![Novik scuttled at Koraskhov Bay](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Novik_scuttled_at_Koraskhov_Bay.jpg)
''Novík'' (''russian: Новик'') was a
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 ...
in 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 a ...
, built by
Schichau shipyards in
Elbing near
Danzig,
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 ...
.
Background
''Novik'' was ordered as a part of a program to bolster 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 ...
with a 3000-ton class reconnaissance cruiser. Shipbuilders from several countries offered designs, and eventually the German shipbuilders
Schichau-Werke
The Schichau-Werke (F. Schichau, Maschinen- und Lokomotivfabrik, Schiffswerft und Eisengießerei GmbH) was a German engineering works and shipyard based in Elbing, Germany (now Elbląg, Poland) on the Frisches Haff (Vistula Lagoon) of then-East ...
, better known for its
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 se ...
s was selected. The new cruiser was launched on 2 August 1900 and her trials began on 2 May 1901. Some initial vibration problems were experienced with her screws, but testing was completed on 23 April 1902 with five test runs at an average speed of 25.08 knots. This made ''Novik'' one of the fastest cruisers in the world at the time, which so impressed the Russian naval leadership that a near copy was made in the Russian . On 15 May 1902, ''Novik'' was assigned to the Russian naval base at
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 of ...
.
Service life (Russia)
Early career
On 14 September 1902, ''Novik'' departed Kronstadt for the Pacific, via the
Kiel Canal
The Kiel Canal (german: Nord-Ostsee-Kanal, literally "North- oEast alticSea canal", formerly known as the ) is a long freshwater canal in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The canal was finished in 1895, but later widened, and links the N ...
, stopping at
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
*Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
*Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
**Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Brest, ...
(5 October),
Cadiz,
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
and
Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saronic ...
, where she rendezvoused with the
battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...
. She departed Greece for
Port Said
Port Said ( ar, بورسعيد, Būrsaʿīd, ; grc, Πηλούσιον, Pēlousion) is a city that lies in northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal. With an approximate population of 6 ...
on 11 December, but was forced to turn back due to severe weather, only transiting the
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
on 20–21 December. Afterwards, she called on
Jeddah
Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...
,
Djibouti
Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...
,
Aden
Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...
,
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
and
Sabang, reaching
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
on 28 February 1903,
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
,
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
and finally arriving at
Port Arthur on 2 April 1903.
She was assigned to accompany the cruiser to Japan from 26–29 May 1903 on a diplomatic mission, conveying Russian Minister of War
Aleksey Kuropatkin
Aleksey Nikolayevich Kuropatkin (russian: Алексе́й Никола́евич Куропа́ткин; March 29, 1848January 16, 1925) served as the Russian Imperial Minister of War from January 1898 to February 1904 and as a field command ...
to
Kobe
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...
and
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.
It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...
, returning to Port Arthur from 12–13 June. She was then sent 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 Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...
over overhaul and
dry-dock
A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...
inspection from 23 July. As with other ships in the Pacific Fleet, she received a new dark olive paint scheme. She returned to Port Arthur in early September.
Russo-Japanese War
''Novik'' suffered minor damage from an 8-inch shell, after she single-handedly pursued the attacking Japanese
destroyers
In navy, naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a Naval fleet, fleet, convoy or Carrier battle group, battle group and defend them against powerful short range attack ...
for nearly 30 miles on 9 February 1904, during the
Battle of Port Arthur
The of 8–9 February 1904 marked the commencement of the Russo-Japanese War. It began with a surprise night attack by a squadron of Japanese destroyers on the neutral Russian fleet anchored at Port Arthur, Manchuria, and continued with an en ...
. Novik's commander, Captain
Nikolai von Essen
Nikolai Ottovich von Essen (russian: Никола́й О́ттович Э́ссен, tr. ; – ) was a Russian naval commander and admiral descended from the Baltic German noble Essen family. For more than two centuries, his ancestors had ...
was one of the few ships in the Russian fleet to offer combat, and the only one to pursue the enemy, closing to within 3,000 yards of the Japanese squadron to deliver a
torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...
, without effect. Novik's damage required nine days to repair.
On 10 March 1904,
Admiral Makarov sortied in ''Novik'' as his flagship, from Port Arthur, along with the cruiser ''Bayan'' to rescue one his destroyers, then in hot combat with a Japanese destroyer, just outside of shore battery range. After three attempts, withdrawing each time to within shore battery protection, coupled with the arrival of Japanese Armored Cruisers, the Russian destroyer finally sank, and Makarov and ''Novik'' returned to Port Arthur.
On 13 April 1904, a similar incident occurred, the
Torpedo Boat Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in 1 ...
''Strashni'' was fighting Japanese Torpedo Boat Destroyers, and was in sinking condition, when the Russian cruiser
Bayan showed up, which quickly caused the enemy destroyers to leave the area. But the ''Bayan'' also knew that the retreating Japanese destroyers were headed to their own Armored Cruisers. ''Bayan'' picked up some survivors, then just outside of Port Arthur met with Admiral Makarov aboard his flagship
Petropavlovsk, along with cruisers the ''Novik'',
Askold
Askold and Dir (''Haskuldr'' or ''Hǫskuldr'' and ''Dyr'' or ''Djur'' in Old Norse; died in 882), mentioned in both the Primary Chronicle and the Nikon Chronicle, were the earliest known ''purportedly Norse'' rulers of Kiev.
Primary Chronicle
Th ...
,
Diana, and the battleship ''Poltava'' just coming out of Port Arthur.
[Corbett (2015) Vol. 1, p.180-183] Several minutes later the flagship struck three mines just outside the entrance to Port Arthur, and sank with great loss of life (including Admiral Makarov). The fleet then returned to the safe confines of Port Arthur.
