Probably not neither a single person in Russia, who would not have heard about the suicidal feat of the cruiser "Varyag". Despite the fact that more than a hundred years have passed since the events described below, the memory of unheard of heroism still lives in the hearts and minds of people. But at the same time, knowing in general terms the history of this legendary ship, we lose sight of many amazing details that are rich in its fate. The beginning of the 20th century was marked by a clash of interests between two rapidly developing empires - Russian and Japanese. The stumbling block was the territory belonging to Russia in the Far East, which the Japanese emperor slept and saw belonged to his country. On February 6, 1904, Japan broke off all diplomatic relations with Russia, and on February 9 it blocked the port of Chemulpo, where the then unknown "Varyag" was located.

Made in USA

The 1st rank armored cruiser was laid down in 1898. Construction was carried out at the William Cramp and Sons shipyards in Philadelphia. In 1900, the cruiser was transferred to the Navy of the Russian Empire. According to the commander of the cruiser Rudnev, the ship was delivered with many construction defects, due to which, it was assumed, it would not be able to reach a speed of more than 14 knots. "Varyag" was even going to be returned back for repair. However, on tests in the fall of 1903, the cruiser developed a speed almost equal to that shown in the initial tests.

Diplomatic mission "Varyag"

Since January 1904, the renowned cruiser was at the disposal of the Russian embassy in Seoul, stood in the neutral Korean port of Chemulpo and did not take any military action. Ironically, the Varyag and the gunboat Koreets had to engage in a losing battle, the first in an ingloriously lost war.

Before the fight

On the night of February 8, the Japanese cruiser Chiyoda secretly sailed from the port of Chemulpo. His departure did not go unnoticed by the Russian sailors. On the same day, the "Korean" set off for Port Arthur, but at the exit from Chemulpo was subjected to a torpedo attack and was forced to return back to the raid. On the morning of February 9, Captain 1st Rank Rudnev received an official ultimatum from the Japanese admiral Uriu: surrender and leave Chemulpo before noon. The exit from the port was blocked by a Japanese squadron, so that the Russian ships were trapped, from which there was not a single chance to get out.

"No talk about giving up"

At about 11 o'clock in the morning, its commander addressed the cruiser's team with a speech. From his words it followed that he did not intend to surrender to the enemy so easily. The sailors fully supported their captain. Shortly thereafter, the Varyag and the Korean withdrew from the raid to embark on their final battle, while the crews of foreign warships saluted Russian sailors and sang national anthems. As a sign of respect, brass bands on the ships of the Allies sang the national anthem of the Russian Empire.

Battle of Chemulpo

"Varyag" practically alone (the short-range gunboat does not count) went out against the Japanese squadron, numbering 6 cruisers and 8 destroyers, equipped with more powerful and modern weapons. The very first hits showed all the vulnerabilities of the Varyag: due to the lack of armored turrets, the gun crews suffered heavy losses, and the explosions caused the gun to malfunction. In an hour of battle, the Varyag received 5 underwater holes, countless surface holes and lost almost all of its guns. In a narrow fairway, the cruiser ran aground, presenting itself as a seductive stationary target, but then by some miracle, to the surprise of the Japanese, he himself managed to withdraw from it. During this hour, "Varyag" fired 1105 shells at the enemy, sank one destroyer and damaged 4 Japanese cruisers. However, as the Japanese authorities later argued, not a single shell from the Russian cruiser reached the target, and there were no damage or losses at all. On the Varyag, losses among the crew were large: one officer and 30 sailors were killed, about two hundred people were wounded or were shell-shocked. According to Rudnev, there was not a single opportunity to continue the battle in such conditions, so it was decided to return to the port and flood the ships so that they would not get to the enemy as trophies. The teams of the Russian ships were sent to neutral ships, after which the Varyag was flooded by opening the Kingstones, and the Koreets was blown up. This did not prevent the Japanese from getting the cruiser from the bottom of the sea, repairing it and including it in the Soya squadron.

Medal for defeat

In the homeland of the heroes of Chemulpo, great honors awaited, despite the fact that the battle was actually lost. The crew of the Varyag was honored with a reception by the Emperor Nicholas II and received many awards. The crews of French, German and English ships stationed in the roadstead during the battle in Chemulpo also enthusiastically responded to the brave Russians. Another thing is surprising: the heroic act of the Russian sailors was considered by their opponents - the Japanese. In 1907 Vsevolod Rudnev (by that time fell out of favor with Nicholas II) japanese emperor was awarded the order The rising sun as a tribute to the courage and fortitude of Russian sailors.

The further fate of the "Varyag"

After the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese government established a memorial museum of the Varyag heroes in Seoul. After ten years of captivity, the Varyag was purchased from Japan in 1916, along with other Russian ships captured as war spoils. After the October Revolution, the British government ordered the arrest of all Russian ships in their ports, including the Varyag. In 1920, it was decided to start up the cruiser for scrap to pay off the debts of tsarist Russia, but on the way to the plant, he got into a storm and ran into the rocks near the Scottish coast. Everything looked as if the "Varyag" possessed its own will and, wishing to complete its fate with honor, committed hara-kiri. Which is not surprising, considering that he spent 10 years in Japanese captivity. They tried to get the deadly stuck ship from the rocks, but all attempts ended in failure, and now the remains of the legendary cruiser rest at the bottom of the Irish Sea. On July 30, 2006, a memorial plaque appeared on the Scottish coast not far from the place where the Varyag was killed, perpetuating the memory of the most famous ship in the history of the Russian navy.

On May 10, 1899, at the Crump and Sons shipyard in Philadelphia, the official ceremony of laying down a rank 1 armored cruiser for the Russian fleet took place. The ship was largely experimental - in addition to the new Nikloss boilers, its design contained a large number of innovations. The Russian Admiralty, finally on October 31, 1899, the Varyag was solemnly launched into the water, an orchestra began to play, 570 Russian sailors from the crew of the new cruiser burst out: "Hurray!" American engineers, having learned that the ship would be baptized according to the Russian custom, shrugged their shoulders and opened a bottle of champagne. The one that, according to American tradition, should have been smashed against the ship's hull. The head of the Russian commission E.N. Shchensnovich told his superiors: “The descent went well. No hull deformations were found, the displacement coincided with the calculated one.” Did anyone present know that he was not only at the descent of the ship, but also at the birth of the legend of the Russian fleet?
There are shameful defeats, but there are those that are dearer than any victory. Defeats, tempering the military spirit, about which songs and legends are composed. The feat of the cruiser Varyag was a choice between shame and honor.

February 8, 1904 at 4 p.m. Russian gunboat The Korean was fired upon by the Japanese squadron as it left the port of Chemulpo: the Japanese fired 3 torpedoes, the Russians responded by firing a 37 mm revolver cannon. Not becoming further involved in the battle, the "Korean" hastily retreated back to the Chemulpo raid.

The day ended without incident. On the cruiser Varyag, the military council spent the whole night deciding what to do in this situation. Everyone understood that war with Japan was inevitable. Chemulpo is blocked by a Japanese squadron. Many officers spoke in favor of leaving the port under cover of night and breaking through to their bases in Manchuria. In the dark, a small Russian squadron would have a significant advantage than in a day battle. But Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev, the commander of the Varyag, did not accept any of the proposals, expecting a more favorable development of events.
Alas, in the morning at 7 o'clock. 30 minutes, the commanders of foreign ships: English - Talbot, French - Pascal, Italian - Elba and American - Vicksburg received a notification indicating the time of delivery of the notification from the Japanese admiral about the beginning of hostilities between Russia and Japan, and that the admiral suggested that the Russian ships leave the raid before 12 hours days, otherwise they will be attacked by the squadron in the roads after 4:00. the same day, and foreign ships were asked to leave the raid at this time, for their safety. This information was delivered to the Varyag by the commander of the cruiser Pascal. At 9:30 am on February 9, on board HMS Talbot, Captain Rudnev received a notification from the Japanese admiral Uriu, announcing that Japan and Russia were at war and demanding that the Varyag leave the port by noon, otherwise, at four o'clock Japanese ships will fight right on the roadstead.

At 11:20 the Varyag and the Korean weighed anchors. Five minutes later, a combat alert was played on them. The English and French ships met the passing Russian squadron with the sounds of an orchestra. Our sailors had to fight through a narrow 20-mile fairway and break out into the open sea. At half past eleven, an offer was received from the Japanese cruisers to surrender at the mercy of the winner, the Russians ignored the signal. At 11:45 am the Japanese opened fire ...

For 50 minutes of an unequal battle "Varyag" fired 1105 shells at the enemy, of which 425 were large-caliber (although, according to Japanese sources, no hits were noted on Japanese ships). It is hard to believe this data, because a few months before tragic events Chemulpo, "Varyag" participated in the exercises of the Port Arthur squadron, where out of 145 shots it hit the target three times. In the end, the accuracy of the Japanese was also simply ridiculous - 6 cruisers achieved only 11 hits in an hour on the Varyag!

