Cruiser Varyag with whom he fought. Cruiser "Varyag": the history of the ship, advantages and disadvantages, participation in the Russian-Japanese war

February 9, 1904 - the day of the feat and death of the cruiser "Varyag". This day became the starting point for Russia's immersion in a series of revolutions and wars. But in this century it also became the first day of unfading Russian military glory.
The cruiser Varyag entered service in 1902. In its class, it was the strongest and fastest ship in the world: with a displacement of 6,500 tons, it had a speed of 23 knots (44 km / h), carried 36 guns, of which 24 were large-caliber, as well as 6 torpedo tubes. The crew consisted of 18 officers and 535 sailors. The cruiser was commanded by Captain 1st Rank Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev, a hereditary sailor. By the beginning of the Russian-Japanese war, "Varyag" was carrying out a mission to protect the Russian embassy in Seoul.
On the night of February 8-9, 1904, a Japanese officer left the following entry in his diary: "We will not declare war in advance, since this is a completely incomprehensible, stupid European custom" (compare - the Russian prince Svyatoslav, who lived a thousand years before This, before the war, he sent messengers to his opponents with a short message "I am going to you").
On the night of January 27 (old style) Rudnev was handed an ultimatum from the Japanese Rear Admiral Uriu: "Varyag" and "Koreets" must leave the port before noon, otherwise they would be attacked in the roadstead. The commanders of the French cruiser Pascal, the English Talbot, the Italian Elba and the American gunboat Vicksburg, who were in Chemulpo, had received a Japanese notification of the upcoming attack by his squadron on Russian ships the day before.
To the credit of the commanders of three foreign cruisers - the French Pascal, the English Talbot and the Italian Elba, they expressed a written protest to the commander of the Japanese squadron: has no right to attack ships of other nations located in this port, and the power that violates this law is fully responsible for any damage caused to life or property in this port.Therefore, with this letter we vigorously protest against such a violation of neutrality and we will be glad to hear Your opinion on this subject. "
Under this letter was not only the signature of the commander of the American "Vicksburg" - Captain 2nd Rank Marshall. As you can see, the practice of remembering international law only depending on its own benefit has a long tradition among Americans.
Meanwhile, Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev read out an ultimatum to the crew with the words: "The challenge is more than daring, but I accept it. I do not shy away from the battle, although I have no official message from my government about the war. I am sure of one thing: the Varyag and "Koreans" will fight to the last drop of blood, showing everyone an example of fearlessness in battle and contempt for death. "
Warrant officer Padalko answered for the whole team: "All of us, both" Varyag "and" Korean "will defend the native St. Andrew's flag, its glory, honor and dignity, knowing that the whole world is looking at us."

At 11 h. 10 min. on the Russian ships the command sounded: "All up, remove from the anchor!" - and ten minutes later "Varyag" and "Koreets" weighed anchor and set sail. While slowly passing by the English, French and Italian cruisers, the musicians of the Varyag sang the corresponding national anthems. In response, the sounds of the Russian anthem were heard from the foreign ships, on the decks of which the crews were lined up in frunt.
"We saluted these heroes, who marched so proudly to certain death!" - wrote later the commander of "Pascal" Captain I rank Senes.
The excitement was indescribable, some of the sailors were crying. They have never seen a more sublime and tragic scene. On the bridge of the Varyag stood its commander, leading the ship to the last parade.
It was impossible to doubt the outcome of this battle. The Japanese opposed the Russian armored cruiser and the outdated gunboat with six armored cruisers and eight destroyers. Against the Russians, two 203-mm, thirteen 152-mm guns and seven torpedo tubes were preparing to fire four 203-mm, thirty-eight 152-mm guns and forty-three torpedo tubes. The superiority was more than threefold, despite the fact that the "Varyag" did not have side armor at all and even armored shields on the guns.
When the enemy ships saw each other on the high seas, the Japanese issued a signal "to surrender at the mercy of the victor," hoping that the Russian cruiser, in the face of their overwhelming superiority, would surrender without a fight and become the first trophy in this war. In response, the Varyag commander gave the order to raise the battle flags. At 11 hours 45 minutes. from the cruiser "Asama" the first shot rang out, after which in just one minute the Japanese guns fired 200 shells - about seven tons of deadly metal. The Japanese squadron concentrated all fire on the Varyag, at first ignoring the Koreets. Broken boats burned on board the Varyag, the water around it boiled from explosions, the remnants of ship superstructures crashed onto the deck, burying the Russian sailors under them. One after another the knocked-out guns fell silent, around which the dead lay. Japanese buckshot rained down, the deck of the Varyag turned into a vegetable grater. But, despite heavy fire and enormous destruction, the Varyag nevertheless conducted aimed fire at the Japanese ships from the remaining guns. "Korean" did not lag behind him either.

Even the wounded did not leave their combat posts. The roar was such that the sailors' eardrums literally burst. The namesake of the commander, the ship's priest Fr. Mikhail Rudnev, despite the constant threat of death, walked on the blood-drenched deck of the Varyag and inspired officers and sailors.
"Varyag" concentrated fire on "Asam". Within an hour, he fired 1105 shells at the Japanese, as a result of which a fire started on the Asama, the captain's bridge collapsed and the ship's commander was killed. The cruiser "Akashi" suffered such heavy damage that its subsequent repairs dragged on for over a year. Two more cruisers received equally severe damage. One of the destroyers sank during the battle, and the other on the way to the port of Sasebo. In total, the Japanese brought ashore 30 killed and 200 wounded, not counting those who died along with their ships. The enemy could neither flood nor capture the Russian ships - when the forces of the Russian sailors were running out, Rudnev decided to return to the port to rescue the surviving sailors.
It was a victory for the Russian fleet. The moral superiority of the Russians over any enemy force was proved by a terrible price - but this price was paid easily.
When the mutilated Russian ships reached the port, the captain of the French cruiser Senes climbed onto the deck of the Varyag: "I will never forget the amazing sight that presented itself to me. The deck is covered with blood, corpses and body parts are scattered everywhere. Nothing escaped destruction."
Of the 36 guns, only 7 remained more or less intact. Four huge holes were found in the hull. Of the crew on the upper deck, 33 sailors were killed and 120 were injured. Captain Rudnev was seriously wounded in the head. In order to prevent the capture of unarmed ships by the Japanese, it was decided to blow up the Koreets gunboat, and Kingston was opened on the Varyag.
The surviving Russian heroes were placed on foreign ships. The English Talbot took on board 242 people, the Italian ship took 179 Russian sailors, the rest were placed on board by the French Pascal.
The German Rudolf Greinz, admired by the valor of the Russians, composed a poem, on the words of which (translated by E. Studenskaya) the musician of the 12th Astrakhan grenadier regiment A.S. - "Our proud" Varyag "does not surrender to the enemy.
On April 29, 1904, in the Winter Palace, Nicholas II honored the sailors of the "Varyag". On this day, for the first time, a song was sounded that looked more like a hymn:

Upstairs, comrades, with God, hurray!
The last parade is coming.
Our proud "Varyag" does not surrender to the enemy
Nobody wants mercy!
All the pennants curl and the chains clatter
Raising anchors upward,
The guns are preparing for battle in a row,
Ominously sparkling in the sun!
Whistles and rattles and rumbles around.
The thunder of the cannons, the hiss of the shells,
And our immortal and proud "Varyag"
Like a pitch hell.
Bodies tremble in their death throes,
The thunder of the cannons, and the smoke, and the groanings,
And the ship is engulfed in a sea of ​​fire
The moment of farewell has come.
Goodbye comrades! With God, hurray!
The boiling sea below us!
Didn't think, brothers, we were with you yesterday,
That today we will die under the waves.
Neither stone nor cross will tell where they lay
To the glory of the Russian flag,
Only the waves of the sea will glorify some
Heroic death of "Varyag"!

After some time, the Japanese raised the Varyag, repaired it and added it to their fleet under the name Soya. On March 22, 1916, the ship was bought by the Russian Tsar and enlisted in the Baltic Fleet under the same name - "Varyag".
A year later, the worn-out cruiser was sent for repairs to allied England. The Russian fleet was waiting for the return of the glorious cruiser to participate in the war with Germany, but the October coup took place, and the British military authorities disarmed the Varyag and sent the crew home, and the ship itself was sold in 1918 to a private entrepreneur. When they tried to tow the Varyag to the place of the future anchorage, near the city of Lendalfoot, a storm broke out, and the cruiser was thrown onto the rocks. In 1925 the British dismantled the remains of the Varyag for metal. This is how the most famous cruiser of the Russian fleet ended its existence.
Captain Rudnev died in Tula in 1913. In 1956, a monument was erected to him in his small homeland. Monuments to the heroes of the Varyag have been erected in the port of Chemulpo and at the Vladivostok Sea Cemetery.

Glory to the Russian heroes! Eternal memory to them!

"Varangian"

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Ships of the same type

"Varangian"- Russian armored cruiser of the 1st rank, built in the USA according to an individual project and was part of the Russian Imperial Navy. He became famous all over the world for the decision, in response to the offer of surrender, to accept an unequal battle at Chemulpo against the superior forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy. In connection with the revolutionary events in Russia in October 1917, the Varyag was captured by the British and sold for scrap in 1920.

History of creation

Prerequisites for creation

In 1895 and 1896. in Japan, two shipbuilding programs were adopted, according to which, by 1905, it was envisaged to build a fleet superior to the naval forces of Russia in the Far East. The militarization of Japan did not go unnoticed. Russia was implementing its own shipbuilding program to strengthen the military fleet, but it was clearly inferior to the growth rate of the Japanese fleet. Therefore, in 1897, an additional program "For the needs of the Far East" was developed, which included, among other ships, the construction of an armored cruiser of the 1st rank "Varyag".

Design

Due to the lack of a detailed design of the ship at the time of signing the contract, the supervisory commission headed by Captain 1st Rank M.A. Danilevsky, who left Russia for the shipyard, in addition to monitoring the progress of construction, also coordinated emerging issues on the future appearance of the ship in the process of its construction.

As a prototype for the construction of the "Varyag", the shipyard management proposed to take a Japanese armored cruiser of the "Kasagi" type (Jap. 笠置 ), but the Marine Technical Committee insisted on a Diana-class cruiser. At the same time, the contract provided for the installation on the ship, albeit heavier, but well-proven in the Russian fleet for their reliability, Belleville boilers. Contrary to the requirements of the customer of the ship, at the direction of the admiral-general and head of the Main Directorate of Shipbuilding and Supply V.P. Verkhovsky, preference was given to the variant with the Nikloss boilers, which were ingenious in idea, but not tested in practice.

Build and test

Due to the workload of domestic factories "Varyag" was ordered in the USA in Philadelphia at the shipyard of The William Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Building Company. The contract was signed on April 11, 1898.

