Armored cruiser "Varyag": device and history of the ship.

A.V. Borodin, Leading Editor of the Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography of the Peoples of the Far East, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Colonel, veteran of the Pacific Fleet

... The cold December waves, cut by the stem of the "Varyag", obediently flowed around its sides. In the engine room, giant pistons scurried down and up, to the height of a three-story building. The watch shift of the machinists worked dexterously, the rest slept in a sound peasant sleep ...

The commander of the cruiser Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev, one of the brilliant Russian naval officers, stood on the bridge, peering intently into the humid winter haze. And even through it, the ship's commander could distinguish the border between the black December sea and the same black, alien sky. Thirty sea years taught Rudnev this art.

Directly on the course in the darkness, the outlines of the island of Iodolmi began to emerge: it was the sea gate to the bay of the Korean port of Chemulpo ... The dawn of one of the last days of 1903 was coming. For Russia, for its sailors, it was the last peaceful year. The air smelled of an impending military storm.

Does it promise something to the Fatherland? And is it really necessary at such a time for the latest high-speed cruiser to settle in a minor foreign port? And the tasks assigned to the ship were somehow secondary: to maintain contact between Port Arthur, where the squadron was based, and the Russian envoy in Seoul, and also to collect information about the military preparations of the Japanese.

Were such tasks on the eve of hostilities supposed to be solved by a cruiser that had entered service only two years before? A seven thousand-ton ship, the speed of which reached almost 25 knots; a ship armed with 12 guns of 152 and 75 mm caliber, 10 smaller guns and 6 torpedo tubes. Should the command have set such tasks for the perfectly trained crew of the Varyag, which numbered 550 sailors, conductors, non-commissioned officers and 20 officers - excellent naval specialists !?

Probably not. The Russian command should have disposed of it in a completely different way, and then, probably, the fate of the cruiser would have turned out differently. However, as the saying goes, though banal, but the truth - in history there is no subjunctive mood: if yes, if only ... But there is only what happened in reality.

But in reality ... On January 5, 1904, the gunboat "Koreets", commanded by Captain 2nd Rank G.P., came to Chemulpo from Port Arthur. Belyaev, and anchored not far from the Varyag. The "Korean" did not bring any instructions from Port Arthur. In the same place, in Chemulpo, there was a Russian steamship "Sungari", as well as English, French, Italian, American and Japanese ships. "Varangian", "Korean" now and then reached all sorts of rumors. "I heard about the break in our diplomatic relations with Japan. Can you confirm or deny this?" - asked V.F. Rudnev at the Russian envoy in Seoul Pavlov on the twentieth of January. The envoy replied: "Rumors of a break in relations are spread by local private individuals. No reliable confirmation of these rumors has been received."

It remained to be in the dark and helplessly wait. Rudnev, as an executive officer, collected data: "The Japanese built warehouses of rice and barley for a million poods ... They unloaded 100 boxes of cartridges ... 3616 tons of rice were sent from Chemulpo to Seoul, 1816 - coal. Nobody comes back..."

The wait was becoming unbearable. Japan's frank preparation for war, for the occupation of Korea could be seen in Chemulpo, as they say, with the naked eye. The Japanese seized a telegraph in the port, the actions of Russian sailors were constantly monitored by Japanese spies. On the night of January 26, 1904, the Japanese cruiser Chiyoda secretly set off from the raid. He left with the lights out, under the cover of the night fog.

In such an environment, "Varyag" and "Korean" had to urgently leave Chemulpo and head to Port Arthur to join the Russian squadron. But the order of the royal governor demanded: "In no case should you leave Chemulpo without an order, which will be transmitted in one way or another." But there was still no connection with Port Arthur. Then V.F. Rudnev summoned Belyaev, the commander of the Korean gunboat, and ordered him to urgently get ready for a campaign in Port Arthur. Half an hour later, the "Korean" went to sea.

