The death of the cruiser "Varyag" (briefly). Date, history, place of death

The cruiser "Varyag" was built in 1899. The vessel became part of the Pacific Flotilla. On the eve of the Russo-Japanese War, the Varyag went to the neutral Korean port of Chemulpo (modern Incheon). Here he was at the disposal of the Russian embassy. The second such vessel was the gunboat "Korean".

On the eve of the battle

On the eve of the new 1904, Captain Vsevolod Rudnev received a secret cipher. It reported that the Korean emperor learned of the movement of ten Japanese ships towards Chemulpo (the death of the cruiser "Varyag" occurred at the time in the bay of this port). While there was no war, although both countries were actively preparing for it. In Russia, Japan was treated with haughtiness, which made the army and navy in a difficult position when the conflict erupted in earnest.

The Japanese flotilla was commanded by Admiral Sotokiti Uriu. His ships arrived to the coast of Korea to cover the landing of the landing force. The flotilla was supposed to stop the "Varyag" if he decides to leave the bay and intervene in the transfer of the land army. On January 27 (according to the old style) enemy ships appeared in the coastal water area. This was the first day of the Russo-Japanese War.

The situation in the port of Chemulpo was complicated by the fact that there were ships of other countries: Great Britain, France, Italy and the United States. On the morning of January 27, Japanese Admiral Uriu sent a message to his representatives that he was going to attack Russian ships. In connection with this neutral ships were asked to leave the raid until 4 pm, so that they did not fall under the fire. Europeans informed Captain Rudnev of the Japanese warning. It became clear that the battle was inevitable despite a clear violation of international law (the drama took place in the port of the third country).

Approaching the Japanese Flotilla

By the morning the landing of a three thousandth land contingent was already completed. Now the transport ships left the battle area, and the warships could begin preparations for the impending attack. In the port, a fire was seen at the landing site of the Japanese. The enemy intentionally exerted psychological pressure on Russian sailors. The heroic death of the cruiser "Varyag" showed that all these attempts were doomed to failure. Russian sailors and their officers were ready for anything, although they had to humiliatedly wait for the enemy's attack and helplessly watch the landing of the landing force.

Meanwhile, the commanders of foreign ships sent a written protest to the Japanese. This paper had no effect. Foreigners did not dare to take any other steps. Their ships retired to the port and did not show themselves during the battle. The Russian cruiser and the gunboat were blocked in the bay. They could not enter the open sea, since the Japanese fleet of ten ships closed the road. The subsequent death of the cruiser Varyag happened in many respects because of the paralysis and inept actions of the command in Port Arthur. Fleet commanders behaved irresponsibly. They did not try to prevent the catastrophe in any way, although reports about the approach of the Japanese squadron had been coming for months.

"Varangian" leaves Chemulpo

Captain Vsevolod Rudnev, realizing that it was pointless to wait for help from foreigners or his own bosses, decided to break out of the bay and accept the battle. There was simply no question of capitulation. At 10 o'clock in the morning the captain arrived at the cruiser and informed the officers of his decision. The general opinion was unanimous - to try to break through, and if the attempt fails, then flood the ships.

The first to start fighting began to prepare physicians. Doctors, nurses and paramedics equipped dressing stations. For the next few days they forgot about what a dream is - they had too much work. At 11 o'clock Rudnev made a speech already before the whole team. The sailors supported the captain with a loud "Hooray!". No one was afraid of the death of the cruiser "Varyag", no one wanted to give up, before folding his hands. There was a similar reaction to "Koreans". Even the cook, who was a civilian worker, refused to leave the ship and take refuge in the consulate. When the Varyag left the port, foreign crews lined up on the decks of their ships. So the French, the Italians and the British paid tribute to the courage of the crew, who had an unequal battle ahead. In response to the "Varangian" played the national anthems of these countries.

Relationship of forces of the parties

What squadron should the Varyag cruiser withstand? The story of the destruction of the ship could not happen at all, fight it in other conditions of combat. Every Japanese ship was within its power. The exception was "Asama" - one of the best armored cruisers in the world. "Varyag" was the embodiment of the idea of a strong and high-speed scout. His main advantage in the battle was a swift raid and a short but deafening blow to the enemy.

All these qualities "Varyag" could best be demonstrated in the open sea, where he would have room for maneuver. But its location, and subsequently the place of the death of the cruiser "Varyag" was in a narrow fairway full of sandbanks and rocks. Under such conditions, the ship could not accelerate and effectively hit the enemy. Due to the narrow course, the cruiser had to fly by the Japanese. Therefore, the outcome of the battle was determined only by the ratio of the number of guns. A dozen ships had much more of them than a cruiser with a gunboat.

