Rurik: Imperial Russian Armored Cruiser (1895)
Rurik cast a long shadow of fear, more for what she was rumored to be than for what she was. Her size -- nearly 12,000 tons -- outstripped most armored cruisers of her time, but her overall concept was a throwback to Russia's belted cruisers from around 1880. Rurik's gestation was long and full of protracted disputes between factions at the Petersburg Admiralty; she ballooned from an original size of 9,000 tons to an over-weight debut at 11,960.
Her nickel-steel armor was out of date by the end of her 7-year build, and limited to a skimpy waterline belt and a thin internal armored deck. Russian admirals were fond of boasting of her as an armored cruiser, but she was really a large belted cruiser, derived directly from earlier efforts such as the Dmitri Donskoi and Admiral Nakhimoff. Rurik influenced the developoment of the armored cruiser in Russia: two more improved Ruriks, the Rossiya and Gromoboi, were created in 1896 and 1901, respectively. Above, the Rurik's imposing bow viewed in drydock. Note eagle decoration at prow, huge traditional wooden-stock anchors, and soaring masts. All three of the Rurik-type cruisers were sheathed and coppered: their underwater hulls were entirely covered with wood and this, in turn, was covered with copper plates, like the clipper ships of old. Copper discouraged marine growths; it was assumed that ships on colonial duty would have infrequent access to the graving dock for cleaning their hulls. The Rurik is having her sheathing renewed in this photo.
The ship was named after the quasi-legendary founder of the earliest Russian state -- a Varangian (Viking trader) named Rurik who ruled Ladoga and Novgorod in the 9th century, and whose descendents founded the Kievan and, later, Muscovite states. As these early Viking-Slavic states were the cultural ancestors of modern Russia, Rurik was revered with quasi-superstitious awe even in the late Romonov period. Right through the 19th century, Russian nobles were ranked according to how much of the precious blood of Rurik ran in their veins -- or how close was their connection to the "line of Rurik". The last of Rurik's dynasty to rule Russia passed in 1597; but the connection was renewed in 1745 when Catherine the Great (descended from the Rurikid Grand Prince of Tver) married into the ruling Romanov dynasty. In the 1890s, an era pulsing with ardent nationalism and Pan-Slavism, the name Rurik carried a freight of associations for the Russian dynasty and people.
Rurik was completed in 1896, just as the Russian Empire moved into Manchuria in a big way. She was despatched to the Far East and was an integral part of the Russian buildup in Manchuria, although officially stationed at Vladivostok. In the war with Japan, she was part of the Vladivostok cruiser squadron along with her improved sisters Rossiya and Gromoboi and the protected cruiser Bogatyr. She shared in their exploits until the squadron was caught out by Adm. Kamimura's armored cruiser squadron in the Battle of Ulsan, August 14, 1904. In that battle, Rurik's steering was knocked out early and she was eventually sacrificed. Most of her guns were put out of action and 72% of her crew was killed or wounded. Kamimura's two protected cruisers, the Naniwa and Takachiho, were detailed to finish Rurik off while the newer Japanese ships concentrated on the remaining, less gravely damaged Russians.
Flames ravaged the Rurik's upper works. Unable to maneuver, she soon assumed a pronounced list to port, becoming an easy target for accurate Japanese gunnery. The 10" Krupp guns of the Naniwa vomited destruction over her from an ever closer range. On orders from Adm. Jessen, commanding the squadron, the ruinous Rurik was scuttled; her remaining crew struck the St. Andrew cross and launched what boats would float, preparing themselves for life as prisoners of war. Rearing her giant ram high above the waves as her stern slid under, the ship foundered. Her mates retired to Vladivostok, with Kamimura initially in hot pursuit. The Russians remained in harbor under close blockade while repairs were effected.
Specifications for the Rurik:
Dimensions: 412' OA x 67' x 26' Displacement: 11,960 tons. Hull sheathed and coppered for colonial service. Armament: (4) 8"/35 cal, (16) 6"/45 QF, (6) 4.7"/45 QF, (6) 47 mm/43, and (10) 37 mm/23 guns; (6) 15" torpedo tubes. Armor: Nickel-steel type throughout. 12"/8" belt; 6" conning tower; 4" shields; 2½" deck. Fuel capacity: 800 tons of coal std; 2,300 tons maximum. Propulsion: (8) coal-fired cylindrical boilers; (2) 3-cyl vertical triple expansion engines developing 13,250 HP, shafted to twin screw. Maximum speed: 18 kts; 18.7 forced draft. Crew: 719. Endurance: 6,700nm @ 10 kts.
Schematic drawing by W. Fred Mitchell - from Brassey's Annual
Metric specs:
Dimensions: 126m x 20m x 7.9m Displacement: 11,960 tons. Hull sheathed and coppered for colonial service. Armament: (4) 203 mm/35 cal, (16) 152 mm/45 QF, (6) 120 mm/45 QF, (6) 47 mm/43, and (10) 37 mm/23 guns; (6) 381 mm torpedo tubes. Armor: Nickel-steel type throughout. 305/203 mm belt; 152 mm conning tower; 102 mm shields; 76/51 mm deck. Fuel capacity: 800 tons of coal std; 2,300 tons maximum. Propulsion: (8) coal-fired cylindrical boilers; (2) 3-cyl vertical triple expansion engines developing 9,880 kW, shafted to twin screw. Maximum speed: 33 km/hr. Crew: 719. Endurance: 12,400 km @ 19 km/hr.
Stern quarter view of Rurik in her original rig. Notice the rolled-in shelf under the recessed battery in the hull amidships -- a feature popular among Russian naval architects in the 1890s.
Rurik at Dalny (Dalian) shortly after arriving in the East. She was based at Vladivostok and eventually formed part of the four-cruiser Vladivostok Squadron, until this force was eliminated in the Battle of Ulsan, Aug. 14, 1904. Click here for beautiful enlarged view!
Profile view of Rurik at Port Arthur in 1903. The skewed spar atop the mainmast is a period wireless aerial. American-built cruiser Variag (tr. "Varangian") behind her at right. The coveted drydock lies between the two rows of whitewashed workshops in background; Monument Hill looms on horizon. This bald-headed eminence now hosts a solemn memorial to the soldiers and local folk massacred by the Japanese when they first took over the town in 1894.
1:700 model by Vladimir Yakubov shows Rurik from the stern toward the end of her career, under three-mast military rig. Note the hull, folded in above the belt admidships; and overhung sponsons for the 6-inchers on the boat deck.
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