''Rurik'' was the last
armored cruiser
The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship and fast eno ...
to be 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 a ...
. The ship was designed by the British firm
Vickers
Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...
and built in their shipyard, being
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 ...
in 1905 and completed in 1908. She was armed with a
main battery
A main battery is the primary weapon or group of weapons around which a warship is designed. As such, a main battery was historically a gun or group of guns, as in the broadsides of cannon on a ship of the line. Later, this came to be turreted ...
of four guns and a
secondary battery
A rechargeable battery, storage battery, or secondary cell (formally a type of energy accumulator), is a type of electrical battery which can be charged, discharged into a load, and recharged many times, as opposed to a disposable or prima ...
of eight guns; her top speed was rated at . Despite her powerful gun armament, ''Rurik'' was rendered obsolescent even before she was completed by the advent of the British
battlecruiser
The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of attr ...
s of the , which were more powerfully armed and faster. Her design is nevertheless well regarded and naval historians rate her as one of the best vessels of her type ever built.
''Rurik'' served as the
flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
of the
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
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)
...
for much of her relatively short career. She made one overseas cruise with a trip to 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 ea ...
in mid-1910, but spent the rest of her early career 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 from ...
. After 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 ...
, she operated with the other cruisers of the fleet, making raids on
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
**Ger ...
positions in the southern Baltic, and after being modified to carry
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, took part in laying offensive minefields to block German naval traffic. She saw one major action, the
Battle of Åland Islands
The Battle of Åland Islands, or the Battle of Gotland, which occurred in July 1915, was a naval battle of World War I between the German Empire and the Russian Empire, assisted by a submarine of the British Baltic Flotilla. It took place i ...
, in July 1915. There, she engaged three German cruisers; she failed to score any hits and was struck several times, though she was not seriously damaged and her presence convinced the Germans to retreat.
The ship was badly damaged by a German mine in November 1916 and spent the next several months under repair. During that period out of service, the
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
toppled the Imperial government and ultimately led to the
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
seizure of power late that year. The resulting
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (also known as the Treaty of Brest in Russia) was a separate peace, separate peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Russian SFSR, Russia and the Central Powers (German Empire, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Kingdom of ...
ended the war for Russia and ''Rurik'' was
laid up
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; a ...
in
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 ...
in October 1918. She lingered there for another three years in a state of preservation, but by November 1923, she was in poor condition. The new
Soviet Navy decided to
break up
A relationship breakup, breakup, or break-up is the termination of a relationship. The act is commonly termed "dumping omeone in slang when it is initiated by one partner. The term is less likely to be applied to a married couple, where a brea ...
the ship and she was towed to
Petrograd
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 ...
, being scrapped there between 1924 and 1925.
Design
![Brasseys Bayan 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Brasseys_Bayan_2.jpg)
In July 1904, 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 ...
held a design competition that solicited tenders from several foreign and domestic shipyards to design a new
armored cruiser
The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship and fast eno ...
. Maximum
displacement
Displacement may refer to:
Physical sciences
Mathematics and Physics
*Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
was limited to , more than twice that of the preceding of armored cruisers.
Vickers
Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...
won the competition to build the ship in June 1905, and the company offered several proposals, including a vessel armed with a dozen guns, though the
Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
opted for a slightly smaller vessel displacing around that carried four of the 254 mm guns and twelve guns, along with a defensive armament of twenty guns.
Before construction work began, refinements were made to the design based on experiences gathered 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 ...
of 1904–1905. The defensive battery was increased to guns since the 75 mm guns were no longer sufficiently powerful to deal with modern
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 and
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 ...
s. To save weight, four of the 203 mm guns were removed. Side armor had proved to be critically important in the battles against
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, and so the ship's armor was strengthened. Despite the weight savings measures, displacement increased by about . The Russian Navy had originally planned to build another two cruisers to the same design in domestic shipyards, but budgetary problems, coupled with the advent of the
steam turbine
A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Charles Parsons in 1884. Fabrication of a modern steam turbin ...
