List of naval ships of Russia
Encyclopedia
Starting in 1886 with the Ekaterina II class battleship, the Russian Empire started to construct battleship
s.
Ekaterina II class
The Ekaterina II class was the first true class of battleships built by the Russians. They were intended to support an amphibious assault on the Bosphorus Strait and to oppose any attempt of the British Mediterranean Fleet to enter the Black Sea through the Bosphorous. The first ship of the class to be laid down was Georgii Pobedonosets
in 1881, with the other ships being laid down in 1883. Georgii Pobedonosets was a half-sister to the other ships of the class due to the fact that her armor scheme was largely different from her sisterships.
For the first 15 years after their commissionings in 1889, the class lay idle.
However, after the crew on the new battleship Potemkin
mutinied in June 1905, the class was put into action. Ekaterina II had her engine disabled due to the fact that her crew was considered disloyal. Chesma, also considered disloyal, was not sent on the chase but escorted Potemkin back to Sevastopol
as Sinop towed her. Sinop and Georgii Pobedonosits both participated in the pursuit, but Georgii Pobedonosets joined the mutineers. She rad aground the following day after Potemkin threatened to fire if she left Odessa Harbor.
After the Potemkin mutiny, the ships were all relegated to gunnery training and second class duties. The only shots fired in anger by the class were fired by Georgii Pobedonosits when the German battlecruiser Goeben raided the port of Sevastopol. In 1912, Ekaterin II was sunk as a target, while the others survived until the 1920s, although badly amaged by evacuating British troops in 1919 during the Russian Civil War
. Sinop and Chesma were both scrapped in Russia yards, the latter after being raised after her sinking as a test ship by torpedo boats. Georgii Pobedonosits was scrapped in Bizerte
in France in the early 1920s.
Imperator Aleksandr II class
The Imperator Aleksandr II class was the first all-steel class of battleships in the Baltic Fleet. They were built by the Russians to counter other ships in the area like the and the German s, both of which were built of wrought iron
. The Imperator Aleksandr II ships were designed according to the tactical theories of the day which emphasized ramming and incorporated a ram bow.
The first ship of the class, Imperator Aleksandr II, was laid down on 12 July 1885, while the other, Imperator Nikolai I on 20 March 1886. Both ships were commissioned a month apart in the summer of 1891. Imperator Aleksandr II, along with the cruiser Rurik represented Russia at the 1895 opening of the Kiel Canal, while Imperator Nikolai I did not participate in any events during her first years, although she sailed to China during the First Sino-Japanese War
, after when she returned to Russia.
Imperator Nikolai I was again called up during the Russo-Japanese War
as part of the Third Battle Division under the command of Rear Admiral Nikolai Nebogatov
. She surrendered the day after the Battle of Tsushima
to the Japanese and was reclassified as a gunnery training ships. Sources conflict on the fate of Imperator Nikolai I, with Stephen McLaughlin saying that she was stricken 1 May 1915 and sunk as a target by the battlecruisers and , although Watts and Gordon say that she was scrapped in 1922.
Imperator Aleksandr II was active during the Cretan Revolt of 1897, protecting Russian interests in the area. Re-classified as a gunnery training ship in 1903, she returned to active service when she defeated the mutinous garrison of Fort Konstantin during the Kronstadt
revolt of April 1906. She was at Kronstadt for most of World War I, with her crew actively participating in revolutionary activities. Renamed Zarya Svobody in May 1917, she was sent to Germany for scrapping in 1925.
The Dvenadsat Apostlov was laid down in February 1888. Although she was originally planned to be one of two battleships for the Black Sea Fleet
, but the other was awarded to a near-bankrupt firm which did not make any substantial progress. Dvenadsat Apostlov was launched in September 1890 in Nikolaiv
and commissioned in December 1892. She was used for the testing of new naval mines and torpedoes in 1895, and had a gun burst in 1903 killing, one man. In 1905, she participated in the pursuit of Potemkin. She was decommissioned to a submarine depot in 1912 but was reinstated into the Fleet in 1914 after Russia's entrance into World War I and renamed Blokshiv. she was captured immobile by the Germans and handed over to the Allies. She was used as a stand-in during the movie The Battleship Potemkin
in place of the title ship and was scrapped in 1931.
and completed in 1896. Her design was based on the British Trafalgar class battleship
. After her completion, she was sent to the Pacific in 1898, helping suppress the Boxer Rebellion
two years later. She then returned to the Baltic in 1902, only to be sent back east at the start of the Russo-Japanese War
. She was sunk at the Battle of Tsushima
with only three survivors.
that had a range of about 3 miles (4.8 km). In 1905, she was the flagship for the squadron the pursued the mutinous battleship Potemkin
. In 1908 her fighting top was removed, followed by a major refit during 1911 and 1912.
In November of 1914, after the start of World War I
, Tri Sviatitelia, accompanied by the pre-dreadnoughts (flagship), , , , bombarded Trebizond, a Turkish port. They were intercepted on the following day by the German battlecruiser
and the light cruiser
in what became the Battle of Cape Sarych
. Tri Sviatitelia emerged unscathed, but failed to score any hits. She, along with Rostislav, bombarded Ottoman fortifications on the Bosporous five times during 1915, on March 18, April 25 and May 2, 3, and 9. She conducted coastal bombardment and merchant raiding operations during 1916 and 1917. During refitting at Sevastopol in February of 1917, she was imbolized and captured by the Germans in May of 1918 before being handed over to the Allies. After being immobilized once again by the retreating British in 1919, she changed hands during the Russian Civil War
and was ultimately scrapped in 1923, but was not stricken from the Navy List until November 21 1925.