Broken boats were burning on the "Varyag", the water around it boiled from explosions, the remnants of ship superstructures crashed onto the deck, burying the Russian sailors under them. One after another the knocked-out guns fell silent, around which the dead lay. Japanese buckshot rained down, the deck of the Varyag turned into a terrible sight. But, despite heavy fire and enormous destruction, the Varyag nevertheless conducted aimed fire at the Japanese ships from the remaining guns. "Korean" did not lag behind him either. Having received critical damage, the Varyag described a wide circulation in the Chemulpo fairway and was forced to return to the roadstead an hour later.

Legendary cruiser after the battle

“... I will never forget this stunning sight that presented itself to me,” later recalled the commander of the French cruiser, who witnessed an unprecedented battle, “the deck is covered with blood, corpses and body parts are scattered everywhere. Nothing escaped destruction: in the places where the shells exploded, the paint was charred, all the iron parts were punctured, the fans were shot down, the sides and bunks were burned. Where so much heroism was displayed, everything was rendered useless, broken into pieces, riddled; the remains of the bridge hung woefully. Smoke was coming from all the holes in the stern, and the roll to the left side was increasing ... "
Despite such an emotional description of the Frenchman, the position of the cruiser was by no means so hopeless. The surviving sailors selflessly extinguished the fires, emergency crews put a plaster under a large hole in the underwater part of the left side. Of the 570 crew members, 30 sailors and 1 officer were killed. The gunboat "Koreets" had no personnel losses.

Squadron battleship "Eagle" after the battle of Tsushima

For comparison, in the Tsushima battle of 900 people, the squadron battleship team “ Alexander III"No one was saved, and out of 850 people of the command of the battleship" Borodino "only 1 sailor was saved. Despite this, in the circles of military lovers, respect for these ships remains. "Alexander III" for several hours led the entire squadron under fierce fire, skillfully maneuvering and periodically knocking down the Japanese sight. Now no one will say who competently controlled the battleship in the last minutes - whether it was the commander or any of the officers. But the Russian sailors did their duty to the end - having received critical damage in the underwater part of the hull, the flaming battleship capsized at full speed without lowering the flag. Not a single person escaped from the crew. A couple of hours later his feat was repeated by the battleship Borodino. Further the Russian squadron was led by "Oryol". The same heroic battleship that received 150 hits, but partially retained its combat capability until the very end of the Tsushima battle. Here is such an unexpected remark. Blessed memory of the heroes.

Nevertheless, the position of the Varyag, which was hit by 11 Japanese shells, remained serious. The controls on the cruiser were damaged. In addition, the artillery was seriously damaged, only seven of the 12 six-inch guns survived.

V. Rudnev went on a French steam boat to the English cruiser Talbot to agree on the transportation of the Varyag crew to foreign ships and to report the alleged destruction of the cruiser right on the roadstead. The Talbot commander Bailey objected to the explosion of the Russian cruiser, explaining his opinion by the large crowding of ships in the roadstead. At 13 o'clock. 50 minutes Rudnev returned to the Varyag. Hastily gathering the officers nearby, he informed them of his intention and received their support. Immediately they began to transport the wounded, and then the entire crew, ship documents and the ship's cash desk to foreign ships. The officers destroyed valuable equipment, smashed the surviving instruments, pressure gauges, disassembled gun locks, throwing parts overboard. Finally, the Kingstones were opened, and at six o'clock in the evening the Varyag lay down on the port side.

Russian heroes were placed on foreign ships. The English "Talbot" took on board 242 people, the Italian ship took 179 Russian sailors, the rest were placed on board the French "Pascal". The commander of the American cruiser Vicksburg behaved absolutely disgustingly in this situation, who flatly refused to place Russian sailors on his ship without the official permission of Washington. Without taking on board a single person, the "American" limited himself to only sending a doctor to the cruiser. French newspapers wrote about this: "Obviously, the American navy is too young to have the high traditions that inspired all the fleets of other nations."

The crew of the gunboat "Koreets" blew up their ship

The commander of the gunboat "Koreets", captain II rank G.P. Belyaev turned out to be a more decisive person: despite all the warnings of the British, he blew up a gunboat, leaving only a pile of scrap metal to the Japanese.

Despite the immortal feat of the Varyag crew, Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev still should not have returned to the port, but should have sunk the cruiser in the fairway. Such a decision would significantly complicate the use of the port for the Japanese, and make it impossible to lift the cruiser. Most importantly, no one would have been able to say that the Varyag had retreated from the battlefield. After all, now many "democratic" sources are trying to turn the feat of Russian sailors into a farce, because supposedly the cruiser did not die in battle.

In 1905, the Varyag was raised by the Japanese and entered into the Japanese Imperial Navy under the name Soya, but in 1916 the Russian Empire bought the legendary cruiser.

Finally, I would like to remind all "democrats" and "seekers of truth" that after the conclusion of the armistice, the Japanese government found it possible to reward Captain Rudnev for the feat of the "Varyag". The captain himself did not want to accept the reward from the opposing side, but the Emperor personally asked him to do so. In 1907, Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun.

Bridge of the cruiser "Varyag"

Map of the battle at Chemulpo from the Varyag logbook

By the beginning of the 20th century, all the leading world powers entered the phase of imperialism. The growing empires sought to take control of as much territory and significant points on the world map as possible. China was weakened by internal and external wars, which led to the emergence on its territory of spheres of influence of great powers, including Russia. For the Russian Empire, control over the northern part of China, as well as the retention of Port Arthur, was part of the allied obligations that Russia assumed in 1896 under an agreement with China. Russia with its land and naval forces was supposed to protect the integrity of China from attacks by Japan. In order to isolate Russia in the Far East, Japan turned to Great Britain with a request to conclude an alliance agreement, as a result of short negotiations such an agreement was signed in 1901 in London. England sought to weaken Russia, as the interests of these empires clashed across Asia, from the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean.

In early February 1904, two Russian ships with a diplomatic mission arrived at the port of the capital of Korea, Seoul: the cruiser Varyag under the command of Captain 1st Rank Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev and gunboat Koreets under the command of Captain 2nd Rank G.P. Belyaeva.

NOBODY DESIRE

Upward, you comrades, everyone is in their places!
The last parade is coming!
Our proud "Varyag" does not surrender to the enemy,
Nobody wants mercy!

All the pennants curl and the chains clatter
Anchors are raised to the top.
Preparing for battle guns in a row
Ominously sparkling in the sun!

The words of this famous song are dedicated to the most famous event of the Russian-Japanese war of 1904-1905. - the feat of the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets", which entered unequal fight from superior forces Japanese squadron in the Korean bay Chemulpo. The text of this song, impressed by the feat of the cruiser, was written in 1904 by the Austrian poet Rudolf Greinz. The poem was published in one of the magazines, and soon his Russian translations appeared, the most successful of which was the translation by E. Studenskaya. Musician of the 12th Astrakhan Grenadier Regiment A.S. Turishchev set these poems to music. For the first time, the song was performed at a reception hosted by Emperor Nicholas II in honor of the officers and sailors of the Varyag and Koreyets.

The feat of the sailors "Varyag" and "Koreyets" forever entered the history of the Russian fleet, being one of the heroic pages of the unsuccessful Russian-Japanese war of 1904-1905 for us. Having withstood an unequal battle with the Japanese squadron and without lowering the flag in front of the enemy, the Russian sailors did not surrender to the enemy and sank their ship themselves.

On the night of January 27 (February 9), 1904, Japanese destroyers, without declaring war, attacked the Russian squadron on the outer roadstead of Port Arthur, a naval base leased by Russia from China. The Japanese attack had grave consequences: the battleships Retvizan, Tsesarevich and the cruiser Pallada were damaged. On the same day, in the neutral Korean port of Chemulpo (now Incheon), a Japanese squadron, consisting of 1 armored cruiser, 5 light cruisers and 8 destroyers, blocked the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets.

Captain Rudnev received a notification from the Japanese admiral Uriu, announcing that Japan and Russia were at war and demanding that the Varyag leave the port, otherwise the Japanese ships would fight right in the roadstead. "Varyag" and "Korean" weighed anchors. Five minutes later, a combat alert was played on them. English and French ships greeted the passing Russian ships with the sounds of an orchestra.

In order to break the blockade, our sailors had to fight through the narrow 20-mile fairway and break out into the open sea. Impossible task. At half past eleven, an offer was received from the Japanese cruisers to surrender at the mercy of the winner. The Russians ignored the signal. The Japanese squadron opened fire ...

The fight was fierce. Under hurricane fire of the enemy (1 heavy and 5 light cruisers, 8 destroyers) sailors and officers fired at the enemy, applied a plaster, patching up holes, extinguished fires. Rudnev, wounded and shell-shocked, continued to lead the battle. But, despite heavy fire and enormous destruction, the Varyag still conducted aimed fire at the Japanese ships from the remaining guns. "Korean" did not lag behind him either.