During construction, significant changes were made to the project, dictated by the initially signed contract with vague wording about the parameters of the ship. For example, the conning tower was increased in size, in addition, it was raised to improve visibility. The height of the cruiser's side keels was increased from 0.45 to 0.61 m. Auxiliary mechanisms were provided with electric motors, and gun shields were not installed due to fear of overloading the ship.

Most of the equipment for building and equipping the ship came from firms located in the United States. At the same time, the main caliber guns were supplied from Obukhovsky, and torpedo tubes from the St. Petersburg Metal Works. Anchors, anchor chains and anti-torpedo nets were ordered in England.

On January 11, 1899, the cruiser was included in the lists of the fleet under the name "Varyag" in honor of the corvette of the same name, sent during the American Civil War in 1861-1865. to aid the government of President Lincoln.

October 19, 1899 the ship was launched. The construction of the ship was carried out at a rapid pace, but the workers' strikes and the constant approval of the ship's project did not allow the shipbuilders to meet the deadlines allotted by the contract. Due to the objective reasons for the delay in the construction of the ship, no penalties were imposed by the Russian government.

On September 22, 1900, the cruiser was handed over to the customer, exceeding the main characteristics laid down in the contract. At the same time, right down
until the cruiser left for Russia in March 1901, the elimination of minor flaws continued, mainly related to imperfections
dynamos (electric generators) and boat mechanisms.

Cross-sectional drawing

Booking scheme

Boiler diagram of the Nikloss system

Appearance of the ship upon completion of construction

Description of the structure

Frame

The hull of the cruiser was made with a forecastle, which improved its seaworthiness in a stormy sea. The basis of the hull was the keel, enclosed between the pins. The foundations of 30 Nikloss steam boilers were installed on the deck of the second bottom of the ship. The height of the ship's hull was 10.46 m. ​​Coal pits were located along the sides, above and below the slopes in the area of ​​the engine and boiler rooms. In addition to their direct purpose, they also performed protective functions, forming a parapet around the vital mechanisms and systems of the ship. In the bow and stern ends of the ship, there were ammunition cellars, brought together in two compact groups of nine rooms each, which simplified their protection from being hit by the enemy.

Reservation

All vital mechanisms, machines, boilers and cellars were covered by an armored carapace deck. The total thickness of the horizontal armored deck was 38 mm. The deck slopes descended to the sides 1.1 m below the waterline, their thickness was 76 mm. The spread of water from the side compartments, upon receiving a hole, was delayed by limiting longitudinal bulkheads, which were 1.62 m from the side in the engine rooms and 2.13 m in the boiler rooms.

On the slopes of the armored deck along the side, compartments were fenced off - cofferdams, intended according to the project to be filled with cellulose, which was later decided to be abandoned due to its fragility. Thus, the cruiser was girded with a kind of protective parapet 0.76 m thick and 2.28 m high, which did not allow water to penetrate through the holes at the waterline.

Electrical equipment

The cruiser "Varyag", in comparison with the ships of the previous years of construction, had a relatively large percentage of equipment powered by electricity. DC electricity was generated by three parodynamo machines. Each of them rotated two electric generators. Two parodynamo machines with a power of 132 kW each were located in the bow and stern of the ship under the armored deck, one with a power of 66 kW was located on the living deck. In a special compartment there was a battery of 60 batteries for emergency power supply of navigation lights, loud bells and other needs.

Electricity consumption on the ship.

Longitudinal diagram of the ship's device

(*) - with a load factor of 0.5.

Drainage system

Stern view

Captain's salon

Scheme (draft) of the distribution of sectors of firing from guns

152-mm / 45 gun of the Kane "Varyag" system

View of the ship's tank

The drainage system consisted of alarms, drainage pumps and drives (electric motors). It provided pumping out of the incoming water from all the rooms under the armored deck of the ship. Water was removed from the boiler rooms using centrifugal pumps located on the double bottom deck. Electric motors installed on the armored deck and connected to the pumps with a long shaft were used as a drive for them. According to the specifications, each pump was supposed to pump out water in the volume of the entire compartment in an hour. From the engine rooms, water was pumped out by two circulation pumps of the main refrigerators.

To extinguish fires, a fire main was laid under the armored deck. To connect fire hoses, the pipe had branches that extended into all cellars, boiler rooms and engine rooms. Fire alarm sensors (thermostats) were installed in coal pits. The fires in the coal pits were extinguished with steam.

Steering

For the first time in the Russian fleet, the steering of a cruiser had three types of drive: steam, electric and manual. The rudder blade was made in the form of a frame, sheathed with sheet steel. The space of the frame was filled with wooden blocks. The steering wheel area is 12 m 2. The steering was carried out from the conning tower or the wheelhouse. In the event of their failure, control of the ship was transferred to the aft steering compartment, located under the armored deck.

Crew and habitability

On the cruiser "Varyag", in accordance with the specification, the crew consisted of 21 officers, 9 conductors and 550 lower ranks. The living quarters of the crew were located under the forecastle on the living deck, and in the aft part on the armored deck. From the 72nd frame towards the stern went the cabins of the officers and the command of the ship. The officers' cabins were single. The premises towards the stern were occupied by the commander. A wardroom adjoined them. On the living deck there was an infirmary, a pharmacy, a galley, a bathhouse and a ship's church.

Armament

Initially, it was supposed to install on the ship: 2 x 203-mm; 10 x 152 mm; 12 x 75mm; 6 x 47 mm guns and 6 torpedo tubes. But due to an overload of 30 tons, in the final version, the cruiser received: 12 x 152/45-mm, 12 x 75/50-mm, 8 x 47/43-mm, 2 x 37/23-mm; 2 x 63.5 / 19 mm Baranovsky guns; 6 x 381 mm, 2 x 254 mm torpedo tubes and 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns, as well as barrage mines.

Main caliber

The cruiser's main battery artillery, represented by 152 mm / 45 Kane guns, was combined into two batteries. The first consisted of 6 guns located in the bow, the second - 6 stern guns. All onboard guns to increase the angles of fire were installed on sites protruding beyond the side line - sponsons. The rate of fire of the guns reached 6 rounds per minute.

Auxiliary / anti-aircraft artillery

Small-caliber cannons were still of great importance in the fight against destroyers. To enhance their effectiveness and increase the angles of fire, two 47-mm Hotchkiss rapid-fire guns were installed on the Varyag's tops. Four more such guns were located on the upper deck, of which two, in addition to two 37-mm Hotchkiss cannons and machine guns, were used to arm ship's boats and boats.

Two 7.62 mm machine guns were mounted on special brackets located on the bulwarks near the conning tower. After the ship was repaired in 1916, it became possible to fire at aircraft from machine guns.

The ship had two 63.5-mm amphibious guns of Baranovsky, located on the forecastle under the wings of the bow bridge. The wheeled carriages were stored separately under the bow bridge behind the conning tower.

Mine torpedo armament

Communication, detection, auxiliary equipment

On the cruiser, a remote fire control system was introduced using special indicators installed at the guns and in the cellars. Data on the parameters of fire and the type of shells were set directly from the conning tower. Determination of the distance to the target was carried out by three ranging stations, two of them were located on the tops and one on the front bridge.

The control, communications and surveillance facilities on the cruiser were focused mainly on the stern and bow bridges. The conning tower of the cruiser was an oval-shaped armored breastwork protected by 152-mm armor. A flat roof with overhangs bent down and protruding beyond the dimensions of the parapet was fastened to the upper end of the parapet of the deckhouse, forming viewing slots with a height of 305 mm. ... The conning tower was connected to the armored deck by a vertical armored tube with a wall thickness of 76 mm, which led to the central post. In this pipe, the drives and cables of the ship's control devices were hidden.

Above, there was a transverse bridge, on which searchlights and hackabort lights were installed. The wheelhouse was located in the center of the bridge. There were five compasses on the cruiser. The two main ones were located on the roof of the undercarriage and on a special platform for the aft bridges.

For intercom, in addition to the communication pipes and the messenger sailors, a telephone network was organized, covering almost all the service premises of the ship. Telephones were installed in all cellars, in boiler rooms and engine rooms, in officers' cabins, in the conning tower and in the wheelhouse, at gun posts.

Launching

On the roadstead of Philadelphia, USA

Electrical signaling devices (bells, indicators, fire alarm sensors, annunciators, etc.) were available in the cabins of the command personnel, at combat posts and in the conning tower. In addition to warning calls, the cruiser retained a staff of drummers and buglers. To communicate with other ships, in addition to the radio station, the cruiser consisted of a large staff of signalmen.

Overall project assessment

The Diana-class cruisers that entered service before the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War were outdated and no longer met modern requirements. "Diana", "Pallada" and "Aurora" were distinguished by good reliability of mechanisms, but in all respects they were outperformed by modern armored cruisers of foreign construction.

"Varyag" and armored cruiser "Askold", in fact, were experimental cruiser-type ships with a displacement of 6,000 tons. "Varyag" was designed more thoughtfully and compactly than ships of the "Diana" type. The forced placement of artillery at the extremities saved him from cramped cellars along the sides. The ship had good seaworthiness, boats and boats were very well located on it. The machine-boiler rooms were spacious, their equipment and ventilation system deserved the highest praise.

During the factory tests at maximum speed, "Varyag" showed outstanding results. So, on July 12, 1900, the Varyag developed a move of 24.59 knots. During 12-hour continuous testing "Varyag" showed an average result of 23.18 knots. On 24-hour trials, the Varyag covered 240 miles during the run at an economical speed of 10 knots, using 52.8 tons of coal (that is, 220 kg per mile).

But the actual cruising range of the ship always differs significantly from the calculated one obtained from the test results. So, during long-distance crossings "Varyag" at a speed of 10 knots spent 68 tons of coal per day, which corresponds to the greatest cruising range of 4288 miles.

One of the disadvantages of the "Varyag" was the unreliability of the power plant. The cruiser spent a significant part of the pre-war service in Port Arthur at the quay wall in endless repairs. The reason lay in both the careless assembly of the machines and the unreliability of the Nikloss boilers.

Repair and modernization of the ship

1906 - 1907

Deck view from the forward bridge

During the overhaul of the ship, which was raised from the bottom by the Japanese after it was sunk in the battle of Chemulpo, the appearance of the cruiser changed greatly. First of all, because of the new navigation bridges, navigational cabin, chimneys and fans. Mars platforms were dismantled on the masts. The 75mm Hotchkiss guns were replaced with 76mm Armstrong guns. The poles of anti-mine nets were removed from the sides of the ship.

1916 g.