. She was laid down on 7 August 1891, launched on 2 June 1894 and comissioned on 18 October 1896.
Borodino class
Evstafii class
Andrei Pervozvanny class
The Gangut-class battleships were the first dreadnought
s begun for the Imperial Russian Navy
before World War I
. They had a convoluted design history involving several British companies, evolving requirements, an international design competition, and foreign protests. Their role was to defend the mouth of the Gulf of Finland
against the Germans, who never tried to enter, so the ships spent their time training and providing cover for minelaying
operations. Their crews participated in the general mutiny
of the Baltic Fleet
after the February Revolution
in 1917, and joined the Bolshevik
s the following year. The Russians were forced to evacuate their naval base at Helsinki
after Finland
became independent in December 1917. The Gangut-class ships led the first contingent of ships to Kronstadt
even though the Gulf of Finland was still frozen.
All of the dreadnoughts except for were laid up
in October–November 1918 for lack of manpower. was severely damaged by a fire while laid up in 1919. Petropavlovsk was retained in commission to defend Kronstadt and Leningrad against the British forces supporting the Whites Russians
although she also helped to suppress a mutiny by the garrison of Fort Krasnaya Gorka in 1919. Her crew, and that of the , joined the Kronstadt Rebellion
of March 1921. After it was bloodily crushed, those ships were given proper 'revolutionary' names. Parizhskaya Kommuna, the former Sevastopol, was modified in 1928 to improve her sea-keeping abilities so that she could be transferred to the Black Sea Fleet
which had nothing heavier than a light cruiser available. This proved to be the first of a series of modernizations where each ship of the class was progressively reconstructed and improved. A number of proposals were made in the 1930s to rebuild Frunze, ex-Poltava, to match her sisters
or even as a battlecruiser by removing one turret, but these came to naught and she was hulk
ed preparatory to scrapping.
The two ships of the Baltic Fleet did not play a prominent role in the Winter War
, but did have their anti-aircraft
guns significantly increased before Operation Barbarossa
in 1941. However this did not help either ship as they attempted to provide fire support for the defenders of Leningrad. Marat had her bow blown off and Oktyabrskaya Revolyutsiya was badly damaged by multiple bomb hits in September. The former was sunk, but later raised and became a floating battery for the duration of the Siege of Leningrad
while the latter spent over a year under repair, although this was lengthened by subsequent bomb hits while in the hands of the shipyard. Both ships bombarded German and Finnish troops so long as they remained within reach, but Oktyabrskaya Revolyutsiya did not venture away from Kronstadt for the duration of the war. Parizhskaya Kommuna remained in Sevastopol until forced to evacuate by advancing German troops. She made one trip to besieged Sevastopol in December 1941 and made a number of bombardments in support of the Kerch Offensive during January–March 1942. She was withdrawn from combat in April as German aerial supremacy had made it too risky to risk such a large target.
Sevastopol and Oktyabrskaya Revolyutsiya remained on the active list after the end of the war although little is known of their activities. Both were reclassified as 'school battleships' (uchebnyi lineinyi korabl) in 1954 and stricken in 1956 after which they were slowly scrapped
. There were several plans (Project 27) to reconstruct Petropavlovsk using the bow of Frunze, but they were not accepted and were formally cancelled on 29 June 1948. She was renamed Volkhov in 1950 and served as a stationary training ship until stricken in 1953 and subsequently broken up. Frunze was finally scrapped beginning in 1949.
of the Imperial Russian Navy. All three ships were built in Nikolayev
during World War I. Two ships were delivered in 1915 and saw some combat against ex-German
warships that had been 'gifted' to the Ottoman Empire
, but the third was not completed until 1917 and saw no combat due to the disorder in the navy after the February Revolution
earlier that year.
was sunk by a magazine
explosion in Sevastopol
harbor in 1916. , having been renamed Svobodnaya Rossiya in 1917, was scuttled in Novorossiysk
harbor in 1918 to prevent her from being turned over to the Germans as required by the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
. The crew of Volia, as had been renamed in 1917, voted to turn her over to the Germans. They were only able to make one training cruise before they had to turn her over the victorious Allies
in 1918 as part of the armistice terms. The British took control of her, but turned her over to the White Russians
in 1920 who renamed her General Alekseyev. She only had one operable gun turret by this time and she provided some fire support for the Whites, but it was not enough. They were forced to evacuate the Crimea
later that year and sailed for Bizerte
where she was interned by the French. She was eventually scrapped there during the 1930s to pay her docking fees.
. She was designed to counter the multiple Ottoman orders for dreadnoughts which raised the possibility that the Russian dreadnoughts being built for the Black Sea Fleet
could be out-numbered. The ship used the same main armament as the preceding , but was larger and more heavily armored. Imperator Nikolai I was launched in 1916, but construction was suspended on 24 October 1917. The Soviets
considered completing her in 1923, but rejected the idea. She was towed to Sevastopol in 1927 and scrap
ped.
These ships would have rivaled the Imperial Japanese in size if any had been completed, although with significantly weaker firepower: 406 millimetres (16 in) guns compared to the 460 millimetres (18.1 in) guns of the Japanese ships. However they would have been superior to their German rivals, the , at least on paper. The failure of the Soviet armor plate industry to build cemented armor
plates thicker than 230 millimetres (9.1 in) would have negated any advantages from the Sovetsky Soyuz class's thicker armor in combat.