According to the report of the Varyag commander, one destroyer was sunk and four Japanese cruisers were damaged by the cruiser fire. Losses of the Varyag crew - 1 officer and 30 sailors were killed, 6 officers and 85 sailors were wounded and shell-shocked, about 100 more people were slightly wounded. There were no losses on the Koreyets.

However, critical damage forced the Varyag to return to the harbor roads in an hour. After assessing the severity of the damage, the remaining guns and equipment on it were, if possible, destroyed, he himself was sunk in the bay. The Korean was blown up by the crew.

BATTLE PROGRESS

On the raid of Chemulpo there were Italian, American, Korean and British ships, as well as the Japanese cruiser Chiyoda. On the night of February 7, this cruiser, without lighting up the identification lights, withdrew from the roadstead and went out into the open sea. The next day the gunboat "Koreets" left the bay at about 4 pm, where it met a Japanese squadron of 7 cruisers and 8 destroyers. The cruiser "Asama" blocked the way of the "Koreyets" into the open sea, and the destroyers fired three torpedoes at the gunboat (2 passed by, and the third sank a few meters from the side of the "Koreyets"). Belyaev decided to enter a neutral harbor and fled to Chemulpo.

On February 9, at 7.30 a.m., the commander of the Japanese squadron, Admiral Urio Sotokichi, sent a telegram to the captains of the ships stationed in Chemulpo about the state of war between Russia and Japan, in which he announced that he was forced to attack a neutral bay at 16.00 if the Russian ships did not surrender or did not enter open sea by noon.

At 9.30 am, Captain 1st Rank Rudnev learned about this telegram on board the English ship Talbot. After a short meeting with the officers, it was decided to leave the bay and give battle to the Japanese squadron.

At 11.20 minutes "Koreets" and "Varyag" were leaving the bay. On foreign ships of neutral powers, all the teams were formed and saw off the Russian heroes with a loud "Hurray!" to certain death. On the Varyag, the orchestra performed the national anthems of those countries whose sailors saluted the courage of Russian arms.

Japanese cruisers were located in combat formation at about. Richie, covering both possible exits to the sea. Destroyers were located behind the Japanese cruisers. 11.30 minutes the cruisers "Asama" and "Chiyoda" began to move towards the Russian ships, followed by the cruisers "Naniwa" and "Niitaka". Admiral Sotokiti suggested that the Russians surrender, neither the Varyag nor the Koreyets responded to this offer.

11.47 minutes on "Varyag" due to accurate hits of Japanese shells, a fire starts on the deck, which is extinguished, several guns are damaged. There are killed and wounded. Captain Rudnev is shell-shocked, seriously wounded in the back, but helmsman Snigirev remains in the ranks.

At 12.05 pm the steering gears were damaged on the "Varyag". It was decided to give full back, continuing to fire on the Japanese ships. "Varyag" managed to disable the stern tower and the bridge of the cruiser "Asama", which was forced to stop and begin repair work. The guns on two other cruisers were also damaged, and one destroyer was sunk. In total, the Japanese lost 30 people killed, the Russians killed 31 people, 188 wounded.

At 12.20 p.m. "Varyag" received two holes, after which it was decided to return to Chemulpo, correct the damage and continue the battle. However, already at 12.45, hopes to fix the damage to most of the ship's guns did not materialize. Rudnev decided to sink the ship, which happened at 18.05. The gunboat "Koreets" was damaged by two explosions and also sunk.

RUDNEV'S REPORT

“… At 11:45 a.m. the first shot from an 8-inch gun was fired from the cruiser Asama, after which the entire squadron opened fire.

Subsequently, the Japanese assured that the admiral made a signal with a surrender offer, to which the commander of the Russian ship responded with disdain, without raising any signal. Indeed, I could see the signal, but I did not find it necessary to answer it, since I had already decided to go into battle.

Then, after zeroing in, they opened fire on "Asam" from a distance of 45 cables. One of the first shells of the Japanese, hitting the cruiser, destroyed the upper bridge, causing a fire in the navigator's cabin, and interrupted the fore-guys, and the long-range officer, midshipman, Count Nirod, and all rangefinders of station No. 1 were killed (at the end of the battle, one hand of Count Nirod was found, holding the rangefinder) ...

... After inspecting the cruiser convinced that it was completely impossible to engage in battle and not wanting to give the enemy the opportunity to defeat the dilapidated cruiser, general meeting officers decided to sink the cruiser, taking the wounded and the rest of the crew to foreign ships, to which the latter expressed their full consent following my request ...

… I will especially present the petition for rewarding officers and crews for their selfless bravery and valiant performance of duty. According to the information received in Shanghai, the Japanese suffered heavy casualties and accidents on ships, the cruiser Asama, which went to the dock, was especially damaged. The cruiser Takachiho was also damaged, which received a hole; The cruiser took 200 wounded and went to Sasebo, but the plaster broke on the road and the bulkheads could not stand, so the cruiser Takachiho sank into the sea. The destroyer sank during the battle.

In reporting the above, I consider it my duty to report that the ships of the detachment entrusted to me with dignity upheld the honor of the Russian flag, exhausted all means for a breakthrough, did not allow the Japanese to win, inflicted many losses on the enemy and saved the remaining team.

Signed by: commander of the cruiser 1st rank "Varyag" Captain 1st rank Rudnev

HONORS TO HEROES

The sailors from the Russian ships were taken to foreign ships and, having pledged not to take part in subsequent hostilities, returned to Russia through neutral ports. In April 1904 the crews of the ships arrived in St. Petersburg, Moryakov was greeted by Nicholas II. All of them were invited to a gala dinner at the palace, where on this occasion special dining utensils were prepared, which after the celebration were given to the sailors. All the sailors of the Varyag were presented with personalized watches as a gift from Nicholas II.

The battle at Chemulpo showed the heroism of Russian sailors and officers who were ready to go to certain death in order to preserve their honor and dignity. The brave and desperate step of the sailors was marked by the establishment of a special award for the sailors "Medal for the battle of the Varyag" and the "Koreyets" on January 27, 1904 at Chemulpo ", as well as the immortal songs" Our proud "Varyag" and "Cold waves are splashing" ...

They did not forget about the feat of the cruiser sailors. In 1954, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the battle at Chemulpo, the Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy N.G. Kuznetsov personally awarded 15 veterans with medals For Courage.

On August 9, 1992, a monument to the commander of the cruiser V.F. Rudnev in the village of Savino (Zaoksky district of the Tula region), where he was buried after his death in 1913. In the summer of 1997, a monument to the cruiser Varyag was erected in Vladivostok.

In 2009, after lengthy negotiations with the Korean side, relics related to the feat of the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets, which were previously stored in the storerooms of the Icheon Museum, were brought to Russia, and on November 11, 2010, in the presence of Russian President D. A. Medvedev, the mayor of Icheon handed over the cruiser jack to Russian diplomats. The ceremony took place at the Russian Embassy in Seoul.

NIKOLAI II - TO THE HEROES OF CHEMULPO

The Tsar's Speech in the Winter Palace

“I am happy, brothers, to see you all healthy and safely returned. Many of you, with your blood, have entered into the chronicles of our fleet a deed worthy of the deeds of your ancestors, grandfathers and fathers, who performed them on the Azov and Mercury; now you have added with your feat new page in the history of our fleet, added to them the names "Varyag" and "Koreyets". They will also become immortal. I am sure that each of you will remain worthy of the award that I have given you until the end of your service. All of Russia and I have read with love and trembling excitement about the deeds that you showed at Chemulpo. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting the honor of the Andreevsky flag and the dignity of Great Holy Russia. I drink to the further victories of our glorious fleet. For your health, brothers! "

THE FATE OF THE SHIP

In 1905, the cruiser was raised from the bottom of the bay and was used by the Japanese as a training ship named Soya. During the First World War, Russia and Japan were allies. In 1916, the cruiser was redeemed and incorporated into the Russian Navy under the same name. In February 1917, the Varyag went to Great Britain for repairs, where it was confiscated by the British, since the new soviet government refused to pay for its repair, and then was resold to German firms for scrap. While being towed, the ship was caught in a storm and sank off the coast in the Irish Sea.

The place where the legendary cruiser was killed was found in 2003. In July 2006, a memorial plaque in his honor was erected on the shore near the place where the Varyag was killed. In January 2007, the Cruiser Varyag fund was established to support the Navy. His goal, in particular, was to raise funds for the construction and installation of a monument to the legendary ship in Scotland. The monument to the legendary Russian cruiser was unveiled in September 2007 in the Scottish city of Lendelfoot.

"VARANGIAN"

... From the faithful dock we go into battle,
Towards the death threatening us,
We will die for the Motherland in the open sea,
Where the yellow-faced devils are waiting!

Whistles and rumbles and rumbles all around
The thunder of the guns, the hiss of the shell, -
And our fearless, our faithful "Varyag"
Like a pitch hell!