-powered, all-big-gun
battlecruiser
The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of attr ...
s of the British in 1907 rendered the plans moot.
Despite the appearance of more powerful battlecruisers before her completion, ''Rurik'' is generally considered to have been a very good design. ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships'' states that ''Rurik'' was "the best large ship laid down for the Russian Navy up to 1905 and one of the best armored cruisers ever built." Anthony Watts concurs, describing her as "one of the finest armoured cruisers ever built."
General characteristics and propulsion machinery
![Rurik2 Brasseys1915](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/77/Rurik2_Brasseys1915.png)
''Rurik'' was
long between perpendiculars
Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the ster ...
,
long at the waterline, and
long overall
__NOTOC__
Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, an ...
. She had a
beam
Beam may refer to:
Streams of particles or energy
*Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy
**Laser beam
*Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles
**Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
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 vessel ...
of and displaced . Her
hull featured a long
forecastle
The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase " be ...
deck that extended to her
main mast
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 ...
and incorporated a pronounced
ram bow
A ram was a weapon fitted to varied types of ships, dating back to antiquity. The weapon comprised an underwater prolongation of the bow of the ship to form an armoured beak, usually between 2 and 4 meters (6–12 ft) in length. This would be dri ...
. Her
superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships.
Aboard ships and large boats
On water craft, the superstruct ...
was minimal, consisting primarily of her main
conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer in charge can conn the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for the ship's engine, rudder, lines, and gro ...
forward with a command
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
and a smaller, secondary conning tower aft.
She was completed with just the pole main mast that was placed just ahead of the rear conning tower, but around the time she entered service in 1909, a pole fore mast was installed atop her forward conning tower as well. By 1917, the fore mast had been replaced with a sturdier
tripod mast
The tripod mast is a type of mast used on warships from the Edwardian era onwards, replacing the pole mast. Tripod masts are distinctive using two large (usually cylindrical) support columns spread out at angles to brace another (usually vertica ...
to support a
spotting top
Spotting may refer to:
Medicine
* Vaginal spotting, light bleeding that is not a menstrual period
Photography:
* Aircraft spotting
* Bus spotting
* Car spotting
* Train spotting
Pastimes:
* Spots (cannabis), a method of smoking cannabis
Physica ...
to help the direction of her armament. Steering was controlled by a single
rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...
. Her crew numbered 26 officers and 910 enlisted men.
The ship's propulsion system consisted of two vertical
triple-expansion steam engine
A compound steam engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages.
A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure ''(HP)'' cylinder, then having given up he ...
s that drove a pair of
screw propeller
A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
s. Steam was provided by twenty-eight coal-fired
Belleville type water-tube boiler
A high pressure watertube boiler (also spelled water-tube and water tube) is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by the fire. Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which boils water in the steam-gene ...
s, which were vented through three
funnels
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 construc ...
located
amidships
This glossary of nautical terms is an alphabetical listing of terms and expressions connected with ships, shipping, seamanship and navigation on water (mostly though not necessarily on the sea). Some remain current, while many date from the 17th t ...
. The power plant was rated to produce for a top speed of . Coal storage amounted to . While steaming at a more economical , ''Rurik'' could cruise for .
Armament
''Rurik''s
main battery
A main battery is the primary weapon or group of weapons around which a warship is designed. As such, a main battery was historically a gun or group of guns, as in the broadsides of cannon on a ship of the line. Later, this came to be turreted ...
consisted of four 50-
caliber
In guns, particularly firearms, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel Gauge (firearms) , bore – regardless of how or where the bore is measured and whether the f ...
(cal.) guns in a pair of 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, mounted fore and aft on the
centerline
Center line, centre line or centerline may refer to:
Sports
* Center line, marked in red on an ice hockey rink
* Centre line (football), a set of positions on an Australian rules football field
* Centerline, a line that separates the service cou ...