Particularly hopeless situation was due to the presence of "Asama". The guns of this cruiser were practically invulnerable, as they hid behind the thick tower armor. For comparison: on Russian ships the artillery was open and decked. In addition, half of the weapons of the "Korean" were simply obsolete. During the battle, they were generally inactive.

The beginning of the battle

Japanese ships predetermined the place of the death of the cruiser "Varyag", rising ten miles from the Korean Chemulpo. When the squadrons met, followed by a signal that asked about the surrender. "Varyag" proudly did not say anything. The first shots from "Asama" sounded about 12 hours. They were produced at a time when the ships were about 8 kilometers apart.

Everyone understood that the death of the cruiser "Varyag" was inevitable. The battle, however, was adopted. Two minutes after the first Japanese shots, the shooting began on the right side of the Varyag. It was supervised by Kuzma Khvatkov, the senior commander. On the eve of the battle, he lay in the infirmary after the operation. Upon learning of the impending battle, the commandant demanded an extract and soon arrived aboard the Varyag. Hvatkov with rare bravery continued uninterrupted shooting throughout the battle, even after all his assistants were killed and wounded.

The first hit the Japanese projectile destroyed the upper bridge and interrupted the fox-guy. Because of this in the navigating house, a fire broke out. There was an explosion that killed the navigator's second co-star Alexei Nirod and signalman Gabriel Mironov. The extinguishing of the fire was led by Timofei Shlykov, a brave and decisive boatswain.

Fire on board

The pillars of black smoke were the first signs that marked the death of the cruiser "Varyag". The date of January 27, 1905 was the day of courage and perseverance of the Russian crew. The fire allowed the Japanese to easily adjust fire to the enemy. The cannons "Varyag" aimed mainly at "Asamu". The fire was fired by armor-piercing shells, which really tore up thick armor and exploded inside the ship. Therefore, the damage done to the Japanese was not as obvious as a fire on a Russian cruiser.

The cruiser Asama led a distracting fire. He distracted the attention of Varyag guns, so that other ships of the Japanese flotilla could shoot the enemy with impunity. The shells began to hit the target more and more often. Thus, the death of the cruiser Varyag was gradually approaching. The photos of the heroic crew and his ship were soon in all the world's newspapers.

But on the afternoon of January 27, the sailors and officers were clearly not up to the future. After the next hit, the decking of the deck caught fire. The fire became extremely dangerous, because there was a signaling system nearby, as well as elevators. The flames were tried to be brought down by powerful jets of water fed from hoses. Meanwhile, the commanders, who were standing by the open guns, fell dead due to the deadly vortex from the fragments raised by the enemy shells.

Doctors worked with concentration and silence. The flow of the wounded increased. People who received severe injuries, found the strength to independently reach the infirmary. The easily wounded did not pay any attention to the damage and remained at their posts. Such a heroic and unparalleled was the death of the cruiser Varyag. Both the gunboat and the main ship happened to be under heavy fire from the enemy, reveling in its numerical superiority.

Maneuver

When the Varyag distanced from Chemulpo for eight miles, the captain decided to turn to the right to get out of the fire and put into battle guns on the left side. The ship began a maneuver, and at that moment the ship was struck by two large shells. The heroic death of the cruiser Varyag became even closer. Due to the explosion, the ship lost its steering. Part of the fragments went straight to the cabin, where, apart from the captain, there were some officers and musicians. The drummer and the horn-player died, many were wounded, but no one wished to go to the infirmary and leave Rudnev.

Due to the loss of the helm, the order was given to switch to manual control. Nobody wanted the enemy to easily die the cruiser "Varyag". The Russo-Japanese War had just begun, and there were still many more such fights, when Russian ships were in a numerical minority. Their crews, following the Varyag crew, displayed miracles of courage and devotion to their duty.

The cruiser reached the enemy flotilla for a distance of five miles. The fire of the Japanese increased. It was at this time that the Varyag received the most severe and fatal injuries. A large-caliber projectile struck the stern on the left side. Water poured into the holes, which began to flood the stoves with coal. Quartermasters Zhigarev and Zhuravlev rushed into the room. They prevented the further spread of water and the flooding of other stokers. Time after time, the death of the cruiser Varyag was postponed. To put it briefly, the Russian crew fought with that stubbornness that only happens to doomed people, driven into a corner.

Retreat

Meanwhile, the "Korean" began to cover the "Varangian", who made an important maneuver. His small shells, finally, were able to reach the enemy ships. Response began. Soon a fire broke out on one of the Japanese cruisers, and another destroyer began to sink altogether. When the turn was completed, the guns on the left board joined the battle. Komendory - the main characters of the battle, enraged by the death of their comrades, they did not stop shooting. The result was not long in coming. One of the shells destroyed the aft bridge of Asama, the best Japanese cruiser. The author of the successful shot was the commandant Fedor Elizarov, who stood behind the six-inch gun No. 12.