Bodies tremble in their death throes,
Around the roar and smoke, and groans,
And the ship is engulfed in a sea of \u200b\u200bfire, -
The moment of farewell has come.

Goodbye comrades! With God, hurray!
Into the boiling sea below us!
We didn’t think yesterday,
That today we will sleep under the waves!

Neither stone nor cross will tell where they lay
To the glory of the Russian flag,
Only the waves of the sea will glorify in the age
Heroic death of "Varyag"!

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Battle of the cruiser "Varyag" - forever in the history of the Russian fleet and the memory of the Russian people

P.T. Maltsev. Cruiser Varyag. 1955 g.

The fate of a ship is akin to that of a man. In the biography of some - only construction, measured service and write-off. Others fall for risky hikes, devastating storms, hot battles, and participation in important events. Human memory ruthlessly erases the first, extolling the second as witnesses and active participants historical process... One of these ships, no doubt, is the cruiser Varyag. The name of this ship is well known, perhaps, to every inhabitant of our country. However, the general public knows, at best, one of the pages of his biography - the battle in Chemulpo Bay. The short service of this ship coincided in time with the fatal military events, social and political changes that swept the world and Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. The history of the Russian cruiser Varyag is unique. It began in the United States, continued in Korea and Japan, and ended in Scotland. American and British workers, Russian sailors, the Russian Tsar, Japanese cadets, revolutionary sailors walked on the decks of the Varyag ...

Since 1868, Russia has constantly held on Pacific a small detachment of warships. Forces Baltic Fleet were based here in ports of Japan on a rotational basis. In the 1880s, the strengthening of Japan's positions began, accompanied by an increase in its population, an increase in its military power and military-political ambitions. In 1896, the General Naval Staff prepared a special report on the need to urgently increase Russia's naval forces in the Far East and equip its bases there.

In 1898, a shipbuilding program was adopted in Russia. Due to the workload of Russian factories, some of the orders were placed at American shipyards. One of the contracts provided for the construction of an armored cruiser with a displacement of 6,000 tons and a speed of 23 knots. Nicholas II ordered to assign the name "Varyag" to the cruiser under construction in honor of the sail-screw corvette that took part in the American expedition of 1863.

The construction was accompanied by scandals and heated debates about what the future ship should be like. In search of a compromise between the Crump shipyard, the oversight commission and naval officials in St. Petersburg and Washington, important technical aspects were repeatedly revised. Some of these decisions subsequently cost the cruiser crew dearly and played a role in its fate. For example, at the insistence of shipbuilders, boilers were installed, which did not allow the ship to reach its design speed. To lighten the mass of the ship, it was decided to abandon the armor shields protecting the gun crews.

Cruiser "Varyag" at the Kramp shipyard. USA

The results of the sea trials caused no less controversy. However, despite the delay associated with the strikes of American workers and the coordination of documents between the Russian Naval Department and the American shipyard, at the beginning of 1901 the ship was handed over to the Russian crew. Two months later, the Varyag armored cruiser headed for Russia.

The Russian fleet has been replenished with a wonderful ship. The length of the cruiser along the waterline was 127.8 m, width - 15.9 m, draft - about 6 m. The steam engines of the cruiser, which consisted of 30 boilers, had a total capacity of 20,000 hp. Many ship mechanisms were electrically driven, which greatly facilitated the life of the crew, but increased the consumption of coal. The deckhouses, cabins, posts, cellars, engine rooms and other service rooms of the ship were connected by telephone, which was at that time an innovation for Russian ships. "Varyag" was surprisingly good for its architecture, distinguished by four pipes and a high forecastle, which improved the seaworthiness of the ship.

The cruiser received powerful armament: 12 152-mm guns, 12 75-mm guns, 8 47-mm guns, 2 37-mm guns, 2 63.5-mm Baranovsky guns. In addition to artillery, 6 381 mm torpedo tubes and 2 7.62 mm machine guns were installed on the cruiser. The ship was equipped with 3 rangefinder stations to control artillery fire. The sides and conning tower of the cruiser were reinforced with solid armor.

To staff the cruiser, it was assumed 21 officer posts, 9 conductors and 550 lower ranks. Above this state, from the first out to sea until the last battle, there was also a priest on board. The command of the new ship was entrusted to Captain 1st Rank Vladimir Iosifovich Baer, \u200b\u200bwho oversaw the construction of the cruiser in Philadelphia from the moment it was laid down to the moment it was handed over to the Russian fleet. Baer was an experienced sailor who had completed all the necessary career stages over 30 years from the chief of watch to the commander. He had an excellent military education and spoke three foreign languages. However, his contemporaries remembered him as a tough commander who kept the crew in exceptional severity.

Having made a transatlantic passage, the cruiser Varyag arrived in Kronstadt. Here the new ship was awarded a visit by the emperor. Here is how these events are described in the memoirs of eyewitnesses: “Outwardly, he looked more like an ocean yacht than a battle cruiser. The appearance of the Varyag to Kronstadt was presented as a spectacular spectacle. To the sound of a military band, a graceful cruiser in dazzling white parade colors entered the Grand Raid. And the morning sun was reflected in the nickel-plated barrels of the main guns. On May 18, Emperor Nicholas II himself arrived to get acquainted with the Varyag. The tsar was taken captive - he even forgave the builder for some assembly defects. "

The Varyag was rightfully considered the most beautiful ship of the Russian Imperial Navy. This is how it looked in June 1901. Photo by E. Ivanov

However, very soon the ship had to go to the Far East. Relations with Japan were aggravated, and the ruling circles spoke more and more often about the impending war. The cruiser "Varyag" had to make a long passage and strengthen the military power of Russia on the eastern borders.

In the autumn of 1901, the cruiser set off on a long voyage along the route Petersburg - Cherbourg - Cadiz - Algeria - Palermo - Crete - Suez Canal - Aden - Persian Gulf - Karachi - Colombo - Singapore - Nagasaki - Port Arthur. The technical imperfections of the cruiser design began to affect the transition. The boilers, around the installation of which there was so much controversy, allowed the ship to go at low speed. Only for a short time, the Varyag could go at a 20-knot speed (subsequent attempts, already in the Far East, to correct the situation, led to a further decrease in speed. At the time of the battle in Chemulpo, the ship could not move faster than 16 knots).

Having made a significant number of calls at foreign ports, having rounded Europe and Asia, on February 25, 1902, the Varyag arrived at the roadstead of Port Arthur. Here the cruiser was examined by the head of the Pacific Squadron, the vice admiral and the commander of the Pacific naval forces, the admiral. The ship became part of the Pacific squadron and began intense combat training. In just one year of service in the Pacific, the cruiser traveled almost 8,000 nautical miles, conducting about 30 artillery training exercises, 48 \u200b\u200btorpedo firing, as well as many exercises for laying mines and net barriers. However, all this was not "thanks", but "in spite of". The commission, which assessed the technical condition of the ship, gave him a difficult diagnosis: "The cruiser will not be able to reach speeds above 20 knots without the risk of severe damage to the boilers and machines." Vice-admiral N.I. Skrydlov described the technical condition of the ship and the efforts of its crew as follows: “The stoic behavior of the crew is commendable. But young people would not have to mobilize all their strength to overcome the simple curriculumif the damned fate in the person of one American had not put them in such conditions by their incompetence in engineering matters. "

The cruiser "Varyag" and the battleship "Poltava" in the Western basin of Port Arthur. November 21, 1902. Photo by A. Dinessa

On March 1, 1903, a captain of the 1st rank took command of the cruiser. Unlike his predecessor, he had a humane attitude towards working with the crew. With his humane attitude towards the sailors, he soon won the respect of the crew, but faced with misunderstanding on the part of the command. Under the leadership of the talented commander, the cruiser continued to participate in the activities of the fleet. When conducting artillery fire, V.F. Rudnev found that nearly a quarter of large-caliber shells did not explode. He reported this to the command, and achieved a complete replacement of ammunition. But the results of the shooting remained the same.

The cruiser continued to regularly serve as part of the Pacific Squadron. Frequent accidents of "Varyag" machines, as well as its low speed forced the cruiser to be sent to the Korean port of Chemulpo as a stationary. In order not to load the cruiser's cars once again, the gunboat "Koreets" was assigned to him as a courier.

In addition to the Varyag, ships from other countries were stationed in Chemulpo: England, USA, France, Italy and Japan. The latter, practically without hiding, was preparing for war. Her ships were repainted in camouflage white colorand the coastal garrisons have been greatly strengthened. The port of Chemulpo was flooded with many floating facilities prepared for landing, and thousands of Japanese marched through the streets of the city disguised as the local population. Captain 1st rank V.F. Rudnev reported on the approach of the outbreak of hostilities, but in response received assurances that all this was just a demonstration by the Japanese of their strength. Realizing that war was inevitable, he conducted intense training with the crew. When the Japanese cruiser Chiyoda left the port of Chemulpo, Captain 1st Rank V.F. It became obvious to Rudnev that the beginning of hostilities is a matter of a matter of days, if not hours.

