View source for Russian battleship Borodino

{{Short description|Russian lead ship of Borodino-class}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= Borodino1904Kronshtadt.jpg
|Ship caption=''Borodino'' at [[Kronstadt]], August 1904
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[Russian Empire]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Russian Empire|naval}}
|Ship name=''Borodino'' (''Бородино'')
|Ship namesake=[[Battle of Borodino]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=New [[Admiralty Shipyard]], [[Saint Petersburg]]
|Ship laid down=23 May 1900<ref group=Note>All dates used in this article are [[Old Style and New Style dates|new style]] which is 12 days later before 1900 and 13 after 1900.</ref>
|Ship launched=8 September 1901
|Ship completed=
|Ship original cost=14,573,000 [[ruble]]s
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=August 1904
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=
|Ship fate= Sunk at the [[Battle of Tsushima]], 27 May 1905
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class= {{sclass|Borodino|battleship|0}} [[pre-dreadnought battleship]]
|Ship displacement={{convert|14091|LT|t|0|lk=on}}
|Ship length= {{convert|397|ft|0|abbr=on}} ([[o/a]])
|Ship beam= {{convert|76|ft|1|in|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|29|ft|2|in|m|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=2 shafts; 2 [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|triple-expansion steam engines]]
|Ship speed={{convert|18|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|2590|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
|Ship complement=782 (designed)
|Ship power=*20 [[Belleville boiler]]s
*{{convert|16300|ihp|abbr=on|0|lk=on}}
|Ship armament=*2 × twin [[Russian 12 inch 40 caliber naval gun|{{convert|12|in|0|abbr=on}}]] guns
*6 × twin [[152 mm 45 caliber Pattern 1892|{{convert|6|in|0|abbr=on}}]] guns
*20 × single [[75mm 50 caliber Pattern 1892|{{convert|75|mm|in|0|abbr=on}}]] guns
*20 × single [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss|{{convert|47|mm|in|abbr=on}}]] guns
*4 × {{convert|15|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s
|Ship armor=*[[Krupp armor]]
*[[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{convert|5.7|-|7.64|in|mm|0}}
*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|1|-|2|in|mm|0}}
*[[Gun turret|Turrets]]: {{convert|10|in|mm|0}}
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''''Borodino''''' ({{langx|ru|link=no|Бородино}}) was the [[lead ship]] of [[Borodino-class battleship|her class]] of five [[pre-dreadnought battleship]]s built for the [[Imperial Russian Navy]] in the first decade of the twentieth century. Completed after the beginning of the [[Russo-Japanese War]] in 1904, ''Borodino'' was assigned to the [[Pacific Fleet (Russia)|Second Pacific Squadron]] that was sent to the [[Far East]] a few months after her completion to break the Japanese blockade of [[Lüshunkou District|Port Arthur]]. The Japanese captured the port while the squadron was in transit and their destination was changed to [[Vladivostok]]. The ship was sunk during the [[Battle of Tsushima]] in May 1905 due to explosions set off by a Japanese shell hitting a [[magazine (artillery)|magazine]]. There was only a single survivor from her crew of 855 officers and enlisted men.

== Description ==
[[File:Borodino class battleship diagrams Brasseys 1906.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.0|{{center|Right elevation and deck plan as depicted in [[Brassey's Naval Annual]] 1906}}]]
The ''Borodino''-class ships were based on the design of the French-built {{ship|Russian battleship|Tsesarevich||2}}, modified to suit Russian equipment and building practices. They were built under the 1898 program "for the needs of the Far East" of concentrating ten battleships in the Pacific.<ref>Gribovsky, p. 3</ref> The ships were {{convert|389|ft|5|in|m|1}} [[length at the waterline|long at the waterline]] and {{convert|397|ft|m|0}} long [[length overall|overall]], with a [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|76|ft|1|in|m|1}} and a [[Draft (hull)|draft]] of {{convert|29|ft|2|in|m|1}}, {{convert|3|ft|2|in}} more than designed. ''Borodino'' [[Displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|14091|LT|t|0|lk=on}} at normal load, over {{convert|500|LT|t|abbr=on|0}} more than her designed displacement of {{convert|13516|LT|t|0}}. The ''Borodino'' class were designed for a crew of 28 officers and 754 enlisted men, although they usually carried 826–846 crewmen in service.<ref>McLaughlin, pp. 136–137</ref>

The ships were powered by a pair of [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|vertical triple-expansion steam engines]], each driving one shaft, using steam generated by 20 [[Belleville boiler]]s. The engines were rated at {{convert|16300|ihp|lk=on}} and designed to reach a top speed of {{convert|18|kn|lk=in}}. They produced, however, only {{convert|15012|ihp|abbr=on}} on ''Borodino''{{'}}s builder's [[sea trial]]s on 23 August 1904 and gave an average speed of {{convert|16.2|knots|0}}. The ships could carry enough coal to give them a range of {{convert|2590|nmi|lk=in}} at a speed of {{convert|10|kn}}.<ref>McLaughlin, pp. 136–137, 144</ref>

