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The armament was supplied by the Russians and shipped to America for installation. The main armament consisted of two pairs of {{convert|12|in|mm|0|adj=on}} Obukhov Model 1895 40-[[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] guns mounted in French-style center-pivot twin [[turret]]s fore and aft. These guns had a maximum elevation of 15° and could depress to -5°. 77 rounds per gun were carried.<ref name=m57>McLaughlin, p. 57</ref> They fired a {{convert|731.3|lb|kg|adj=on}} shell at a [[muzzle velocity]] of {{convert|2598|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} to a range of {{convert|12010|yd|m}} at an elevation of 10°.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNRussian_12-40_m1895.htm|title=Russian 12"/40 (30.5 cm) Pattern 1895 305 mm/40 (12") Pattern 1895|date=12 January 2009|publisher=Navweaps.com |accessdate=22 December 2009}}</ref>
The armament was supplied by the Russians and shipped to America for installation. The main armament consisted of two pairs of {{convert|12|in|mm|0|adj=on}} Obukhov Model 1895 40-[[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] guns mounted in French-style center-pivot twin [[turret]]s fore and aft. These guns had a maximum elevation of 15° and could depress to -5°. 77 rounds per gun were carried.<ref name=m57>McLaughlin, p. 57</ref> They fired a {{convert|731.3|lb|kg|adj=on}} shell at a [[muzzle velocity]] of {{convert|2598|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} to a range of {{convert|12010|yd|m}} at an elevation of 10°.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNRussian_12-40_m1895.htm|title=Russian 12"/40 (30.5 cm) Pattern 1895 305 mm/40 (12") Pattern 1895|date=12 January 2009|publisher=Navweaps.com |accessdate=22 December 2009}}</ref>


Eight of the twelve {{convert|6|in|mm|0|adj=on}} [[Canet guns|Canet Pattern]] 1892 45-caliber guns were mounted in casemates on the main deck while four were mounted on the upper deck.<ref name=m57/> The guns could elevate to a maximum of 20° and depress to -5°. They fired shell that weighed {{convert|91.27|lb|kg|abbr=on}} with a muzzle velocity of {{convert|2600|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}. They had a maximum range of {{convert|12600|yd|m}} when fired at maximum elevation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNRussian_6-45_m1892.htm|title=Russian 6"/45 (15.2 cm) Pattern 1892 152 mm/45 (6") Pattern 1892|date=12 January 2009|publisher=Navweps.com |accessdate=22 December 2009}}</ref> They could fire three to five rounds per minute and were provided with 200 rounds per gun.<ref name=m57/>


* Secondary armament consisted of twelve 6-inch [[Canet guns|Canet pattern]] guns in casemates (200 rounds per gun) [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNRussian_6-45_m1892.htm ref]
* The anti torpedo boat armament consisted of twenty 75&nbsp;mm Canet pattern guns (325 rounds per gun)
* The anti torpedo boat armament consisted of twenty 75&nbsp;mm Canet pattern guns (325 rounds per gun)
* six torpedo tubes were fitted with 17 torpedoes carried


A total of twenty-four {{convert|47|mm|in|adj=on|sp=us}} [[Hotchkiss gun]]s were carried; four in each [[Top (sailing ship)|fighting top]] and eight at each end of the superstructure.<ref name=m58/> They fired a {{convert|3.3|lb|kg|adj=on}} shell at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|1476|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} at a rate of 20 rounds per minute to a range of {{convert|2020|yd|m}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNRussian_47mm_Hotchkiss.htm|title=Russia 47 mm/5 (1.85") Hotchkiss gun 47 mm/1 (1.85") Hotchkiss gun [3-pdr (1.4 kg) Hotchkiss guns] |date=1 December 2006|accessdate=22 December 2009}}</ref> Six {{convert|37|mm|in|adj=on|sp=us}} Hotchkiss guns were mounted in the [[bridge (nautical)|bridge]] wings. They fired a {{convert|1.1|lb|kg|adj=on}} shell at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|1450|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} at a rate of 20 rounds per minute to a range of {{convert|3038|yd|m}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNRussian_37mm_Hotchkiss.htm|title=Russia 37 mm/5 (1.5") Hotchkiss Gun 37 mm/1 (1.5") Hotchkiss Gun [1-pdr (0.45 kg) Hotchkiss Guns] |date=1 December 2006|accessdate=22 December 2009}}</ref>
⚫
===Armour===