At 07:00 on January 24, the combined Japanese fleet left the port of Sasebo and entered the Yellow Sea. He was to strike at the Russian ships five days before the official declaration of war. A detachment of Rear Admiral Uriu separated from the general forces, who was tasked with blocking the port of Chemulpo and accepting surrender from the ships stationed there.

On January 26, 1904, the gunboat "Koreets" was sent to Port Arthur, but at the exit from the Chemulpo Bay it ran into a Japanese detachment. Japanese ships blocked the Korean's path and fired a torpedo salvo at it. The gunboat had to return to port, and this incident was the first clash in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

After blocking the bay and entering it with several cruisers, the Japanese began to land an assault force ashore. This went on all night. On the morning of January 27, Rear Admiral Uriu wrote letters to the commanders of the ships standing on the roadstead with a proposal to leave Chemulpo in view of the impending battle with Russian ships. Captain 1st rank Rudnev was asked to leave the port and take battle at sea: “Sir, in view of the currently existing hostile actions between the governments of Japan and Russia, I respectfully ask you to leave the port of Chemulpo with the forces under your command until noon on January 27, 1904. Otherwise, I will be obliged to open fire on you in the port. I have the honor to be, sir, your humble servant. Uriu ".

The commanders of the ships stationed in Chemulpo organized a meeting aboard the British cruiser Talbot. They condemned the Japanese ultimatum and even signed an appeal to Uriu. Captain 1st rank V.F. Rudnev announced to his colleagues that he was going to break through from Chemulpo and take battle on the high seas. He asked them to provide "Varyag" and "Koreyets" with an escort before going to sea, but was refused. Moreover, the commander of the Talbot cruiser, Commodore L. Bailey, notified the Japanese of Rudnev's plans.

At 11:20 on January 27 "Varyag" and "Koreets" started moving. The decks of foreign ships were filled with people who wanted to pay tribute to the bravery of the Russian sailors. It was a sublime and at the same time tragic moment, in which some people could not hold back their tears. The commander of the French cruiser Pascal, Captain 2nd Rank V. Senes, later wrote: "We saluted these heroes, who marched so proudly to certain death." In Italian newspapers this moment was described as follows: “On the bridge of the Varyag, its commander stood motionless, calmly. A thunderous "hurray" burst from everyone's chest and rolled around. The feat of great self-sacrifice assumed epic proportions. " As far as possible, foreign sailors waved their caps and peakless caps after the Russian ships.

Rudnev himself admitted in his memoirs that he did not remember the details of the battle, but he remembered in great detail the hours that preceded him: “Coming out of the port, I wondered which side the enemy would be on, which guns were the gunners. I also thought about the hot wires of strangers: would it be beneficial, would it undermine the morale of the crew? I thought about the family briefly, mentally said goodbye to everyone. And I didn't think about my fate at all. The awareness of too much responsibility for people and ships obscured other thoughts. Without strong confidence in the sailors, I probably would not have made the decision to engage the enemy squadron. "

The weather was clear and calm. The sailors of the Varyag and Koreyets clearly saw the Japanese armada. With every minute, Azama, Naniwa, Takachiho, Chiyoda, Akashi, Niitoka and the destroyers were getting closer. It was hardly possible to seriously count on the combat capabilities of the gunboat "Koreets". 14 Japanese ships against one Russian. 181 guns versus 34.42 torpedo tubes versus 6.

When the distance between the opponents was reduced to the removal of an artillery shot, a flag was raised over the Japanese flagship, signifying an offer to surrender. Russian war flags were the answer to the enemy. At 11:45 am, the first shot of this battle, which has forever gone down in world naval history, burst from the cruiser Azam. The Varyag's cannons were silent in anticipation of the optimal approach. When the opponents got even closer, all the Japanese ships opened fire on the Russian cruiser. The time has come for the Russian gunners to join the battle. The Varyag opened fire on the largest of the Japanese ships. Captain 1st rank V.F. Rudnev, who controlled the battle from the bridge, it was obvious that it would not be possible to break into the sea, let alone break away from the superior enemy forces. It was necessary to inflict as much damage on the enemy as possible.

An unparalleled battle between the Varyag and the Koreyets at Chemulpo. 1904 poster

The Japanese shells fell closer and closer. When they began to explode at the very side, the deck of the cruiser was covered with a hail of debris. In the midst of the battle, the Japanese fired dozens of shells per minute at the Varyag. The sea around the brave ship was literally boiling, surging with dozens of fountains. Almost at the very beginning of the battle, a large Japanese shell destroyed the bridge, caused a fire in the navigator's cabin, and destroyed the rangefinder post along with its personnel. Warrant officer A.M. Nirod, sailors V. Maltsev, V. Oskin, G. Mironov. Many sailors were injured. The second accurate hit destroyed the six-inch gun No. 3, near which G. Postnov died and his comrades were seriously wounded. Japanese artillery fire knocked out sheti-inch guns No. 8 and 9, as well as 75-mm guns No. 21, 22 and 28. Gunners D. Kochubei, S. Kapralov, M. Ostrovsky, A. Trofimov, P. Mukhanov were killed. sailors K. Spruge, F. Khokhlov, K. Ivanov. Many were injured. This is where the economy of the ship's mass affected, because of which the guns were deprived of armor, and the calculations - protection from shrapnel. The participants in the battle later recalled that real hell reigned on the upper deck of the cruiser. In the terrifying rumbling, a human voice could not be heard. However, no one showed confusion, concentrating on doing their job. The crew of the Varyag most clearly characterizes the massive refusal of medical assistance. The wounded plutong commander, midshipman P.N. Gubonin refused to leave the gun and go to the infirmary. He continued to command the crew lying down until he passed out from blood loss. Many "Varangians" followed his example in that battle. The doctors managed to carry to the infirmary only those who were completely exhausted or lost consciousness.

The tension of the battle did not ease. The number of Varyag's guns that were out of order from direct hits from enemy shells increased. Near them, sailors M. Avramenko, K. Zrelov, D. Artasov and others died. One of the enemy shells damaged the mainsail battle and destroyed the second rangefinder post. From that moment on, the gunners began to shoot what is called "by eye".

The conning tower of the Russian cruiser was destroyed. The commander miraculously survived, but the head-bugler N. Nagl and drummer D. Koreyev, who were standing next to him, perished. The orderly V.F. Rudneva T. Chibisov was wounded in both hands, but refused to leave the commander. Steering sergeant Snegirev was wounded in the back, but he did not tell anyone about this and remained at his post. The commander, wounded and shell-shocked, had to move to a room located behind the conning tower and direct the battle from there. Due to damage to the steering gear, I had to switch to manual steering.

One of the shells destroyed gun no. 35, near which gunner D. Sharapov and sailor M. Kabanov died. Other shells damaged the steam line leading to the steering gear. At the most intense moment of the battle, the cruiser completely lost control.

Trying to hide from the destructive fire behind the island in order to give the crew the opportunity to extinguish the fires, the cruiser began to describe a large circulation in a narrow strait and received serious damage to the underwater part on the rocks. At this moment, the guns were confused, caused by rumors about the death of the commander. Captain 1st rank V.F. Rudnev had to go to the wing of the destroyed bridge in a bloody uniform. The news that the commander was alive instantly flew around the ship.

Senior navigator E.A. Behrens reported to the commander that the cruiser was losing buoyancy and was gradually sinking. Several underwater holes filled the ship with seawater. The bilge men bravely fought her admission. But in the conditions of a fierce battle it was impossible to eliminate the leaks. As a result of the shock, one of the boilers moved and leaked. The boiler room was filled with scalding steam, in which the stokers did not leave the effort to repair the holes. V.F. Rudnev decided, without changing course, to go back to the Chemulpo raid in order to repair the damage and continue the battle. The ship lay down on a return course, having received several more accurate hits from large-caliber shells.

During the entire hour of the battle, the boatswain's mate P. Olenin was at the post at the mainmast, ready to change the flag on the gaff every minute if it was shot down. Shrapnel P. Olenin wounded his leg, tore his uniform, smashed the butt of a weapon, but he did not leave his post for a minute. Twice the sentry had to replace the flag.

The gunboat "Koreets" maneuvered after the "Varyag" throughout the battle. The shooting distance did not allow her to use her guns. The Japanese, on the other hand, did not fire on the boat, focusing their efforts on the cruiser. When the Varyag pulled out of the battle, a signal to the Korean was raised on its yard: "Follow me at full speed." The Japanese fired at the Russian ships. Some of them began to pursue the Varyag, waging an artillery duel with it. The Japanese ceased fire on the Russian cruiser only when it landed on the Chemulpo raid in close proximity to the ships of neutral countries. The legendary battle of Russian ships with superior enemy forces ended at 12:45.

