Russian armoured cruiser Dmitrii Donskoi
| 300px Dmitrii Donskoi | |
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Dmitrii Donskoi |
| Namesake: | Dmitry Donskoy |
| Builder: | Admiralty Shipyard, Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| Laid down: | May 1881 |
| Launched: | 18 August 1883 |
| Commissioned: | 1 August 1886 |
| Fate: | Scuttled at the Battle of Tsushima, 28 May 1905 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Armoured cruiser |
| Displacement: | 5,593 long tons (5,683 t) |
| Length: | 90.3 m (296 ft 3 in) |
| Beam: | 15.85 m (52 ft 0 in) |
| Draught: | 8 m (26 ft 3 in) |
| Propulsion: |
2 shaft reciprocating vertical triple expansion (VTE) engines 6 boilers 7,000 shp (5,200 kW) 1100 tons coal |
| Speed: | 15.2 knots (17.5 mph; 28.2 km/h) |
| Complement: |
As built : 566 Refitted : 490 |
| Armament: |
As built : • 4 × 203 mm (8 in) guns • 12 × 152 mm (6 in) guns • 4 × 86 mm (3.4 in) guns • 4 × 3-pounder guns • 8 × 1-pounder guns • 3 × 381 mm (15 in) torpedo tubes (above waterline) Refitted (1898) : • 6 × 152 mm (6 in) guns • 4 × 120 mm (4.7 in) guns • 8 × 75mm guns • 8 × 47 mm guns • 3 × 381 mm (15 in) torpedo tubes |
| Armour: |
Compound armour Belt: 9–4.75 in (230–121 mm) Deck: 3 in (76 mm) Battery: 3–4 in (76–100 mm) |
The Dmitrii Donskoi (Russian: Дмитрий Донской) was an armoured cruiser built for the Imperial Russian Navy. She was a sister ship of the Vladimir Monomakh. She was originally equipped with a heavy full rig of sail on three masts and bowsprit. Completed in 1885, she was modernized in 1894-95 with new armament, as her original armament was by then obsolete.
Service
On completion the ship was deployed to the Mediterranean on completion and in 1887 went to the Far East under the command of Admiral Aleksandr Kornilov. She returned to Kronstadt in 1889 and had her sailing rig removed and replaced by lighter military masts. In 1891 she voyaged to the Far East and was based in Vladivostok. In 1893 she returned to the Mediterranean later voyaging to America for a goodwill visit to mark the 400 anniversary of America's discovery with Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia on board as officer of the watch.
She was in refit between 1895-96 with new armament and boilers installed. On recommissioning she voyaged to the Mediterranean and then to the Far East with a goodwill visit to Nagasaki, Japan in 1896. The ship participated in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.
In 1904 she joined the Second Pacific Squadron and was scuttled after damage sustained in the Battle of Tsushima on 28 May 1905. Japanese cruisers intercepted Donskoi near Matsushima island while the Russian ship was trying to escape. Donskoi put up a fight but suffered severe losses. Her captain was among those killed.[1] The Donskoi damaged a Japanese cruiser before being scuttled.[1]
By
References
- ↑ H. P. Willmott, The Last Century of Sea Power From Port Arthur to Chanak, 1894-1922, Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2009, pp. 119-119. See note 33 to this description for a summary of conflicting accounts of the Donskoi's last fight.
- This article incorporates material translated from Russian Wikipedia
- Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860 - 1905
da:Dmitri Donskoi (panserkrydser) fr:Dmitry Donskoï (croiseur) ja:ドミトリー・ドンスコイ (装甲艦) ru:Дмитрий Донской (крейсер)