Construction of the first four ships was plagued with difficulties as the Soviet shipbuilding and related industries were not prepared to build such large ships. One battleship, Sovetskaya Belorussiya, was cancelled on 19 October 1940 after serious construction flaws were found. Construction of the other three ships was suspended shortly after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union
in June 1941, and never resumed. All three of the surviving hulls were scrapped in the late 1940s.
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s.
Key
| Main guns | The number and type of the main battery Main battery Generally used only in the terms of naval warfare, the main battery is the primary weapon around which a ship was designed. "Battery" is in itself a common term in the military science of artillery. For example, the United States Navy battleship USS Washington had a main battery of nine guns... guns |
| Armor | Waterline belt Belt armor Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal armor plated on to or within outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and on aircraft carriers converted from those types of ships.... thickness |
| Displacement | Ship displacement Displacement (ship) A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load... at full load |
| Propulsion | Number of shafts, type of propulsion system, and top speed in knots |
| Service | The dates work began and finished on the ship and its ultimate fate |
| Laid down | The date the keel Keel In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event... began to be assembled |
| Launched | The date the ship was launched |
Ekaterina II classEkaterina II classThe Ekaterina II-class were a class of four pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Russian Navy in the 1880s. They were the first battleships built for the Black Sea Fleet. Their design was highly unusual in having the main guns on three barbettes grouped in a triangle around a central...
Russian battleship Georgii Pobedonosets
The Georgii Pobedonosets was a pre-dreadnought battleship built for the Imperial Russian Navy, the fourth and final ship of the . She was, however, only a half-sister to the others as her armor scheme was different and she was built much later than the earlier ships...
in 1881, with the other ships being laid down in 1883. Georgii Pobedonosets was a half-sister to the other ships of the class due to the fact that her armor scheme was largely different from her sisterships.
For the first 15 years after their commissionings in 1889, the class lay idle.
However, after the crew on the new battleship Potemkin
Russian battleship Potemkin
The Potemkin was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet. The ship was made famous by the Battleship Potemkin uprising, a rebellion of the crew against their oppressive officers in June 1905...
mutinied in June 1905, the class was put into action. Ekaterina II had her engine disabled due to the fact that her crew was considered disloyal. Chesma, also considered disloyal, was not sent on the chase but escorted Potemkin back to Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
as Sinop towed her. Sinop and Georgii Pobedonosits both participated in the pursuit, but Georgii Pobedonosets joined the mutineers. She rad aground the following day after Potemkin threatened to fire if she left Odessa Harbor.
After the Potemkin mutiny, the ships were all relegated to gunnery training and second class duties. The only shots fired in anger by the class were fired by Georgii Pobedonosits when the German battlecruiser Goeben raided the port of Sevastopol. In 1912, Ekaterin II was sunk as a target, while the others survived until the 1920s, although badly amaged by evacuating British troops in 1919 during the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
. Sinop and Chesma were both scrapped in Russia yards, the latter after being raised after her sinking as a test ship by torpedo boats. Georgii Pobedonosits was scrapped in Bizerte
Bizerte
Bizerte or Benzert , is the capital city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia and the northernmost city in Africa. It has a population of 230,879 .-History:...
in France in the early 1920s.
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Fate | |||||
| Ekaterina II | 6 × 12 in (30 cm) | 203 mm (8 in) | 11400 LT (11,583 t) | 2 shaft vertical compound or vertical triple expansion steam engines 14 or 16 cylindrical boilers, 15 knots |
26 June 1883 | 20 May 1886 | Sunk as target ship, 22 April 1912 |
| Chesma | 26 June 1883 | 18 May 1886 | Scrapped, starting in early 1920s | ||||
| Sinop | 26 June 1883 | 1 June 1887 | Scrapped beginning in 1922. | ||||
| Georgii Pobedonosits | 5 May 1891 | 9 March 1892 | Scrapped, beginning in 1924 | ||||
Imperator Aleksandr II classImperator Aleksandr II classThe Imperator Aleksandr II class battleships were two pre-dreadnoughts built for the Imperial Russian Navy in the 1880s. They were intended to counter the small armored ships of the other Baltic powers. Construction was very prolonged and the ships were virtually obsolescent when completed...
The Imperator Aleksandr II class was the first all-steel class of battleships in the Baltic Fleet. They were built by the Russians to counter other ships in the area like the and the German s, both of which were built of wrought ironWrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
. The Imperator Aleksandr II ships were designed according to the tactical theories of the day which emphasized ramming and incorporated a ram bow.
The first ship of the class, Imperator Aleksandr II, was laid down on 12 July 1885, while the other, Imperator Nikolai I on 20 March 1886. Both ships were commissioned a month apart in the summer of 1891. Imperator Aleksandr II, along with the cruiser Rurik represented Russia at the 1895 opening of the Kiel Canal, while Imperator Nikolai I did not participate in any events during her first years, although she sailed to China during the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
, after when she returned to Russia.
Imperator Nikolai I was again called up during the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
as part of the Third Battle Division under the command of Rear Admiral Nikolai Nebogatov
Nikolai Nebogatov
Nikolai Ivanovich Nebogatov was a Rear-Admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy, noted for his role in the final stages of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.-Biography:...
. She surrendered the day after the Battle of Tsushima
Battle of Tsushima
The Battle of Tsushima , commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” in Japan and the “Battle of Tsushima Strait”, was the major naval battle fought between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War...
to the Japanese and was reclassified as a gunnery training ships. Sources conflict on the fate of Imperator Nikolai I, with Stephen McLaughlin saying that she was stricken 1 May 1915 and sunk as a target by the battlecruisers and , although Watts and Gordon say that she was scrapped in 1922.