On 23 June, ''Novik'' was again part of an unsuccessful attempted sortie from Port Arthur, this time under Makarov's successor, 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 ...
.
On 10 August, the Russian fleet once more attempted to run the Japanese blockade of Port Arthur. In the resulting
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 ...
, most of the Russian ships returned to port but several managed to escape to be interned in various neutral ports. ''Novik'' was slightly damaged by three hits and two crewmen were killed. ''Novik'' reached the neutral German port of
Tsingtao
Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...
; however, choosing to avoid internment, Commander
Mikhail Fedorovich von Schultz chose to outrace its Japanese pursuers around the Japanese home islands towards
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 Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...
, hoping to join with the Russian cruiser squadron based there. ''Novik'' was pursued by the Japanese cruiser , which was later joined by . Spotted by a Japanese transport ship while coaling at
Sakhalin
Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, r=Sakhalín, p=səxɐˈlʲin; ja, 樺太 ''Karafuto''; zh, c=, p=Kùyèdǎo, s=库页岛, t=庫頁島; Manchu: ᠰᠠᡥᠠᠯᡳᠶᠠᠨ, ''Sahaliyan''; Orok: Бугата на̄, ''Bugata nā''; Nivkh: ...
, ''Novik'' was trapped in
Aniva Bay
Aniva Bay (Russian: Залив Анива (''Zaliv Aniva''), Japanese: 亜庭湾, Aniwa Bay, or Aniva Gulf) is located at the southern end of Sakhalin Island, Russia, north of the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. The largest city on the bay is Kors ...
, and forced into the
battle of Korsakov
The Battle of Korsakov, a naval engagement of the Russo-Japanese War, was fought on 20 August 1904 off the southern coast of Sakhalin island. The battle foiled an attempt by the Imperial Russian Navy protected cruiser at escaping Port Arthur to ...
by ''Tsushima''. Realizing that he was hopelessly outgunned and after sustaining five hits, three of them under the water line, von Schultz ordered ''Novik'' scuttled, intending to make salvage impossible.
Service life (Japan)
![Suzuya1908Kure](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Suzuya1908Kure.jpg)
The Imperial Japanese Navy had been impressed with the speed of ''Novik'', and despite the considerable damage inflicted during the Battle of Korsakov (and the damage created by its own crew in attempting to scuttle the vessel), sent an engineering crew to salvage the vessel as a
prize of war
A prize of war is a piece of enemy property or land seized by a belligerent party during or after a war or battle, typically at sea. This term was used nearly exclusively in terms of captured ships during the 18th and 19th centuries. Basis in inte ...
in August 1905. The operation took almost a year to accomplish. The wreck was repaired at the
Yokosuka Naval Arsenal
was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy, and was located at Yokosuka, Kanagawa prefecture on Tokyo Bay, south of Yokohama.
History
In 1866, the Tokugawa shogunate government established the ...
, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy as ''Suzuya'' on 20 August 1906. Her new name came from the Suzuya River in
Karafuto
Karafuto Prefecture ( ja, 樺太庁, ''Karafuto-chō''; russian: Префектура Карафуто, Prefektura Karafuto), commonly known as South Sakhalin, was a prefecture of Japan located in Sakhalin from 1907 to 1949.
Karafuto became t ...
, near where ''Novik'' was captured.
During the repair work, her original boilers were replaced by eight Miyabara boilers, her three smokestacks were reduced to two, her lateral engines were removed and power output was reduced to 6,000HP. ''Suzuya's'' bow and stern main guns were replaced with
120-mm guns and her four 120-mm guns amidships were replaced by
76-mm guns. She also retained her six 47mm Hotchkiss guns and two 37mm guns. All repairs were complete by December 1908, and she was officially designated as an ''
aviso
An ''aviso'' was originally a kind of dispatch boat or "advice boat", carrying orders before the development of effective remote communication.
The term, derived from the Portuguese and Spanish word for "advice", "notice" or "warning", an '' ...
'' rather than as a cruiser. Indeed, she served with the IJN primarily for high speed reconnaissance and as a dispatch vessel; however, due to her battle damage and fewer boilers, the repaired vessel could only attain a maximum speed of , as opposed to in her original configuration. Furthermore, the development of wireless communications quickly made such dispatch vessels obsolete. ''Suzuya'' was re-classified as a second-class
coastal defense vessel on 28 August 1912, and was declared obsolete and sold for scrap on 1 April 1913.
Notes
References
*
* Corbett, Sir Julian. (2015) ''Maritime Operations In The Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905.'' Vol. 1 originally published Jan 1914.
Naval Institute Press
The United States Naval Institute (USNI) is a private non-profit military association that offers independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national security issues. In addition to publishing magazines and books, the Naval Institute holds se ...
* Corbett, Sir Julian. (2015) ''Maritime Operations In The Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905.'' Vol. 2 originally published Oct 1915. Naval Institute Press
* Howarth, Stephen. ''The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The Drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895–1945''. Atheneum; (1983)
* Jentsura, Hansgeorg. ''Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945''. Naval Institute Press (1976).
* Steer, A. P., Lieutenant,
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 a ...
. (1913) ''The "Novik" And The Part She Played In The Russo-Japanese War, 1904.'' Translated by L.A.B., translator and editor of "Rasplata." N.Y., E. P. Dutton and Company.
External links
*https://web.archive.org/web/20070220202443/http://web.ukonline.co.uk/aj.cashmore/russia/cruisers/novik/novik.html
*http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/novik.htm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Novik (1900)
Naval ships of Russia
1900 ships
Cruisers of the Imperial Russian Navy
Scuttled vessels
Captured ships
Ships built by Schichau
Ships built in Elbing
Naval ships captured by Japan during the Russo-Japanese War