It was a quiet, slightly hazy frosty weather. Slowly turning around, the gunboat passed near the side of the Varyag, and then, passing the foreign cruisers, advanced to the roadstead.

Japanese ships are ahead ahead, - the signalman reported to the commander. And then he continued: - To the left on a parallel course are four of their own destroyers.

How many of them are there? - asked the captain of the 2nd rank Belyaev.

There are six cruisers to the northwest, led by the armored cruiser Asama, one of the officers on the bridge replied.

And in the south there are still six destroyers that are moving closer to us.

Having approached the Japanese squadron, the "Korean" wanted to leave it aside. However, the Japanese destroyers evaded to the left, and the cruisers to the right, and the gunboat ended up between two wake columns of Japanese ships. The Russian sailors could clearly see how the Japanese brought guns and mine vehicles into combat position. The armored cruiser "Asama" with a displacement of nine thousand tons, went out of order, blocked the way for the Russian ship. Onboard guns aimed their barrels at the "Korean", at the same time the Japanese raised signal flags.

"Go back to the port," the signalman dismantled the flag semaphore.

Stop! Belyaev commanded into the car. And then he turned to the excited officers standing next to him: - What are we going to do, gentlemen?

To join the battle is pure madness, in three minutes we will be at the bottom, - such was the general opinion. And in fact, what could "Korean" oppose to the Japanese squadron? This gunboat entered service in 1888. Its displacement was 1334 tons, the speed reached only 13 knots. The Korean was armed with two 203 mm guns and one 152 mm gun. The gunboat had several more relatively small-caliber guns. The crew consisted of 11 officers and 168 sailors.

Mindful of Rudnev's instructions not to get involved in the battle, Belyaev gave the command to lie down on the return course. A few minutes later, turning around, "Korean" at full speed headed back to Chemulpo.

Following the Russian gunboat, 4 Japanese destroyers entered the roadstead of the Korean port and surrounded the Russian ships. After some time, the Japanese, violating the norms of international law, landed on the coast of a neutral country (and that was then Korea) their landing force, consisting of 3 thousand people. On the morning of January 27, 1904, the Japanese ships left the raid. Before leaving, the commander of the Japanese squadron, Rear Admiral S. Uriu, sent an ultimatum to the Varyag, demanding, under the threat of opening fire, the immediate exit of the Russian cruiser and gunboats from the port. Here is what was said in the ultimatum of the Japanese Rear Admiral:

To the commander of the cruiser Varyag of the Imperial Russian Navy.

Sir! In view of the outbreak of hostilities between Japan and Russia, I have the honor to most respectfully ask you to leave, with all ships under your command, the port of Chemulpo before noon on January 27, 1904. Otherwise, I will attack you in port.

I have the honor to be your most respectful servant.

S. URIO,
Rear Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Fleet and Commander of the Japanese Squadron on the Chemulpo Roadstead.

On the same January morning, the commanders of the English cruiser Talbot, the French cruiser Pascal, the Italian cruiser Elba, and the American gunboat Vicksburg, which were in port, gathered on board the English ship. At their invitation, the commander of the Varyag also arrived on the Talbot. At this international naval council, the commanders of the ships signed a protest against the actions of Uriu and the Japanese squadron. As soon as the official part of the meeting was over, all the foreigners began to talk with each other, trying both to show support for the "Varyag" and to find out what the Russian sailor would do.

I will make an attempt to break through and accept the battle with the Japanese squadron, no matter how great it is, - said V.F. Rudnev. - But I will never give up, just like fighting on a neutral raid.

You are a real brave man, monsieur! - exclaimed the expansive commander of the French cruiser Victor Seine. The rest of the commanders applauded in unison.