. These guns and their turrets were designed by Vickers specifically for ''Rurik''. The turrets were oval-shaped and sat atop a working chamber that handled shells and
propellant
A propellant (or propellent) is a mass that is expelled or expanded in such a way as to create a thrust or other motive force in accordance with Newton's third law of motion, and "propel" a vehicle, projectile, or fluid payload. In vehicles, the e ...
charges brought up from the magazines below. One set of hoists brought the munitions up to the working chambers from their magazines, and another set transferred them up to the turrets. In addition to the split hoist arrangement, anti-flash precautions included a sprinkler system in the magazines and provisions to quickly flood them in the event of a serious fire. The guns fired
armor piercing
Armour-piercing ammunition (AP) is a type of projectile designed to penetrate either body armour or vehicle armour.
From the 1860s to 1950s, a major application of armour-piercing projectiles was to defeat the thick armour carried on many warsh ...
(AP) or
high explosive
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An exp ...
(HE) shells at a
muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity is the speed of a projectile (bullet, pellet, slug, ball/shots or shell) with respect to the muzzle at the moment it leaves the end of a gun's barrel (i.e. the muzzle). Firearm muzzle velocities range from approximately to i ...
of . At their maximum elevation of 21 degrees, the guns had a range of for the AP round and for the HE variant. The guns had to be returned to between −5 and 8 degrees of elevation to be reloaded. The guns had a
rate of fire
Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. This can be influenced by several factors, including operator training level, mechanical limitations, ammunition availability, and weapon condition. In m ...
of two shots per minute.
Her main battery was supported by a
secondary battery
A rechargeable battery, storage battery, or secondary cell (formally a type of energy accumulator), is a type of electrical battery which can be charged, discharged into a load, and recharged many times, as opposed to a disposable or prima ...
of eight
203 mm 50 cal. Pattern 1905 guns in four twin turrets, which were placed on the corners of the superstructure, two turrets per
broadside
Broadside or broadsides may refer to:
Naval
* Broadside (naval), terminology for the side of a ship, the battery of cannon on one side of a warship, or their near simultaneous fire on naval warfare
Printing and literature
* Broadside (comic ...
. These were also Vickers designs, though they had been used on a number of earlier Russian
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, prote ...
s. They fired a semi-armor-piercing (SAP) shell at a muzzle velocity of . At the elevation of 15 degrees, they could hit targets out to ; the turrets allowed elevation from −5 to 25 degrees, but range figures at maximum elevation are unknown. The turrets were broadly similar to the 254 mm guns, but the guns could be reloaded at any angle of elevation. The guns could fire three shells per minute.
For defense against torpedo boats, the ship carried a tertiary battery of twenty
120 mm 50 cal. guns carried individually in
casemate
A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which artillery, guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary
When referring to Ancient history, antiquity, th ...
s. Sixteen were located in the forecastle deck, clustered around the superstructure, while the remaining four were located in the stern. They fired a SAP shell at a velocity of 792.5 m/s, and at an elevation of 19.5 degrees, had a range of . Their rate of fire was eight rounds per minute. Four
43 cal. Hotchkiss guns rounded out the armament. She was also armed with a pair of
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. The M1908
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 ...
carried a
warhead
A warhead is the forward section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by a missile, rocket, torpedo, or bomb.
Classification
Types of warheads include:
* Explosiv ...
and had a range of at a speed of ; the range doubled when they were set to . These were later replaced with M1912 variants, which increased the warhead to . Their performance increased considerably, reaching at a speed of and at .
Armor
The ship was protected with
Krupp cemented armor
Krupp armour was a type of steel naval armour used in the construction of capital ships starting shortly before the end of the nineteenth century. It was developed by Germany's Krupp Arms Works in 1893 and quickly replaced Harvey armour as the pr ...
plate. Her
armor belt
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 t ...
covered the side of the hull from above 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 ...
and below. The main section of belt, between the
barbette
Barbettes are several types of gun emplacement in terrestrial fortifications or on naval ships.
