Armored Frigate Dmitri Donskoi (1880/1885)
The Dmitri Donskoi and her near-sister, Vladimir Monomakh, were constructed partly of steel, partly of iron beginning in 1880. Their design reflects the conservative trend of armored frigates and corvettes in other navies during the 1870s: the hull shape is basically that of a sailing ship, with a ram bulging from the forefoot, a few sponsons punched out of the rail for big-gun mounts with improved arcs of fire, an external keel, and (on Donskoi) a cutout next to the sternpost and rudder for the single screw. Though the Russian navy considered them armored cruisers, they were really more akin to the armored frigates of the 1860s and 70s. They were certainly not equal to the armored cruisers that came in the late 1880s and 1890s. Donskoi had a belt of compound armor at most 6" thick: commendable for a first-generation armored ship, but by no means equal to the weapons of 20 years later. One should note that 6" of compound armor -- made from laminations of steel and iron armor faced with hardened steel -- was NOT as effective as 6" of nickel-steel Harvey process or Krupp cemented (KC) armor. These manufacturing processes, developed in the 1890s, guaranteed a tougher, less brittle, more resilient protection: each inch provided double the protection of an inch of compound armor -- and at a considerable saving in weight.
These frigates performed well according to their design, sailing decently on a bowline and conserving coal when the wind was fair; churning along at 15-16 knots top speed under engines alone, with the periodic hot bearings and breakdowns intrinsic to early piston steam engines. However, these cruisers' design was not equal to the task assigned them in their twilight years: Confronting the modern Japanese battle fleet of 1905. In particular, they lacked adequate watertight subdivision and underwater protection against torpedoes. Both ships had been extensively refitted in 1897-98, reluctantly replacing their full ship square rig. The refit took advantage of the development of quick-firing guns to beef up both ships' armament. The four poor-quality Model 1880 8" guns were removed from the sponson positions and replaced with 6" QF weapons. The compound engines were replaced with triple-expansion machines. Other flaws in the ships' design were not addressed; as usual, this was a "band-aid" approach to the ships' inadequacies: a partial, cosmetic modernization whose flaws became only too apparent when the elderly cruisers were sent off to face Garibaldi class armored cruisers, well-maintained torpedo boats, and London class equivalent pre-dreadnought battleships in Japanese waters.
During the tortuous voyage out from Kronstadt to the Far East, Donskoi acted as much-needed comic relief for the perpetually frustrated and enraged men of the "Second Pacific Fleet." Her obtuseness in reading and following signals and her incompetence in keeping station were one of the few points on which all the fleet's personnel could agree, with bemused laughter. Donskoi's clownishness and that of the repair ship Kamchatka helped to lighten a task of Herculean dimensions: a voyage beset by shortages, incompetence, ill-temper, omnipresent gritty coal dust, mutinies, insanity, desertion, and suicide. Probably not a single sailor in the 2nd Pacific Fleet would wager that Donskoi -- the disingenuous old windjammer that always had to ask for at least 3 repeats of every signal (and even then read it wrong) -- would prove one of the most rugged combatants in the Russian fleet of 40 warships.
In all, five Russian ships were scuttled to avoid capture at Tsushima. To the wonder of many, one of the most heroic rear-guard actions was fought by the Dmitri Donskoi. She got separated from her cruiser squadron in late afternoon of the 27th as the Russian formation dissolved. Having a long start on her pursuers, she made for Vladivostok. A squadron of three cruisers gave chase, but at their top speed of 18 knots were unable to close the distance until evening, when another pair of Japanese ships appeared from the NW, forcing Donskoi to alter course towards the Japanese mainland. The modern Japanese ships closed the range, inflicting horrible slaughter on the old Russian vessel, whose decks were packed with 270 survivors of the sunken battleship Oslyabya and the disabled destroyer Buiny. Buiny had run out of fuel after ferrying the wounded C-in-C, Adm. Rozhdestvensky, to safety and transferring him to the destroyer Biedovy for the run into Vladivostok; Buiny was surrendered to the Japanese, and Biedovy surrendered with the now-comatose Admiral and his staff, when intercepted by Japanese ships the following morning.
Donskoi’s captain was among the casualties of the night action, but his ship fought on. During the night the Japanese launched torpedo attacks, but accurate defensive fire prevented the torpedomen from taking careful aim. Cornered, the Russian crew fought like tigers, inflicting serious damage on their tormentors, and managing at last to sink their ship in the deep water and deprive the Japanese of a prize or salvage. Having landed on Ulleung Island by dawn on the 28th, the survivors were taken off for internment; there was not an unwounded man among them. Dmitri Donskoi's near-sister Vladimir Monomakh (below) also perished in the Battle of Tsushima, May 27-28, 1905.
The Donskoi's remains were identified by a Korean research team exactly a century after she was scuttled. The punctured iron and steel hull lies nestled on the drop-off into a sea valley some 2km off Ulleung Island (Matsushima), ENE of Hangnammal Pt., in present-day S. Korea. Photographs identify her by the slender, arrow-like hull shape, gun barrels, single screw and rudder. She lies exactly 400 meters (218½ fathoms) deep. Approximate coordinates of the wreck's position are 37'29½" N, 130'55" E.
Dmitri Donskoi as built, with 3-mast barque rig.
Specifications for the Dmitri Donskoi:
Built at New Admiralty Yard, St. Petersburg, 1880-1885. Extensively refitted 1897-98 including re-engining, removal of sailing rig, and modernization of armament.