After the turn, the captain sent the ship back to the raid, trying to delay the death of the cruiser Varyag. The date of this event became one of the most striking and tragic events in the history of the Russian fleet. By 13 o'clock the battle ceased, because the Varyag was finally back in the roadstead.

During the battle, they were released more than 1,100 shells. The crew lost half of the team, which was on the upper deck. Fans and boats were turned into a sieve. The deck and sides received numerous holes, because of which the Varyag had a roll on the port side.

Flooding the Cruiser

Foreign ships, before standing on the roadstead, prepared to leave for the port, so as not to prevent the Japanese from doing away with the Russians. Rudnev, assessing the situation, realized that the cruiser had lost most of its combat power. In such conditions, it was impossible to fight. On a short military council, the captain decided to open the kingstones and flood the ship.

The evacuation of the team began. The wounded sailors and officers passed each other on their hands. Approaching the death of the cruiser "Varyag" and the boat "Korean". Most of the Russians moved to neutral ships. The last crew members left on the ship to flood it remained in the water. Someone was getting to the ships by swimming, and Vasily Belousov remained to hold onto the ice floe in anticipation of the arrival of the French boat.

"The Korean" was blown up. Foreigners were asked to do without such a measure in relation to the cruiser. The thing was that the wreckage of the gunboat boat collided with enormous speed at the water surface next to the neutral ships. The roll "Varyag" became stronger. From time to time, new explosions were periodically heard from him - this fire absorbed the surviving cartridges and shells. At last the ship sank. At 18 o'clock the final death of the cruiser Varyag was noted. The image of the ship, which entered with unequal forces into battle, and its heroic crew forever remained in the memory of the Russian fleet.

Return of the crew home

In the battle, 23 people died, 10 more seriously wounded died in infirmary after evacuation. The remaining crew went to their homeland in mid-February. The heroic death of the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" has already become known to the whole world. The sailors and officers in every country where they stayed met with cordiality and unconcealed admiration. Telegrams and letters were sent from all corners to them.

A large delegation of compatriots met a crew in Shanghai, where the cannon boat "Manjur" was then. The Consul General and the Russian Ambassador to Constantinople hurried to meet with the heroes, despite their very short stop in this city. Glory was ahead of the sailors. The crew had to return home, landing in Odessa. In this city for several weeks was preparing for his meeting.

Directly on board the ship, the heroes were handed Georgievsky crosses. It should be said that all members of the crew were awarded regardless of rank. A salute was given in honor of the arrivals. The whole city was drowned by festive jubilation. A similar picture was in Sevastopol, where the Black Sea Fleet was based. On April 10, 1904, 600 sailors and 30 officers of the "Varyag" and "Koreans" departed for St. Petersburg in a special echelon. On the way the train stopped in Moscow and at several other stations. Everywhere invariably the echelon was waited by townspeople and the first faces of cities.

On the 16th the crew finally arrived in St. Petersburg. On the platform of the Nikolayev station he was met by relatives, representatives of the city duma, the army, the nobility and, of course, all the higher ranks of the Russian fleet. At the head of this crowd was the Grand Admiral Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich.

The sailors passed a solemn march through the festively decorated Nevsky Prospekt. The street was packed to the full with townspeople. Along the whole avenue there were lined up soldiers of the Moscow garrison, who were supposed to restrain the crowd. The solemn orchestra was not audible against the background of incessant cries and applause. The culmination was the meeting of the crew and Tsar Nicholas II.

The further fate of the ship

The Japanese were amazed at the behavior and courage of the Russians. It is significant that the emperor Mutsuito in 1907 sent Captain Vsevolod Rudnev Order of the Rising Sun II degree. The death of the cruiser "Varyag" year after year was remembered not only in Russia, but also in Japan. In Tokyo, decided to raise and repair the cruiser. He was included in the Imperial Navy and was named "Soy". For seven years it was used as a training ship. The name "Varyag" at the stern of the ship was preserved to the Japanese in honor of the courage of Russian sailors and officers. Once the cruiser even went on a campaign to the Hawaiian Islands.

With the outbreak of World War I, Russia and Japan became allies. The tsarist government bought the Varyag back. In 1916, he returned to Vladivostok under the Russian flag. The ship was transferred to the flotilla of the Arctic Ocean. On the eve of the February Revolution, the cruiser went to the UK for repairs. The authorities of this country confiscated the "Varyag", when the Bolsheviks refused to pay the debts of the tsarist government. In 1920 the ship was sold to the Germans for scrap. In 1925, the cruiser hit the storm during towing and finally sank in the Irish Sea.