum range of at an elevation of +13°. The ''Borodino''-class ships also mounted sixteen or eighteen Hotchkiss guns in the superstructure.][McLaughlin, p. 142] They fired a shell at a muzzle velocity of at a rate of around 15 rounds per minute.[
The ships carried four ]torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes.
There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...
s, two of which were mounted above water in the bow and stern while the two broadside underwater tubes were located near the forward 12-inch magazine. Four torpedoes were carried for the above-water tubes and six for the submerged tubes. They also carried 50 mines to be laid to protect their anchorage in remote areas.[
The ''Borodino'' class were originally fitted with Liuzhol stadiametric rangefinders that used the angle between two vertical points on an enemy ship, usually the waterline and the ]crow's nest
A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the main mast of a ship or a structure that is used as a lookout point.
On ships, this position ensured the widest field of view for lookouts to spot approaching hazards, other ships, or land b ...
, to estimate the range. The gunnery officer consulted his references to get the range and calculated the proper elevation and deflection
Deflection or deflexion may refer to:
Board games
* Deflection (chess), a tactic that forces an opposing chess piece to leave a square
* Khet (game), formerly ''Deflexion'', an Egyptian-themed chess-like game using lasers
Mechanics
* Deflection ...
required to hit the target. He then transmitted his commands via a Geisler electro-mechanical fire-control transmission system to each gun or turret. While fitting out
Fitting out, or outfitting, is the process in shipbuilding that follows the float-out/launching of a vessel and precedes sea trials. It is the period when all the remaining construction of the ship is completed and readied for delivery to her o ...
, these rangefinders were replaced on the first four ships by two Barr and Stroud coincidence rangefinder
A coincidence rangefinder or coincidence telemeter is a type of rangefinder that uses mechanical and optical principles to allow an operator to determine the distance to a visible object. There are subtypes split-image telemeter, inverted image, ...
s that used two images that had to be superimposed to derive the range. Perepelkin telescopic sight
A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope informally, is an optical sighting device based on a refracting telescope. It is equipped with some form of a referencing pattern – known as a '' reticle'' – mounted in a focally appropriate ...
s were also installed for their guns, but their crews were not trained in how to use them.[
The ]waterline
The waterline is the line where the hull of a ship meets the surface of the water. Specifically, it is also the name of a special marking, also known as an international load line, Plimsoll line and water line (positioned amidships), that indi ...
armor belt of the ''Borodino''s consisted of Krupp armor and was thick. The armor of their gun turrets had a maximum thickness of and their deck ranged from in thickness. The armored lower deck curved downwards and formed an anti-torpedo bulkhead
A torpedo bulkhead is a type of naval armour common on the more heavily armored warships, especially battleships and battlecruisers of the early 20th century. It is designed to keep the ship afloat even if the hull is struck underneath the belt ar ...
.
Ships
Service history
On 15 October 1904, ''Knyaz Suvorov'', flagship of Vice Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky
Zinovy Petrovich Rozhestvensky (russian: Зиновий Петрович Рожественский, tr. ; – January 14, 1909) was an admiral of the Imperial Russian Navy. He was in command of the Second Pacific Squadron in the Battle of Tsu ...
, commander of the 2nd Pacific Squadron, and the other three ''Borodino''-class battleships set sail for Port Arthur from Libau along with the other vessels of the squadron. Rozhestvensky had received numerous reports of Japanese agents and torpedo boats disguised as fishing vessels before sailing and he ordered maximum alertness after coaling at Skagen
Skagen () is Denmark's northernmost town, on the east coast of the Skagen Odde peninsula in the far north of Jutland, part of Frederikshavn Municipality in Nordjylland, north of Frederikshavn and northeast of Aalborg. The Port of Skage ...
, Denmark on 7 October. Early on the evening of the following day, when the squadron was near the Dogger Bank
Dogger Bank (Dutch: ''Doggersbank'', German: ''Doggerbank'', Danish: ''Doggerbanke'') is a large sandbank in a shallow area of the North Sea about off the east coast of England.
During the last ice age the bank was part of a large landmass ...
, the auxiliary repair ship
A repair ship is a naval auxiliary ship designed to provide maintenance support to warships. Repair ships provide similar services to destroyer, submarine and seaplane tenders or depot ships, but may offer a broader range of repair capability incl ...
''Kamchatka'' reported that she was under attack by torpedo boats in the rain. About four hours later, the squadron encountered British fishing trawlers working the Dogger Bank in the fog and opened fire on them at very short range. One trawler was sunk and at least three others were damaged; several fishermen were killed and others wounded. The battleships also fired upon and damaged the cruisers and in the confusion. The incident enraged the British population and caused a diplomatic incident with the British that nearly led to war until Russia apologized and agreed to pay reparations on 29 October.
