Borodino class (1901)
Cracks of the Borodino class in Brasseys 1906 |
|
Overview | |
Type | Ship of the line |
units | 5 |
Shipyard |
Baltic shipyard (3) |
Keel laying | 1899-1902 |
Launch | 1901-1903 |
delivery | 1903-1905 |
Decommissioning | 1924 after service in Japan from 1905 |
Whereabouts | three sunk at Tsushima in 1905 a war loss in 1917 |
Technical specifications | |
displacement |
13,516 ts |
length |
121 m over everything |
width |
23.3 m |
Draft |
8.0 m |
crew |
around 800 men |
drive |
12 Belleville boilers |
speed |
17.5 kn |
Range |
2,590 nm at 10 kn with 1,545 t coal |
Armament |
• 4 × 305 mm L / 40 cannons in twin turrets |
Armor |
• Belt: 190–203 mm |
The Borodino class was a class of five pre-dreadnought - battleships of the Imperial Russian Navy , built 1899-1905.
Building history
The Borodino class was based on the plans of the Zessarevich, built in France 1899–1901 . The Russian naval command had existed at the completion of the construction contract out that another five ships of the same type built in Russia and could be modified as far as necessary in order to comply with the requirements of the Russian Navy. Accordingly, from 1899 to 1905, the ships of the Borodino class were built in Russian shipyards: Borodino , Emperor Alexander III. , Oryol , Knjas Suvorov and Slava .
Construction defects
Like the Zessarewitsch , these ships also suffered from the fact that their center of gravity was too high, the hull walls in the so-called tumblehome design pointed inwards above the waterline, the longitudinal bulkhead running in the middle of the hull caused the risk of capsizing, and the low belt armor was pushed underwater with a full combat load. The casemate guns were so low that they were unusable in rough seas. In addition, despite their greater weight, the ships had weaker engines than the Zessarewitsch . All three ships of the class sunk at Tsushima capsized before sinking. The ships are therefore considered by some shipbuilding experts as the worst battleships ever built.
Whereabouts
ship | Keel laying | Launch | Commissioning | comment |
---|---|---|---|---|
Borodino Admiralty Shipyard, Saint Petersburg |
July 1899 | Sep 1901 | Aug 10, 1903 | With the Second East Asian Squadron to East Asia. Sunk on May 27, 1905 in the naval battle near Tsushima. Just a survivor. |
Emperor Alexander III Baltic shipyard, Saint Petersburg |
July 1899 | Jan. 1901 | Aug 1903 | With the Second East Asian Squadron to East Asia. Sunk on May 27, 1905 in the naval battle near Tsushima. No survivors. |
Oryol Galerny Shipyard, Saint Petersburg |
June 2, 1900 | July 19, 1902 | Oct 1904 | With the Second East Asian Squadron to East Asia. Surrendered on May 28, 1905 after the naval battle at Tsushima. As an Iwami in the service of the Japanese Navy and sunk as a target ship in 1924. |
Knyaz Suvorov Baltic Shipyard, Saint Petersburg |
July 1901 | Sep 1902 | Sep 1904 | With the Second East Asian Squadron to East Asia. Sunk on May 27, 1905 in the naval battle near Tsushima. 20 survivors and 908 dead. |
Slava Baltic Shipyard, Saint Petersburg |
Oct 1902 | Aug 1903 | June 1905 | The ship remained in the Baltic Sea with the Baltic Fleet. Sunk in Moonsund on October 17, 1917. |
Web links
Footnotes
- ^ Antony Preston: World's Worst Warships , Conways Maritime Press 2002