In recent naval usage, a barbette is a protective circular armour support for a heavy gun turret. This evolved from earlier forms of gun protection ...
s for the 254 mm guns, was thick, tapering to at the top edge and at the bottom. Forward of the main section, the belt was reduced to 102 mm with a bottom edge, while aft, the belt was a uniform thickness of 76 mm. The aft section did not extend all the way to the
sternpost
A sternpost is the upright structural member or post at the stern of a (generally wooden) ship or a boat, to which are attached the transoms and the rearmost left corner part of the stern.
The sternpost may either be completely vertical or may ...
, instead terminating at a 76 mm transverse
bulkhead. Above the belt, a
strake
On a vessel's hull, a strake is a longitudinal course of planking or plating which runs from the boat's stempost (at the bows) to the sternpost or transom (at the rear). The garboard strakes are the two immediately adjacent to the keel on ...
of armor that was 76 mm thick covered the tertiary casemates. There were three armored
decks; the lower deck was thick, with sloped sides that were and connected to the bottom edge of the belt. The
main deck
The main deck of a ship is the uppermost complete deck extending from bow to stern. A steel ship's hull may be considered a structural beam with the main deck forming the upper flange of a box girder and the keel forming the lower strength memb ...
was also 38 mm thick, and above that, the roof of the casemate battery was 25 mm.
''Rurik''s conning tower had 203 mm of armor plate on the sides. Her main battery turrets consisted of 203 mm on the front and sides and sloped roofs, and they were supported by barbettes that extended down to the ammunition
magazines
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combination ...
. Behind the belt, the barbettes reduced in thickness to . The secondary turrets received slightly lighter protection, with 180 mm sides and faces and 50 mm roofs. Their barbettes were 152 mm thick above the belt and 38–76 mm below. Underwater protection consisted of a
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 ...
that was 38 mm thick, set back about from the side of the ship. It covered the ship's
citadel
A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
In ...
.
Service history
The
keel
The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
for ''Rurik'' 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 22 August 1905, and she was
launched on 17 November 1906. Structural weaknesses were revealed during gunnery testing in 1907, but the Russian Navy decided to remedy the defects after delivery rather than delay her completion. The testing included firing thirty rounds from two of the 254 mm guns, another thirty shells from two of the 203 mm guns, and fifteen shots from the 120 mm guns. During steam trials in 1908, she exceeded her design speed and horsepower. The ship was completed in September 1908 and delivered to the Russian fleet. Upon arrival, she was sent to the shipyard in
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 ...
for modifications to her hull structure to correct the design problems. She operated 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 from ...
over the following two years, and in July 1910, she was sent on a cruise in 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 ea ...
. She returned to the Baltic, where she remained for the next three years. Starting in 1913, she served as the
flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
of the
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)
...
.
World War I
At 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 ...
in July 1914, Russia had not yet completed its s or
dreadnought battleship
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 ...
s, leaving ''Rurik'' and the ''Bayan''-class cruisers as the core of the Baltic Fleet. These ships bore the burden of naval operations against the significantly more powerful
Imperial German Navy
The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...
in the Baltic. At the time, ''Rurik'' served as the flagship of Admiral
Nikolai Ottovich von Essen, the commander of Russian naval forces in the Baltic. ''Rurik''s commander was initially Captain
Mikhail Bakhirev
Mikhail Koronatovitsch Bakhirev (russian: Михаил Коронатович Бахирев) (17 July 1868 in Novocherkassk – 9 January 1920 in Petrograd) was a Russian naval officer and admiral.
Bakhirev was born into a Don Cossack fam ...
. He sortied with ''Rurik'' and the armored cruiser on 27 August to make a sweep into the western Baltic in the vicinity of
Bornholm
Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland.
Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...
, Denmark, and
Danzig, Germany. They failed to locate any enemy vessels, however. The operation bolstered the morale of the Baltic Fleet, but
Tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...
Nicholas II
Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Pola ...
refused to grant Essen the freedom of maneuver he sought to force action with the German fleet. The Russians nevertheless won a major intelligence victory that month when the German cruiser
ran aground
Ship grounding or ship stranding is the impact of a ship on seabed or
waterway side. It may be intentional, as in beaching to land crew or cargo, and careening, for maintenance or repair, or unintentional, as in a marine accident. In accidenta ...
in Russian territory and they were able to recover German code books, allowing the Russian Navy to decrypt German
wireless
Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The most ...
signals.