Imperator Aleksandr II was active during the Cretan Revolt of 1897, protecting Russian interests in the area. Re-classified as a gunnery training ship in 1903, she returned to active service when she defeated the mutinous garrison of Fort Konstantin during the Kronstadt
Kronstadt
Kronstadt , also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt |crown]]" and Stadt for "city"); is a municipal town in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg proper near the head of the Gulf of Finland. Population: It is also...
revolt of April 1906. She was at Kronstadt for most of World War I, with her crew actively participating in revolutionary activities. Renamed Zarya Svobody in May 1917, she was sent to Germany for scrapping in 1925.
Dvenadsat Apostlov
Black Sea Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov....
, but the other was awarded to a near-bankrupt firm which did not make any substantial progress. Dvenadsat Apostlov was launched in September 1890 in Nikolaiv
Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv , also known as Nikolayev , is a city in southern Ukraine, administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv is the main ship building center of the Black Sea, and, arguably, the whole Eastern Europe.-Name of city:...
and commissioned in December 1892. She was used for the testing of new naval mines and torpedoes in 1895, and had a gun burst in 1903 killing, one man. In 1905, she participated in the pursuit of Potemkin. She was decommissioned to a submarine depot in 1912 but was reinstated into the Fleet in 1914 after Russia's entrance into World War I and renamed Blokshiv. she was captured immobile by the Germans and handed over to the Allies. She was used as a stand-in during the movie The Battleship Potemkin
The Battleship Potemkin
The Battleship Potemkin , sometimes rendered as The Battleship Potyomkin, is a 1925 silent film directed by Sergei Eisenstein and produced by Mosfilm...
in place of the title ship and was scrapped in 1931.
Navarin
The Navarin was laid down in 1889 at the Galerniy Yard in St. Petersburg. She was launched on October 24, 1891, the sixty-fourth anniversary of the battle of NavarinoBattle of Navarino
The naval Battle of Navarino was fought on 20 October 1827, during the Greek War of Independence in Navarino Bay , on the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, in the Ionian Sea. A combined Ottoman and Egyptian armada was destroyed by a combined British, French and Russian naval force...
and completed in 1896. Her design was based on the British Trafalgar class battleship
Trafalgar class battleship
The two Trafalgar-class battleships of the British Royal Navy were late nineteenth century ironclad warships. Both were named after naval battles won by the British during the Napoleonic wars under the command of Admiral Nelson.-Design:...
. After her completion, she was sent to the Pacific in 1898, helping suppress the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
two years later. She then returned to the Baltic in 1902, only to be sent back east at the start of the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
. She was sunk at the Battle of Tsushima
Battle of Tsushima
The Battle of Tsushima , commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” in Japan and the “Battle of Tsushima Strait”, was the major naval battle fought between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War...
with only three survivors.
Tri Sviatitelia
The Tri Sviatitelia was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Black Sea Fleet. She was laid down on October 15, 1891, launched on November 12, 1893 and completed in 1896. She became the first ship in the world to be fitted with a radio, an installation designed by the Russian physicist Alexander Stepanovich PopovAlexander Stepanovich Popov
Alexander Stepanovich Popov was a Russian physicist who was the first person to demonstrate the practical application of electromagnetic waves....
that had a range of about 3 miles (4.8 km). In 1905, she was the flagship for the squadron the pursued the mutinous battleship Potemkin
Russian battleship Potemkin
The Potemkin was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet. The ship was made famous by the Battleship Potemkin uprising, a rebellion of the crew against their oppressive officers in June 1905...
. In 1908 her fighting top was removed, followed by a major refit during 1911 and 1912.
In November of 1914, after the start of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Tri Sviatitelia, accompanied by the pre-dreadnoughts (flagship), , , , bombarded Trebizond, a Turkish port. They were intercepted on the following day by the German battlecruiser
Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
and the light cruiser
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...
in what became the Battle of Cape Sarych
Battle of Cape Sarych
The Battle of Cape Sarych was a naval engagement fought off the coast of Cape Sarych during the First World War. In November 1914, two modern Ottoman warships, a light cruiser and a battlecruiser, under the German Admiral Wilhelm Souchon engaged a Russian fleet including 5 obsolescent...
. Tri Sviatitelia emerged unscathed, but failed to score any hits. She, along with Rostislav, bombarded Ottoman fortifications on the Bosporous five times during 1915, on March 18, April 25 and May 2, 3, and 9. She conducted coastal bombardment and merchant raiding operations during 1916 and 1917. During refitting at Sevastopol in February of 1917, she was imbolized and captured by the Germans in May of 1918 before being handed over to the Allies. After being immobilized once again by the retreating British in 1919, she changed hands during the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
and was ultimately scrapped in 1923, but was not stricken from the Navy List until November 21 1925.
Sissoi Veliky
The Sissoi Veliky was a single class battleship planned by the Russian Navy to be one of 16 ocean-going battleships proposed by Grand Duke AlexeyGrand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia
Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia was the sixth child and the fourth son of Alexander II of Russia and his first wife Maria Alexandrovna . Destined to a naval career, Alexei Alexandrovich started his military training at the age of 7...
. She was laid down on 7 August 1891, launched on 2 June 1894 and comissioned on 18 October 1896.
