Russian monitor Rusalka
 Rusalka Memorial by Amandus Adamson in Tallinn
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Rusalka |
| Builder | Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| Laid down | 1865 |
| Completed | 1867 |
| Fate | Sank in the Gulf of Finland, 7 September 1893 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ironclad monitor |
| Length | 204 ft (62 m) |
| Beam | 42 ft (13 m) |
| Complement | 177 |
| Armament | • 2 × 9 in (230 mm) guns |
The Rusalka (Russian: "Mermaid"), was an ironclad monitor of the Imperial Russian Navy, built in St. Petersburg in 1865-1867. It was 204 feet long, had a beam of 42 feet, and carried armament of various calibers; its heaviest guns were two nine-inch cannon.[1]
The ironclad was on active service for the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea from 1867 until it sank in the Gulf of Finland with all hands on September 7, 1893, while steaming from Tallinn to Helsinki. The death toll was 177 men.[1]
The Rusalka remained undiscovered in the Gulf of Finland until July 2003, when it was rediscovered by sonar. The ironclad's wreck was discovered in an unusual position. Following its foundering, the sturdy vessel plunged directly into the muddy bottom of the gulf bow first, and fixed itself in that position. The stern of the lost vessel rises 108 feet above the base of the gulf.[1]
References
- ^ a b c ""The Wreck of the Mermaid"". Archaeology. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
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