In November, ''Rurik'' was modified to serve as a fast
minelayer
A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing controll ...
with provisions to carry
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. She carried out her first operation on 14 December under the command of Admiral
Ludvig Kerber, in company with the cruisers and , while another pair of cruisers covered another minelayer further north. ''Rurik'' laid a field of 120 mines off the German port at Danzig during the operation. On 12 January 1915, ''Rurik'' sortied for another minelaying operation, this time part of the escort force with ''Bayan'' and ''Admiral Makarov''. Over the following two days, three other cruisers laid a series of minefields off the island of
Rügen
Rügen (; la, Rugia, ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, where ...
; this was the furthest west the Russian fleet penetrated during the war. This minefield later damaged the German cruisers and , the latter beyond the point of repair.
''Rurik'' escorted a group of minelayers sent to lay another field off Danzig on 13 February 1915, ran aground east of
Gotland
Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...
, Sweden and was seriously damaged, forcing the Russians to cancel the operation. Despite taking on of water, with half of her
boiler rooms flooded, she was able to free herself and return to
Reval
Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ''m ...
under her own power. She was subsequently repaired at
Cronstadt
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 ...
. ''Rurik'' was out of action for 89 days. Heavy ice in the Baltic curtailed further operations. By that time, the ''Gangut''s had entered service, and the fleet was reorganized. ''Rurik'' was assigned to Group 5, along with ''Bayan'' and ''Admiral Makarov'', part of the 1st Cruiser Brigade. The cruisers continued to carry out most of the offensive operations, as the new dreadnoughts were considered too valuable to risk. They were instead used as a
fleet in being
In naval warfare, a "fleet in being" is a naval force that extends a controlling influence without ever leaving port. Were the fleet to leave port and face the enemy, it might lose in battle and no longer influence the enemy's actions, but while ...
and to guard the
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, Finska viken) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and E ...
.
Battle of Åland Islands
In late June, the Russian naval command planned a bombardment operation to support the garrison at
Windau (in what is now
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
) during a German attack on the port. Initial plans called for an attack on the city of
Rostock
Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state, c ...
, well behind German lines, in part to demonstrate the strength of the Russian fleet, but
Vice Admiral Vasily Kanin, who had replaced Essen as the fleet commander, refused to grant permission to send ''Rurik'' that far into enemy territory. The target of the operation was therefore changed to
Memel. Bakhirev, by now promoted to rear admiral, led the bombardment force, the composition of which is unclear. According to Paul Halpern, it consisted of the cruisers ''Admiral Makarov'', ''Bayan'', , and , while ''Rurik'' and the destroyer covered them and a group of submarines screened ahead. But Gary Staff indicates that ''Rurik'', ''Oleg'', and ''Bogatyr'' were to conduct the bombardment while ''Admiral Makarov'' and ''Bayan'' covered them. The ships departed port shortly after midnight on 1 July. Heavy fog forced Bakhirev to cancel the bombardment since they could no longer reliably locate Memel and his cruisers became separated from ''Rurik'' and ''Novik''.
![Gotland-raid-phase-0](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Gotland-raid-phase-0.gif)
Bakhirev planned to make another attempt the next morning, but he learned by way of decrypted intercepts from German wireless signals of a minelaying operation on the 1st while en route to
Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
and decided to try to intercept the vessels instead. He took the four cruisers from the bombardment group, and guided by wireless intercepts, steamed west to ambush the German flotilla that consisted of an armored cruiser, two
light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...
s, a minelayer, and seven destroyers. The two sides made contact at around 06:30. In the ensuing
Battle of Åland Islands
The Battle of Åland Islands, or the Battle of Gotland, which occurred in July 1915, was a naval battle of World War I between the German Empire and the Russian Empire, assisted by a submarine of the British Baltic Flotilla. It took place i ...
, the Germans turned to flee while the Russian cruisers concentrated on the minelayer , forcing it ashore.