The Russian admissions committee found the ship returned by Japan in poor technical condition. For example, the service life of Nikloss boilers until the full depletion of the resource was no more than 1.5 - 2 years. During the repairs in Vladivostok, Kane's nose 152/45-mm guns were moved to the center plane on the cruiser, as well as two of the same guns on the poop. As a result, the number of guns in the side salvo increased to eight. All the guns that stood open were fitted with shortened armor shields. The gun guidance mechanisms were repaired and the elevation angles were increased from 15 ° to 18 °. Dead motions of mechanisms are eliminated. Machine guns are adapted for firing at aircraft. During sea trials with 22 boilers out of 30, "Varyag" developed a speed of 16 knots.

Service history

Sea trials off the coast of the United States
1901 g.

"Varyag" after the battle at Chemulpo
1904 g.

"Soya" (jap. 宗谷 ) - Japanese educational
ship - 1905 - 1916

"Varyag" and the battleship "Chesma" (formerly "Poltava") in Vladivostok - 1916

Sitting on the stones "Varyag" off the coast of Scotland - 1920

Before the outbreak of the Russo - Japanese War

March 20, 1901 - the cruiser "Varyag" with a Russian crew on board sailed from the United States to the shores of Russia. The passage to Kronstadt across the Atlantic took just over two months and on May 3, having covered 5,083 miles, the ship arrived at its destination.

August 5, 1901 - the cruiser left Kronstadt and escorted the imperial yacht Shtandart with Nicholas II to Danzig, Kiel and Cherbourg.

September 16, 1901 - "Varyag" continued her voyage to the Far East, passing through the Suez Canal, entered the Persian Gulf, where he visited Kuwait with a diplomatic mission on board. After that, with a call to Singapore and Hong Kong, he arrived on February 25, 1902 in Port Arthur. During the passage, short-term repairs to Nikloss boilers were repeatedly carried out in the parking areas. The created special commission came to the conclusion that the maximum speed of the "Varyag" for a short period of time should be considered 20 knots, and for a longer period - 16.

March-April 1902 - in Port Arthur in the armed reserve (exercises in the roadstead, without going out to sea for tactical training), all the time during which it was allotted to the repair of ship mechanisms.

May-July 1902 - cruising in Talienwan Bay, off the coast of the Kwantung Peninsula and Thornton Island.

August-September 1902 - in Port Arthur (in the armed reserve), boiler repair.

October 1902 - a campaign to Chemulpo.

October 1902 - March 1903 - in Port Arthur.

April 1903 - in Talienvan Bay.

May 1903 - in Chemulpo.

June-September 1903 - in Port Arthur (in the armed reserve), the departure of a number of officers and the transfer to the reserve of 30 experienced sailors, mainly from the engine room.

October 1903 - December 1903 - in Port Arthur, due to the weakness of the repair base, the speed of the Varyag was limited to 17 knots and for a short time 20. For a full repair in Russia, parts for the power plant were ordered, which did not have time to arrive before loss of the ship in the battle at Chemulpo.

December 1903 - Crossings between Chemulpo, Seoul and Port Arthur.

Russo - Japanese War

January 27, 1904 - the cruiser "Varyag" together with the gunboat "Koreets", refusing to accept the terms of the ultimatum of the Japanese command to surrender, took an unequal battle against the superior forces of the Japanese squadron under the command of Rear Admiral Uriu (2 armored cruisers "Asama" and "Chiyoda", 4 armored cruisers "Naniwa", "Niitaka", "Takachiho", "Akashi"; 8 destroyers). Having suffered significant human damage during the battle and received severe damage that did not allow the battle to continue, the Varyag returned to Chemulpo, where the team went ashore and the ship was sunk.

According to the report of the Varyag commander, the cruiser sank one destroyer and damaged the Asama cruiser, and the Takachiho cruiser sank after the battle; the enemy allegedly lost about 30 people killed. Official Japanese sources and archival documents do not confirm either hitting Japanese ships or the presence of any losses.

February 1904 - The Japanese began lifting the Varyag, but by October they had stopped unsuccessful attempts to pump water out of the ship's hull due to a large number of holes.

April 1905 - lifting work was resumed, a caisson was built over the cruiser and on August 8 the ship rose from the bottom.

November 1905 - the cruiser was towed to Yokosuka for overhaul, which lasted until 1907. The helm was removed from the Varyag cruiser and transferred to the flagship of the Japanese fleet, the battleship Mikasa. 宗谷 ) and enlisted as a training ship in the Japanese Imperial Navy.

World War I

Early 1916 - Japan, an ally of Russia in the First World War, agreed to sell some of the captured ships of the First Pacific Squadron. Among them was the cruiser Varyag, which had previously served as a training ship for Japanese cadets for nine years.

June 18, 1916 "Varyag", henceforth manned by a guard crew, went to sea and on November 17, 1916 arrived in Murmansk.

November 30, 1916 - Enlisted in the Arctic Ocean Flotilla.
Due to the poor technical condition of the ship and the absence of full-fledged repair bases in the North, an agreement was reached with the British Admiralty to repair the Varyag.

March 19, 1917 - arrival at the British Birkenhead (eng. Birkenhead) for docking for major repairs.

After the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia, on December 8, the ship was requisitioned by the British and sold in 1920 for scrap. On the way to the place of disassembly, "Varyag" sat down on stones in the Irish Sea, 500 meters from the Scottish coast, near the village of Lendalfoot (eng. Lendalfoot). Location coordinates: 55 ° 11 "3" N .; 4 ° 56 "30" W. D.

Until 1925, the hull of the cruiser "Varyag" stood at the crash site until it was blown up and cut into pieces so as not to interfere with navigation and fishing.

Commanders

• March 1899 - March 1903 - Captain I Rank Vladimir Iosifovich Baer
• March 1903 - January 1904 - Captain I rank Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev
• March 1916 - December 1917 - Captain II Rank Karl Ioakimovich von Den

Memorialization

The memory of the dead sailors is immortalized by a monument at the Vladivostok Sea Cemetery.

Monuments to the commander of the cruiser V.F. Rudnev were installed in Tula, Novomoskovsk and the village of Savino, Zaoksky district, Tula region.

In the regional center of Lyubino, Omsk region, a monument to the stoker "Varyag" F.E. Mikhailov was unveiled.

On February 10, 2004, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the battle, a memorial plaque and monument were unveiled in the South Korean port of Incheon.

The image of the event in art and culture

The ship is presented in World of Warships as a premium Tier III cruiser of the same name.

The feat of the crews of the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" are dedicated to the songs "Our proud" Varyag "does not surrender to the enemy" and "Cold waves are splashing".

In 1946, the film "Cruiser Varyag" was shot in the USSR.

In 1958 and 1972, postage stamps with the cruiser image were issued in the USSR.

In 2003, an expedition led by VGTRK journalist Alexei Denisov managed to find the exact place of the cruiser death in the Irish Sea and find its wreckage at the bottom. This story was included in the two-part documentary "Cruiser Varyag", timed to coincide with the centenary of the Battle of Chemulpo.

Modeling

In the Central Naval Museum in St. Petersburg there is a model of the cruiser "Varyag", made in the USA on a scale of 1:64 in 1901, as well as a model of the main steam engine of the cruiser made by S.I. Zhukhovitsky on a scale of 1:20 in the 1980s.

After the feat of the crew of the cruiser "Varyag", German writer and poet Rudolf Greinz wrote a poem "Der" Warjag "" dedicated to this event. It was published in the tenth issue of the German magazine Jugend. In Russia, it was translated into Russian by Evgenia Studenskaya. Soon the musician of the 12th Astrakhan Grenadier Regiment Turischev, who took part in the solemn meeting of the heroes of "Varyag" and "Koreyets", put these poems to music. For the first time, the song was performed at a gala reception hosted by Emperor Nicholas II in honor of the officers and sailors of the Varyag and Koreyets. The song became very popular in Russia.

Image gallery

Video

November 1 marks 110 years since the day the legendary cruiser Varyag was launched.

The cruiser Varyag was built by order of the Russian Empire at the William Crump and Sons shipyard in Philadelphia (USA). He stepped off the docks in Philadelphia on November 1 (October 19 O.S.) 1899.

In terms of technical characteristics, the Varyag was unmatched: equipped with powerful cannon and torpedo armament, it was also the fastest cruiser in Russia. In addition, "Varyag" was telephoned, electrified, equipped with a radio station and steam boilers of the latest modification.

After trials in 1901, the ship was presented to the Petersburgers.

In May 1901, the cruiser was sent to the Far East to reinforce the Pacific squadron. In February 1902, the cruiser, having circled half the world, anchored in the roadstead of Port Arthur. From that moment on, his service began as part of the squadron. In December 1903, the cruiser was sent to the neutral Korean port of Chemulpo to serve as a stationary. In the roadstead, in addition to the Varyag, there were ships of the international squadron. On January 5, 1904, the Russian gunboat "Koreets" arrived at the roadstead.

On the night of January 27 (February 9, new style), 1904, Japanese warships opened fire on the Russian squadron, which was stationed in the roadstead of Port Arthur. The Russo-Japanese War began (1904-1905), which lasted 588 days.

The cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets", which were in the Korean bay of Chemulpo, were blocked by the Japanese squadron on the night of February 9, 1904. The crews of Russian ships, trying to break through from Chemulpo to Port Arthur, entered into an unequal battle with the Japanese squadron, which included 14 destroyers.

During the first hour of the battle in the Tsushima Strait, the crew of the Russian cruiser fired over 1.1 thousand shells. "Varyag" and "Koreets" disabled three cruisers and a destroyer, but they themselves received heavy damage. The ships returned to the port of Chemulpo, where they received an ultimatum from the Japanese to surrender. Russian sailors rejected him. By decision of the officers' council, the Varyag was flooded and the Korean was blown up. This feat became a symbol of courage and courage of Russian sailors.

For the first time in Russian history, all participants in the battle (about 500 people) were awarded the highest military award - the St. George Cross. After the celebrations, the Varyag crew was disbanded, the sailors entered service on other ships, and the commander Vsevolod Rudnev was awarded, promoted, and dismissed.

Even the enemy was amazed by the actions of the Varyag during the battle - after the Russian-Japanese war, the Japanese government created a museum in memory of the heroes of the Varyag in Seoul and awarded its commander Vsevolod Rudnev the Order of the Rising Sun.

After the legendary battle in the Chemulpo bay, the Varyag lay at the bottom of the Yellow Sea for over a year. Only in 1905 the sunken ship was raised, repaired and entered into the composition of the Imperial Japanese Navy under the name "Soya". For more than 10 years the legendary ship served as a training vessel for Japanese sailors, however, out of respect for its heroic past, the Japanese kept the inscription on the stern - "Varyag".

In 1916, Russia acquired from its already ally Japan the former Russian warships Peresvet, Poltava and Varyag. After the payment of 4 million yen, the Varyag was enthusiastically received in Vladivostok, and on March 27, 1916, the St. Andrew's flag was raised on the cruiser. The ship was enlisted in the Guards crew and was sent to reinforce the Kola detachment of the Arctic Fleet. On November 18, 1916, the cruiser Varyag @ was solemnly greeted in Murmansk, where she was appointed the flagship of the Kola Bay Naval Defense Forces.