There is no reliable information about the effectiveness of the shooting of the Russian gunners. The results of the battle at Chemulpo are still the subject of discussion between historians. The Japanese themselves insist that their ships did not receive a single hit. According to information from foreign missions and military attachés in Japan, Rear Admiral Uriu's detachment still suffered losses in this battle. There are reports of three damaged cruisers and dozens of sailors killed.

The cruiser Varyag was a terrifying sight. The sides of the ship were dotted with numerous holes, the superstructures were turned into heaps of metal, the rigging and torn off crumpled sheets of skin hung from the sides. The cruiser was almost lying on the port side. The crews of foreign ships looked at the Varyag again, taking off their hats, but this time their eyes were not delight, but horror. 31 sailors died in that battle, 85 people were seriously and moderately injured, more than a hundred were lightly wounded.

After assessing the technical condition of the ship, the commander gathered a council of officers. A breakthrough in the sea was unthinkable, a battle on the roadstead meant an easy victory for the Japanese, the cruiser was sinking and could hardly stay afloat for long. The officers' council decided to blow up the cruiser. The commanders of foreign ships, whose crews rendered considerable assistance to the Varyag, having taken on board all the wounded, asked not to blow up the cruiser in the narrow water area of \u200b\u200bthe port, but simply to drown it. Despite the fact that the "Korean" did not receive a single hit, and did not suffer any damage, the council of gunboat officers decided to follow the example of the cruiser officers and destroy their ship.

The mortally wounded "Varyag" was about to roll over when the international signal "I am in distress" rose on its mast. The cruisers of the neutral states (French Pascal, English Talbot and Italian Elba) sent boats to take off the crew. Only the American ship "Vicksburg" refused to take on board Russian sailors. The last to leave the cruiser was the commander. Accompanied by the boatswain, he made sure that all the people had been removed from the cruiser, and went down into the boat, holding in his hands the flag of the Varyag torn by shrapnel. The cruiser was flooded by the discovery of the Kingstones, and the gunboat Koreets was blown up.

It is noteworthy that significantly superior japanese squad failed to defeat the Russian cruiser. It went to the bottom not from the enemy's combat impact, but was flooded by the decision of the officers' council. The crews of the Varyag and Koreyets managed to avoid the status of prisoners of war. Russian sailors were taken on board by the French, British and Italians in response to Rudnev's signal "I am in distress" as a shipwreck victim.

Russian sailors were taken out of Chemulpo by a chartered steamer. Having lost their uniforms in battle, many of them were dressed in French. Captain 1st rank V.F. Rudnev pondered how his act would be accepted by the tsar, the naval leadership and the Russian people. The answer to this question was not long in coming. Upon arrival at the port of Colombo, the Varyag commander received a telegram from Nicholas II, with which he greeted the cruiser crew and thanked them for their heroic deed. The telegram informed that the captain of the 1st rank V.F. Rudnev was awarded the title of Adjutant Wing. In Odessa, the "Varangians" were greeted as national heroes. A worthy meeting was prepared for them and the highest awards were presented. The officers were awarded the Orders of St. George, and the sailors were awarded the insignia of this order.

The heroes of the Varyag, headed by the commander of the cruiser V.F. Rudnev in Odessa. April 6, 1904

The further journey of the "Varangians" to St. Petersburg was accompanied by general jubilation and thunderous applause from the people who met their train along the way. IN large cities the composition with the heroes was greeted with rallies. They were presented with gifts and all kinds of treats. In St. Petersburg, the train with the sailors "Varyag" and "Koreyets" was met personally by the General-Admiral Grand Duke Alexey Alexandrovich, who told them that the Emperor himself was inviting them to the Winter Palace. The procession of sailors from the station to the palace, which caused an unprecedented excitement among Petersburgers, turned into a real celebration of the Russian spirit and patriotism. In the Winter Palace, the crews were invited to a ceremonial breakfast, each participant of which was presented with cutlery.

When Japanese engineers examined the Varyag at the bottom of the Chemulpo Bay, they came to a disappointing conclusion: design flaws, multiplied by significant combat damage, made lifting the ship and repairing it economically unprofitable. However, the Japanese nevertheless went for an expensive procedure, raised, repaired and commissioned the cruiser as a training ship named Soya.

The rise of the cruiser "Varyag" by the Japanese

At the very height of the First World War, when the Russian Empire was in dire need of warships, after lengthy negotiations, the cruiser was bought from Japan for a lot of money. Under his own name, he entered the Russian fleet. The technical condition of the Varyag was depressing. The right-hand propeller shaft was bent, causing the hull to vibrate strongly. The ship's speed did not exceed 12 knots, and its artillery consisted of only a few small-caliber guns of an obsolete model. In the cruiser wardroom there was a portrait of Captain 1st Rank Rudnev, and a bas-relief depicting a battle scene in Chemulpo was placed in the sailor's cabin on the initiative of the crew.

In March 1917, the cruiser received an order to make the transition from Vladivostok to Murmansk through the Suez Canal. 12 officers and 350 sailors under the command of Captain 1st Rank Falk, this campaign was very difficult. In the Indian Ocean, during a storm, a leak opened in a coal pit, with which the crew constantly fought. In the Mediterranean Sea, the list of the vessel reached alarming values, and the ship had to get up for repairs in one of the ports. In June 1917, the ship arrived in Murmansk, where it was supposed to reinforce the Arctic Ocean flotilla.

The condition of the cruiser was so difficult that immediately upon arrival in Murmansk, the naval command sent it to the English port of Liverpool for overhaul. Taking advantage of the political turmoil in Russia, the British refused to repair the ship. They forcibly transported most of the Varyag crew to the United States. When, after the October Revolution, a few Russian sailors, left on the cruiser for protection, tried to raise the flag of the Soviet Republic on it, they were arrested, and the cruiser was declared property navy Great Britain.

While heading to the place of disassembly in the Irish Sea, the long-suffering cruiser ran aground. Attempts to remove it from the coastal stones were unsuccessful. The legendary ship has found its way last resting place 50 meters from the coast in the small town of Landalfoot in the Scottish county of South Ayrshire.

Immediately after the historic battle in Chemulpo, many people wished to immortalize the name "Varyag" in the names of ships and vessels. This is how at least 20 "Varyags" appeared, which during the Civil War were noted for their participation in hostilities both on the side of the Whites and on the side of the Reds. However, by the beginning of the 1930s, there were no ships with that name left. The years of oblivion have come.

The feat of the "Varangians" was recalled during the Great Patriotic War. Military newspapers glorified the battle of the patrol ship "Tuman", saying that its sailors took their death to the song about "Varyag". The icebreaker "Sibiryakov" received the unspoken nickname "Polar Varyag", and the submarine Shch-408 - "underwater Varyag". Immediately after the end of the war, a film was made about the cruiser Varyag, in which his role was played by an equally famous ship - the cruiser Aurora.

The 50th anniversary of the battle in the Chemulpo Bay was celebrated on a large scale. Historians managed to find many sailors who participated in those memorable events. In cities Soviet Union there were several monuments dedicated to the historical battle. The veterans of the Varyag and Koreyets were given personal pensions, and from the hands of the Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy, they received medals For Courage.

The leadership of the Soviet fleet decided to return the well-deserved name "in service". The missile cruiser of Project 58 under construction was named "Varyag". This guards ship had a long and interesting service. He happened to pass the Northern Sea Route. For 25 years of service, he was recognized 12 times as an excellent ship of the USSR Navy. No one, either before or after, managed to hold this title for 5 years in a row.

Missile cruiser "Varyag" project 58

After the missile cruiser "Varyag" was decommissioned, it was decided to transfer this name to the aircraft-carrying cruiser under construction in Nikolaev. However, political upheavals intervened in the fate of the Varyag again. Due to the collapse of the USSR, it was never completed. The well-deserved name was transferred aboard the Project 1164 missile cruiser of the Russian Pacific Fleet. This ship is still in service today, providing an invisible connection between generations of Russian sailors with its daily military labor.

Missile cruiser "Varyag" project 1164

The battle of the Varyag cruiser is inscribed in the history of the Russian fleet in golden letters. It was reflected not only in the names of subsequent ships, but also in many works of art. In Tula, a monument to V.F. Rudnev with a bas-relief depicting the battle in Chemulpo. The Russian people composed many songs about "Varyag". Artists, cinematographers, and publicists turned to the history of "Varyag". Cruiser battle is in demand creative people, because it is a case of unparalleled courage and loyalty to the Fatherland. Russian museums cherish the memory of Varyag with special care. After the death of Captain 1st Rank Rudnev, his family donated the commander's unique materials for storage in the museums of Sevastopol and Leningrad. Many artifacts related to the battle in Chemulpo are kept in the Central Naval Museum.

No wonder they say that the war is not over until the last participant is buried. The situation when the legendary Russian cruiser lay forgotten by everyone on the coastal stones of Scotland was intolerable for people who were not indifferent to the fate of the Russian fleet. In 2003 g. russian expedition surveyed the place where the Varyag was sunk. A memorial plaque was erected on the Scottish coast, and fundraising for the installation of a memorial to the legendary Russian ship began in Russia.