Dimensions: 296'8" x 52' x 25'9". Displacement: 5796 tons deep laden. Armament (as built): (2) M1880 8"/30 BLR; (14) 6"/28 cal; (4) 3.4"; (14) 1-pdr. Armor: Compound type throughout. Belt: 6"/4.5"; conning tower: 8"; gun shields: 2". Sail rig: 3-mast barque. Propulsion: 6 cylindrical boilers; single shaft vertical compound engine developing 7,000 IHP. Maximum speed: 16.5 kts. Fuel capacity: 800 tons of coal. Crew: 571.
After 1898 reconstruction: Armament: (6) 6"/45 QF; (10) 4.7"/45 QF; (6) 3-pdr; (10) 1-pdr. (5) 15" above-water torpedo tubes. Propulsion: Single shaft triple expansion engine, 18 kts. Crew: 507.
Metric Specs:
Dimensions: 90.43m x 15.9m x 7.85m. Displacement: 5,796 tons deep laden. Armament (as built): (2) M1880 203 mm/30 cal; (14) 152 mm/28 cal; (4) 86 mm; and (14) 1-pdr guns. Armor: Compound type. Belt: 152/114 mm; conning tower: 203 mm; gun shields: 52 mm. Fuel capacity: 800 tons of coal. Propulsion: 6 cylindrical (Scotch) boilers; single shaft vertical compound engine developing 5,220 kW. Maximum speed: 30.6 km/hr. Crew: 571.
The ram of the Dmitri Donskoi in dockyard. This was one of the deviations from the classic sailing-ship form in the ship's hull design, very similar to that seen in contemporary French and British ships. Like many iron-hulled vessels, Donskoi had her underwater parts sheathed in wood and the wood, in turn, sheathed in copper plates to discourage marine growths. She is having her wood sheathing redone in this photo. Click here for a lavishly-illustrated essay on the Cult of the Ram in 19th century navies.
Ten-shun on deck! Inspection aboard the Dmitri Donskoi in her days of sail. Everything spotless, brass burnished to a brilliant shine, lines flemished down, and everything Kronstadt fashion! The engine room casing occupies most of the deck between the mainmast and the break of the quartderdeck.
Donskoi on a beam reach. Her sail rig was long gone ere she met her fate in the waters off Japan.
Armored Frigate Vladimir Monomakh
The Vladimir Monomakh in port, drying her sails -- and several lines laden with laundry. Both ships were issued with a full ship rig when built; Russia was one of the last navies to discard auxiliary sail. In their 1890s refit, their masts were changed to military rig: one which mimicked a barque rig in its non-sail-bearing, steel-tube spars (see Donskoi photo at top). The Monomakh differed from the Donskoi in having twin screws, and in details of the armament; but they were essentially variations on a theme.
Plan of the Vladimir Monomakh, contemporary of the Dmitri Donskoi. Both cruisers perished at Tsushima. The diagonal lines along the hull are the booms for the ship's torpedo nets; they are not Tudor half-timbers.
Specifications for the Vladimir Monomakh :
Built at Baltic Shipyard, St. Petersburg, 1880-1885. Extensively refitted 1897-98 including re-engining, removal of sailing rig, and modernization of armament.
Dimensions: 296'3" x 52' x 26'3". Displacement: 5,593 tons deep laden. Armament (as built): (4) 8"/30 cal; (2) 6"/28 cal; (4) 3.4"; (4) 3-pdr; and (8) 1-pdr guns. Armor: Belt: 6"/4.5" compound; casemates/sponsons: 4"/3". Sail rig: 3-mast barque. Propulsion: 6 cylindrical (Scotch) boilers; 2-shaft vertical compound engines developing 7,000 IHP. Maximum speed: 15.2 kts. Fuel capacity: 1,100 tons of coal. Crew: 566.
After 1898 reconstruction: Armament: (5) 6"/45 QF; (8) 4.7"/45 QF; (8) 3-pdr; (8) 1-pdr. (3) 15" above-water torpedo tubes. Propulsion: Triple expansion engines, 17.5 kts. Crew: 490.
Metric Specifications
Dimensions: 90.3m x 15.9m x 8m. Displacement: 5,593 tons deep laden. Armament (as built): (4) 203 mm/30 cal; (2) 152 mm/28 cal; (4) 86 mm; (4) 3-pdr; and (8) 1-pdr guns. Armor: Belt: 152/114 mm compound; casemates/sponsons: 102/76 mm. Propulsion: 6 cylindrical (Scotch) boilers; 2-shaft vertical compound engines developing 7,000 IHP. Maximum speed: 28.2 km/hr. Fuel capacity: 1,100 tons of coal. Crew: 566.
The Monomakh under military rig after her 1897-8 reconstruction. Evidently this was shot at gunnery practice; all the guns are deployed and intently tracking their targets. Click here for an awesome enlarged view.
Here is the Monomakh in her final incarnation with a 2-mast military rig, photographed en route to Tsushima with the Third Pacific Squadron. When Enquist's cruiser squadron fled the battle, Monomakh and Donskoi, several knots slower than the newer ships, were left to their own devices. Monomakh fought off Japanese torpedo attacks for 5 solid hours, only to surrender in the morning. The Japanese were dumbfounded by the Russians' willingness to surrender, an act so unthinkable in their own military culture that no word for it existed in Japanese. Riddled with shot holes, Monomakh's hulk sank soon after her crew transferred over.