However, the vehicles and boilers of the cruiser required immediate overhaul, and the artillery required rearmament. Just a few days before the February Revolution, the Varyag left for England, to the Liverpool docks. The Varyag stood at the Liverpool dock from 1917 to 1920. The necessary funds for its repair (300 thousand pounds) have not been allocated. After 1917, the Bolsheviks permanently deleted the Varyag as a hero of the "tsarist" fleet from the history of the country.

In February 1920, sailing in tow across the Irish Sea to Glasgow (Scotland), where she was sold for scrap, the cruiser was caught in a severe storm and sat on the rocks. All attempts to save the ship were unsuccessful. In 1925, the cruiser was partially dismantled on the spot, and the 127-meter hull was blown up.

In 1947, the feature film "Cruiser" Varyag "was shot, and on February 8, 1954, on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the feat of" Varyag ", a gala evening was held in Moscow with the participation of veterans of the Battle of Chemulpo, where on behalf of the Soviet government the heroes -" Varangians "were medals "For Courage" were awarded. ”Anniversary celebrations were held in many cities of the country.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the heroic battle in 2004 in the Chemulpo bay, the Russian delegation erected a monument to the Russian sailors "Varyag" and "Koreyets". The flagship of the Russian Pacific Fleet, the guards missile cruiser Varyag, was present at the opening of the memorial in the port of Incheon (the former city of Chemulpo).

The current "Varyag" - the successor of the legendary first-generation ship of the same name - is armed with a powerful multipurpose strike missile system, which allows it to engage surface and ground targets at a considerable distance. Also in his arsenal are rocket launchers, torpedo tubes and several artillery installations of various calibers and purposes. Therefore, in NATO, Russian ships of this class are figuratively called "aircraft carrier killers."

In 2007, in Scotland, where the legendary Varyag found his last refuge, a memorial complex was opened, which was attended by the large anti-submarine ship (BOD) of the Russian Navy, Severomorsk. These monuments, made in the Russian maritime traditions, became the first memorials to the Russian military spirit abroad and an eternal symbol of gratitude and pride of descendants.

In 2009, to the 105th anniversary of the legendary battle with the Japanese squadron, a unique international exhibition project "Cruiser" Varyag "was created. The acquisition of relics, including genuine rarities from the legendary ship and gunboat" Koreets "from the funds of Russian and Korean museums. , showing the relics of the Russian fleet has not yet been in Russian history.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

We all know the words of the song dedicated to the most famous event of the Russian-Japanese war of 1904-1905 - the feat of the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets, who entered into an unequal battle with the superior forces of the Japanese squadron in the Korean Bay of Chemulpo: "Up, you comrades , all to their places! The last parade is coming! Our proud "Varyag" does not surrender to the enemy, Nobody wants mercy! " 115 years have passed since that day, but the feat of the sailors has not been forgotten, it has forever entered the history of the Russian fleet. By the memorable date, RIA PrimaMedia recalls the history of the Russian cruiser "Varyag" in the material of the candidate of military sciences, major Vladimir Pryamitsyn, Deputy Head of the Department of the Research Institute (Military History) of the VAGSh of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, published on the website of the Ministry of Defense of Russia.

P.T. Maltsev. Cruiser Varyag. 1955. Photo: http://encyclopedia.mil.ru/encyclopedia/history/ [email protected] under the Creative Commons Attribution license

The fate of a ship is akin to that of a man. In the biographies of some - only construction, measured service and write-off. Others fall on risky hikes, devastating storms, hot battles, and participation in important events. Human memory ruthlessly erases the former, extolling the latter as witnesses and active participants in the historical process. One of these ships, without a doubt, is the cruiser Varyag. The name of this ship is well known, perhaps, to every inhabitant of our country. However, the general public knows, at best, one of the pages of his biography - the battle in Chemulpo Bay.

The short service of this ship coincided in time with the fatal military events, social and political changes that swept the world and Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century. The history of the Russian cruiser Varyag is unique. It began in the United States, continued in Korea and Japan, and ended in Scotland. American and British workers, Russian sailors, the Russian tsar, Japanese cadets, revolutionary sailors walked on the decks of the Varyag ...

Beginning in 1868, Russia constantly kept a small detachment of warships in the Pacific Ocean. The forces of the Baltic Fleet were based here in the ports of Japan on a rotational basis. In the 1880s, the strengthening of Japan's position began, accompanied by an increase in its population, an increase in its military power and military-political ambitions. In 1896, a special report was prepared at the Main Naval Headquarters on the need to urgently increase Russia's naval forces in the Far East and equip its bases there.

Construction errors

In 1898, a shipbuilding program was adopted in Russia. Due to the workload of Russian factories, some of the orders were placed at American shipyards. One of the contracts provided for the construction of an armored cruiser with a displacement of 6,000 tons and a speed of 23 knots. Nicholas II ordered to assign the name "Varyag" to the cruiser under construction in honor of the propeller-driven sailing corvette that took part in the American expedition of 1863.

The construction was accompanied by scandals and heated debates about what the future ship should be like. In search of a compromise between the Crump shipyard, the oversight commission and naval officials in St. Petersburg and Washington, important technical aspects were repeatedly revised. Some of these decisions subsequently cost the cruiser crew dearly, playing a role in its fate. For example, at the insistence of the shipbuilders, boilers were installed, which did not allow the ship to reach its design speed. To lighten the mass of the ship, it was decided to abandon the armor shields protecting the gun crews.

The cruiser "Varyag" at the Kramp shipyard. USA. Photo: http://encyclopedia.mil.ru/encyclopedia/history/ [email protected] under the Creative Commons Attribution license

The results of sea trials caused no less controversy. However, despite the delay associated with the strikes of American workers and the coordination of documents between the Russian Naval Department and the American shipyard, at the beginning of 1901 the ship was handed over to the Russian crew. Two months later, the Varyag armored cruiser headed for Russia.

The Russian fleet has been replenished with a wonderful ship. The length of the cruiser at the waterline was 127.8 meters, width - 15.9 meters, draft - about 6 meters. The cruiser's steam engines, which consisted of 30 boilers, had a total capacity of 20,000 hp. Many ship mechanisms were electrically driven, which greatly facilitated the life of the crew, but increased the consumption of coal. The deckhouses, cabins, posts, cellars, engine rooms and other service rooms of the ship were connected by telephone, which was at that time an innovation for Russian ships. "Varyag" was surprisingly good for its architecture, distinguished by four pipes and a high forecastle, which improved the seaworthiness of the ship.

The cruiser received powerful armament: twelve 152-mm guns, twelve 75-mm guns, eight 47-mm guns, two 37-mm guns, two 63.5-mm Baranovsky guns. In addition to artillery, six 381-mm torpedo tubes and two 7.62-mm machine guns were installed on the cruiser. To control the artillery fire, the ship was equipped with three rangefinder stations. The sides and conning tower of the cruiser were reinforced with solid armor.

To staff the cruiser, it was assumed 21 officer positions, 9 conductors and 550 lower ranks. Above this state, from the first out to sea until the last battle, there was also a priest on board. The command of the new ship was entrusted to Captain 1st Rank Vladimir Iosifovich Baer, ​​who oversaw the construction of the cruiser in Philadelphia from the moment it was laid down to the moment it was handed over to the Russian fleet. Baer was an experienced sailor who had completed all the necessary career stages over 30 years from the chief of watch to the commander. He had an excellent military education and was fluent in three foreign languages. However, his contemporaries recalled him as a tough commander who kept the crew in exceptional severity.

Having made a transatlantic passage, the Varyag cruiser arrived in Kronstadt. Here the new ship was honored with a visit by the emperor. Here is how these events are described in the memoirs of eyewitnesses: "Outwardly, he looked more like an ocean yacht than a battle cruiser. The appearance of the" Varyag "to Kronstadt was presented as a spectacular spectacle. To the sounds of a military band, a graceful cruiser entered the Grand Raid in a dazzling white parade And the morning sun was reflected in the nickel-plated barrels of the main caliber guns. On May 18, Emperor Nicholas II himself arrived to get acquainted with the Varyag. The Tsar was captured - he even forgave the builder for some assembly defects. "

The Varyag was rightfully considered the most beautiful ship of the Russian Imperial Navy. This is how he looked in June 1901. Photo by E. Ivanov. Photo: http://encyclopedia.mil.ru/encyclopedia/history/ [email protected] under the Creative Commons Attribution license

However, very soon the ship had to go to the Far East. Relations with Japan were aggravated, and the ruling circles spoke more and more often about the impending war. The cruiser "Varyag" had to make a long passage and strengthen the military power of Russia on the eastern borders.

"Varyag" in the Far East

In the fall of 1901, the cruiser set off on a long voyage along the route Petersburg - Cherbourg - Cadiz - Algeria - Palermo - Crete - Suez Canal - Aden - Persian Gulf - Karachi - Colombo - Singapore - Nagasaki - Port Arthur. The technical imperfections of the cruiser design began to affect the transition. The boilers, around the installation of which there was so much controversy, allowed the ship to go at low speed. Only for a short time, the Varyag could go at a 20-knot speed (subsequent attempts, already in the Far East, to correct the situation led to a further decrease in speed. At the time of the battle in Chemulpo, the ship could not move faster than 16 knots).

Having made a significant number of calls to foreign ports, circumnavigating Europe and Asia, on February 25, 1902, the Varyag arrived at the roadstead of Port Arthur. Here the cruiser was examined by the head of the Pacific Ocean Squadron, Vice-Admiral N.I. Skrydlov, and the commander of the Pacific naval forces, Admiral E.I. Alekseev. The ship became part of the Pacific Ocean squadron and began intense combat training.

In her first year of service in the Pacific Ocean, the cruiser covered almost 8,000 nautical miles, conducting about 30 artillery training exercises, 48 ​​torpedo firing, as well as many exercises for laying mines and net barriers.

However, all this was not "thanks", but "in spite of". The commission, which assessed the technical condition of the ship, gave him a difficult diagnosis: "The cruiser will not be able to reach speeds above 20 knots without the risk of severe damage to the boilers and machines."

Vice Admiral N.I. Skrydlov described the technical condition of the ship and the efforts of its crew as follows: “The stoic behavior of the crew is commendable. Affairs".

The cruiser Varyag and the battleship Poltava in the Western basin of Port Arthur. November 21, 1902. Photo by A. Dinessa. Photo: http://encyclopedia.mil.ru/encyclopedia/history/ [email protected] under the Creative Commons Attribution license

On March 1, 1903, Captain 1st Rank Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev took command of the cruiser. Unlike his predecessor, he had a humane attitude towards working with the crew. With his humane attitude towards the sailors, he soon won the respect of the crew, but faced with misunderstanding on the part of the command.

