Czarist Navy - 1900
The Russian Navy was subject to special conditions such as did not affect the navies of other Powers. Owing to the geographical situation of the Empire, and the widely separated seas which wash its coasts, Russia was obliged to maintain four distinct fleets or flotillas, each with its own organization. Of these the most important in regard to Western relations was the Baltic Fleet. It was a powerful force, to which additions were being made of battleships, cruisers of various classes and torpedo-craft, completing and building in Eussia and abroad. The chief base of the Baltic Fleet was Kronstadt, which was heavily fortified, as are Diinamiinde, Wiborg, Sweaborg, and other Baltic ports. The Gulf of Finland was usually blocked by ice from November to April, whereby the operations of the fleet were impeded, but a new ice-free port at Libau, in Courland had been made ready for the fleet. It was further in contemplation to establish a naval port on the Arctic coast of Russian Lapland, which is free from ice throughout the year, and thus to open up the possibility of creating a naval force with free access to the Atlantic Ocean. Considerable progress had lately been made in the construction of ice-breaking vessels.
The Black Sea Fleet, which had no access to the Mediterranean except by the exercise of force, had been largely augmented. To the first battleships of this fleet the powerful armor-clads Georgi Pobiedonosetz (' George the Victorious'), Dvenadzat Apostoloff ('Twelve Apostles'), and Tri Sviatitelia ('Three Saints') had been added, and the Rotislav (a sister of the Susoi Vdiky) had been launched. Other vessels were in hand. In this sea, Sebastopol, a naval port, and headquarters of the fleet, had been strongly fortified ; Nicolaieff, Kinbum, and Ochakoff had received important defensive works ; Kertch and Yenikale had been made very strong, and Azov, Poti, and Batoum have been strengthened. Great additions had lately been made to the Eussian squadron in the Pacific and China seas, where Vladivostok and Port Arthur were the bases. There was a flotilla also in the Caspian Sea, which ensured the communications of the Trans-Caspian railway between Baku and Usun Ada, and would have its purpose in operations against Persia.
The Eussian naval estimates showed a continuous increase. The total expenditure upon the navy in 1893 was 49,892,893 roubles, being an increase of 2,010,660 roubles upon the outlay of 1892, which again showed a considerable advance upon that of 1891. There was a further increase to 52,492,803 rs. in 1894, to 55,100,000 rs. in 1895, to 57,966,600 rs. (6,440,666£) in 1896 to 59,902,166 rs. (6,239,809£) in 1897, and to 68,055,417 rs. (7,089,106£) in 1898. In 1898 a special grant of 9,000,000£ was allotted to new constructions to be spread over a period of seven years. Russia had excellent shipbuilding yards, but her swiftest torpedo boats had been built at Elbing. The new Admiralty yard and the Baltic works were both State establishments. There was also a large Imperial ship-building yard at Nicolaieff. Private establishments which built for the State were those of tho Franco-Eussian and Black Sea Companies, and the Neva, Putilotf, and Ishoia yards.
The chief of the Russian Navy was the General Admiral, Commander-inC'hief. There were 15 admirals, 316 superior officers, 1,326 junior officers, 376 engineers, 521 medical and civil officers, and 95 admiralty officers. Up to a recent period the men of the Russian Navy were divided into 12 'equipages, but the progressive increase in numbers rendered these units unwieldy, and by 1900 there were 18 'equipages' in the Baltic, a half equipage at Revel, and a company at Sveaborg, an equipage of the Imperial Guard at St. Petersburg, 8 equipages in the Black Sea, one at Baku, and one at Vladivostock, each including the complements of one battleship and of a number of smaller vessels. The total number provided for in 1898 was 2,627 officers and 29,850 men.