Rozhestvensky led his ships down the Atlantic coast of Africa, rounding the Cape of Good Hope, and reached the island of Nosy Be
Nosy Be (formerly Nossi-bé and Nosse Be) is an island off the northwest coast of Madagascar. Nosy Be is Madagascar's largest and busiest tourist resort. It has an area of , and its population was 109,465 according to the provisional results of ...
off the north-west coast of Madagascar on 9 January 1905 where they remained for two months while Rozhestvensky finalized his coaling arrangements. During this time, he learned of the capture of Port Arthur and changed his destination to Vladivostok
Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, c ...
, the only other port controlled by the Russians in the Far East. The squadron sailed for Camranh Bay
Cam Ranh Bay ( vi, Vịnh Cam Ranh) is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in Khánh Hòa Province. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kilo ...
, French Indochina
French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...
, on 16 March and reached it almost a month later to await the obsolete ships of the 3rd Pacific Squadron, commanded by Rear Admiral Nikolai Nebogatov. The latter ships reached Camranh Bay on 9 May and the combined force sailed for Vladivostok on 14 May. While exact figures are not available, it is probable that the ships were approximately overweight as they were overloaded with coal and other supplies; all of which was stored high in the ships and reduced their stability
Stability may refer to:
Mathematics
*Stability theory, the study of the stability of solutions to differential equations and dynamical systems
** Asymptotic stability
** Linear stability
** Lyapunov stability
** Orbital stability
** Structural sta ...
. The extra weight also submerged their waterline armor belt and left only about of the upper armor belt above the waterline.
Battle of Tsushima
Before the battle Rozhestvensky grouped the four ''Borodino''s into one division and retained personal command of the division. ''Oryol'', the last ship in the division, fired the first shots of the Battle of Tsushima when the ship's captain, Nikolay Yung
Nikolay Viktorovich Yung (russian: Никола́й Ви́кторович Юнг; – ) was a career officer in the Imperial Russian Navy, noted for his participation in the Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War as captain of the b ...
, ordered her to open fire at 11:42 at a Japanese cruiser that was shadowing the Russian formation at a range of . Rozhestvensky had not given any pre-battle instructions to the fleet covering this situation, but he ordered Yung to cease fire after 30 rounds had been fired without effect. ''Knyaz Suvorov'' was the lead ship in the Russian battle line and she opened fire at the , flagship of Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō
Marshal-Admiral Marquis , served as a '' gensui'' or admiral of the fleet in the Imperial Japanese Navy and became one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. He claimed descent from Samurai Shijo Kingo, and he was an integral part of preserving ...
at 14:05. ''Mikasa'' and the other Japanese ships began to return fire about five minutes later. Their high-explosive shells quickly set all four of the Borodinos on fire; at 14:35, Rozhestvensky and the ''Knyaz Suvorov''s captain were wounded by splinters that entered the ship's conning tower. Around 14:52, another hit jammed ''Knyaz Suvorov''s steering gear after a four point turn to starboard had been ordered and caused the ship to make nearly a full circle before she could be steered by her engines. By this time ''Knyaz Suvorov''s aft 12-inch gun turret had been destroyed by an explosion that blew its roof off onto the quarterdeck, her forward funnel
A funnel is a tube or pipe that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, used for guiding liquid or powder into a small opening.
Funnels are usually made of stainless steel, aluminium, glass, or plastic. The material used in its construct ...
had fallen down and her mainmast
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, and giving necessary height to a navigation lig ...
had been shot away.[McLaughlin, p. 169]
''Imperator Aleksandr III'' and the other ships of the division briefly followed ''Knyaz Suvorov'' until it became clear that the latter ship was out of control and then turned north in an effort to get behind Tōgō's ships. ''Knyaz Suvorov'' never regained her position in the battle line and became the primary target of the Japanese for a time. Around 16:00 the captain of ''Imperator Alexandr III'', Nikolai Bukhvostov, decided to duplicate 's maneuver at the Battle of the Yellow Sea
The Battle of the Yellow Sea ( ja, 黄海海戦, Kōkai kaisen; russian: Бой в Жёлтом море) was a major naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 10 August 1904. In the Russian Navy, it was referred to as the Battle of 10 A ...
by charging straight for the Japanese battleline in an attempt to focus their attention on his ship rather than ''Knyaz Suvorov''. He was successful, but ''Imperator Aleksandr III'' was badly damaged in the process. ''Borodino'' now assumed the lead position and turned the fleet to the south where they temporarily managed to disengage in the mist and fog.