Captain V.F. Rudnev. Photo: Portal "Old Vladivostok"

Under the leadership of the talented commander, the cruiser continued to participate in the activities of the fleet. When conducting artillery fire, V.F. Rudnev found that almost a quarter of large-caliber shells did not explode. He reported this to the command, and achieved a complete replacement of the ammunition. But the results of the shooting remained the same.

The cruiser continued to serve regularly as part of the Pacific Squadron. Frequent accidents of "Varyag" cars, as well as its low speed forced the cruiser to be sent to the Korean port of Chemulpo as a stationer. In order not to overload the cruiser's vehicles, the gunboat "Koreets" was assigned to him as a courier.

Gunboat "Koreets". Photo: Portal "Old Vladivostok"

In addition to the Varyag, ships from other countries were stationed in Chemulpo: England, USA, France, Italy and Japan. The latter, practically without hiding, was preparing for the war. Its ships were repainted in camouflage white, and the coastal garrisons were significantly reinforced. The port of Chemulpo was flooded with many floating facilities prepared for landing, and thousands of Japanese marched through the streets of the city disguised as the local population. Captain 1st rank V.F. Rudnev reported on the approach of the outbreak of hostilities, but in response received assurances that all this was just a demonstration by the Japanese of their strength. Realizing that war was inevitable, he conducted intense training with the crew. When the Japanese cruiser Chiyoda left the port of Chemulpo, Captain 1st Rank V.F. It became obvious to Rudnev that the beginning of hostilities is a matter of a matter of days, if not hours.

Fight at Chemulpo: how it was

At 0700 hours on January 24, the combined Japanese fleet left the port of Sasebo and entered the Yellow Sea. He was to strike at the Russian ships five days before the official declaration of war. A detachment of Rear Admiral Uriu separated from the general forces, who was tasked with blocking the port of Chemulpo and accepting surrender from the ships stationed there.

On January 26, 1904, the gunboat "Koreets" was sent to Port Arthur, but at the exit from the Chemulpo Bay it ran into a Japanese detachment.

Japanese ships blocked the Koreytsu's path and fired a torpedo salvo at it. The gunboat had to return to port, and this incident was the first clash in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

After blocking the bay and entering it with several cruisers, the Japanese began to land an assault force ashore. This went on all night. On the morning of January 27, Rear Admiral Uriu wrote letters to the commanders of the ships standing in the roadstead with a proposal to leave Chemulpo in view of the impending battle with Russian ships.

Captain 1st Rank Rudnev was asked to leave the port and take battle at sea: "Sir, in view of the currently existing hostile actions between the governments of Japan and Russia, I respectfully ask you to leave the port of Chemulpo with the forces under your command until noon on January 27, 1904. Otherwise, I will be obliged to open fire on you in the port. I have the honor to be, sir, your humble servant. Uriu. "

The commanders of the ships stationed in Chemulpo organized a meeting aboard the British cruiser Talbot. They condemned the Japanese ultimatum and even signed an appeal to Uriu. Captain 1st rank V.F. Rudnev announced to his colleagues that he was going to break through from Chemulpo and take battle on the high seas. He asked them to provide "Varyag" and "Koreets" with an escort before going to sea, however, was refused. Moreover, the commander of the Talbot cruiser, Commodore L. Bailey, notified the Japanese of Rudnev's plans.

The cruiser "Varyag". Photo: Portal "Old Vladivostok"

At 11.20 on January 27 "Varyag" and "Koreets" started moving. The decks of foreign ships were filled with people who wanted to pay tribute to the bravery of the Russian sailors. It was a sublime and yet tragic moment in which some people could not hold back their tears.

The commander of the French cruiser Pascal, Captain 2nd Rank V. Senes, later wrote: "We saluted these heroes, who marched so proudly to certain death."

In Italian newspapers, this moment was described as follows: "On the bridge of the Varyag, its commander stood motionless, calmly. A thunderous hurray burst from everyone's chest and rolled around. The feat of great self-sacrifice assumed epic proportions." As much as possible, foreign sailors waved their caps and peakless caps after the Russian ships.

Rudnev himself admitted in his memoirs that he did not remember the details of the battle, but he remembered in great detail the hours that preceded him: “Coming out of the port, I thought which side the enemy would be on, what guns the gunners were. people: would it be beneficial, would it undermine the morale of the crew? I thought about the family briefly, mentally said goodbye to everyone. But I did not think about my fate at all. The consciousness of too much responsibility for people and ships obscured other thoughts. Without firm confidence in the sailors , I probably would not have made the decision to join the battle with the enemy squadron. "

The weather was clear and calm. The sailors of the Varyag and Koreyets clearly saw the Japanese armada. With every minute, Azama, Naniwa, Takachiho, Chiyoda, Akashi, Niitoka and the destroyers were getting closer. It was hardly possible to seriously count on the combat capabilities of the gunboat "Koreets". 14 Japanese ships against one Russian. 181 guns versus 34. 42 torpedo tubes versus six.

When the distance between the opponents was reduced to the removal of an artillery shot, a flag was raised over the Japanese flagship, signifying an offer to surrender. Russian war flags were the answer to the enemy. At 11:45 a.m. from the cruiser Azam, the first shot of this battle, which has forever gone down in world naval history, rang out. The Varyag's cannons were silent, waiting for the optimal approach. When the opponents got even closer, all the Japanese ships opened fire on the Russian cruiser. The time has come for the Russian gunners to join the battle. "Varyag" opened fire on the largest of the Japanese ships. Captain 1st rank V.F. Rudnev, who controlled the battle from the bridge, it was obvious that it would not be possible to break into the sea, let alone break away from the superior enemy forces. It was necessary to inflict as much damage on the enemy as possible.

An unprecedented battle between "Varyag" and "Koreyets" at Chemulpo. Poster 1904. Photo: http://encyclopedia.mil.ru/encyclopedia/history/ [email protected] under the Creative Commons Attribution license

The shells of the Japanese fell closer and closer. When they began to explode at the very side, the deck of the cruiser began to fall asleep with a hail of shrapnel. In the midst of the battle, the Japanese fired dozens of shells per minute at the Varyag. The sea around the brave ship was literally boiling, surging with dozens of fountains. Almost at the very beginning of the battle, a large Japanese shell destroyed the bridge, caused a fire in the navigator's cabin, and destroyed the rangefinder post along with its personnel. Warrant officer A.M. was killed. Nirod, sailors V. Maltsev, V. Oskin, G. Mironov. Many sailors were injured. The second accurate hit destroyed the six-inch gun No. 3, near which G. Postnov died and his comrades were seriously wounded. Japanese artillery fire knocked out sheti-inch guns No. 8 and 9, as well as 75-mm guns No. 21, 22 and 28. Gunners D. Kochubei, S. Kapralov, M. Ostrovsky, A. Trofimov, P. Mukhanov were killed. sailors K. Spruge, F. Khokhlov, K. Ivanov. Many were injured. This is where the economy of the ship's mass affected, because of which the guns were deprived of armor, and the calculations - protection from fragments.

The participants in the battle later recalled that real hell reigned on the upper deck of the cruiser. In the terrifying rumble, it was impossible to hear a human voice. However, no one showed confusion, concentrating on doing their job.

The crew of the Varyag most clearly characterizes the massive refusal of medical assistance. The wounded plutong commander, midshipman P.N. Gubonin refused to leave the gun and go to the infirmary. He continued to command the crew lying down until he passed out from blood loss. Many "Varangians" followed his example in that battle. The doctors managed to take to the infirmary only those who were completely exhausted or lost consciousness.

The tension of the battle did not abate. The number of "Varyag" guns that were out of order from direct hits from enemy shells increased. Near them, sailors M. Avramenko, K. Zrelov, D. Artasov and others died. One of the enemy shells damaged the mainsail battle and destroyed the second rangefinder post. From that moment on, the gunmen began to shoot what is called "by eye".

The conning tower of the Russian cruiser was destroyed. The commander miraculously survived, but the staff-bugler N. Nagl and the drummer D. Koreyev, who were standing next to him, were killed. Rudnev's orderly T. Chibisov was wounded in both arms, but refused to leave the commander. Steering sergeant Snegirev was wounded in the back, but he did not tell anyone about this and remained at his post. The commander, wounded and shell-shocked, had to move to a room located behind the conning tower and direct the battle from there. Due to damage to the steering gear, I had to switch to manual steering.

One of the shells destroyed gun # 35, near which gunner D. Sharapov and sailor M. Kabanov died. Other shells damaged the steam line leading to the steering gear.

At the most intense moment of the battle, the cruiser completely lost control.

Trying to hide from the destructive fire behind the island in order to give the crew the opportunity to extinguish the fires, the cruiser began to describe a large circulation in a narrow strait and received serious damage to the underwater part on the rocks. At this moment, the guns were confused, caused by rumors about the death of the commander. Captain 1st rank V.F. Rudnev had to go to the wing of the destroyed bridge in a bloody uniform. The news that the commander was alive instantly flew around the ship.

The lower ranks of the crew of the cruiser "Varyag". Photo: Portal "Old Vladivostok"

Senior navigator E.A. Behrens reported to the commander that the cruiser was losing its buoyancy and was gradually sinking. Several underwater holes filled the ship with seawater at once. The bilge men bravely fought her admission. But in the conditions of a fierce battle, it was impossible to eliminate the leaks. As a result of the shock, one of the boilers moved and leaked. The boiler room was filled with scalding steam, in which the stokers did not abandon their efforts to repair the holes. V.F. Rudnev decided, without changing course, to go back to the Chemulpo raid in order to repair the damage and continue the battle. The ship lay down on a return course, after receiving several more accurate hits from large-caliber shells.

Throughout the entire hour of the battle, the boatswain's mate P. Olenin was at the post at the mainmast, ready to change the flag on the gaff every minute if it was shot down. Shrapnel P. Olenin wounded his leg, tore his uniform, smashed the butt of a weapon, but he did not leave his post for a minute. Twice the sentry had to replace the flag.

The gunboat "Koreets" maneuvered after the "Varyag" throughout the battle. The shooting range did not allow her to use her guns. The Japanese, on the other hand, did not fire on the boat, focusing their efforts on the cruiser. When the Varyag left the battle, a signal to the Koreans was raised on its yard: "Follow me at full speed." The Japanese fired at the Russian ships after. Some of them began to pursue the Varyag, waging an artillery duel with it. The Japanese ceased fire on the Russian cruiser only when it stood on the roadstead of Chemulpo in close proximity to the ships of neutral countries. The legendary battle of Russian ships with superior enemy forces ended at 12.45.

The death of the "Varyag". Photo: Portal "Old Vladivostok"

There is no reliable information about the effectiveness of the shooting of the Russian gunners. The results of the battle at Chemulpo are still the subject of discussion among historians. The Japanese themselves insist that their ships did not receive a single hit. According to information from foreign missions and military attachés in Japan, Rear Admiral Uriu's detachment nevertheless suffered losses in this battle. There are reports of three damaged cruisers and dozens of sailors killed.

