''Diana'' (russian: Диана, italic=yes) was the second of three
protected cruiser
Protected cruisers, a type of naval cruiser of the late-19th century, gained their description because an armoured deck offered protection for vital machine-spaces from fragments caused by shells exploding above them. Protected cruisers re ...
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 ...
. The cruiser served during 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 ...
and took part in 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 ...
on 10 August 1904. Later, she served as part of the
Russian Baltic Fleet
, image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg
, image_size = 150
, caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign
, dates = 18 May 1703 – present
, country =
, allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present)
...
during
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 ...
.
Operational history
''Diana'' was the second of the three vessels in the ''Pallada'' class, built at the
Admiralty Shipyard
The JSC Admiralty Shipyards (russian: link=no, Адмиралтейские верфи) (''formerly Soviet Shipyard No. 194'') is one of the oldest and largest shipyards in Russia, located in Saint Petersburg. The shipyard's building ways can ac ...
in
St Petersburg,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
. The class was intended to reinforce the Russian presence in the Far East. She was laid down on 4 June 1897, launched on 12 October 1899 and commissioned on 23 December 1901.
Soon after commissioning in late 1901, ''Pallada'' and ''Diana'' were assigned to the
Russian Pacific Fleet
, image = Great emblem of the Pacific Fleet.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Russian Pacific Fleet Great emblem
, dates = 1731–present
, country ...
based at
Port Arthur. The ships departed
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 ...
on 17 October 1902, but the journey involved a number of difficulties due to inclement weather, mechanical failures and the consumption of more coal than originally anticipated. After numerous stops of refueling, the ships reached
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.
It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...
on 8 April 1903, where they rendezvoused with , where she was placed at the disposal of Russian envoy A. Pavlov for his negotiations between the governments of
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
and Japan. She finally reached Port Arthur on 24 April.
Russo-Japanese War
''Diana'' was damaged near her waterline during
attack 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 ...
on Port Arthur on the morning of 9 February 1904, by the cruiser squadron commanded by Admiral
Dewa Shigeto, but was repaired in a few days. She fired eight 152 mm and 100 mm shots at Admiral Dewa's cruisers.
In the sortie led by Admiral
Stepan Makarov on 13 April 1904, ''Diana'' was immediately behind the flagship when the battleship struck three
naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ...
s and exploded and sank. ''Diana'' assisted in the recovery of survivors, and was not damaged in the incident.
On 22 April, in order to bolster the landward defenses of Port Arthur, two 152 mm guns, four 75 mm guns from the upper deck, and all eight 37 mm cannon and the two 63.5 mm rapid-fire cannons were landed from ''Diana'' and installed in fortifications facing the landward approach to the fortress.
On 23 June, under the overall command of Admiral
Wilgelm Vitgeft
Wilhelm Withöft (russian: Вильгельм Карлович Витгефт, tr. ; October 14, 1847 – August 10, 1904), more commonly known as Wilgelm Vitgeft, was a Russia-German admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy, noted for his servic ...
, ''Diana'' was part of the aborted sortie which attempted to break through the Japanese blockade. The attempt was repeated on 10 August, resulting in 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 ...
. The cruiser squadron was at the rear end of the
line of battle
The line of battle is a tactic in naval warfare in which a fleet of ships forms a line end to end. The first example of its use as a tactic is disputed—it has been variously claimed for dates ranging from 1502 to 1652. Line-of-battle tacti ...
and escaped major damage, although ''Diana'' was hit several times and had 10 crewmen killed and 11 wounded while covering the retreat of the bulk of the Russian fleet back to Port Arthur. Acting under the authority of Admiral
Nikolai Reitsenstein, the Russian cruiser squadron attempted to break through the Japanese lines to join with Russian forces in
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 ...
. However, Captain Prince
Alexander Lieven had previously disagreed with Admiral Reitsenstein over the choice of Vladivostok, citing its inadequate coal supplies, and decided to make a run towards the south instead. Accompanied by the destroyer ''Grosowoi'', she managed to reach the German naval base at
Kiaochou for refueling. Lieven ordered ''Grosowoi'' to Shanghai, where she was interned with the cruiser ''Askold''. ''Diana'' continued on to
Haiphong
Haiphong ( vi, Hải Phòng, ), or Hải Phòng, is a major industrial city and the third-largest in Vietnam. Hai Phong is also the center of technology, economy, culture, medicine, education, science and trade in the Red River delta.
Haiphong wa ...
and from there to
Saigon in
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, ...
, where she arrived on 23 August and was interned by French authorities.
After the end of the war, ''Diana'' returned to the
Baltic Fleet, and was converted into an artillery training vessel. Her main armament was increased to ten 152-mm guns. She was overhauled again between 1912 and 1914, in which her boilers were replaced and her main armament was changed to two 130-mm guns.
World War I
With the start of
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 ...
, ''Diana'' was assigned to the Second Division of cruisers 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 ...
. She participated 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 1916 and 1917.
In Soviet service
On 3 March 1917, the crew of the ''Diana'' joined the
February Revolution, killing a number of officers of the vessel. In October 1917, ''Diana'' participated in 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 November 1917, she was assigned as a
hospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. I ...
and moved from
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...
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 ...
in January 1918. From May 1918, ''Diana'' was permanently moored at Kronstadt and disarmed. Her guns were taken to
Astrakhan
Astrakhan ( rus, Астрахань, p=ˈastrəxənʲ) is the largest city and administrative centre of Astrakhan Oblast in Southern Russia. The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of the ...
and were mounted on vessels of the
Caspian Flotilla
Kaspiyskaya flotiliya
, image = Great emblem of the Caspian Flotilla.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Great emblem of the Caspian Flotilla
, dates = No ...
.
On 1 July 1922, the hulk of ''Diana'' was decommissioned and towed to Germany. It was scrapped in
Bremen in late 1922; however, she was not officially removed from the
navy list
A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval autho ...
until 21 November 1925.
References
*
* Corbett, Sir Julian. "Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905" (1994) Originally a classified report, and in two volumes.
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Diana
Russo-Japanese War cruisers of Russia
World War I cruisers of Russia
Cruisers of the Imperial Russian Navy
Cruisers of Russia
1899 ships
Ships built at Admiralty Shipyard