Russian cruiser Izumrud

History
Russian Empire
Name:	Izumrud
Builder:	Sredne-Nevskiy Shipyard, Russia
Laid down:	1 January 1901
Launched:	1 October 1903
Commissioned:	January 1904
Fate:	Ran aground near Vladivostok, 29 May 1905
General characteristics
Type:	Light cruiser
Displacement:	3,103 long tons (3,153 t)
Length:	111 m (364 ft)
Beam:	12.20 m (40.0 ft)
Draught:	5 m (16 ft)
Propulsion:	3 shafts, triple expansion steam engines 16 Yarrow coal-fired boilers 13,000 kW (17,000 hp) 510 tons coal
Speed:	24 kn (44 km/h)
Range:	3,790 nmi (7,020 km)
Complement:	350
Armament:	8 × 120 mm (4.7 in)/L45 Canet guns in turrets 4 × 47 mm (1.9 in)/L43 Hotchkiss guns 6 × 7.62 mm Maxim machine guns 4 × 457 mm (18.0 in) torpedo tubes 1 × 63.5 mm/L19 Baranowski landing gun
Armour:	Krupp armour 32–76 mm (1.3–3.0 in) on sloping deck 32 mm (1.3 in) on belt

Izumrud (Russian: Изумруд, meaning "Emerald") was a protected cruiser of the Imperial Russian Navy, and the lead ship in the two-ship Izumrud class. Izumrud and her sister ship Zhemchug were based on the German-built Novik.

Background

Izumrud was ordered as part of the Imperial Russian Navy’s plan to expand the Russian Pacific Fleet based at Port Arthur and Vladivostok to counter the growing threat posed by the Imperial Japanese Navy towards Russian hegemony in Manchuria and Korea.

Operational History

Izumrud was laid down at the Nevsky Shipyard in Petrograd, Russia on 1 January 1901. However, construction was delayed due to priority given to completion of Novik. The Zakladka, or formal ceremony of laying a plate, took place on 14 June 1902.^[1] Izumrud was launched on 1 October 1903. Construction continued to be plagued by delays, including an ice storm in December. However, with the start of the Russo-Japanese War in early 1904, construction efforts were greatly accelerated.

Izumrud was formally commissioned in January 1904 and she was assigned to the Second Pacific Squadron of the Russian Pacific Fleet.

During the Russo-Japanese War

Under the overall command of Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky, Izumrud was part of the Second Pacific Squadron intended to relieve the Japanese siege of Port Arthur. Captained by Commander Vasili Fersen, she participated in the decisive Battle of Tsushima from 27–28 May 1905. At the end of the battle, Fersen refused to obey the order of Admiral Nikolai Nebogatov to surrender, and used her speed to escape through the Japanese blockade. However, on the night of 28 May, she ran aground in Vladimir Bay 43°54′N 135°30′E / 43.900°N 135.500°ECoordinates: 43°54′N 135°30′E / 43.900°N 135.500°E in the Russian Maritime Province. She was destroyed by explosive charges set by her crew, who reached Vladivostok overland several days later.^[2]

Notes

1. Kronstadtski Viestnik, quoted in "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Saturday, 21 June 1902. (36800), p. 12.
2. "Russian protected cruiser Izumrud". www.shipbucket.com. Retrieved 6 November 2012.

References

• Brook, Peter (2000). "Armoured Cruiser vs. Armoured Cruiser: Ulsan 14 August 1904". In Preston, Antony. Warship 2000–2001. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-791-0.
• Robert Gardiner, ed. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-8317-0302-4.
• Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds. (1984). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1906–1922. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
• McLaughlin, Stephen (1999). "From Ruirik to Ruirik: Russia's Armoured Cruisers". In Preston, Antony. Warship 1999–2000. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-724-4.
• Watts, Anthony J. (1990). The Imperial Russian Navy. London: Arms and Armour. ISBN 0-85368-912-1.

External links

Media related to Izumrud (ship, 1903) at Wikimedia Commons