The cruiser Varyag was a terrifying sight. The sides of the ship were dotted with numerous holes, the superstructures were turned into heaps of metal, the rigging and torn off crumpled sheets of skin hung from the sides. The cruiser was almost lying on the port side. The crews of foreign ships looked at the Varyag again, taking off their hats, but this time their eyes were not delight, but horror.

31 sailors were killed in that battle, 85 people were seriously and moderately injured, about a hundred were lightly wounded.

After assessing the technical condition of the ship, the commander gathered a council of officers. A breakthrough in the sea was unthinkable, a battle on the roadstead meant an easy victory for the Japanese, the cruiser was sinking, and could hardly stay afloat for long. The officers' council decided to blow up the cruiser. The commanders of foreign ships, whose crews rendered considerable assistance to the Varyag, having taken on board all the wounded, asked not to blow up the cruiser in the narrow water area of ​​the port, but simply to drown it. Despite the fact that the "Korean" did not receive a single hit, and did not suffer any damage, the council of officers of the gunboat decided to follow the example of the officers of the cruiser and destroy their ship.

The mortally wounded "Varyag" was about to roll over when the international signal "I am in distress" went up on its mast. The cruisers of the neutral states (French "Pascal", English "Talbot" and Italian "Elba") sent boats to take off the crew. Only the American ship Vicksburg refused to take on board Russian sailors. The last to leave the cruiser was the commander. Accompanied by the boatswain, he made sure that all the people had been removed from the cruiser, and went down into the boat, holding in his hands the flag of the Varyag torn by shrapnel. The cruiser was sunk by the discovery of the Kingstones, and the gunboat Koreets was blown up.

Sunken cruiser. Photo: Portal "Old Vladivostok"

It is noteworthy that the significantly superior Japanese detachment failed to defeat the Russian cruiser. It went to the bottom not from the enemy's combat impact, but was flooded by the decision of the officers' council. The crews of "Varyag" and "Koreyets" managed to avoid the status of prisoners of war. Russian sailors were taken aboard by the French, British and Italians in response to Rudnev's signal "I am in distress" as victims of a shipwreck.

Russian sailors were taken out of Chemulpo by a chartered steamer. Having lost their uniforms in battle, many of them were dressed in French.

Captain 1st rank V.F. Rudnev pondered how his act would be accepted by the tsar, the naval leadership and the Russian people. The answer to this question was not long in coming. Upon arrival at the port of Colombo, the Varyag commander received a telegram from Nicholas II, with which he greeted the cruiser crew and thanked them for their heroic deed.

The telegram informed that the captain of the 1st rank V.F. Rudnev was awarded the title of Adjutant Wing. In Odessa, the "Varangians" were greeted as national heroes. A worthy meeting was prepared for them and the highest awards were presented. The officers were awarded the Orders of St. George, and the sailors were awarded the insignia of this order.

The heroes of the Varyag, led by the commander of the cruiser V.F. Rudnev in Odessa. April 6, 1904. Photo: http://encyclopedia.mil.ru/encyclopedia/history/ [email protected] under the Creative Commons Attribution license

The further journey of the "Varangians" to St. Petersburg was accompanied by general jubilation and stormy applause from the people who met their train along the way. In large cities, the train with the heroes was greeted with rallies. They were presented with gifts and all kinds of treats. In St. Petersburg, the train with the sailors "Varyag" and "Koreyets" was personally met by General-Admiral Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, who told them that the Tsar himself was inviting them to the Winter Palace. The procession of sailors from the railway station to the palace, which caused an unprecedented excitement among Petersburgers, turned into a real celebration of the Russian spirit and patriotism. In the Winter Palace, the crews were invited to a ceremonial breakfast, each participant of which was presented with cutlery.

The fate of the cruiser after the main feat

When Japanese engineers examined the Varyag at the bottom of the Chemulpo Bay, they came to a disappointing conclusion: design flaws, multiplied by significant combat damage, made lifting the ship and repairing it economically unprofitable. However, the Japanese nevertheless went for an expensive procedure, raised, repaired and commissioned the cruiser as a training ship under the name Soya.

The rise of the cruiser "Varyag" by the Japanese, 1905. Photo: http://encyclopedia.mil.ru/encyclopedia/history/ [email protected] under the Creative Commons Attribution license

In the midst of World War I, when the Russian Empire was in dire need of warships, after lengthy negotiations, the cruiser was bought from Japan for a lot of money.

Under his own name, he entered the Russian fleet. The technical condition of the Varyag was depressing. The right-hand propeller shaft was bent, causing the hull to vibrate greatly. The ship's speed did not exceed 12 knots, and its artillery consisted of only a few small-caliber guns of an outdated model. In the wardroom of the cruiser there was a portrait of Captain 1st Rank Rudnev, and a bas-relief depicting a battle scene in Chemulpo was placed in the sailor's cabin on the initiative of the crew.

In March 1917, the cruiser received an order to make the transition from Vladivostok to Murmansk through the Suez Canal. This campaign was very difficult for 12 officers and 350 sailors under the command of Captain 1st Rank Falk. In the Indian Ocean, during a storm, a leak opened in a coal pit, with which the crew continuously fought. In the Mediterranean Sea, the list of the vessel reached alarming values, and the ship had to get up for repairs in one of the ports. In June 1917, the ship arrived in Murmansk, where it was supposed to reinforce the Arctic Ocean flotilla.

The condition of the cruiser was so difficult that immediately upon arrival in Murmansk, the naval command sent it to the English port of Liverpool for overhaul. Taking advantage of the political turmoil in Russia, the British refused to repair the ship. They forcibly transported most of the Varyag crew to the United States.

When, after the October Revolution, a few Russian sailors, left on the cruiser for protection, tried to raise the flag of the Soviet Republic on it, they were arrested, and the cruiser was declared the property of the British Navy.

While heading to the place of disassembly in the Irish Sea, the long-suffering cruiser ran aground. Attempts to remove it from the coastal stones were unsuccessful. The legendary ship found its last refuge 50 meters offshore in the small town of Landalfoot in the Scottish county of South Ayrshire.

In memory of "Varyag"

Immediately after the historic battle in Chemulpo, many people wished to immortalize the name of "Varyag" in the names of ships and vessels. This is how at least 20 "Varyags" appeared, who during the Civil War were noted for their participation in hostilities both on the side of the Whites and on the side of the Reds. However, by the beginning of the 1930s, there were no ships with that name left. The years of oblivion have come.

The heroic deed of the "Varangians" was remembered during the Great Patriotic War. Military newspapers glorified the battle of the patrol ship "Tuman", saying that its sailors took their death to the song about "Varyag". The icebreaker "Sibiryakov" received the unspoken nickname "Polar Varyag", and the submarine Shch-408 - "underwater Varyag". Immediately after the end of the war, a film was made about the cruiser Varyag, in which his role was played by a no less famous ship - the cruiser Aurora.

The 50th anniversary of the battle in the Chemulpo Bay was celebrated on a large scale. Historians managed to find many sailors who participated in those memorable events.

50th anniversary of the battle in Chemulpo. Photo: Portal "Old Vladivostok"

Several monuments dedicated to the historical battle appeared in the cities of the Soviet Union.

Monument to Varyag at the Marine Cemetery in Vladivostok. Photo: RIA PrimaMedia

The veterans of the Varyag and Koreyets were given personal pensions, and from the hands of the Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy S.G. Gorshkov they received medals For Courage.

The leadership of the Soviet fleet decided to return the well-deserved name "to the ranks". The missile cruiser of Project 58 under construction was called "Varyag". A long and interesting service was prepared for this guards ship. He happened to pass the Northern Sea Route. For 25 years of service, he was recognized 12 times as an excellent ship of the USSR Navy. No one, either before or after, managed to hold this title for 5 years in a row.

Missile cruiser "Varyag" project 58. Photo: http://encyclopedia.mil.ru/encyclopedia/history/ [email protected] under the Creative Commons Attribution license

After the Varyag missile cruiser was decommissioned, it was decided to transfer this name to the aircraft-carrying cruiser under construction in Nikolaev. However, political upheavals intervened again in the fate of the Varyag. Due to the collapse of the USSR, it was never completed. The well-deserved name was transferred aboard the Project 1164 missile cruiser of the Russian Pacific Fleet. This ship is still in service today, providing an invisible connection between generations of Russian sailors with its daily military labor.

Missile cruiser "Varyag" project 1164. Photo: http://encyclopedia.mil.ru/encyclopedia/history/ [email protected] under the Creative Commons Attribution license

The battle of the Varyag cruiser is inscribed in the history of the Russian fleet in golden letters. He was reflected not only in the names of subsequent ships, but also in many works of art. A monument to V.F. Rudnev with a bas-relief depicting the battle in Chemulpo. The Russian people composed many songs about "Varyag". Artists, cinematographers, and publicists turned to the history of "Varyag". The battle of the cruiser is in demand by creative people, because it is a case of unparalleled courage and loyalty to the Fatherland. Russian museums cherish the memory of "Varyag" with special care. After the death of Captain 1st Rank Rudnev, his family donated the commander's unique materials for storage in the museums of Sevastopol and Leningrad. Many artifacts related to the battle in Chemulpo are kept in the Central Naval Museum.

No wonder they say that the war is not over until the last participant is buried. The situation when the legendary Russian cruiser lay forgotten by everyone on the coastal stones of Scotland was intolerable to people who were not indifferent to the fate of the Russian fleet. In 2003, a Russian expedition surveyed the Varyag sinking site. A memorial plaque was erected on the Scottish coast, and fundraising for the installation of a memorial to the legendary Russian ship began in Russia.

On September 8, 2007, the opening ceremony of the Varyag cruiser memorial took place in the town of Lendelfoot. This monument became the first monument of Russian military glory on the territory of the United Kingdom. Its component parts are a bronze cross, a three-ton anchor and an anchor chain. At the base of the cross were placed capsules with earth from places dear to the sailors of the Varyag: Tula, Kronstadt, Vladivostok ... It is noteworthy that the project of the memorial was chosen on a competitive basis, and Sergei Stakhanov, a pupil of the Nakhimov Naval School, won this competition. The young sailor was given the honorable right to tear off the white sheet from the majestic monument. To the sound of a song about the cruiser Varyag, sailors of the Northern Fleet's large anti-submarine ship Severomorsk marched past the monument.

More than a century after the battle of the Varyag in the Chemulpo Bay, the memory of this event continues to live on. Russia's eastern borders are guarded by the modern missile cruiser Varyag. The memorial to the cruiser is inscribed in all guidebooks in Scotland. Exhibits related to the cruiser take pride of place in museum expositions. However, the main thing is that the memory of the heroic cruiser continues to live in the hearts of the Russian people. The cruiser "Varyag" has become an integral part of the history of our country. Now, when Russia is on the path of comprehending its history and searching for a national idea, the unparalleled feat of the Varyag sailors is in demand more than ever.