- Sisoi VelikiiSissoi Veliky (1894)The Sisoy Veliky was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy, the fifth battleship built according to the 1881 shipbuilding program, and the second Russian battleship built to a pre-dreadnought standard with four guns in two armored turrets and secondary artillery mounted in...
(«Сисой Великий», 1894 BF) – Torpedoed and sank after the Battle of TsushimaBattle of TsushimaThe Battle of Tsushima , commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” in Japan and the “Battle of Tsushima Strait”, was the major naval battle fought between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War...
, 1905 (50 men lost)
Petropavlovsk class
- PoltavaJapanese battleship TangoThe Russian battleship Poltava was a Petropavlovsk-class battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy. She was one of eight Russian pre-dreadnought battleships captured by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905. Poltava was built at the Galernii Island shipyard, one of a...
(«Полтава», 1894 BF) – Scuttled at Port Arthur 1904, refloated by Japan 1905 and commissioned as Coastal Defence Ship Tango, purchased by Russia in 1916 and commissioned as Battleship Chesma («Чесма»), decommissioned 1924 - PetropavlovskRussian battleship Petropavlovsk (1897)The Petropavlovsk was the lead ship of the Petropavlovsk class of battleships built for the Imperial Russian Navy. During the Russo-Japanese War, Petropavlovsk was a flagship of the First Pacific Squadron, taking part in battles against the Imperial Japanese Navy. On March 31, 1904, the battleship...
(«Петропавловск», 1894 BF) – Mined 1904 at Port ArthurSiege of Port ArthurThe Siege of Port Arthur , 1 August 1904 – 2 January 1905, the deep-water port and Russian naval base at the tip of the Liaotung Peninsula in Manchuria, was the longest and most violent land battle of the Russo-Japanese War....
(681 men lost) - SevastopolRussian battleship Sevastopol (1895)Sevastopol was the last of three ships in the Petropavlovsk class of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Russian Navy in the 1890s...
(«Севастополь», 1895 BF) – Scuttled at Port Arthur 1905
Rostislav
- RostislavRostislav (1896)Rostislav was a pre-dreadnought battleship built by the Nikolaev Admiralty Shipyard in the 1890s for the Black Sea Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy. She was conceived as a small, inexpensive coastal defence ship, but the Navy abandoned the concept in favor of a compact, seagoing battleship with a...
(«Ростислав», 1896 BSF) – Destroyed by British troops at SevastopolSevastopolSevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
1919, Scuttled 1920
Peresvet class
Something middle between battleships and armoured cruisers. Officially classified as "squadron battleships".- PeresvetJapanese battleship Sagamiwas one of eight Russian pre-dreadnought battleships captured by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905. It was built as the lead ship of the of battleships, with a design inspired by the British battleship...
(«Пересвет», 1898 BF) – Scuttled at Port Arthur 1904, refloated by Japan 1905 and commissioned as Coastal Defence Ship Sagami, purchased by Russia and commissioned as Cruiser Peresvet, mined near SuezSuezSuez is a seaport city in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities...
1917 - OsliabiaRussian battleship OslyabyaThe Oslyabya was a battleship of the Russian Imperial Navy, belonging to the . She was named for Rodion Oslyabya, a 14th century monk of the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra and a hero of the Battle of Kulikovo....
(«Ослябя», 1898 BF) – Sunk at the Battle of TsushimaBattle of TsushimaThe Battle of Tsushima , commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” in Japan and the “Battle of Tsushima Strait”, was the major naval battle fought between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War...
, 1905 (514 men lost) - PobedaJapanese battleship SuwoPobeda , was one of eight Russian pre-dreadnought battleships captured by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905. She was sunk during the war, and then salvaged afterwards by the Japanese and placed into service under the name .-Russian career:Pobeda was built as one...
(«Победа», 1900 BF) – Scuttled at Port Arthur 1904, refloated by Japan 1905 and commissioned as Coastal Defence Ship Suwo, hulked 1922, BU 1946
Tsesarevich
- Kniaz’ Potemkin-TavricheskiyRussian battleship PotemkinThe Potemkin was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet. The ship was made famous by the Battleship Potemkin uprising, a rebellion of the crew against their oppressive officers in June 1905...
(«Князь Потёмкин-Таврический», 1900 BSF) – Renamed Panteleimon («Пантелеймон») 1905, renamed Potiomkin-Tavricheskii («Потёмкин-Таврический) 1917, Borets za Svobodu («Борец за Свободу») 1917, destroyed by British troops at SevastopolSevastopolSevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
1919, decommissioned for BU 1923 - Retvizan («Ретвизан», 1900 BF, Philadelphia) – Scuttled at Port Arthur 1904, refloated by Japan 1905, renamed Hizen, sunk as target 1924
- TsesarevichBattleship TsesarevichThe Tsesarevich was a battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy, built in France by Compagnie des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée à la Seine. She was named after the Tsesarevich — the title reserved for the eldest son of the Tsar and heir to the Russian throne...
(«Цесаревич», 1901 BF, La SeyneLa Seyne-sur-MerLa Seyne-sur-Mer, or La Seyne is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is part of the agglomeration of Toulon, and is situated adjacent to the west of this city.-Economy:...
) – Renamed Grazhdanin («Гражданин») 1917, BU 1924
Borodino classBorodino class battleshipThe five Borodino-class battleships were pre-dreadnoughts built between 1899 and 1905 for the Imperial Russian Navy...