''Retvizan'' carried six {{convert|15|in|mm|0|adj=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s. Four were above water, one each in the bow and stern and the aft pair of [[broadside]] tubes. The forward broadside tubes were underwater. 17 torpedoes were carried. She was designed to carry two second-class [[torpedo boat]]s equipped with single [[torpedo tube]]s in the bow and a small quick-firing gun.<ref name=m58>McLaughlin, p. 58</ref>

⚫
===Armor===


The total weight of the armor was 3,300 tons{{vague|which tons?--note that there are three possibilities here|date=January 2010}} or 25.8%<!--this figure would correspond to a displacement of 12,790 tons, which is about midway between the long tons and metric tons figures, an indication only that whoever calculated it assumed these 3,300 tons were not short tons; however, we don't even know whether that was an accurate assumption for this American-steelworks production--> of the displacement. The armor was made by the [[Krupp armour|Krupp process]] by Bethlehem Steel and Metal works, St Petersburg (turrets only)
The total weight of the armor was 3,300 tons{{vague|which tons?--note that there are three possibilities here|date=January 2010}} or 25.8%<!--this figure would correspond to a displacement of 12,790 tons, which is about midway between the long tons and metric tons figures, an indication only that whoever calculated it assumed these 3,300 tons were not short tons; however, we don't even know whether that was an accurate assumption for this American-steelworks production--> of the displacement. The armor was made by the [[Krupp armour|Krupp process]] by Bethlehem Steel and Metal works, St Petersburg (turrets only)

Revision as of 01:52, 18 February 2010

Retvizan (1902 - 1924)
History
Naval Ensign of RussiaRussia
NameRetvizan
Ordered2 May 1898
BuilderWilliam Cramp and Sons, Philadelphia
Laid down29 July 1899
Launched23 October 1900
Commissioned23 March 1902
Out of servicelist error: <br /> list (help)
Sunk by Japanese howitzers in Port Arthur, China, 6 December 1904
Salvaged and repaired by the Japanese
RenamedHizen, 1908
Captured2 January 1905
History
Japan Naval EnsignJapan
NameHizen
Acquired1905
Commissioned1908
DecommissionedApril 1922
Out of serviceSunk as gunnery target, 20 September 1924
General characteristics
TypePre-dreadnought battleship
Displacement12,708 long tons (12,912 t) standard
Length386 feet 8 inches (117.9 m)
Beam72 feet 2 inches (22 m)
Draft25 feet (7.6 m)
Propulsionlist error: <br /> list (help)
2 shaft Vertical triple expansion steam engines
24 coal-fired Niclausse-type boilers
16,000 ihp (11,931 kW)
Speed18 knots (21 mph; 33 km/h)
Range4,900 nmi (9,100 km) at 10 kn (12 mph; 19 km/h)
Complement28 officers, 722 men
Armamentlist error: <br /> list (help)
2 × 2 - 12-inch (305 mm) guns
12 × 1 - 6-inch (152 mm) guns
20 × 1 - 75-millimeter (3 in) guns
24 × 1 - 47-millimeter (1.9 in) guns
6 × 1 - 37-millimeter (1.5 in) guns
6 × 1 - 15-inch (381 mm) torpedo tubes
45 mines
Armorlist error: <br /> list (help)
Krupp armor
Belt: 9 inches (229 mm)
Deck: 2–3 inches (51–76 mm)
Barbettes: 4–8 inches (102–203 mm)
Turrets: 9 inches (229 mm)
Conning tower: 10 inches (254 mm)
Bulkheads: 7 inches (178 mm)

Retvizan (Ретвизан) was a Russian Pre-dreadnought battleship which built before the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05. She was unique in that many of her components and their actual fabrication was done in the United States for the Imperial Russian Navy. Much of her side armor was forged by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, and she was built by the William Cramp and Sons Ship & Engine Building Company of Philadelphia. The armament was made at the Obukhov works in St Petersburg and shipped to America for installation.

Retvizan was named after the Swedish battleship Rättvisa (meaning Justice) which was captured by the Russians at the Battle of Sveaborg in 1790. She was ordered in 1898, laid down 29 July 1899, launched 23 October 1900, and commissioned on 23 March 1902.