Returning to the Varyag, Captain 1st Rank Rudnev, at a large gathering, lined up the entire crew on the upper deck and addressed him with a short speech:

Of course, we are going for a breakthrough and will engage in battle with the squadron, no matter how strong it is, - the cruiser commander emphasized. - There can be no questions about surrender - we will not surrender either the cruiser or ourselves and will fight to the last opportunity and to the last drop of blood. Fulfill each duty accurately, calmly, without haste, especially gunners, remembering that each projectile must harm the enemy. In the event of a fire, extinguish it without publicity, letting me know ... The enemy is stronger, but not braver than us, and courage, as you know, takes cities. Let us now pray to God and boldly go into an unequal battle for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland under the flag of St. Andrew. Hooray!

At 11:20 the Varyag weighed anchor and headed for the exit from the roadstead. The Korean was following the cruiser in one cable. The decks of the foreign ships in the bay were filled with their crews. Officers and sailors stood in line along the sides and enthusiastically "Hurrah!" welcomed the Russian sailors, marching to certain death. An eyewitness who was then on board the Italian cruiser wrote later in the Neapolitan newspaper Mattino:

"Varyag" walked ahead and seemed like a colossus who decided to commit suicide. On the bridge of the Varyag, its commander stood motionless and calm. Thunderous "Hurrah!" burst out of the chest of all the sailors and rolled around. On all ships, the orchestras played the Russian anthem, picked up by the crews, to which they answered on Russian ships with the same majestic anthem ... "

At the exit from the raid "Varangian" and "Korean" found a Japanese squadron. She walked - one armored cruiser, five cruisers and eight destroyers - across the path of two Russian ships. Rear Admiral S. Uriu, whose flag was flying on the cruiser "Naniva", raised a signal inviting the Russians to surrender. Rudnev did not answer. He, his sailors went into battle, defending the honor of the Russian flag. And, although the Japanese had a sevenfold superiority in ships and a fivefold superiority in the number of guns, on the Varyag and Koreyets no one even thought about surrendering.

At 11:45 a.m. from a distance of 45-50 cables, the Asama cruiser fired a shot from the main battery gun. Following them, other ships of the Japanese squadron opened fire. On the "Varyag" and "Koreyets" the gunners stood ready at the ready with loaded guns.

... Here the starboard side of the "Varyag" was enveloped in powder smoke - this was the first volley of the cruiser at the enemy. The unequal battle has begun...

The rate of fire on both sides steadily increased. The sea around the "Varyag" seethed from the explosions of shells. Soon, several shells hit the cruiser one after another. Fragments of them, howling and whistling through the air, hit the sides, deck, and superstructures. One shell hit the upper bridge, destroyed the rangefinder post and caused a fire in the chart room. Another Japanese shell, exploding near the third gun, hit almost all of its gunners. But the surviving gunners, despite severe injuries, continued to fire.

All the gunners of the Varyag, remembering Rudnev's order, acted courageously and skillfully. From the well-aimed fire of the Russian artillerymen (and the sailors of the Koreets also supported the Varyag), the cruiser Chiyoda caught fire. Blazing from bow to stern, he began to hastily leave, take cover behind other ships. With precise hits, the artillerymen of the Varyag destroyed the aft bridge of the Asama, disabled its aft turret, and set it on fire.

Transfer fire to "Naniva!" Rudnev ordered. And a few minutes later, this Japanese flagship cruiser, engulfed in flames, also, following the Chiyoda, began to retreat. Immediately, with several well-aimed volleys, the Japanese destroyer, which went into a torpedo attack, was sunk, quickly sinking to the bottom.

At some point in the battle, the Japanese squadron, maneuvering, settled down in an arc, with its sides, as it were, clasping the Varyag. He was in the center of this arc. Taking advantage of this, Rear Admiral Uriu ordered all fire to be concentrated on the Russian cruiser. "Varyag" was literally bombarded with shells. The water near its sides boiled with incessant splashes. The ship was covered in smoke from numerous hits and fires.

On the "Varyag" more than half of the guns were disabled, the steering failed, water gushed into the ship through holes below the waterline. The cruiser tilted to the port side, which made it difficult to fire serviceable guns.