Materials of the Internet portal of the Ministry of Defense of Russia published under license

Cruiser "Varyag" 1901

Today in Russia you can hardly find a person who does not know about the heroic feat of the crews of the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets". Hundreds of books and articles have been written about this, films have been made ... The battle, the fate of the cruiser and its crew are described in great detail. However, the conclusions and assessments are very biased! Why did the commander of the "Varyag" Captain 1st Rank VF Rudnev, who received the Order of St. George of the 4th degree and the rank of Adjutant Wing for the battle, soon found himself in retirement and lived out his life on the family estate in the Tula province? It would seem that a folk hero, and even with an aiguillette and Georgy on his chest, should have literally "taken off" up the career ladder, but this did not happen.

In 1911, the historical commission for describing the actions of the fleet in the war of 1904-1905. at the Naval General Staff issued the next volume of documents, which published materials about the battle at Chemulpo. Until 1922, the documents were kept with the stamp "Not subject to disclosure." One of the volumes contains two reports of V.F.Rudnev - one to the emperor's governor in the Far East, dated February 6, 1904, and the other (more complete) - to the head of the Naval Ministry, dated March 5, 1905. The reports contain a detailed description of the battle at Chemulpo.

The cruiser "Varyag" and the battleship "Poltava" in the western basin of Port Arthur, 1902-1903

Let's quote the first document as more emotional, since it was written immediately after the battle:

"On January 26, 1904, the seaworthy gunboat Koreets set off with papers from our envoy to Port Arthur, but the Japanese squadron met with three mines fired from destroyers forced the boat back. The boat anchored near the cruiser, and part of the Japanese squadron with transports entered not knowing whether hostilities had begun, I went to the English cruiser Talbot to agree with the commander on further orders.
.....

continuation of the official document and the official version

And the cruisers. But we are not talking about that. Let's discuss what is not customary to talk about ...

Gunboat "Koreets" in Chemulpo. February 1904

Thus, the battle that began at 11:45 am ended at 12:45 pm. 425 6-inch rounds, 470 75-mm and 210 47-mm calibers were fired from the Varyag, and a total of 1105 rounds were fired. At 13 hours 15 minutes "Varyag" anchored in the place from which it took off 2 hours ago. The gunboat "Koreets" was not damaged, as there were no killed or wounded.

In 1907, in the brochure "The Battle of the Varyag" at Chemulpo, VF Rudnev repeated word for word the story of the battle with the Japanese detachment. The retired Varyag commander did not say anything new, but it was necessary to say. Taking into account the current situation, at the council of the Varyag and Koreyets officers, they decided to destroy the cruiser and gunboat, and take the crews to foreign ships. The gunboat "Koreets" was blown up, and the cruiser "Varyag" was sunk, opening all the valves and kingstones. At 18:20 he went on board. During low tide, the cruiser was exposed to more than 4 meters. A little later, the Japanese raised the cruiser, which made the transition from Chemulpo to Sasebo, where it was commissioned and sailed in the Japanese fleet under the name "Soya" for more than 10 years, until the Russians bought it.

The reaction to the death of the Varyag was not straightforward. Some naval officers did not approve of the actions of the Varyag commander, considering them illiterate both from a tactical point of view and from a technical point of view. But the officials of higher authorities thought differently: why start a war with failures (especially since there was a complete failure near Port Arthur), wouldn't it be better to use the battle at Chemulpo to raise the national feelings of Russians and try to turn the war with Japan into a popular one. Developed a scenario for the meeting of the heroes of Chemulpo. All were silent about miscalculations.

The senior navigator of the cruiser E. A. Behrens, who became the first Soviet chief of the Naval General Staff after the October Revolution of 1917, later recalled that he was expecting arrest and a naval court on his native shore. On the first day of the war, the Pacific Ocean fleet decreased by one combat unit, and the enemy's forces increased by the same amount. The news that the Japanese had begun raising the Varyag spread quickly.

By the summer of 1904, the sculptor K. Kazbek made a model of a monument dedicated to the battle at Chemulpo and called it "Rudnev's Farewell to the Varyag". On the model, the sculptor depicted VF Rudnev standing at the rails, to the right of whom was a sailor with a bandaged hand, and an officer with his head bowed behind his back. Then the model was made by the author of the monument to "Guarding" KV Isenberg. A song about "Varyag" appeared, which became popular. Soon the painting "Death of the Varyag. View from the French cruiser Pascal" was painted. Photo cards were issued with portraits of commanders and images of "Varyag" and "Koreyets". But the ceremony of welcoming the heroes of Chemulpo was especially carefully designed. Apparently, it should be said in more detail about it, especially since they hardly ever wrote about it in Soviet literature.

The first group of Varangians arrived in Odessa on March 19, 1904. The day was sunny, but there was a strong swell on the sea. From the very morning, the city was decorated with flags and flowers. The sailors arrived at the Tsar's pier on the steamer "Malaya". The steamer "Saint Nicholas" stepped out to meet them, which, when the "Malaya" was found on the horizon, was decorated with colored flags. This signal was followed by a volley of fireworks from the coastal battery. A whole flotilla of ships and yachts left the harbor to the sea.

On one of the ships were the head of the Odessa port and several gentlemen of St. George. Climbing aboard the "Malaya", the head of the port presented the Varangians with St. George's awards. The first group consisted of Captain 2nd Rank V.V. Stepanov, Warrant Officer V.A. Balk, engineers N.V. Zorin and S.S.Spiridonov, doctor M.N. Khrabrostin and 268 lower ranks. At about 2 pm "Malaya" began to enter the harbor. Several regimental bands were playing on the shore, and a crowd of thousands greeted the steamer with shouts of "hurray."

The Japanese aboard the sunken "Varyag", 1904

The first to go ashore was Captain 2nd Rank V.V. Stepanov. He was met by the priest of the seaside church, Father Atamansky, who presented the senior officer of the Varyag with the image of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors. Then the team went ashore. Along the famous Potemkin Stairs leading to Nikolaevsky Boulevard, the sailors went upstairs and passed through a triumphal arch with an inscription of flowers "To the Heroes of Chemulpo".

On the boulevard, the sailors were met by representatives of the city administration. The mayor presented Stepanov with bread and salt on a silver platter with the city's emblem and with the inscription: "Greetings from Odessa to the heroes of the Varyag who have surprised the world." A prayer service was served on the square in front of the Duma building. Then the sailors went to the Saban barracks, where a festive table was laid for them. The officers were invited to the cadet school for a banquet hosted by the military department. In the evening, a performance was shown to the Varangians in the city theater. At 15 o'clock on March 20, the Varangians set off from Odessa to Sevastopol on the "Saint Nicholas" steamer. A crowd of thousands again came to the embankments.

On the approaches to Sevastopol, the steamer met the destroyer with a raised signal "Hello to the brave". The steamer "Saint Nicholas", decorated with colored flags, entered the Sevastopol roadstead. On the battleship "Rostislav" his arrival was greeted with a salute of 7 shots. The first to board the steamer was the chief commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral N.I. Skrydlov.

Walking around the line, he turned to the Varangians with a speech: "Hello, dear ones, congratulations on the brilliant feat in which you proved that Russians can die; you, like true Russian sailors, surprised the whole world with your selfless bravery, defending the honor of Russia and the St. Andrew's flag, ready to die rather than give the ship to the enemy. I am happy to greet you from the Black Sea Fleet and especially here in long-suffering Sevastopol, a witness and keeper of the glorious military traditions of our native fleet. Here every piece of land is stained with Russian blood. Here are monuments to Russian heroes: they have me for you. I bow low on behalf of all the Black Sea people. At the same time, I can’t resist saying to you my heartfelt thanks as your former admiral for the fact that you so gloriously applied all my instructions on the exercises carried out by you in battle! Be our welcome guests! "Varyag" died , but the memory of your exploits is alive and will live for many years. Hurray! "

The flooded "Varyag" at low tide, 1904

A solemn prayer service was served at the monument to Admiral PS Nakhimov. Then the chief commander of the Black Sea Fleet handed over to the officers the highest diplomas for the St. George's crosses. It is noteworthy that for the first time doctors and mechanics were awarded the St. George's Crosses along with combat officers. Having taken off the St. George cross, the admiral pinned it to the uniform of captain 2nd rank V.V. Stepanov. The Varangians were placed in the barracks of the 36th naval crew.

The Tavrichesky governor asked the chief commander of the port that the crews of the Varyag and Koreyets, on their way to Petersburg, would stop for a while in Simferopol to honor the heroes of Chemulpo. The governor also motivated his request by the fact that his nephew, Count A.M. Nirod, had died in battle.

Japanese cruiser "Soya" (formerly "Varyag") at the parade

At this time in St. Petersburg they were preparing for a meeting. The Duma adopted the following procedure for honoring the Varangians:

1) at the Nikolaev station, representatives of the city public administration, headed by the mayor and the chairman of the duma, meet the heroes, bring bread and salt to the commanders of the Varyag and Koreyets, invite commanders, officers and class officials to the meeting of the duma to announce greetings from cities;

2) presentation of the address, artistically executed during the expedition of procurement of state papers, with the statement in it of the resolution of the city duma on honoring; presenting gifts to all officers totaling 5 thousand rubles;

3) treating the lower ranks with dinner at the People's House of Emperor Nicholas II; issuance to each lower rank of a silver watch with the inscription "To the Hero of Chemulpo", embossed with the date of the battle and the name of the person awarded (for the purchase of watches was allocated from 5 to 6 thousand rubles, and for treating the lower ranks - 1 thousand rubles);

4) arrangement of performances for the lower ranks in the People's House;

5) the establishment of two scholarships in memory of the heroic deed, which will be assigned to students of the naval schools - St. Petersburg and Kronstadt.

On April 6, 1904, the third and last group of Varangians arrived in Odessa on the French steamer "Creme". Among them were Captain 1st Rank V. F. Rudnev, Captain 2nd Rank G. P. Belyaev, Lieutenants S. V. Zarubaev and P. G. Stepanov, doctor M. L. Banshchikov, paramedic from the battleship "Poltava", 217 sailors from "Varyag", 157 - from "Koreyets", 55 sailors from "Sevastopol" and 30 Cossacks of the Trans-Baikal Cossack Division, guarding the Russian mission in Seoul. The meeting was as solemn as the first time. On the same day on the steamer "St. Nicholas" the heroes of Chemulpo went to Sevastopol, and from there on April 10 by an emergency train of the Kursk railway - to St. Petersburg via Moscow.