Contracting and construction

Charles Henry Cramp the owner and son of the founder of William Cramp and Sons had a relationship with the Russian Navy dating back to the late 1870s when his firm built the auxiliary cruisers Afrika, Azia, Evropa and Zabiiaka. Cramp also repaired several Russian warships visiting America in the 1890s. At that time the Imperial Russian Navy was undergoing rapid expansion and domestic Russian shipyards were not able to meet the demand. Russian forces in the Far East needed strengthening to cope with the emergence of Japan as a naval power.

Initially Cramp offered American designs to the Russians included an updated version of the USS Iowa but the Russians preferred their own design based on the Russian battleship Potemkin. The contract was signed on 23 April 1898 for a price of $4,360,000. The Russian cruiser Varyag (1899) was ordered at the same time for $2,138,000.

Design

Plan and side views showing the armor scheme and with the armament marked. The guns labeled 'A' are 12-inch and 'D' are 6-inch and 'F' are 75-mm

The design was produced by Cramp and Russian engineers and was a modified and enlarged version of the Potemkin. The new ship had four fewer 6 inch guns but twice the coal capacity and greater internal volume for improved range

General characteristics

Retvizan was 382 feet 3 inches (116.51 m) long at the waterline and 386 ft 8 in (117.86 m) long overall. She had a beam of 72 feet 2 inches (22.00 m) and a draft of 25 feet (7.6 m). She displaced 12,780 long tons (12,985 t) at load. Her hull was subdivided by fourteen transverse and one centerline longitudinal watertight bulkhead (only in the engine room). It had a complete double bottom that extended up the side to the lower edge of the armor deck. She had a metacentric height of 3 feet 2 inches (0.97 m).[1]

Propulsion

Retvizan had two 3-cylinder vertical triple expansion steam engines with a total designed output of 16,000 indicated horsepower (11,931 kW). Twenty-four Niclausse-type boilers provided steam to the engines at a working pressure of 18 standard atmospheres (1,824 kPa; 265 psi). The Russian Navy preferred to use water-tube boilers, but Cramp pressed for Niclausse-type boiler, not least because he was the American agent for them, and was supported by the General Admiral Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich. On trials, the powerplant produced 17,111 ihp (12,760 kW) and a top speed of 17.99 knots (33.32 km/h; 20.70 mph), just under the contract speed of 18 knots. Not surprisingly Cramp claimed that she reached 18.01 knots to avoid contractual penalties. She carried a normal load of 1,016 long tons (1,032 t) of coal that provided a range of 4,900 nautical miles (9,100 km) at a speed of 10 knots (18.5 km/h) and a maximum load of 2,000 long tons (2,000 t) that gave 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km) at the same speed.[2]

Armament

The armament was supplied by the Russians and shipped to America for installation. The main armament consisted of two pairs of 12-inch (305 mm) Obukhov Model 1895 40-caliber guns mounted in French-style center-pivot twin turrets fore and aft. These guns had a maximum elevation of 15° and could depress to -5°. 77 rounds per gun were carried.[3] They fired a 731.3-pound (331.7 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 2,598 ft/s (792 m/s) to a range of 12,010 yards (10,980 m) at an elevation of 10°.[4]

Eight of the twelve 6-inch (152 mm) Canet Pattern 1892 45-caliber guns were mounted in casemates on the main deck while four were mounted on the upper deck.[3] The guns could elevate to a maximum of 20° and depress to -5°. They fired shell that weighed 91.27 lb (41.40 kg) with a muzzle velocity of 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s). They had a maximum range of 12,600 yards (11,500 m) when fired at maximum elevation.[5] They could fire three to five rounds per minute and were provided with 200 rounds per gun.[3]

  • The anti torpedo boat armament consisted of twenty 75 mm Canet pattern guns (325 rounds per gun)

A total of twenty-four 47-millimeter (1.9 in) Hotchkiss guns were carried; four in each fighting top and eight at each end of the superstructure.[6] They fired a 3.3-pound (1.5 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 1,476 ft/s (450 m/s) at a rate of 20 rounds per minute to a range of 2,020 yards (1,850 m).[7] Six 37-millimeter (1.5 in) Hotchkiss guns were mounted in the bridge wings. They fired a 1.1-pound (0.50 kg) shell at a muzzle velocity of 1,450 ft/s (440 m/s) at a rate of 20 rounds per minute to a range of 3,038 yards (2,778 m).[8]