However, in this situation, all the sailors acted selflessly, bravely and skillfully. Helmsman G.P., wounded in the back. Snegirev, bleeding, continued to stand at the helm until the end of the battle. The orderly of the cruiser commander T.P. Chibisov, wounded in both hands, did not go to the infirmary, declaring that while he was alive, he would not leave his commander for a minute. The machinist S.D., who received several injuries, Krylov fed shells from the powder magazine until he lost consciousness ...

At some point in the battle, a rumor spread among the crew that the cruiser commander had been killed. Then Rudnev, to whom the signalman told about this rumor, as he was, without a cap, in a blood-stained uniform, ran out onto the bridge and shouted into a megaphone:

Brothers, I'm alive! Aim back!

The call of the commander inspired the team. From the remaining guns in the ranks, the gunners continued to fire at the enemy, although the entire deck of the cruiser was a twisted iron covered in blood. Seeing that the ship had largely lost its combat effectiveness, Rudnev decided to withdraw the cruiser from the fire zone and return to Chemulpo. The "Varangian" was followed by the "Korean".

The Japanese, despite the huge numerical superiority over the Russian ships, failed to sink them, let alone capture them. Captain 1st Rank Rudnev had every reason to report to the command that "the ships of the detachment entrusted to me with dignity supported 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."

Inspection of the ships in the roadstead showed that all the possibilities to fight further were exhausted. And Rudnev makes a decision, unanimously approved by the council of officers, to blow up the ships so that they do not fall into the hands of the enemy. January 27, 1904 at 4:30 p.m. The gunboat "Koreets" was blown up. Then, with tears in their eyes, the heroes of the Varyag left their ship. The cruiser commander was the last to leave, carefully carrying in his hands a ship's flag cut by fragments. At 18:10 the crew scuttled their undefeated cruiser. Russian sailors switched to French and Italian cruisers and were later taken to Russia. Compatriots solemnly honored the sailors-heroes all the way through their native country to the capital...

The sailors of the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" wrote the brightest page in the military annals of the Russian Navy, they became a kind of bitter glory to Russia, supporting it with unparalleled courage. The Russian people composed beautiful songs about their feat.

A monument to the fallen sailors of the Varyag was erected at the Marine Cemetery in Vladivostok. There is an inscription on it: "Centuries will pass, and new generations of Russian sailors will proudly carry in their hearts the bright memory of those who, in a terrible hour for the Fatherland, did not bow their heads before the enemy" ...

In the history of the Russo-Japanese war, the Varyag cruiser, which entered into an unequal battle with much superior enemy forces, entered its heroic page. His feat, as well as the feat of the "Korean" will forever remain in the hearts of people.

Russian sailors withstood an unequal battle with the Japanese, did not surrender to the enemy, sinking their ship and not lowering the flag. This legendary battle with six enemy cruisers and eight destroyers made an indelible impression not only in Russia, but also abroad. We will talk about the history of the Varyag cruiser today.

background

Considering the history of the cruiser "Varyag", it would be appropriate to refer to the events preceding it. The war between Russia and Japan (1904 - 1905) was fought between the two empires for control over the territories of Manchuria, Korea, and also over the Yellow Sea. After a long break, it became the first major military conflict in which such new weapons as long-range artillery, battleships and destroyers were used.

The issue of the Far East at that time was in the first place for Nicholas II. The main obstacle to Russian dominance in the region was Japan. Nicholas foresaw the inevitable clash with her and prepared for it both from the diplomatic side and from the military side.

But there was still hope in the government that Japan, fearful of Russia, would refrain from a direct attack. However, on the night of January 27, 1904, without declaring war, the Japanese fleet unexpectedly attacked the Russian squadron at Port Arthur. There was a naval base here, which Russia rented from China.

As a result, several of the strongest ships belonging to the Russian squadron went out of order, which ensured the landing of the Japanese military in Korea in February without any obstacles.

