Battleship Andrei Pervozvanny (1909/1912)
Marking the Russian Navy's rebirth after the painful drubbings of 1904-05, the Andrei Pervozvanny (St. Andrew) class of two semi-dreadnoughts was commissioned in 1911-12. They both played a part in the Russian Revolution and Civil War, though not a decisive one. In a layout similar to the U.S. Connecticut class, the name ship and her sister Imperator Pavel I mounted 12-inch twins bow and stern plus (14) 8-inchers in 4 twin turrets and 6 single mounts in an armored battery on the weather-deck level admidships. Other than the Greek Kilki and Lemnos (which after all were U.S.-built), these were the only European battleships to emulate the U.S. system of lightweight basket or "lattice" masts. Note how the hull form has reverted to almost straight-up sides as a result of bad experience with the hard-rocking French battleships such as Tsesarevich. Profiting from experience at the disastrous Battle of Tsushima, the ships' sides were quite heavily armored. In this view from trials, the ship's clutter of torpedo nets and booms has yet to be installed, making the hull shape easier to appreciate. Note also the exaggerated ram bow almost like a porpoise nose, asserting itself in the Russian Navy at a time when the ram was already being dropped altogether by other fleets.
These ships were unusually well made for Russian-built efforts. Pavel was built at the Baltic Works and commissioned in 1911. Andrei Pervozvanny (tr. St. Andrew) was constructed across St. Petersburg at the New Admiralty Yard, completed the following year. Though powerful gunships, they were uniquely ugly, with their beaklike ram bows, huge, widely separated funnels, and unbalanced, top-heavy appearance. After 1917, both ships were caught up in the Russian Revolution and Civil War. Their careers were nipped short by wartime damage and lack of commitment to repair them in the chaotic environment of the time. Pavel I was renamed Respublika just after the Revolution and damaged in a yardside accident; she was withdrawn from service in 1918. After 5 years of inactivity she was sold to the breakers. Andrei Pervozvanny was captured by the Reds in 1917 and used her artillery in their cause during the Civil War and foreign intervention. In this capacity she was torpedoed by a British ELCO MTB (left) at Kronstadt in 1919. She was laid up in the yard and never fully repaired; a fire further damaged her in 1922, and two years later she was sold for scrapping.
Specifications for the Imperator Pavel class:
Dimensions: 460' x 80' x 27'11". Displacement: 17,400 tons standard; 18,590 tons deep laden. Armament: (4) 12"/40 Model 1895, (14) 8"/45 (4x2 + 6x1), (12) 4.7", and (4) 37 mm guns; (8) Maxim MG; (4) 18" torpedo tubes. Armor: 8.5" belt; 5"/3" upper belt; 7.9" barbettes; 10" turrets; 7" secondary turrets; 10"/6" conning tower; 6" secondary conning tower; 5" battery; 3" QF battery; 3.1"/1.5" deck. Fuel capacity: 1,500 tons std; 3,000 tons maximum. Propulsion: 25 coal-fired Belleville boilers, (2) inverted vertical triple-expansion steam engines developing 17,600 HP, shafted to twin screw. Speed: 18 kts. Crew: 956.
Metric Specs:
Dimensions: 140.2m x 24.4m x 8.5m). Displacement: 17,400 tons standard; 18,590 tons deep laden. Armament: (4) 305 mm/40 Model 1895, (14) 203 cm/45 (4x2 + 6x1), and (12) 120 mm guns; (4) 450 mm torpedo tubes. Armor: 216 mm belt; 200 mm barbettes; 254 mm turrets; 178 mm secondary turrets; 254/152 mm conning tower; 79/38 mm deck. Fuel capacity: 1,500 tons std; 3,000 tons maximum. Propulsion: 25 coal-fired Belleville boilers, (2) inverted vertical triple-expansion steam engines developing 13,124.3 kW, shafted to twin screw. Speed: 33.34 km/hr. Crew: 956.
This view shows how the superstructure was crowded toward the bow, leaving an elongated quarterdeck; to accommodate the large number of magazines and ammo hoists to the 8" guns, the engine room was located between the #2 funnel and the aft 12" barbette. These were flush-decked ships with high freeboard. The layout of the center battery is readily appreciated in our magnificent enlarged view. The ship's original, Tsarist name was stamped on the print and later hand-corrected to her Bolshevik era handle, Respublika. This surely would have displeased the Tsar and Tsarina, who were, however, unable to protest, being dead.
Here is Andrei on her trials in 1912. No torpedo net booms installed yet. The aggressive thrust of the stem becomes more understandable when one sees the shape of the ram below water. France and Japan had already abandoned the ram by the time this monster was being built. Click here to enlarge.
Despite their being obsolete before commissioning, these were large and powerful ships; both operated in the Baltic fleet. The spaciousness of the quarterdeck is evident in this quarter view of Pervozvanny.
Andrei Pervozvanny moored at Libau. The aggressive shape of the bow with its bottle-nose ram becomes evident from this angle. Also in this and other shots of the starboard side, notice the spare anchor stowed horizontally along the side.
A crisply detailed 1:700 model of the ship by Jim Baumann.
The low angle of the light reveals the simplified, sculptural quality of hull and superstructure.
Color illustration of Andrei Pervozvanny illustrates the great elevation of the 8" gunhouse amidships, nicely reducing one of the principal conundrums of at-sea gunnery at the time. Many a dreadnought was built with guns studded along the hull -- guns frequently rendered useless by spray and even green water. Surviving ships often had the guns removed or moved up one deck in subsequent refits.