Retvizan carried six 15-inch (381 mm) torpedo tubes. Four were above water, one each in the bow and stern and the aft pair of broadside tubes. The forward broadside tubes were underwater. 17 torpedoes were carried. She was designed to carry two second-class torpedo boats equipped with single torpedo tubes in the bow and a small quick-firing gun.[6]

Armor

The total weight of the armor was 3,300 tons[vague] or 25.8% of the displacement. The armor was made by the Krupp process by Bethlehem Steel and Metal works, St Petersburg (turrets only)

Influence

The Maine-class battleships built for the US Navy were designed by Charles Cramp and based on the Retvizan (McLaughlin 2001). The Maine had a lower quarterdeck, two more 6-inch guns and a slightly thicker belt.

Service

Throughou her Russian service the ship was commanded by Eduard Schensnovich. The ship had extensive trials in America before delivery to the Baltic where she took part in a Naval Review in Reval staged for the State visit of Kaiser Wilhelm II in August 1902.

The Retvzan was transferred to the Russian Pacific Fleet in late 1902 sailing in company with the Russian battleship Pobeda and the cruisers Diana, Pallada and Bogatyr. She arrived at Port Arthur (now Lüshunkou) China on 4 May 1903.

She was present at the Battle of Port Arthur where she was torpedoed by Japanese destroyers and grounded, five men were killed. She was repaired and took part in the Battle of the Yellow Sea, where she was hit by 18 shells and suffered 6 dead and 43 wounded. She was subsequently trapped in Port Arthur and sunk at her moorings by numerous howitzer shells on 6 December 1904, during the Siege of Port Arthur.

Retvizan was raised by the Japanese and repaired at Sasebo between 1906 and 1908. Renamed Hizen, she served in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I, in which she took part in the hunt for the cruiser squadron of Maximilian von Spee and in the Japanese intervention in the Russian Civil War. She was retired as a result of the Washington Naval Treaty in 1923 and sunk as a target ship in the Bungo straits on 12 July 1924.

Retvizan in sunk in Port Arthur

Notes

Footnotes

  1. ^ McLaughlin, pp. 54–55
  2. ^ McLaughlin, p. 55
  3. ^ a b c McLaughlin, p. 57
  4. ^ "Russian 12"/40 (30.5 cm) Pattern 1895 305 mm/40 (12") Pattern 1895". Navweaps.com. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2009.
  5. ^ "Russian 6"/45 (15.2 cm) Pattern 1892 152 mm/45 (6") Pattern 1892". Navweps.com. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2009.
  6. ^ a b McLaughlin, p. 58
  7. ^ "Russia 47 mm/5 (1.85") Hotchkiss gun 47 mm/1 (1.85") Hotchkiss gun [3-pdr (1.4 kg) Hotchkiss guns]". 1 December 2006. Retrieved 22 December 2009.
  8. ^ "Russia 37 mm/5 (1.5") Hotchkiss Gun 37 mm/1 (1.5") Hotchkiss Gun [1-pdr (0.45 kg) Hotchkiss Guns]". 1 December 2006. Retrieved 22 December 2009.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Battleship Retvizan.
  • Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. New York: Mayflower Books. ISBN 0-8317-0302-4.
  • McLaughlin, Stephen (2000). Preston, Anthony (ed.). The Retvizan, an American Battleship for the Czar. Warship. Vol. 2000–2001. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 48–65. ISBN 0-85177-791-0.

External links

  • - article in Russian Language
  • - article in English aimed at model builders
  • - Cramp's shipyard founded by William Cramp, (Philadelphia: William Cramp and Sons Ship and Engine Company, 1902)
  • Bethlehem Steel Company, 1904 Ordnance Material Catalog, (Bethlehem, Pa.: The Company, 1904)
  • С. А. Балакин, Эскадренный броненосец «Ретвизан» (Коллекция, Яуза, Эксмо, 2005 г.) ISBN 5-699-12917-0
  • Э. Н. Щенснович, Плавание эскадренного броненосца Ретвизан. 1902—1904 (Альманах `Цитадель`, Галея Принт, 1999 г.) ISBN 5-8172-0012-0

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