Attitude in society

The news that the war had begun left no one indifferent in Russia. At its first stage, the patriotic mood prevailed among the people, the awareness of the need to repulse the aggressor.

in the capital, as well as in other big cities unprecedented manifestations took place. Even revolutionary-minded youth joined this movement, singing the hymn "God Save the Tsar!". Some circles of the opposition for the duration of the war decided to suspend their activities and not put forward demands to the government.

Before moving on to the story of the feat of the Varyag cruiser, let's talk about the history of its construction and characteristics.

Construction and testing

The ship was laid down in 1898 and built in the United States, in Philadelphia. In 1900 armored cruiser The Varyag was transferred to the Russian Navy, and since 1901 it has been in service. Ships of this type were common at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. The protection of their mechanisms, as well as gun magazines, was made up of an armored deck - flat or convex.

This deck was a covering of the ship's hull, located horizontally in the form of a flooring of armor plates. It was intended to protect against bombs, shells, debris and fragments falling from above. Ships such as the armored cruiser "Varyag" were the most numerous part of the cruising crew of most maritime powers at the turn of the century.

The base of the ship was Port Arthur. Although some researchers have claimed that it had poor boiler design and other construction defects that resulted in a significant reduction in speed, tests have shown otherwise. On tests conducted in 1903, the ship developed a high speed, almost equal to the speed on initial testing. The boilers served well for many years on other ships.

State of War

In 1904, in early February, two ships from Russia arrived on a diplomatic mission in the port of Seoul, the capital of Korea. These were the cruiser "Varyag" and "Korean", a gunboat.

Japanese Admiral Uriu sent a notice to the Russians that Japan and Russia were at war. The cruiser was commanded by Rudnev V.F., captain of the 1st rank, and the boat was commanded by the captain of the second rank Belyaev G.P.

The admiral demanded that the Varyag leave the port, otherwise the battle would be fought right on the roadstead. Both ships weighed anchor, a few minutes later they gave a combat alert. In order to break through the blockade of the Japanese, the Russian sailors had to fight through the narrow fairway and go out to the open sea.

This task was almost impossible. The Japanese cruisers handed over the offer of surrender to the mercy of the winner. But this signal was ignored by the Russians. The enemy squadron opened fire.

Fierce fight

The battle between the cruiser Varyag and the Japanese was fierce. Despite the hurricane attack carried out by ships, one of which was heavy, and the other five were light (and also eight destroyers), Russian officers and sailors fired at the enemy, laid holes and extinguished the fire. The commander of the cruiser "Varyag" Rudnev, despite the injury and shell shock, did not stop leading the battle.

Ignoring the great destruction and heavy fire, the Varyag crew did not stop aimed fire from those guns that were still intact. At the same time, the "Korean" did not lag behind him.

According to Rudnev's report, the Russians sank 1 destroyer and damaged 4 Japanese cruisers. The losses of the Varyag crew in battle were as follows:

• It was killed: officers - 1 person, sailors - 30.
• Among those who were wounded or shell-shocked, there were 6 officers and 85 sailors.
• Approximately 100 more people were slightly injured.

Critical damage inflicted on the cruiser "Varyag" forced him to return to the roadstead of the bay in one hour. After the severity of the damage had been done, those guns and equipment that remained after the battle were, if possible, destroyed. The ship itself was sunk in the bay. The "Korean" did not suffer human losses, but was blown up by its crew.

Battle of Chemulpo, beginning

On the roads near the Korean city of Chemulpo (now Incheon) there were ships of Italians, British, Koreans, as well as Russians - "Varyag" and "Koreets". The Japanese cruiser Chiyoda was also moored there. The latter on February 7, at night, withdrew from the raid without turning on the identification lights and set off for the open sea.

Around 4 p.m. on February 8, the Korean, leaving the bay, met with the Japanese squadron, which consisted of 8 destroyers and 7 cruisers.