- BorodinoRussian battleship BorodinoThe Borodino was the class leader of the , and the second ship of her class to be completed. The ship was named after the 1812 Battle of Borodino. Borodino was lost at the Battle of Tsushima on 27 May 1905 due to explosions set off by a Japanese shell hitting a 6-inch magazine...
(«Бородино», 1901 BF) – Sunk at the Battle of TsushimaBattle of TsushimaThe Battle of Tsushima , commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” in Japan and the “Battle of Tsushima Strait”, was the major naval battle fought between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War...
, 1905 (865 men lost) - Imperator Aleksandr IIIRussian battleship Imperator Aleksander III (1901)The Imperator Alexandr III was a of the Russian Imperial Navy, the first ship of its class to be completed. It was named after Tsar Alexander III. Some naval architects regard the Borodino-class as being among the worst battleships ever built...
(«Император Александр III», 1901 BF) – Sunk at the Battle of TsushimaBattle of TsushimaThe Battle of Tsushima , commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” in Japan and the “Battle of Tsushima Strait”, was the major naval battle fought between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War...
, 1905 (867 men lost) - OriolJapanese battleship IwamiJapanese battleship Iwami was one of eight Russian pre-dreadnought battleships captured by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905. It was built as the Russian battleship Oryol , and was commissioned into the Imperial Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet...
(«Орёл», 1902 BF) – Captured by Japan at the Battle of TsushimaBattle of TsushimaThe Battle of Tsushima , commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” in Japan and the “Battle of Tsushima Strait”, was the major naval battle fought between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War...
(1905), renamed Iwami, decommissioned 1922, sunk as target 1924 - Kniaz’ SuvorovRussian battleship Knyaz SuvorovThe Knyaz Suvorov was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Russian Imperial Navy, built by Baltic Works, St Petersburg. Laid down in July 1901, she was launched in September 1902 and completed in September 1904. This ship was named after the 18th-century Russian general Alexander Suvorov. Her...
(«Князь Суворов», 1902 BF) – Torpedoed at the Battle of TsushimaBattle of TsushimaThe Battle of Tsushima , commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” in Japan and the “Battle of Tsushima Strait”, was the major naval battle fought between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War...
, 1905 (935 men lost) - SlavaRussian battleship SlavaSlava was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy, the last of the five s. Commissioned too late to participate in the Battle of Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War, she survived while all of her sister ships were either sunk during the battle or surrendered to the Imperial...
(«Слава», 1903 BF) – Scuttled after the Battle of Moon SoundBattle of Moon SoundThe Battle of Moon Sound was a naval battle in World War I, fought on 17 October 1917 between naval forces of the German and Russian Empires in the Baltic Sea....
, 1917.
Evstafii classEvstafi class battleshipThe Evstafi-class were a pair of pre-dreadnought battleships of the Imperial Russian Navy built before World War I for the Black Sea Fleet. They were slightly enlarged versions of the , with increased armour and more guns...
- Ioann ZlatoustRussian battleship Ioann ZlatoustIoann Zlatoust was an pre-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet. She was built before World War I and her completion was greatly delayed by changes made to reflect the lessons of the Russo-Japanese War of 1905...
(«Иоанн Златоуст», 1906 BSF) – Destroyed by British troops at SevastopolSevastopolSevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
1919, BU 1923-1925 - EvstafiiRussian battleship EvstafiEvstafi was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet. She was built before World War I and her completion was greatly delayed by changes made to reflect the lessons of the Russo-Japanese War of 1905...
(«Евстафий», 1906 BSF) – Destroyed by British troops at SevastopolSevastopolSevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
1919, BU after 1925
Andrei Pervozvanny classAndrei Pervozvanny class battleshipThe Andrey Pervozvanny class were a pair of predreadnought battleships built in the mid-1900s for the Baltic Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy. They were conceived by the Naval Technical Committee in 1903 as an incremental development of the Borodino class battleships with increased displacement...
- Andrei PervozvannyiRussian battleship Andrei PervozvannyAndrei Pervozvanny was a predreadnought battleship built for the Imperial Russian Navy during the mid-1900s. The ship's construction was seriously extended by design changes as a result of the Russo-Japanese War and labor unrest after the 1905 Revolution, and she took nearly six years to build...
(«Андрей Первозванный», 1906 BF) – Laid up 1920, BU 1924-1925 - Imperator Pavel IRussian battleship Imperator Pavel IImperator Pavel I was a predreadnought battleship built for the Imperial Russian Navy in the mid-1900s. The ship's construction was seriously extended by design changes as a result of the Russo-Japanese War and labor unrest after the 1905 Revolution and she took nearly six years to build...
(«Император Павел I», 1907 BF) – Renamed Respublika («Республика») 1917, Laid up 1918, BU after 1925
Gangut class
Dreadnought
The dreadnought was the predominant type of 20th-century battleship. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her were referred to as "dreadnoughts", and earlier battleships became known as pre-dreadnoughts...
s begun for the Imperial Russian Navy
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. They had a convoluted design history involving several British companies, evolving requirements, an international design competition, and foreign protests. Their role was to defend the mouth of the Gulf of Finland
Gulf of Finland
The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...
against the Germans, who never tried to enter, so the ships spent their time training and providing cover for minelaying
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
operations. Their crews participated in the general mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
of the Baltic Fleet
Baltic Fleet
The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...
after the February Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
in 1917, and joined the Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
s the following year. The Russians were forced to evacuate their naval base at Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
after Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
became independent in December 1917. The Gangut-class ships led the first contingent of ships to Kronstadt
Kronstadt
Kronstadt , also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt |crown]]" and Stadt for "city"); is a municipal town in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg proper near the head of the Gulf of Finland. Population: It is also...
even though the Gulf of Finland was still frozen.