The [[main battery]] of the ''Borodino''s consisted of four [[12 inch 40 caliber naval gun|{{convert|12|in|mm|0|adj=on}} Pattern 1895]] guns were mounted in two twin-[[gun turret]]s, one each fore and aft of the [[superstructure]]. Their [[secondary armament]] of twelve [[152 mm 45 caliber Pattern 1892|{{convert|6|in|mm|0|adj=on}} Pattern 1892]] guns were mounted in six twin-gun turrets carried on the [[Deck (ship)#Upper deck|upper deck]]. Defense against [[torpedo boat]]s was provided by a suite of smaller guns. The twenty [[75mm 50 caliber Pattern 1892|{{convert|75|mm|in|adj=on|sp=us|0}} Pattern 1892]] guns carried were mounted in [[Casemate#Single casemates (1889 onwards)|casemates]] in the sides of the hull. The ships also mounted twenty [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss|{{convert|47|mm|in|adj=on|sp=us}}]] [[Hotchkiss gun]]s in the superstructure. The ships were fitted with four {{convert|15|in|mm|0|adj=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s, one each above water in the bow and in the stern, and a submerged tube on each [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]].<ref>McLaughlin, pp. 136–137, 142</ref>

The [[waterline]] [[belt armor|armor belt]] of the ''Borodino'' class consisted of [[Krupp armor]] {{convert|5.7|-|7.64|in|0}} thick. The armor of their gun turrets had a maximum thickness of {{convert|10|in|mm|0}} and their [[deck (ship)|decks]] ranged from {{convert|1|to|2|in|0}} in thickness. The {{convert|1.5|in|adj=on}} armored lower deck of ''Borodino'' and her sister {{ship|Russian battleship|Imperator Aleksandr III|1901|2}} curved downwards to their [[double bottom]] and formed an anti-[[torpedo bulkhead]].<ref>McLaughlin, pp. 136–138, 142–144</ref>

== Service ==
Construction began on ''Borodino'', named after the 1812 [[Battle of Borodino]],<ref>Silverstone, p. 373</ref> on 26 May 1899 at the New [[Admiralty Shipyard]] in [[Saint Petersburg]]. The ship was [[Keel laying|laid down]] on 23 May 1900 in the presence of [[Tsar]] [[Nicholas II]], and [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 8 September 1901.<ref>McLaughlin, p. 136</ref> She was completed in August 1904<ref>Campbell 1979, p. 184</ref> at the cost of 14,573,000 [[rubles]].<ref>McLaughlin, pp. 136, 142</ref>

On 15 October 1904, ''Borodino'' set sail for Port Arthur from [[Liepāja|Libau]] along with the other vessels of the Second Pacific Squadron, under the overall command of [[Vice admiral]] [[Zinovy Rozhestvensky]].<ref>Forczyk, p. 9</ref> Rozhestvensky led his squadron, including ''Borodino'', down the Atlantic coast of Africa, rounding the [[Cape of Good Hope]], and reached the island of [[Nosy Be]] off the north-west coast of [[French Madagascar]] on 9 January 1905 where they remained for two months while Rozhestvensky finalized his coaling arrangements.<ref>McLaughlin, p. 167</ref> Two crewmen aboard the battleship died from the heat on 30 December.<ref>Pleshakov, p. 177</ref> During this time, Rozhestvensky learned of the capture of Port Arthur and changed his destination to Vladivostok, the only other port controlled by the Russians in the Far East. The squadron sailed for [[Camranh Bay]], [[French Indochina]], on 16 March and reached it almost a month later to await the obsolete ships of the Third Pacific Squadron, commanded by [[Rear Admiral]] [[Nikolai Nebogatov]]. The latter ships reached Camranh Bay on 9 May and the combined force sailed for [[Vladivostok]] on 14 May. While exact figures are not available for ''Borodino'', it is probable that the ship was approximately {{convert|1700|LT|t|0}} overweight as she and her sisters were overloaded with coal and other supplies; all of which was stored high in the ships and reduced their [[Stability conditions|stability]]. The extra weight also submerged the waterline armor belt and left only about {{convert|4|ft|6|in|m|1}} of the upper armor belt above the waterline.<ref>McLaughlin, pp. 141, 167</ref>

Rozhestvensky decided to take the most direct route to Vladivostok using the [[Tsushima Strait]] and was intercepted by the Japanese battlefleet under the command of Admiral [[Tōgō Heihachirō]] on 27 May 1905. At the beginning of the battle, ''Borodino'' was third in line behind Rozhestvensky's [[flagship]], {{ship|Russian battleship|Knyaz Suvorov||2}}.<ref>Forczyk, p. 56</ref> Very little is known of the ship's actions during the battle as there was only a single survivor from the ship and visibility was poor for most of the battle, but [[Captain (Royal Navy)|Captain]] [[William Christopher Pakenham|W. C. Pakenham]], the [[Royal Navy]]'s official military observer aboard the Japanese battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Asahi||2}} under the [[Anglo-Japanese Alliance]], noted that she was hit badly around 14:30,<ref name=c9>Campbell 1978, p. 129</ref> some 25 minutes after Russian ships opened fire.<ref>Forczyk, p. 58</ref> ''Borodino'' briefly fell out of her position after that hit, but apparently regained it by 14:50.<ref name="c9" /> By this time, she had a serious fire on the central portion of her superstructure.<ref>Forczyk, p. 63</ref>