One of the cruisers, called Asama, blocked the way for our gunboat. At the same time, the destroyers fired 3 torpedoes at her, of which 2 flew past, and the third sank a few meters from the side of the Russian boat. Captain Belyaev was given the command to go to a neutral harbor and hide in Chemulpo.

Development of events

• 7.30. As mentioned above, the commander of the Japanese squadron, Uriu, sends a telegram to the ships standing in the bay about the state of war between the Russians and the Japanese, where it was indicated that the neutral bay would be forced to attack them at 16 o'clock if the Russians did not appear on the high seas by 12 o'clock.
• 9.30. Rudnev, who was on board the British ship Talbot, becomes aware of the telegram. A short meeting takes place here and a decision is made to leave the bay and give battle to the Japanese.
• 11.20. "Korean" and "Varyag" go to sea. At the same time, on the ships of foreign powers that observed neutrality, their teams were lined up, who greeted the Russians going to certain death with cries of "Hurrah!"
• 11.30. The Japanese cruisers were in combat formation near Richie Island, covering the exits to the sea, behind them were the destroyers. "Chyoda" and "Asama" laid the foundation for the movement towards the Russians, followed by "Niitaka" and "Naniva". Uriu offered the Russians to surrender and was refused.
• 11.47. As a result of accurate Japanese strikes, the deck on the Varyag is on fire, but it is possible to put it out. Some of the guns were damaged, there were wounded and killed. Rudnev was contused and seriously wounded in the back. The helmsman Snigirev remains in the ranks.
• 12.05. On the "Varyag" steering mechanisms are damaged. A decision is made to surrender full back, while not ceasing fire on enemy ships. At Asama, the aft tower and bridge were disabled, repair work began. Guns were damaged on two more cruisers, 1 destroyer was sunk. The Japanese had 30 killed.
• 12.20. The "Varyag" has two holes. A decision is made to return to Chemulpo Bay, correct the damage and continue the battle.
• 12.45. Hopes for the correction of most of the ship's guns are not justified.
• 18.05. By decision of the team and the captain, the Russian cruiser Varyag was flooded. The gunboat, having been damaged by the explosions, was also flooded.

Captain Rudnev's report

It seems that it will be interesting to get acquainted with the content of excerpts from Rudnev's report, the meaning of which boils down to the following:

• The first shot was fired from the Asama cruiser with an 8-inch gun. It was followed by the fire of the entire squadron.
• After the sighting was made, they opened fire on the Asama from a distance equal to 45 cables. One of the first Japanese shells destroyed the upper bridge and set fire to the navigator's cabin. At the same time, the rangefinder officer Count Nirod - midshipman, as well as the rest of the rangefinders of the 1st station, were killed. After the battle, they found the count's hand, which held the rangefinder.
• After inspecting the Varyag cruiser, making sure that it was impossible to engage in battle, at a meeting of officers they decided to sink it. The rest of the team and the wounded were taken to foreign ships, which expressed their full consent in response to a request to do so.
• The Japanese suffered heavy casualties, there were accidents on ships. The Asama, which went to the dock, was especially badly damaged. The cruiser Takachiho also suffered a hole. He took on board 200 wounded, but on the way to Sasebo his plasters burst, bulkheads broke, and he sank at sea, while the destroyer was in battle.

In conclusion, the captain considered it his duty to report that the ships of the naval detachment, which was entrusted to him, had exhausted all possible means for a breakthrough, prevented the Japanese from winning a victory, inflicted many losses on the enemy, supporting with dignity the honor of the Russian flag. Therefore, he petitioned for the award of the team for the valiant performance of duty and selfless courage shown at the same time.

honors

After the battle, Russian sailors were received by foreign ships. An obligation was taken from them that they would not participate in further hostilities. The sailors returned to Russia through neutral ports.

