Triple Turret Monitor Admiral Lazarev (1865/1871)
And the Lazarev Class
The next step in Russia's ironclad buildup was the triple-turret Admiral Lazarev class, designed by Vice Adm. Andrei Alexandrovich Popov. This four-ship class marked an advance in size and firepower over the twin-turreted Rusalkas, and a modest advance in seaworthiness, with the five-foot freeboard doubling that afforded by the Rusalka class. A false fo'c'sle was added to assist the ships in cleaving the waves. These vessels were dependable and reasonably seaworthy members of the Baltic fleet, a credit to their designer and builders. All four of them served Russia devotedly for nigh on 40 years. The name ship was sunk in a collision in 1912 and the Chichagov sunk as a target, but all the rest were broken up peacefully just prior to WWI.
Triple turret ships had been attempted before: the Civil War USS Roanoke had been fashioned from the wooden hull of a large steam frigate, but had proven ungainly in any kind of a sea and had spent her career anchored in the inner harbor at New York, as a harbor defense vessel. Because of the close ties between the U.S. federal government and the Russian navy in the Civil War era, technical information would have been available to the Russian design staff. It is unknown how carefully Popov studied the Roanoke, but there was an undeniable resemblance. However, Popov had the advantages of iron shipbuilding and of engineering his ships all at once instead of working with an existing hull. In keeping with their greater capabilities and seaworthiness, the Admiral Lazarev ships were dubbed "armored turret frigates." Nonetheless, they were intended strictly intended for coastal defense and, like their comrades in the earlier monitor classes, they presided over decades of peaceful commerce in the Russian end of the Baltic. All four were built at the St. Petersburg area shipyards, the name ship at the Baltic Works, the Greig at New Admiralty (but with boilers and engines by Baltic Works), the Chichagov and the Spiridov entirely by the Nyevsky Yard. All 4 ships were laid down in 1865, and all completed in 1871-2. The Lazarev, named for the great Antarctic explorer and Black Sea warrior, sank accidentally while fitting out, so the Admiral Greig was actually the first in service. All 4 members of the class were withdrawn from service on the first day of 1911.
Specifications for the Class
The first to complete because of the Admiral Lazarev's mishap, the Admiral Greig steams up to her mooring buoy.
Specifications for the Admiral Lazarev:
Dimensions: 321'6" x 62'4" x 26'3" Displacement: 3,207 tons std. Armament: (6) 9" Obukhov M1867 BLR and (4) 6" guns. Armor: Wrought iron throughout; thicknesses unknown at press time. Fuel capacity: 200 tons of coal. Propulsion: 4 coal-fired boilers; single shaft horizontal reciprocating steam engine developing 2,000 HP. Speed: 11½ kts. Crew: 272 (incl. 12 officers).
Ships in class: Admiral Lazarev · Admiral Spiridov · Admiral Chichagov · Admiral Greig
Metric Specifications:
Dimensions: 75.6m x 13.1m x 8m. Displacement: 3,207 tons std. Armament: (6) 229 mm Obukhov M1867 BLR; changes as noted. Armor: Wrought iron throughout; thicknesses unknown at press time. Fuel capacity: 200 tons of coal. Propulsion: 4 coal-fired boilers; single shaft reciprocating steam engine developing 1,491 kW. Speed: 20.6 km/hr. Crew: 272 (incl. 12 officers).
The ships' armament was added to and fussed with many times over their long careers. For a complete rundown, click here.
Remarkably little has come down to us in English about these handy and well-liked ships. They were evidently a tribute to the state of Russian iron shipbuilding at this early stage, and aside from the reshuffling of their guns, seem to have retained most of their original equipment to the end, including their 3-mast schooner auxiliary sail rig. Words about the class may be scarce, but many photographs were made of them over their long careers, spent so close to the capital. So, without further ado, to the pictures!
An Admiral Lazarev Class Compendium
Admiral Lazarev and her squadron anchored at Kronstadt in the 1890s.
Quarter view of the Admiral Lazarev.
Oct. 18, 1868: Launch of the Admiral Greig at New Admiralty Shipyard, showing shape of the stern and the single huge propeller.
Admiral Lazarev getting steam up for a sortie.