''Knyaz Suvorov'' suffered multiple hits early in the battle, some of which wounded Rozhestvensky and jammed the ship's steering so that she fell out of formation.<ref>Arbuzov, p. 27</ref> Around 16:00, ''Borodino''{{'}}s captain, Petr Serebrennikov, now de facto commander of the fleet, turned ''Borodino'' south and led the Russian fleet out of sight. As Japanese cruisers closed in at around 17:05, he turned the fleet north to avoid them, but encountered the Japanese battleships an hour later. They concentrated their fire on ''Borodino'' and ''Imperator Aleksander III'', both of which had [[list (watercraft)|lists]] from earlier damage.<ref>Forczyk, pp. 66–67</ref> Pakenham noted a conspicuous hit on ''Borodino'' at 18:57 and she was observed to be on fire at 19:04 by observers aboard Tōgō's flagship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Mikasa||2}}. Pakenham observed two 12-inch hits on ''Borodino'' by the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Shikishima||2}} at 19:18 that started a massive fire.<ref name=c5>Campbell 1978, p. 135</ref> Ten minutes later, after Tōgō ordered his ships to cease fire and disengage, the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Fuji||2}} fired her already-loaded 12-inch guns before turning away. One of these hit ''Borodino'' beneath her starboard forward six-inch turret and ignited the ready-use ammunition in the turret. The fire spread and caused a catastrophic detonation in a nearby six-inch magazine. Subsequent detonations of other magazines blew open her hull and the ship quickly [[capsized]] and sank. Only one crewman, Seaman First Class Semyon Yushin, survived the explosion from her crew of 855. He was rescued after surviving for twelve hours in the water.<ref name="c5" /><ref>Forczyk, pp. 67, 70</ref>

== Notes ==

{{reflist|group=Note}}

== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==
*{{cite book |last1=Arbuzov |first1=Vladimir V. |title=Borodino Class Armored Ships |date=1993 |publisher=Interpoisk |location=Saint Petersburg|oclc=43727130|series=Armored Ships of the World|volume=1}}
* {{cite book|last=Campbell|first=N. J. M.|title=Warship II|chapter=The Battle of Tsu-Shima| editor-last=Preston|editor-first=Antony|editor-link=Antony Preston|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|year=1978 |pages=46–49, 127–135, 186–192, 258–265 |isbn=0-87021-976-6}}
*{{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905|editor1-first=Roger|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor2-first=Eugene M.|editor2-last=Kolesnik |publisher=Mayflower Books|location=New York|year=1979|isbn=0-8317-0302-4|url-access=registration |url= https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2|pages=170–217 |chapter=Russia |last1=Campbell |first1=N. J. M.|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=Forczyk|first=Robert|title=Russian Battleship vs Japanese Battleship, Yellow Sea 1904–05|year=2009|publisher=Osprey|location=London|isbn=978-1-84603-330-8|series=Duel |volume=15}}
*{{Cite book|title=Эскадренные броненосцы типа "Бородино"|last=Gribovsky |first=Vladimir|publisher=Gangut |year=2010 |isbn=978-5-904180-10-2|location=St. Petersburg|language=Russian|trans-title=Borodino Class Squadron Battleships}}
*{{cite book|last=McLaughlin|first=Stephen|title=Russian & Soviet Battleships|publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2003|isbn=1-55750-481-4}}
*{{cite book |last1=Pleshakov |first1=Constantine |title=The Tsar's Last Armada: The Epic Journey to the Battle of Tsushima |url=https://archive.org/details/tsarslastarmadae00ples |url-access=registration |date=2002 |publisher=Basic Books |location=New York |isbn=0-465-05791-8}}
*{{cite book|last=Silverstone|first=Paul H.|title=Directory of the World's Capital Ships|year=1984|publisher=Hippocrene Books |location=New York|isbn=0-88254-979-0}}

== Further reading ==
*{{Cite book|last=Watts|first=Anthony J.|title=The Imperial Russian Navy|publisher=Arms and Armour Press|location=London|year=1990|isbn=978-0-85368-912-6}}
*{{cite book|last=Westwood|first=J. N.|title=Russia Against Japan, 1904–1905: A New Look at the Russo-Japanese War |year=1986|publisher=State University of New York Press|location=Albany, New York|isbn=978-0-88706-191-2}}

{{Borodino class battleship}}
{{Russo-JapaneseWarRussianShips}}
{{1905 shipwrecks}}

{{coord missing|Pacific Ocean}}

{{Good article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borodino}}
[[Category:Borodino-class battleships]]
[[Category:1901 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built at Admiralty Shipyard]]
[[Category:Russo-Japanese War battleships of Russia]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Tsushima Strait]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the Russo-Japanese War]]
[[Category:Naval magazine explosions]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1905]]