All of the dreadnoughts except for were laid up
Reserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
in October–November 1918 for lack of manpower. was severely damaged by a fire while laid up in 1919. Petropavlovsk was retained in commission to defend Kronstadt and Leningrad against the British forces supporting the Whites Russians
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
although she also helped to suppress a mutiny by the garrison of Fort Krasnaya Gorka in 1919. Her crew, and that of the , joined the Kronstadt Rebellion
Kronstadt rebellion
The Kronstadt rebellion was one of many major unsuccessful left-wing uprisings against the Bolsheviks in the aftermath of the Russian Civil War...
of March 1921. After it was bloodily crushed, those ships were given proper 'revolutionary' names. Parizhskaya Kommuna, the former Sevastopol, was modified in 1928 to improve her sea-keeping abilities so that she could be transferred to the Black Sea Fleet
Black Sea Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov....
which had nothing heavier than a light cruiser available. This proved to be the first of a series of modernizations where each ship of the class was progressively reconstructed and improved. A number of proposals were made in the 1930s to rebuild Frunze, ex-Poltava, to match her sisters
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
or even as a battlecruiser by removing one turret, but these came to naught and she was hulk
Hulk (ship)
A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Although sometimes used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, the term most often refers to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipment removed, retaining only its flotational qualities...
ed preparatory to scrapping.
The two ships of the Baltic Fleet did not play a prominent role in the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
, but did have their anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
guns significantly increased before Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
in 1941. However this did not help either ship as they attempted to provide fire support for the defenders of Leningrad. Marat had her bow blown off and Oktyabrskaya Revolyutsiya was badly damaged by multiple bomb hits in September. The former was sunk, but later raised and became a floating battery for the duration of the Siege of Leningrad
Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
while the latter spent over a year under repair, although this was lengthened by subsequent bomb hits while in the hands of the shipyard. Both ships bombarded German and Finnish troops so long as they remained within reach, but Oktyabrskaya Revolyutsiya did not venture away from Kronstadt for the duration of the war. Parizhskaya Kommuna remained in Sevastopol until forced to evacuate by advancing German troops. She made one trip to besieged Sevastopol in December 1941 and made a number of bombardments in support of the Kerch Offensive during January–March 1942. She was withdrawn from combat in April as German aerial supremacy had made it too risky to risk such a large target.
Sevastopol and Oktyabrskaya Revolyutsiya remained on the active list after the end of the war although little is known of their activities. Both were reclassified as 'school battleships' (uchebnyi lineinyi korabl) in 1954 and stricken in 1956 after which they were slowly scrapped
Ship breaking
Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...
. There were several plans (Project 27) to reconstruct Petropavlovsk using the bow of Frunze, but they were not accepted and were formally cancelled on 29 June 1948. She was renamed Volkhov in 1950 and served as a stationary training ship until stricken in 1953 and subsequently broken up. Frunze was finally scrapped beginning in 1949.
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Fate | |||||
| Gangut | 12 × 12 in (30 cm) | 225 mm (8.9 in) | 24400 LT (24,792 t) | 4 screws, steam turbines, 24 knots | 16 June 1909 | 20 October 1911 | Stricken, 17 February 1956 |
| Petropavlovsk | 22 September 1911 | Stricken, 4 September 1933 | |||||
| Sevastopol | 10 July 1911 | Scrapped beginning in 1949. | |||||
| Poltava | 23 July 1911 | Stricken, 17 February 1956 | |||||
Imperatritsa Mariya class
The Imperatritsa Mariya-class battleships were the first dreadnoughts built for the Black Sea FleetBlack Sea Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov....
of the Imperial Russian Navy. All three ships were built in Nikolayev
Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv , also known as Nikolayev , is a city in southern Ukraine, administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv is the main ship building center of the Black Sea, and, arguably, the whole Eastern Europe.-Name of city:...
during World War I. Two ships were delivered in 1915 and saw some combat against ex-German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
warships that had been 'gifted' to the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, but the third was not completed until 1917 and saw no combat due to the disorder in the navy after the February Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
earlier that year.
was sunk by a magazine
Magazine (artillery)
Magazine is the name for an item or place within which ammunition is stored. It is taken from the Arabic word "makahazin" meaning "warehouse".-Ammunition storage areas:...
explosion in Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
harbor in 1916. , having been renamed Svobodnaya Rossiya in 1917, was scuttled in Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is the country's main port on the Black Sea and the leading Russian port for importing grain. It is one of the few cities honored with the title of the Hero City. Population: -History:...
harbor in 1918 to prevent her from being turned over to the Germans as required by the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a peace treaty signed on March 3, 1918, mediated by South African Andrik Fuller, at Brest-Litovsk between Russia and the Central Powers, headed by Germany, marking Russia's exit from World War I.While the treaty was practically obsolete before the end of the year,...
. The crew of Volia, as had been renamed in 1917, voted to turn her over to the Germans. They were only able to make one training cruise before they had to turn her over the victorious Allies
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
in 1918 as part of the armistice terms. The British took control of her, but turned her over to the White Russians
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
in 1920 who renamed her General Alekseyev. She only had one operable gun turret by this time and she provided some fire support for the Whites, but it was not enough. They were forced to evacuate the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
later that year and sailed for Bizerte
Bizerte
Bizerte or Benzert , is the capital city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia and the northernmost city in Africa. It has a population of 230,879 .-History:...
where she was interned by the French. She was eventually scrapped there during the 1930s to pay her docking fees.