On September 8, 2007, in the town of Lendelfoot, a solemn ceremony of opening the memorial of the cruiser "Varyag" took place. This monument became the first monument of Russian military glory in the United Kingdom. His constituent parts steel bronze cross, three-ton anchor and anchor chain. At the base of the cross were laid capsules with earth from places dear to the sailors of the Varyag: Tula, Kronstadt, Vladivostok ... It is noteworthy that the project of the memorial was chosen on a competitive basis, and Sergei Stakhanov, a graduate of the Nakhimov Naval School, won this competition. Young sailor was granted the honorable right to tear off the white sheet from the majestic monument. To the sound of a song about the cruiser "Varyag" sailors of a large anti-submarine ship Severomorsk of the Northern Fleet.

More than a century after the battle of the Varyag in Chemulpo Bay, the memory of this event continues to live on. Russia's eastern borders are guarded by the modern missile cruiser Varyag. The cruiser memorial is inscribed in all Scotland guidebooks. Exhibits related to the cruiser take pride of place in the expositions of museums. However, the main thing is that the memory of the heroic cruiser continues to live in the hearts of the Russian people. The cruiser Varyag has become an integral part of the history of our country. Now, when Russia is on the path of comprehending its history and searching for a national idea, the unprecedented feat of the Varyag sailors is more in demand than ever.

Major Vladimir Pryamitsyn,
Deputy Head of the Research Department
Institute ( military history) VAGSh RF Armed Forces,
candidate of military sciences

Since childhood, Russians have known the cheerful marching song "Upstairs, comrades, everyone is in their places ...". They know that her the main character - cruiser "Varyag", heroically killed in battle with superior Japanese forces during the war at the beginning of the twentieth century. Another, minor, song "Cold Waves Splash" is less known. But it is dedicated to the same event, and there is no contradiction in that.

The fate of the ship was ambiguous, but the truth about his feat turned out to be sacrificed to the demands of propaganda.

American miracle of technology

By the time the Russo-Japanese War began in 1904, a “shabby-handed” mood reigned in Russian society towards the future enemy. The defeat led to the opposite result: the technical achievements of the Japanese were exaggerated.

This trend also affected the assessment of "Varyag". At first, the cruiser was characterized as a powerful military unit capable of "plugging" the enemy in the belt. Later there were claims that this cruiser was weak and outdated. Both statements are wrong. It was not a matter of technology, but (as they would say today) in the human factor.

Naval arms race

At the end of the 19th century, Japan lagged behind developed countries in technical terms, but had already managed to make a grandiose economic breakthrough.

It did not reach the level of a world power, but it was a worthy competitor to the leading countries of the world. For further development required resources that were not available on the cramped islands - this explains the belligerence of the young "Asian tiger".

In 1895, Russian intelligence received information about Japan's intention to increase its fleet so that it surpassed russian forces in the Pacific Ocean.

This should not have been allowed - Russia itself had expansionist plans in China and Korea. The order for the construction of the Varyag ship became one of the steps to prevent Japanese domination.

American order

Import substitution was not established - Russian shipyards worked slowly. Therefore, the order for the construction of the armored cruiser "Varyag" was received by the shipbuilders of Philadelphia. They undertook to do everything in 20 months. The cruiser's guns were manufactured in Russia.

According to the project, these cruisers met all the latest (at that time) requirements for battleship.

Description technical characteristics ship allows you to imagine a powerful, fast, well-armed ship.

• Overall dimensions: length - 129.56 m, draft - 5.94 m, width - 15.9 m.
• Displacement - 6500 tons (design), 6604 tons (in fact).
• Armor: deck - from 37 to 76 mm, conning tower - 152 mm.
• The total power of the engines is 20 thousand liters. from.
• Maximum speed - 24.59 knots (obtained during testing).
• The main caliber is 152 mm (12 pcs.).
• Other artillery - 24 guns (75-, 63-, 47-, 37-mm), 2 machine guns.
• Other armament: 6 torpedo tubes 381 mm, 2 * 254 mm, 35 min. Obstacles, 6 throwing mines.
• Crew - 20 officers, 550 lower ranks (according to the state). There have been changes in the real world; so, at the time of the battle with the Japanese, the cruiser had 558 people: 21 officers, 4 conductors, 3 hired civilians, a priest, 529 sailors.

There were other technical wonders.

The ship had a lot of electrics (new for that time) - projectile hoists, boat winches, even dough mixers. There was a telephone connection. The furniture was made of metal, although it was painted "for the entourage" under a tree. This reduced the fire hazard.

Details not listed in reports

The true history of the cruiser "Varyag" reveals the facts that predetermined her short life. It was built and handed over to the customer in 1899 (that is, on time), but the flag over it was understood only on January 2, 1901. The reason is that the ship immediately demanded improvement - the tactical and technical characteristics did not correspond to what was intended.

There were two main problems. The boilers of the Nikloss system installed on the ship turned out to be unreliable and often broke. Although the Russian fleet already had experience working with boilers of this system, and they did not cause any particular problems, it did not "grow together" here.

For this reason, in combat conditions, the ship was slower than planned, and constantly risked being at the most inopportune moment with emergency boilers. The speed of 26 knots practically declared by the manufacturers was not achieved.

Usually the ship did not even give the speed shown during the tests of 24.5 knots.

Captain V.F. Rudnev complained not only about problems with the boilers, but also about other defects of the manufacturer, and about a weak repair base. Probably, his information about the maximum speed of 14 knots is underestimated, but the Varyag did not give full speed.

In addition, the guns of the armored cruiser were deprived of armor protection. This created an additional risk for the gunners and the combat capability of the cruiser (it was easy for the enemy to destroy the ship's weapons).

This lack of armor protection played a fatal role in the famous battle of the Varyag cruiser with the Japanese squadron. Most cruisers of that time had such protection, but in this case, the ship was facilitated by gun armor.

The corresponding conclusions were drawn from the sad experience, on other cruisers of this type (including "Aurora") protection for the guns was installed. But this could no longer help the "Varangian" artillerymen.

Improvements during service

Throughout its life, "Varyag" has undergone major upgrades twice. The first was made by the Japanese, having raised the cruiser in 1905. During the renovation, the navigator's cabin, pipes, fans, navigation bridges were changed, the poles of mine nets and the marsh platforms were removed. The 75mm cannons were replaced with Armstrong 76mm guns.

After the return of the Russian ship in 1916, the bow and stern guns of the main caliber were transferred to the center plane, as a result of which the power of the side salvo increased.

Machine guns have been redesigned for firing at aerial targets. Dead moves have been eliminated in mechanics. And most importantly - the artillery received partial armor protection (with shortened shields) - conclusions were drawn from the past.

Tsar's suite

Upon completion of the improvements, the ship left Philadelphia and went to Kronstadt, where it arrived in early May 1901. After 2 weeks, Tsar Nicholas II personally examined it. It cannot be denied - the cruiser looked great, and its fate was initially successful.

The monarch's impression was so good that he immediately included the cruiser in the escort team of his own yacht for a trip to Europe. The decision was justified by the fact that the cruiser was still doomed to a long voyage to the place of duty - it was assigned to Port Arthur.

The ship visited many ports of the Old World, and everywhere it was greeted with enthusiasm. The cruiser literally went on excursions of the "good society" of the ports where he appeared. It was pleasant for the commander (V.F. Rudnev), but harmful from a military point of view. Indeed, during its voyage, the Varyag also visited Nagasaki, a Japanese port popular with foreign sailors. The Mikado reconnaissance was working well, and was able to find out more about the Russian ship.

While the Russian command was filled with confidence in its military superiority over the Japanese, they were preparing for war in earnest. In Japan, the latest ammunition and artillery were adopted, the captains and admirals were well aware of the theater of future hostilities, discipline and order reigned at all levels.

Russian sailors served regularly, but corruption at the top is not an invention of our day. Among the top military leadership of Russia there were enough incompetent people who did not want to be held responsible for the consequences of their orders.

Some verified data

There is not so much reliable information about the death of the cruiser "Varyag". The facts were immediately sacrificed to ideological expediency.

Even the captain's account of the battle is rife with inaccuracies. But historians managed to restore the true picture.

Only facts

On December 27, 1903, the Varyag departed from Port Arthur for Chemulpo. It was a neutral Korean port. Officially, the cruiser (accompanied by the gunboat "Koreets") was supposed to provide communication between Port Arthur and the consulate in Seoul. In Chemulpo, Captain Rudnev learned about the beginning of the war.

February 8 (new style) 1904 Chemulpo Bay was blocked by the squadron of Admiral Urio. The Korean made an attempt to break through to Port Arthur, but was stopped.