The energies of Russia were for many years devoted to the construction of coast-defence monitors in the Baltic. The old Knias Pojarsky, a central-battery vessel, was joined in 1872 by the mastless turret-ship Peter the Great. Fifteen years later the powerful sister ships Alexander II and Nicolas I were added. These bear some resemblance to the British vessel Hero. The Gangut was a smaller barbette ship (6,590 tons), partially belted. She was lost in the Gulf of Finland, June, 1897. The turret battleship Navarin displaces 9,476 tons, and is armed with four heavy guns coupled fore and aft. The extreme thickness of side armoring was 16 inches, and there was 12-inch plating on the barbettes. The sister battleships, Petropavlovsk, Poltava, and Sevastopol, of 10,960 tons, heavily armored, and carrying four 12-inch guns as well as a powerful secondary and quick-firing armament, were the most powerful vessels in the Baltic Fleet, but they were exceeded in size and gun power by the Oslyabiia and Peresmet. These, with their displacement of 12,674 tons, carried their four 10-inch Oushakot'r guns coupled in turrets, and have a very large secondary and smaller quickfiring armaments. They had 9.5-inch side armor and 9 inches on the turrets, all Harvey steel, and were furnished with water-tube boilers.
The extraordinary grant for shipbuilding enabled many vessels to be pnt in hand, and by 1900 two battleships of the Oslyabya class were beginning at tho Baltic and New Admiralty yards on the Neva, while a third had been ordered of the Russian locomotive and shipbuilding company, and a fourth of Messrs. Cramp of Philadelphia. Another battleship (13,100 tons) is being put iii hand by the French yard at La Seyne. All these were exclusive of tho Black Sea squadron. The Sissoi Vehky, and her sisters in the Black Sea are of a smaller but very powerful type.
The great want of a suitable fleet in the Black Sea led the Russians to lay down the three powerful battleships, Catherine II, Tchesme, and Sinope, which were launched in 1886-87. The following are the dimensions of these remarkable vessels : displacement, 10,180 tons; length between the perpendiculars, 320 feet; beam, 69 feet; draught, 25 feet. The compound armor belt had a maximum thickness of 18 inches, and the triangular redoubt was plated with 10 inches. This redoubt or citadel was a special feature. It presented its base to the bows, and, inasmuch as two 12-inch 56 ton guns were coupled en barbette at each of the angles, the bow fire was exceedingly powerful. The six heavy guns were mounted on the disappearing principle ; they only show over the top of the redoubt when about to fire. Of the seven 6-inch guns, four were also disposed for bow fire, and three directed astern. The later battleship. Dvenadzat Apostoloff (Twelve Apostles), which is smaller (8,076 tons), but carries four of the heavy guns coupled in turrets, steamed 16'6 knots at her trials without pressure and without reaching the estimated horse power. The Georgi Pobiedonosetz (George the Victorious), launched in 1892 (10,300 tons), is armed with six 56-ton guns, and is of a modified Sinope type.
The Tri Sviatitelia (Three Saints) was of a still more powerful type (357 feet 6 inches long and 72 feet beam, with a 16-inch belt), and the Kniaz Potemkin Tavrichesky, ot the same class, was launched in 1899. The armor-clad Rostislav, launched at Nikolaieff in 1896, had the following dimensions :-Maximum length, 351 feet, maximum width, 68 feet; displacement, 8,880 tons; engines, 8,500 horse-power ; expected speed, 16 knots ; length of armour belt, 224 feet. Armed with four 10-inch and eight 6-inch guns ; twelve 47-mm. and fourteen 37-mm. quickfiring guns ; six turrets. She is of the Missoi Veliky class, and another ol the same is in hand.