''Knyaz Suvorov'' was badly damaged by repeated attacks after she separated from the main body although she was initially in no danger of sinking. The Russian destroyer '' Buinyi'' came alongside around 17:30 and evacuated Rozhestvensky and other wounded officers. Torpedoes fired by a number of torpedo boats ultimately caused a magazine to explode around 19:20 and ''Knyaz Suvorov'' capsized at about 19:30.[ Other than the 20 officers taken off by ''Buinyi'',][Forczyk, p. 67] there were no survivors of the 928 crew aboard.[
When the shooting between the battle lines resumed around 18:00, the Japanese concentrated their fire upon ''Imperator Aleksandr III'' and ''Borodino''. ''Imperator Alexandr III'' sheered out of line to port around 18:30 and ]capsize
Capsizing or keeling over occurs when a boat or ship is rolled on its side or further by wave action, instability or wind force beyond the angle of positive static stability or it is upside down in the water. The act of recovering a vessel fro ...
d, but did not sink until 19:07; there were no survivors. ''Borodino'' lasted a little while longer under concentrated Japanese fire. Two 12-inch hits by the battleship at 19:18 started a massive fire and both the ship's 12-inch gun turrets were knocked out. Ten minutes later, after Tōgō ordered his ships to cease fire and disengage, the battleship fired her already-loaded 12-inch guns before turning away. One of these hit ''Borodino'' beneath her starboard forward six-inch turret and ignited the ready-use ammunition in the turret. The fire spread and caused a catastrophic detonation in several magazines that blew open her hull. ''Borodino'' quickly capsized and sank with only one crewman from her crew of 855 being rescued.[Campbell 1978, p. 135]
''Oryol'' took the lead after ''Borodino'' was sunk; she was joined by Nebogatov's Second Division after Tōgō ordered the Japanese battleships to disengage in the gathering darkness. Nebogatov assumed command of the remains of the fleet and they continued towards Vladivostok. The ships were discovered by the Japanese early the following morning and attacked by Tōgō's battleships around 10:00. The faster Japanese ships stayed beyond the range at which Nebogatov's ships could effectively reply and he decided to surrender his ships at 10:30 as he could neither return fire nor close the range.
Post-Tsushima careers
The Japanese substantially rebuilt ''Oryol'' and recommissioned her in June 1907 with the name of ''Iwami''.[Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 21] To reduce her top weight, they cut down her superstructure and repositioned her guns. In addition, her boilers were replaced by an unknown number of Japanese-built Miyabara boilers and she was rearmed with Japanese-made guns. These changes reduced her displacement to approximately and her crew now totaled 750 officers and crewmen.
During World War I, the ship participated in the Siege of Tsingtao
The siege of Tsingtao (or Tsingtau) was the attack on the German port of Tsingtao (now Qingdao) in China during World War I by Japan and the United Kingdom. The siege was waged against Imperial Germany between 27 August and 7 November 1914. ...
in August–November 1914[McLaughlin, p. 146] and served as the flagship of the Japanese Intervention Squadron in Vladivostok in 1918 when Japan intervened in the Russian Civil War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Russian Civil War
, partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I
, image =
, caption = Clockwise from top left:
{{flatlist,
*Soldiers ...
. She was used as a training ship in 1921 and disarmed in 1922 in accordance with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty. Sources differ as to her ultimate fate; she was either sunk as a target by aircraft near Miura in July 1924 or scrapped at Kobe in 1924–1925.
Serving in the Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
during World War I, ''Slava'' was the largest ship of the Russian Gulf of Riga Squadron that fought the German High Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet (''Hochseeflotte'') was the battle fleet of the German Imperial Navy and saw action during the First World War. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet (''Heimatflotte'') was renamed as the High Seas ...
in the Battle of the Gulf of Riga
The Battle of the Gulf of Riga was a World War I naval operation of the German High Seas Fleet against the Russian Baltic Fleet in the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea in August 1915. The operation's objective was to destroy the Russian naval for ...
in August 1915. She was lightly damaged by three hits during the battle. She repeatedly bombarded German positions and troops for the rest of 1915 and during 1916. During the Battle of Moon Sound
The Battle of Moon Sound was a naval battle fought between the forces of the German Empire, and the then Russian Republic (and three British submarines) in the Baltic Sea during Operation Albion from 16 October 1917 until 3 November 1917 duri ...
in 1917, ''Slava'' was badly damaged by the German dreadnought
The dreadnought (alternatively spelled dreadnaught) was the predominant type of battleship in the early 20th century. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's , had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her ...
and the flooding significantly increased her draft. The shallow channel made it impossible to escape and she was scuttled in the Moon Sound Strait between the island of Muhu
Muhu (also called Muhumaa in Estonian), is an island in the West Estonian archipelago of the Baltic Sea. With an area of it is the third largest island belonging to Estonia, after Saaremaa and Hiiumaa.
Together with neighbouring smaller is ...
(Moon) and the mainland. The Estonians scrapped her in 1935.[Campbell 1979, p. 294]
Notes
Footnotes
References
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External links
*
Russian navy site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borodino Class Battleship
Battleship classes
''Borodino''-class battleship
''Borodino''-class battleship
''Borodino''-class battleship