Russian coast defense ship General-Admiral Apraksin
 ex-Russian coastal battleship General-Admiral Graf Apraksin, which later became the Japanese IJN Okinoshima
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Russia | |
| Name | General Admiral Graf Apraksin |
| Builder | New Admiralty Works, Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| Laid down | 1894-10-24 |
| Launched | 1896-05-12 |
| Commissioned | 1899 |
| Stricken | 28 May 1905 |
| Status | prize of war to Japan |
| History | |
 Japan | |
| Name | Okinoshima |
| Acquired | 1905 |
| Commissioned | 1905-06-06 |
| Decommissioned | 1922-04-01 |
| Fate | memorial ship |
| Status | scrapped Sept 1939 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 4,165 tons (normal); 4,270 tons (max) |
| Length | 80.62 metres (264.5 ft) @ waterline |
| Beam | 15.85 metres (52.0 ft) |
| Draught | 5.18 metres (17.0 ft) |
| Propulsion | Two Shaft VTE steam engine, Template:Auto shp; 4 boilers |
| Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Range | list error: <br /> list (help) 313 tons coal; 3,000 nautical miles (6,000 km) @ 10 knots (19 km/h) |
| Complement | 406 |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help)
|
| Armour | list error: <br /> list (help)
|
Okinoshima (沖ノ島, Okinoshima (senkan)) was one of eight Russian pre-dreadnought battleships captured by the Imperial Japanese Navy from the Imperial Russian Navy during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.
Background
Three obsolete Admiral-Ushakov Class armored warships, re-classed as a coastal defence ships by the Imperial Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet were selected to form part of Admiral Nikolai Nebogatov's Third Pacific Squadron which was sent out to reinforce Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky on his journey to the Far East during the Russo-Japanese war. Although not considered suitable for such a voyage, [1] the Admiralty insisted on including, Admiral Ushakov, General-Admiral Graf Apraxin, and Admiral Senyavin to bolster their force.
At the Battle of Tsushima on 28 May 1905, Admiral Ushakov was sunk and General-Admiral Graf Apraxin with her sister ship Admiral Senyavin were captured as prizes of war. .
Admiral Senyavin became the Mishima and General Admiral Graf Apraksin was commissioned into the Japanese Navy as the 2nd class Coastal Defense Vessel Okinoshima. Okinoshima was named for the small island of Munakata, Fukuoka prefecture, which is the site of a famous Shinto shrine, and which is also geographically close to the location of the Battle of Tsushima.
Service Record
Okinoshima was part of the Japanese Second Fleet in World War I, participating in the Battle of Tsingtao against the Imperial German Navy.
On 1 April 1921, Okinoshima was re-classified as a submarine tender. Okinoshima was decommissioned on 1 April 1922. It was sold as scrap in 1924 to a private firm, which transformed it into a memorial ship located at Tsuyazaki, Fukuoka, commemorating the Japanese victory at the Battle of Tsushima. It was severely damaged in storms in 1939, and scrapped shortly thereafter.
The battleship Okinoshima should not be confused with the Pacific War era minelayer of the same name.
See also
References
- ^ Hore, Battleships, p115,
- Burt, R.A.: Japanese Battleships, 1897–1945
- Gibbons, Tony: The Complete Encyclopedia of Battleships and Battlecruisers
- Hore, Peter (2005). Battleships. Anness Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7548-1408-6.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: checksum (help) - Jentsura, Hansgeorg (1976). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 087021893X.
- Schencking, J. Charles (2005). Making Waves: Politics, Propaganda, And The Emergence Of The Imperial Japanese Navy, 1868-1922. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0804749779.