The belted cruiser Pamiat Azova or Remembrance of Azof, is 377 feet long. She was an improved Dmitri Donskoi, and carries her two 8-inch guns in sponsoned barbettes on either broadside The Rurik, launched 1892, is 435 feet long, 67 feet beam, and has 25 feet 9 inches draught. The armour at the water-line is 10 inches thick for 80 per cent, of the ship's length. Her armament is very strong, and she will carry 2,000 tons of coal, being enough for 20,000 miles steaming at 10 knots. The cruiser Russia, which was launched in 1896, had a displacement of 12,130 tons. She was armed with four 8-inch and 16 6-inch guns, 24 quick-firing guns, and 5 torpedo ejectors. Armour from 5 to 8 inch, but the defect of the class is insufficient protection lor the batteries, and a defective system of ammunition supply. The Rossia has two engines 7,250 horse-power each, and one of 2,500 horse-power. Maximum speed, 19-i knots. The Gromoboi, which +is in hand at the Baltic Yard, St. Petersburg, is of the same class, but larger, and an armoured cruiser, the Bayan, ot 7,800 tons is being begun at La Seyne. The armor-clads, Admiral Uushakoff and Admiral tieniamn, built as coastdefence vessels, are, in fact, armoured cruisers having a powerful armament and respectable speed. The General Admiral Apraxine is a sister vessel. The three cruisers, Aurora, Pallada and Diana, which are building on the Neva, are three-screwed, 6,630 tons displacement, three engines of 3,870 horse-power each. At least three other cruisers of the same class are ordered, and several of smaller (3,000-ton) class. None of these belong to the Black Sea Fleet.
In design, the Russian Ministry of Marine had shown both originality and initiative. The pear-shaped redoubts of the three battle-ships of the Sinope class, enabling six heavy guns to be mounted in pairs, are peculiar to the Russian navy. No battle-ship of 13,000 tons had been built, and the temporary craze for monster guns which was borrowed from Italy never reached Russia, where the 12-inch gun was the largest afloat. This craze inflicted upon the British navy the Sanspareil and Victoria, which must be reckoned among the worst armourclads ever built.
The armoured cruiser Nakhimoff, of 7,780 tons, launched in 1885, was peculiar in her powerful armament of eight 8-inch guns placed in pairs in armoured barbettes. In the Rurik, of 10,940 tons and 18 knots speed, launched in 1894, a lead was given to the navies of the world in the construction of large armored cruisers. The Rossia, of 12,130 tons and 20 knots, was launched in 1896; and the Gromoboy, of 14,000 tons, was laid down in 1897. The effect of the appearance of the Rurik was quickly seen in the launch of our Powerful and Terrible, of 14,200 tons and 21 knots (nominal), launched in 1895, and in the Diadem class, of 11,000 tons and 20.5 knots, of which the first vessel was launched in 1896. The design of the great Russian cruisers is open to criticism, but they unquestionably marked a new departure by surpassing in tonnage and speed the British Blake and Blenheim, launched in 1889 and 1891 respectively. The later Russian battle-ships, such as the Tria Sviatitelia, conformed nearly to the British Canopus type, but were more heavily armoured.
The so-called Russian "Volunteer Fleet," which is being added to, constitutes a factor that must not be underrated in Russia's next war. The ships of the Volunteer Fleet, about fifteen in number, are, in peace-time, merchantmen, which can, in time of war, be easily armed and used for doing the work of cruisers. They provide for the regular traffic between Odessa, Vladivostok and Port Arthur, and run, in addition, the tea trade and passenger traffic between China and the Black Sea, besides being employed in peace as transport for troops, particularly for carrying recruits and Reserve men between Odessa and Batoum. The connection of this fleet with the State was formerly much too loose, in consequence of which a new organisation of it took place in 1886, whereby the Volunteer Fleet is under the Admiralty, but has its own management and capital.
During the five years 1880-84, the expenditure on the Russian navy increased from £3,140,000 to £3,730,000, and amounted in all to £16,445,700. Between 1890 and 1897 the growth was as follows :
Year. £ 1890 4,311,350 1891 4,813,600 1892 5,267,000 1893 5,488,250 1894 5,635,400 1895 6,042,650 1896 6,376,250 1897 6,589,250 1898 7,000,000
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