The armored cruiser Pamyat Azov is the successor to the heroic sailing battleship Azov, which distinguished itself in the Navarino naval battle in the bay of the Ionian Sea. For this battle, he was awarded the St. George flag, which passed the armored cruiser, built at the Baltic Shipyard in 1890. The first campaign to the Far East on it was made by Tsarevich Nikolay - the future emperor.
Main characteristics
The cruiser "Memory of Azov" was designed in 1885 by the Baltic Shipyard. Its specification contained the main technical characteristics of the ship:
- Displacement - 6734 tons.
- The perpendicular cruiser is 340 feet 10 inches long.
- The cargo waterline is 377 feet 4 inches long.
- Sheathing Width 50 ft.
- Total weight - 384 tons.
- The armor belt along the entire waterline, thickness - 37 mm, width - 6 feet, with a total weight of 714 tons.
Armament:
- Guns 8-inch, 35-caliber - 2 pieces.
- Guns 6-inch, 35-caliber - 14 pieces.
An official celebration was held at the Baltic Shipyard on June 24, 1886 on the laying of a new ship, which was attended by Alexander III. The launch of the cruiser was timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the completion of the construction of the boat of Peter I. It passed 05/20/1888. The descent ceremony was attended by a team of 197 sailors and 14 officers assigned to the cruiser under the command of Captain I Rank N. Lomen.
Ship completion
By the decision of Alexander III, the cruiser "Memory of Azov" was intended for sailing to the Far East of Tsarevich Nikolai. After that, outfitting work took place on the warship. They consisted in giving elements of luxury to the premises in which the heir will travel.
Furniture of unprecedented beauty, unique pieces of equipment were delivered here, tiles were finished on mastic of sanitary-hygienic premises. All this had a huge weight and made the ship heavier up to 70 tons, which made the shipbuilders discouraged, since during the design a fight was fought for every extra pound.
Maiden voyage
The cruiser "Memory of Azov" 08/23/1890 set sail. From the Baltic was supposed to go into the Black Sea to pick up the crown prince. When leaving the Baltic, the ship landed in a powerful storm, which it withstood with honor. The Turks decided to close the Bosphorus Strait in order to prevent a warship from entering the Black Sea. The prince had to go to Trieste, where he was waiting for the cruiser, whose path lay to the Suez Canal.
Further, the ship headed east to the island of Ceylon. After him, at the rate was India, where he anchored in the port of Bombay on 10/19/1890. Here, according to the plan, they had to stand for a month and a half, during which the heir could get acquainted with the sights. But they stayed in Bombay until January 31, waiting for the approach of the cruiser Admiral Kornilov, who was supposed to pick up the brother of Tsarevich Georgy Alexandrovich, who became ill with tuberculosis.
The armored cruiser returned to Ceylon, from where it passed through Singapore, Bangkok, Saigon, Shanghai, Nagasaki to the port of Vladivostok. Here the heir got off the ship. During the voyage, the commander Lomen fell ill, who was replaced by the captain of the 1st rank S.F. Bauer. The ship remained in Vladivostok, and the heir went by rail to St. Petersburg. This trip was marked by the manufacture of two Easter eggs by Faberge. Inside them were miniature gold models of the cruiser "Memory of Azov".
The cruiser continued to serve in the Far East. His responsibilities included protecting the Russian coast. Under the command of a new commander, one of the most experienced naval officers, Captain 1st Rank P.G. Chukhnin, he makes a trip to Kronstadt, where he arrived in the summer of 1892. Until 1893, repairs were carried out, after which the ship continues to serve in the Russian squadron on the Mediterranean Sea and is deployed in the Greek port of Piraeus.
Service in the Far East
In November 1894, the armored cruiser "Memory of Azov" urgently sent to the Pacific coast, towing the mine cruisers "Gaydamak" and "Horseman" in turn. Upon arrival in Japan, the Russian squadron, according to the instructions of the Japanese government, was divided by port. In Nagasaki, a cruiser stands with the ship Vladimir Monomakh. Later they are joined by the flagship Emperor Nicholas I under the command of the legendary Rear Admiral S. F. Makarov.
During the exercises, the Horseman mine cruiser rammed the Memory of Azov cruiser, which suffered the underwater part of copper and wood cladding. This damage was repaired by a team of engine room divers and sailors. After the removal of Japan's claims on the Liaodong Peninsula, the Russian squadron departed for Vladivostok. The ship has served in the Pacific Ocean for six years. In 1899 he returned to the Baltic.
As part of the Baltic Fleet
In the Baltic, the cruiser "Memory of Azov" (photo below was taken during this period) becomes the flagship of the training squadron and participates in demonstration maneuvers of 1901. The government makes a decision on the overhaul of the vessel in connection with its inclusion in the lists of the Pacific Squadron, but in view of the incomplete repair in the Russo-Japanese War, it does not participate.