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Fate | |||||
| Imperatritsa Mariya | 12 × 12 in (30 cm) | 262.5 mm (10.3 in) | 23413 LT (23,789 t) | 4 screws, steam turbines, 21 knots | 30 October 1911 | 19 October 1913 | Stricken 21 November 1925 |
| Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya | 6 June 1913 | Scuttled Scuttling Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives... , 19 June 1918 |
|||||
| Imperator Aleksandr III | 15 April 1914 | Sold for scrap, 1936 | |||||
Imperator Nikolai I
Imperator Nikolai I ( or Emperor Nikolai I) was built during World War I for service in the Black SeaBlack Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
. She was designed to counter the multiple Ottoman orders for dreadnoughts which raised the possibility that the Russian dreadnoughts being built for the Black Sea Fleet
Black Sea Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov....
could be out-numbered. The ship used the same main armament as the preceding , but was larger and more heavily armored. Imperator Nikolai I was launched in 1916, but construction was suspended on 24 October 1917. The Soviets
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
considered completing her in 1923, but rejected the idea. She was towed to Sevastopol in 1927 and scrap
Ship breaking
Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...
ped.
| Ship | Main guns | Armour | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
| HMS Imperator Nikolai I | 12 × 12 in (30 cm) | 270 mm (11 in) | 31877 LT (32,389 t) | 4 screws, steam turbines, 21 knots | 28 April 1915 | 18 October 1916 | Scrapped beginning 28 June 1927 |
Sovetsky Soyuz class
The Sovetsky Soyuz class battleships (Project 23), also known as "Stalin's Republics", were a class of battleships begun by the Soviet Union in the late 1930s but never brought into service. They were designed in response to the battleships being built by Germany. Only four hulls of the sixteen originally planned had been laid down by 1940, when the decision was made to cut the program to only three ships to divert resources to an expanded army rearmament program.These ships would have rivaled the Imperial Japanese in size if any had been completed, although with significantly weaker firepower: 406 millimetres (16 in) guns compared to the 460 millimetres (18.1 in) guns of the Japanese ships. However they would have been superior to their German rivals, the , at least on paper. The failure of the Soviet armor plate industry to build cemented armor
Krupp cemented armour
Krupp Cemented Armour is a further evolved variant of Krupp Armour, developed during the early years of the 20th Century. The process is largely the same with slight changes in the alloy composition: in % of total – carbon 0.35, nickel 3.90, chromium 2.00, manganese .35, silicon .07, phosphorus...
plates thicker than 230 millimetres (9.1 in) would have negated any advantages from the Sovetsky Soyuz class's thicker armor in combat.
Construction of the first four ships was plagued with difficulties as the Soviet shipbuilding and related industries were not prepared to build such large ships. One battleship, Sovetskaya Belorussiya, was cancelled on 19 October 1940 after serious construction flaws were found. Construction of the other three ships was suspended shortly after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
in June 1941, and never resumed. All three of the surviving hulls were scrapped in the late 1940s.
| Ship | Main guns | Armor | Displacement | Propulsion | Service | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laid down | Launched | Fate | |||||
| Sovetsky Soyuz | 9 × 406 mm (16 in) | 420 mm (16.5 in) | 65150 t (64,121 LT) | 4 screws, steam turbines, 28 knots | 15 July 1938 | Never | Ordered scrapped, 29 May 1948 |
| Sovetskaya Ukraina | 31 October 1938 | Ordered scrapped, 27 March 1947 | |||||
| Sovetskaya Rossiya | 22 July 1940 | ||||||
| Sovetskaya Belorussiya | 21 December 1939 | Cancelled, 19 October 1940 | |||||
Non-Russian ships
Archangelsk
- Arkhangel’sk («Архангельск») (1915; ex-HMS Royal Sovereign, transferred 1944 Northern Fleet in account of reparations from Italy) – Returned 1949 (instead of Giulio Cesare), BU after 1949
Novorossiysk
- Novorossiysk («Новороссийск») (1911; ex-Italian Giulio CesareItalian battleship Giulio CesareGiulio Cesare , motto Caesar Adest was a Conte di Cavour-class battleship that served in the Regia Marina in both World Wars before joining the Soviet Navy as the Novorossiysk. Her keel was laid down on 24 June 1910 at Cantieri Ansaldo, Genoa...
) – Taken according to reparations from Italy, transferred in 1948 (BSF), Exploded by an unknown reason in 1955
Sources
- Moiseev S. P. Spisok korabley russkogo parovogo i bronenosnogo flota (s 1861 po 1917 god). – Voyenizdat, Moskva, 1948. (List of the Ships of Russian Steam and Armoured Navy (from 1861 to 1917)).
- Boyevye korabli russkogo flota 8.1914-10.1918 gody: Spravochnik / Ed. by Yu. V. Apalkov. – INTEK, St. Peterburg, 1996. (Warships of the Russian Navy in August 1914 – October 1918).
- Burov V. N. Otechestvennoye voyennoye korablestroyenoye v tretyem stoletii svoyei istorii. – Sudostroyeniye, St. Peterburg, 1995. (Native Naval Shipbuilding in 3rd century of its history [i. e. in XX c.])
- Berezhnoi S. S. Trofei i reparatsii VMF SSSR. – Sakhapoligraphizdat, Yakutsk, 1994. (Trophies and Reparations of the USSR Navy)
- Maritimequest Russian battleship index