On April 14, residents of Moscow met the sailors on a huge square near the Kursk railway station. The orchestras of the Rostov and Astrakhan regiments played on the platform. VF Rudnev and GP Belyaev were presented with laurel wreaths with inscriptions on white-blue-red ribbons: "Hurray for the brave and glorious hero - the commander of the Varyag" and "Hurray for the brave and glorious hero - the commander of the Koreyets". All officers were presented with laurel wreaths without inscriptions, and bouquets of flowers were presented to the lower ranks. From the station, the sailors went to the Spassky barracks. The mayor presented the officers with gold tokens, and the priest of the Varyag, Father Mikhail Rudnev, a golden neck icon.

On April 16, at ten o'clock in the morning, they arrived in St. Petersburg. The platform was filled with welcoming relatives, military, representatives of the administration, nobility, zemstvos and townspeople. Among the greeters were Vice Admiral F.K. Avelan, Manager of the Naval Ministry, Rear Admiral Z.P. Rozhestvensky, Chief of the Main Naval Staff, his assistant A.G. Niedermiller, Chief Commander of the Kronstadt Port, Vice Admiral A.A. Birilev, Chief the medical inspector of the fleet, life-surgeon V.S.Kudrin, the St. Petersburg governor, equestrian O.D. Zinoviev, the provincial leader of the nobility, Count V. B. Gudovich, and many others. Grand Duke General-Admiral Alexey Alexandrovich arrived to meet the heroes of Chemulpo.

The special train arrived at the platform at exactly 10 o'clock. On the platform of the station, a triumphal arch was erected, decorated with the state emblem, flags, anchors, ribbons of St. the palace. The ranks of soldiers, a huge number of gendarmes and mounted policemen barely held back the onslaught of the crowd. Officers walked ahead, followed by lower ranks. Flowers fell from windows, balconies and rooftops. Through the arch of the General Staff building, the heroes of Chemulpo entered the square near the Winter Palace, where they lined up opposite the royal entrance. On the right flank stood the Grand Duke, Admiral-General Aleksey Aleksandrovich, and Adjutant General FK Avelan, head of the Naval Ministry. Emperor Nicholas II came out to the Varangians.

He accepted the report, walked around the line and greeted the sailors of the "Varyag" and "Koreyets". After that, they marched in a solemn march and proceeded to the St. George Hall, where the divine service took place. Tables were laid for the lower ranks in the Nicholas Hall. All the dishes were with the image of St. George's crosses. In the concert hall, a table was laid with a golden service for the highest persons.

Nicholas II addressed the heroes of Chemulpo with a speech: "I am happy, brothers, to see you all healthy and safely returned. Many of you, with your blood, have entered into the chronicles of our fleet a deed worthy of the feats of your ancestors, grandfathers and fathers who performed them on" Azov "and" Mercury "; now you have added with your feat a new page in the history of our fleet, added the names of" Varyag "and" Koreyets "to them. They will also become immortal. I am sure that each of you will remain worthy of that award until the end of your service which I gave you. All of Russia and I with love and trembling excitement read about the deeds that you showed at Chemulpo. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting the honor of St. Andrew's flag and the dignity of Great Holy Russia. I drink to the further victories of our glorious fleet . To your health, brothers! "

At the officers' table, the emperor announced the establishment of a medal in memory of the battle at Chemulpo for wearing by officers and lower ranks. Then a reception took place in the Alexander Hall of the City Duma. In the evening, everyone gathered at the People's House of Emperor Nicholas II, where a festive concert was given. The lower ranks were given gold and silver watches, and spoons with silver handles were given out. The sailors received a brochure "Peter the Great" and a copy of the address from the St. Petersburg nobility. The next day, the teams went to their carriages. The whole country learned about such a magnificent celebration of the heroes of Chemulpo, and therefore about the battle between "Varyag" and "Koreyets". The people could not have a shadow of doubt about the plausibility of the accomplished feat. True, some naval officers doubted the reliability of the description of the battle.

Fulfilling the last wishes of the heroes of Chemulpo, the Russian government in 1911 appealed to the Korean authorities with a request to allow the ashes of the dead Russian sailors to be transferred to Russia. On December 9, 1911, the funeral cortege headed from Chemulpo to Seoul, and then along the railway to the Russian border. Throughout the entire route, the Koreans showered the platform with the remains of the sailors with fresh flowers. On December 17, the funeral cortege arrived in Vladivostok. The burial of the remains took place at the Sea Cemetery of the city. In the summer of 1912, an obelisk of gray granite with the St. George's Cross appeared over the mass grave. The names of the victims were engraved on its four sides. As expected, the monument was built with public money.

Then the "Varyag" and the Varangians were forgotten for a long time. Remembered only after 50 years. On February 8, 1954, a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On rewarding the sailors of the cruiser" Varyag "with a medal" For courage "was issued. At first, only 15 people were found. Here are their names: V. F. Bakalov, A. D. Voitsekhovsky, D. S. Zalideev, S. D. Krylov, P. M. Kuznetsov, V. I. Krutyakov, I. E. Kaplenkov, M. E. Kalinkin, A. I. Kuznetsov, L. G. Mazurets, P. E. Polikov, F. F. Semenov, T. P. Chibisov, A. I. Shketnek and I. F. Yaroslavtsev. The oldest of the Varangians, Fyodor Fedorovich Semyonov, is 80 years old. Then they found the rest. In total, 1954-1955. medals were received by 50 sailors from "Varyag" and "Koreyets". In September 1956, a monument to V.F.Rudnev was unveiled in Tula. In the newspaper Pravda, Admiral of the Fleet N. G. Kuznetsov wrote these days: "The feat of the Varyag and the Koreyets entered the heroic history of our people, into the golden fund of the combat traditions of the Soviet fleet."

Now I will try to answer a number of questions. The first question is: for what merits were they so generously rewarded without exception? Moreover, the officers of the gunboat "Koreets" first received regular orders with swords, and then simultaneously with the Varangians (at the request of the public) - also the Order of St. George of the 4th degree, that is, they were awarded twice for one feat! The lower ranks received the insignia of the Military Order - St. George's Crosses. The answer is simple: Emperor Nicholas II really did not want to start a war with Japan with defeats.

Even before the war, the admirals of the Naval Ministry reported that they would easily destroy the Japanese fleet, and if necessary, they could "arrange" a second Sinop. The emperor believed them, and then there was such bad luck! Under Chemulpo, they lost the newest cruiser, and near Port Arthur, 3 ships were damaged - the battleships Tsesarevich, Retvizan and the cruiser Pallada. Both the Emperor and the Naval Ministry with this heroic hype "covered up" mistakes and failures. It turned out believable and, most importantly, pompous and effective.

The second question: who "organized" the feat of "Varyag" and "Koreyets"? The first to call the battle heroic were two people - the governor-general of the emperor in the Far East, Adjutant General Admiral E.A. Alekseev and the senior flagship of the Pacific squadron, Vice-Admiral OA Stark. The whole situation indicated that a war with Japan was about to begin. But they, instead of preparing to repel a sudden attack of the enemy, showed complete carelessness, or more precisely, criminal negligence.

The readiness of the fleet was low. They themselves drove the cruiser "Varyag" into a trap. To carry out the tasks that they assigned to the stationary ships in Chemulpo, it was enough to send the old gunboat "Koreets", which was of no particular combat value, and not to use the cruiser. When the Japanese occupied Korea, they did not draw any conclusions for themselves. VF Rudnev also did not have the courage to make the decision to leave Chemulpo. As you know, the initiative in the navy has always been punishable.

Through the fault of Alekseev and Stark in Chemulpo, "Varyag" and "Koreets" were abandoned. An interesting detail. During the strategic game in the 1902/03 academic year at the Nikolaev Maritime Academy, just such a situation was played: with a surprise attack by Japan on Russia in Chemulpo, a cruiser and a gunboat remain unrequited. In the game, destroyers sent to Chemulpo will report the beginning of the war. The cruiser and gunboat manage to connect with the Port Arthur squadron. However, in reality this did not happen.

Question three: why did the Varyag commander refuse to break through from Chemulpo and did he have such an opportunity? A false sense of camaraderie worked - "perish yourself, but help your comrade." Rudnev in the full sense of the word began to depend on the low-speed "Koreyets", which could reach speeds of no more than 13 knots. The Varyag, on the other hand, had a speed of over 23 knots, which is 3-5 knots more than the Japanese ships, and 10 knots more than the Koreets. So Rudnev had opportunities for an independent breakthrough, and good ones. Back on January 24, Rudnev became aware of the severance of diplomatic relations between Russia and Japan. But on January 26, on the morning train, Rudnev went to Seoul to the envoy for advice.

Returning, he only sent a gunboat "Koreets" with a report to Port Arthur on January 26 at 15:40. Again the question: why was the boat sent so late to Port Arthur? This remained unclear. The Japanese did not release the gunboat from Chemulpo. The war has already begun! Rudnev had one more night in reserve, but he did not use it either. Subsequently, Rudnev explained the rejection of an independent breakthrough from Chemulpo by navigational difficulties: the fairway in the port of Chemulpo was very narrow, winding, and the outer roadstead was full of dangers. Everyone knows that. Indeed, entering Chemulpo in low water, that is, during low tide, is very difficult.

Rudnev did not seem to know that the height of the tides in Chemulpo reaches 8-9 meters (the maximum height of the tide is up to 10 meters). With a cruiser draft of 6.5 meters in full evening water, there was still an opportunity to break through the Japanese blockade, but Rudnev did not take advantage of it. He settled on the worst option - to break through in the afternoon during low tide and together with "Koreyets". We all know what this decision led to.

Now about the fight itself. There is reason to believe that the artillery was not used quite competently on the Varyag cruiser. The Japanese had a huge superiority in forces, which they successfully implemented. This is evident from the damage that the Varyag received.

According to the Japanese themselves, their ships remained unharmed in the battle at Chemulpo. In the official publication of the Japanese Naval General Staff "Description of military operations at sea in 37-38. Meiji (1904-1905)" (vol. I, 1909) we read: "In this battle, enemy shells never hit to our ships and we have not suffered the slightest loss. "

Finally, the last question: why did Rudnev not disable the ship, but flooded it by simply opening the kingstones? The cruiser was essentially a "gift" to the Japanese navy. Rudnev's motivation that the explosion could damage foreign ships is untenable. Now it becomes clear why Rudnev resigned. In Soviet publications, the resignation is explained by Rudnev's involvement in revolutionary affairs, but this is a fiction. In such cases, in the Russian fleet with the production of rear admirals and with the right to wear a uniform, they were not fired. Everything is explained much more simply: for the mistakes made in the battle at Chemulpo, the naval officers did not accept Rudnev into their corps. Rudnev himself was aware of this. At first, he was temporarily in the position of commander of the battleship Andrew the First-Called, which was under construction, then he submitted a letter of resignation. Now, it seems, everything fell into place.