''Vityaz'' (russian: Витязь,
translit. ''Vityaz'') was a
steam corvette of the
Baltic Fleet of 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 ...
. Later renamed ''Skobelev'', ''Vityaz'' spent much of its career as an oceanographic
research vessel
A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...
, completing two
circumnavigation
Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth.
The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the Mage ...
s of the world in this capacity.
Construction and design
The ship was
laid down
Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.
Keel laying is one o ...
on August 23, 1861 and it was
launched on July 24, 1862.
''Vityaz'' was built at
Pori in the
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecess ...
, at the time a part of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
.
''Vityaz'' was one of four sail-screw
corvettes of the ''Bogatyr'' class, equipped with 17 guns and displacing 2,156 tons.
Equipped with a 160
nominal horsepower
Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...
/
steam engine built by the
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
company
John Cockerill, ''Vityaz'' was capable of a speed of .
At launch the corvette was armed with one No. 1 and 16 No. 2
model 1855 cannons (
ru).
These 60-pounder
smoothbore
A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars.
History
Early firearms had smoothly bored barrels that fired projectiles without signi ...
cannons were developed by the Russian artillery general
N.A. Baumgart (
ru) and adopted by 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 ...
in 1855. By 1870, the original guns had been replaced with newer
rifled guns, including five 1867-model 6-inch guns, four 1867-model 9-pounder cannons, and three rapid fire guns.
Service
In 1863 and 1864, ''Vityaz'' participated in an expedition to North America as part of the squadron of Rear Admiral
S.S. Lesovsky (
ru).
In 1869, ''Vityaz'' supported oceanographic research by
Stepan Makarov in the
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara,; grc, Προποντίς, Προποντίδα, Propontís, Propontída also known as the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea via t ...
and the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
.
''Vityaz''
circumnavigated the world from 1870 to 1874 under the command of Captain
P.N. Nazimov (
ru). Sailing from
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
on a survey mission, ''Vityaz'' crossed the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
and passed through the
Strait of Magellan, accompanied by the
ethnologist
Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology) ...
Nicholas Miklouho-Maclay
Nicholas Miklouho-Maclay (russian: Никола́й Никола́евич Миклу́хо-Макла́й; 1846 – 1888) was a Russian Imperial explorer. He worked as an ethnologist, anthropologist and biologist who became famous as one of ...
. A planned stop at
Rapa Nui
Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearly ...
was cancelled due to political instability, but the ''Vityaz'' did stop at
Mangareva
Mangareva is the central and largest island of the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia. It is surrounded by smaller islands: Taravai in the southwest, Aukena and Akamaru in the southeast, and islands in the north. Mangareva has a permanent p ...
from July 7–12, 1871, during which time Miklouho-Maclay spoke to Rapa Nui natives about their island.
On September 20, 1871, ''Vityaz'' deposited Miklouho-Maclay at
Astrolabe Bay
Astrolabe Bay is a large body of water off the south coast of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, located at . It is a part of the Bismarck Sea and stretches from the Cape Iris in the south to the Cape Croisilles to the north. It was discovered ...
on
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
, where he remained conducting research work for fifteen months.
On 30 August 1863, ''Vityaz'' rescued all on board the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts having the fore- and mainmasts rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) rigged fore and aft. Sometimes, the mizzen is only partly fore-and-aft rigged, b ...
''Charlotte Christine'', which had been wrecked whilst on a voyage from
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 ...
, Russia to
Chefoo
Yantai, formerly known as Chefoo, is a coastal prefecture-level city on the Shandong Peninsula in northeastern Shandong province of People's Republic of China. Lying on the southern coast of the Bohai Strait, Yantai borders Qingdao on the ...
,
China.
''Vityaz'' explored the strait between
Long Island and New Guinea, which as a result was named the
Vitiaz Strait. After stops in
Japan,
China,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, and the
Arabian Peninsula, ''Vityaz'' passed through the
Suez Canal, the
Strait of Gibraltar, and the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
and returned to
Kronstadt
Kronstadt (russian: Кроншта́дт, Kronshtadt ), also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt or Kronštádt (from german: link=no, Krone for " crown" and ''Stadt'' for "city") is a Russian port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city ...
.
''Vityaz'' was overhauled at Kronstadt in 1874 and again in 1881.
In 1877, Lieutenant Commander
P. A. Bolotnikov (
ru) was appointed commander of the corvette.
On June 27, 1882 the corvette was renamed ''Skobelev'' in honor of
Mikhail Skobelev
Mikhail Dmitriyevich Skobelev (russian: Михаил Дмитриевич Скобелев; 29 September 1843 – 7 July 1882), a Russian general, became famous for his conquest of Central Asia and for his heroism during the Russo-Turkish War ...
, a Russian general who had died that year.
From 1883 to 1885, ''Skobelev,'' now under the command of
Captain V.V. Blagodarev (
ru), made a second circumnavigation. During this voyage, ''Skobelev'' transferred Miklouho-Maclay from
Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
to New Guinea.
Scholars have argued that both of these voyages, which were supported by the
Imperial Russian Geographical Society
The Russian Geographical Society (russian: Ру́сское географи́ческое о́бщество «РГО»), or RGO, is a learned society based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It promotes geography, exploration and nature protection wi ...
and the Russian naval ministry, were aimed at establishing Russian colonies in the Pacific, although nothing came of any such plans.
The 1870s expedition contributed to fears from British settlers in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
that Russia might attack the colony,
while the appearance of Russian ships in the area in 1883 contributed to the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, and the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
partitioning New Guinea.
In February 1892, ''Skobelev'' was converted into a
training ship
A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...
.
In 1895, it was removed from the Russian navy and
scrapped.
Legacy
![VityazKaliningrad](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/VityazKaliningrad.JPG)
A second steam corvette of the Russian navy named ''Vityaz'' (
ru) launched in 1883, when the older vessel remained in operation as ''Skobelev''. This corvette also served as a research ship. The name was later assigned to a that was destroyed by fire while under construction in 1901. The
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
research ship , active from 1946 to 1979 and since preserved as a
museum ship, was named in honor of both the 1862 and 1884 vessels.
A second Soviet research ship named ''Vityaz'' operated from 1981 to 1992.
During construction of the
Oceanographic Museum of Monaco
The Oceanographic Museum (''Musée océanographique'') is a museum of marine sciences in Monaco-Ville, Monaco.
This building is part of the Institut océanographique, which is committed to sharing its knowledge of the oceans.
History
Th ...
,
Prince Albert I
Albert I (Albert Honoré Charles Grimaldi; 13 November 1848 – 26 June 1922) was Prince of Monaco from 10 September 1889 until his death. He devoted much of his life to oceanography, exploration and science. Alongside his expeditions, Albert I ...
personally selected 20 noteworthy oceanographic research vessels to be inscribed on the new building's
frieze
In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...
. ''Vityaz'', transliterated as "Vitiaz", was included on the basis of its two circumnavigatory expeditions.
In 1971, a new theater named Vityaz opened on Miklouho-Maclay Street of
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
, named to commemorate the ethnographer's ship.
This theater closed in 2018 and was demolished so a shopping center could be built on the site.
In 1987,
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
issued a stamp depicting ''Vityaz'', part of a series of stamps featuring sailing vessels of significance to the country's history.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vityaz
Imperial Russian Navy
Ships of the Imperial Russian Navy
1862 ships