Urio presented the Russians with an ultimatum: to leave the bay and take battle, or be attacked in the roadstead, where the ships of other states were located. The Japanese squadron consisted of 15 pennants. The officers of foreign ships were categorically not satisfied with the option of shelling the Russians in the roadstead - they, too, would have fallen under the hand.

And captain Rudnev decided to try to go for a breakthrough.

The Varyag left Chemulpo at noon on February 9 and was attacked by the Japanese. The battle lasted for an hour. The cruiser was badly damaged, there were dead and wounded on it. Due to the damage received, I had to return to the port. The "Korean" followed, because he could not compete with the Japanese in speed.

It was decided to destroy the ships. The Varyag was killed by his own hands. The foreigners strongly opposed its explosion, and the cruiser was sunk by the opening of the Kingstones.

The Varyag and Koreyets teams sheltered ships of Great Britain, Italy and France. US sailors helped the wounded.

Flight into history

There are also facts concerning the posthumous history of the ship. The story of the feat of the cruiser "Varyag" quickly became known. When the crew returned to Russia (at first the sailors were interned), the tsar received them. All participants in the battle received George crosses, officers - orders.

They also issued awards of a mundane nature - the sailors received personalized watches from the emperor. VF Rudnev was promoted to Rear Admiral.

The results of the battle were described almost as a victory. There were widespread stories about two damaged Japanese cruisers (one even allegedly sank) and several sunk destroyers. Captain Rudnev's report spoke of a thousand or more shells fired.

The Varyag became a symbol of loyalty to naval traditions and military valor. Already in 1954, the Soviet government tracked down the survivors of the Battle of Chemulpo by that time and awarded them medals "For Courage". Songs and poems became a monument to the cruiser "Varyag", and not only in Russia.

It is believed that the canonical text "Up You Comrades" is a free translation of a poem by a German author. The cruiser was mentioned in the books. In 1946, the Soviet film "Cruiser" Varyag "was shot, and" Aurora "got the" main role "in it, and there was no more revered, symbolic ship in the USSR! For the sake of filming, an additional fake pipe was even attached to the symbol of the revolution.

The Naval Museum in St. Petersburg has a model (1:64 scale) of a cruiser made in the USA in 1901. There is also a model of his steam engine (1:20), it appeared in the 1980s, the author is S.I. Zhukovitsky.

These are all facts. But they do not answer some questions that are poorly covered in the real history of the Varyag.

Tricky questions

They are: not everything is clear in the biography of "Varyag" and the history of his death.

1. Why was the cruiser sent to Chemulpo on a postal mission? Was “Koreets” not enough to establish contact with the consulate?
2. Why did European and American officers objected to the explosion of the cruiser?
3. Did "Varyag" sink Japanese ships?
4. Did the cruiser actually shoot most of her ammunition? After all, by the end of a short battle, he lost ¾ of artillery, and the officer on the rangefinder was one of the first to die?
5. Why didn't Varyag go for the breakthrough alone, leaving Koreyets behind? The slow-moving gunboat (13 knots) turned out to be a dangerous brake for the cruiser, and the crew could have been evacuated.
6. Why did the Japanese find it easy to lift and repair the ship? The restoration of the Varyag was completed in July 1907, and the cruiser sailed under the Japanese flag for 9 years.
7. Why did Rear Admiral Rudnev resign shortly after being awarded the rank?

Without answers to these questions, it is impossible to know the history of the famous ship as it really was.

The truth about the cruiser "Varyag" turned out to be inconvenient for the propaganda machine, and was hidden to please her. Due to deliberate concealment and misrepresentation, not all awkward questions have answers even now.

Answers to awkward questions

But there are answers, and they create a different picture than the official "biography" of the cruiser.

1. It is difficult to explain the "postal" purpose of the cruiser. According to one of the versions, he was required in order to deliver the Korean ambassador to his homeland. But it is still unclear why the ambassador had to go on a cruiser without fail. The cruiser Boyarin was already in Chemulpo at that time, and the Varyag was to replace it. The port was officially neutral, but there were enough foreign warships in it. This was probably an attempt to fight for influence in Korea.
2. The motives behind the actions of the foreigners are unclear. They probably did not want to explicitly side with Russia. The United States was clearly not interested in Russia becoming the leading Pacific power. The Portsmouth peace showed that the Americans needed to weaken both Russia and Japan.
3. The Varyag did not sink a single enemy ship, although it did damage them. One of the Japanese cruisers, after meeting with the Russian, had to get up for a long repair.
4. The scale of the Varyag's defense is exaggerated. Raising the cruiser, the Japanese found stocks of unused ammunition on it, so Captain Rudnev's data on firing was overstated. The data on the consumption of projectiles of the main caliber are not exaggerated too much (but fifty 152 mm is a lot). However, Rudnev allowed himself to exaggerate the consumption of other ammunition.
5. The principle “perish yourself and help your comrade” is highly moral. Traditions were honored in the Russian fleet, but in the case of the battle in Chemulpo, it was unwise to destroy a cruiser for the sake of a slow-moving gunboat. The real reason for this decision is unclear. Captain Rudnev referred to the difficulties of passing the local fairway. There is a version that the Russian envoy Pavlov did not give the cruiser permission to leave.
6. In the area where the cruiser was sunk, the bay had insufficient depth. The Varyag did not sink completely, and it was not difficult to raise it. It turned out to be more difficult to repair - the work continued until 1907. The repair cost a million yen. The cruiser went with japanese fleet as a training ship. Officially it was called "Soya", but the inscription "Varyag" on the stern was retained as a sign of respect for the courage of the enemy. It was assigned the 2nd rank (during the construction - 1st).
7. Specialists in Russia knew the real picture of what had happened. Experienced sailors could appreciate the lack of professionalism of the actions of both the command in Port Arthur and Captain Rudnev. This could be the reason for his resignation. But the high bosses could not be considered incompetent.

The idea of \u200b\u200bthe death during the battle of the entire or almost the entire crew of the cruiser is also not true. Losses during the battle were small.

On the cruiser, 1 officer and 30 lower ranks were killed, 85 sailors and 6 officers (including the captain) were seriously wounded and shell-shocked. There were no losses on the Koreyets at all. But the song that became a folk song spoke about the “boiling sea under us” and the absence of “stone and cross” in memory of the sailors, and this version was entrenched in the mass consciousness.

In fact, many sailors of the cruiser were destined long life, and their graves have been preserved in Vladivostok, Petersburg, Yaroslavl.

Legend technology

Why did it take to hide the truth and invent beautiful legends and myths about the Varyag?

Then, to hide the fact that the very first battle in the war with Japan ended in defeat for the Russian fleet.

And it was not the sailors and officers who were to blame for this (only a hand was found from the midshipman who died on the Varyag, and this hand never released the rangefinder), but the country's top leadership.

For the sake of propaganda, the sailors were turned into superheroes who dealt with almost half of the Japanese squadron. They honored glorious traditions, did not abandon their comrades and died under the unconquered flag. Many contemporaries (and even more so, descendants) did not even realize that the Varyag was sunk in the roadstead.

There was no need to debunk the created legend about "Varyag". The sailors' heroism (and he was real) justified partly the shameful defeat in the war. Further, a beautiful picture from the past was useful for the education of growing sailors. The true history of the Varyag team, which really behaved with dignity and showed true loyalty to the oath, did not bother anyone.

Tight, boy, tie the knots ...

Not sea, but those that are associated with the Motherland.

In 1916, Japan (now an ally in the Entente), together with two more ships, returned the cruiser to Russia. It is noteworthy that Russia also had to pay for the Varyag - it was officially sold.

He did not stay in the Pacific Ocean, but, having undergone a partial modernization in Vladivostok, under his own power crossed the Northern Sea Route to Romanov-on-Murman (Murmansk).

The ship was in need of repair, and for this purpose in early 1917 was sent to England. There he was caught by the news of the revolution, and the "allies" requisitioned him, making him a "training". In 1919, the "Varyag" was sold for scrap, but it did not reach the site, sitting on the reefs. In 1925, the ship was finally destroyed.

But this is not the end of the story. In 1979, a missile cruiser was laid down in the Soviet Ukraine series. Today "Varyag" is a thunderstorm again The Far East, the flagship of the Russian Pacific Fleet.

Another ship with this name was under construction in Nikolaev. After the collapse of the USSR, the aircraft carrier "Varyag" went to Ukraine, but she could not and did not want to finish building it. In 1998, the aircraft-carrying cruiser Varyag was sold to China.

They remember that in 1905 the Japanese invaders cut off the heads of the Chinese, counting the victims in the thousands. Under the name "Liaoning" TAVKR "Varyag" patrols the seas under the red flag. It is weaker than envisaged by the project, but the invaders still better not fall under its distribution.

The feat of the cruiser "Varyag" was overgrown with legends that have little to do with the real fate of the ship and its crew. The truth is simple: Russian sailors knew how to follow orders and observe the rules of honor.

We did not lower the glorious St. Andrew's banner before the enemy ...

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