As he began the engagement, Bakhirev ordered ''Rurik'' to reinforce him, and at 09:45, she arrived in the vicinity but found no friendly or enemy vessels. The ship's commander, Captain A. M. Pyshnov, turned his ship north in an attempt to locate Bakhirev's ships, and shortly thereafter, she encountered the German light cruiser . The two ships quickly opened fire, and while ''Rurik'' was significantly more powerful than her opponent, she failed to score any hits, while receiving ten herself. One started a fire on ''Rurik''s forecastle and a near miss caused a large splash that damaged her forward
rangefinder
A rangefinder (also rangefinding telemeter, depending on the context) is a device used to measure distances to remote objects. Originally optical devices used in surveying, they soon found applications in other fields, such as photography an ...
. The German shells were not powerful enough to penetrate her armor, but they nevertheless temporarily disabled one of her main battery turrets when fumes from an explosion threatened to poison its crew.
The German armored cruiser then intervened and ordered ''Lübeck'' to disengage, and at 10:04, ''Rurik'' ceased fire at the light cruiser. The Russian cruiser then turned to engage ''Roon'', which had by that time been joined by the light cruiser ''Augsburg'', opening fire at a range of . She concentrated most of her fire on ''Roon'', but again failed to score any hits. She received another hit, which struck the rear conning tower and damaged the surrounding superstructure. The German commander decided to attempt to disengage, using the poor visibility to cover his escape; at around the same time, Russian lookouts spotted what they mistakenly believed to be a
U-boat
U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...
. The threat of a submarine attack led ''Rurik'' to disengage, which gave the Germans enough time to make good their escape.
Later operations
On 11 November, ''Rurik'' was sent on another minelaying operation to sow a field of 560 mines off the Swedish island of
Gotland
Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...
. Another such mission on 6 December, laying a further 700 mines in the same area. As a result of the Russian mining effort and
Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
attacks, the Germans concluded that they could no longer safely operate
capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they are generally the larger ships when compared to other warships in their respective fleet. A capital ship is generally a leading or a primary ship in a naval fleet.
Strategic im ...
s in the Baltic. Starting in June 1916, ''Rurik'' was sent on several sweeps into the Baltic to search for German merchant shipping, but she only found and sank one vessel during these patrols. While on patrol off the island of
Hogland
Linus Höglund (born 25 March 1997), better known as Hogland, is a Swedish music producer, DJ and songwriter.
He started his career in 2015 with his first song "The Night", which placed itself in the top 3 of the Swedish Spotify Viral 50 lis ...
, Russia, on 7 November, she struck a mine and was badly damaged. She remained under repair until April 1917; during this period, her foremast was replaced with the tripod version.
The
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
began in March 1917 and culminated in the
October Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...
in November, which saw the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
take power in Russia. The government signed the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (also known as the Treaty of Brest in Russia) was a separate peace, separate peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Russian SFSR, Russia and the Central Powers (German Empire, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Kingdom of ...
that ended Russia's participation in the conflict. As part of the treaty, Russia granted Finland independence, which forced the fleet to abandon its principal base at
Helsingfors
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
and return to Kronstadt. ''Rurik'' was reduced to
reserve
Reserve or reserves may refer to:
Places
* Reserve, Kansas, a US city
* Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish
* Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County
* Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...
at Kronstadt in October 1918, and she lay there for the next three years. Initially listed for long-term preservation on 21 May 1921, she was disarmed and useful systems were removed to be preserved ashore. By late 1923, she was in poor condition, and the decision was made to
break her up. She was struck from the
naval register
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 author ...
on 1 November and taken to
Petrograd
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 ...
, where she was dismantled over the course of 1924–1925. Her 203 mm guns were later used as coastal artillery batteries.
Footnotes
Notes
Citations
References
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Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rurik (1906)
World War I cruisers of Russia
Ships built in Barrow-in-Furness
Vickers
1906 ships
Cruisers of the Imperial Russian Navy
Maritime incidents in 1915
Maritime incidents in 1916
Ships sunk by mines