In 1904, in April, the crews reached St. Petersburg. Tsar Nicholas II welcomed the sailors. All of them were invited to the palace for a gala dinner. Dinnerware was specially prepared for this event, which were then handed over to the sailors. And also the king gave them a nominal watch.

The battle at Chemulpo vividly demonstrated the miracles of the heroism of people who are able to go to inevitable death in order for honor and dignity to be preserved.

In honor of this brave and at the same time desperate step of the Russian sailors, a special medal was established. The feat of sailors over the years has not been forgotten. So, in 1954, on the 50th anniversary of the battle at Chemulpo, N. G. Kuznetsov, commander of the naval forces of the Soviet Union, awarded 15 of his veterans with medals "For Courage".

In 1992, a monument was erected to the commander of the cruiser Rudnev in the village of Savina, which is located in the Zaoksky district of the Tula region. It was there that he was buried in 1913. In the city of Vladivostok in 1997, a monument was erected to the heroic cruiser Varyag.

In 2009, after lengthy negotiations with representatives of Korea were successfully completed, relics related to the feat of two Russian ships were delivered to Russia. Previously, they were kept in Icheon, in the museum storerooms. In 2010, the mayor of Icheon, in the presence of Dmitry Medvedev, who was then president Russian Federation, handed over to our diplomatic workers the guis (bow flag) of the Varyag cruiser. This solemn ceremony took place in the capital South Korea, at the Russian Embassy.

Speech of Nicholas II addressed to the heroes of Chemulpo

Tsar Nicholas II delivered a heartfelt speech in honor of the heroes in the Winter Palace. In particular, it stated the following:

• He called the sailors "brothers", declaring that he was happy to see them safely returned to their homeland and in good health. He noted that, having shed their blood, they thereby committed an act worthy of the exploits of our ancestors, fathers and grandfathers. They wrote a new heroic page in the history of the Russian fleet, leaving in it forever the names "Varangian" and "Korean". Their feat will become immortal.
• Nikolai expressed confidence that each of the heroes until the very end of his service would be worthy of the award he received. He also emphasized that all the inhabitants of Russia read about the feat accomplished near Chemulpo with trembling excitement and love. The Tsar heartily thanked the sailors for maintaining the honor of the St. Andrew's flag, as well as the dignity of Great and Holy Russia. He raised his glass to the future victories of the glorious fleet and to the health of the heroes.

The further fate of the ship

In 1905, the Japanese raised the Varyag cruiser from the bottom of the bay and used it for training purposes, calling the ship Soya. During World War I, Japan and Russia were allies. In 1916, the ship was bought out and included in the Navy. Russian Empire under the previous name.

In 1917, the Varyag went to the UK for repairs. There it was confiscated by the British, as the newly formed Soviet government would not pay for repairs. After that, the ship was resold to Germany for scrapping. While being towed, it was caught in a storm and sank off the coast of the Irish Sea.

In 2003, they managed to find the place of the death of the cruiser "Varyag". Next to him, on the shore, in 2006, a memorial plaque was installed. And in 2007, they established a fund to support the navy, giving it the name "Cruiser" Varyag ". One of his goals was to raise the money needed to build and install a monument in Scotland dedicated to legendary ship. Such a monument was opened in the city of Lendelfoot in 2007.

Our proud Varyag does not surrender to the enemy

This well-known song is dedicated to the event of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) described by us, which has become the most famous - the feat of the Varyag and the Korean, who entered into an unequal battle in the Chemulpo Bay with the forces of the Japanese squadron that were much superior to them.

The text of this song was written in 1904 by the Austrian poet and writer Rudolf Greinz, who was greatly impressed by the feat of Russian sailors. First, a poem called "Varangian" was published in one of the magazines, and soon after that several Russian translations of it were made.

The most successful was the translation by E. Studentskaya. It was set to music by AS Turishchev, a military musician. For the first time, the song was performed at a gala reception in the Winter Palace, which was described above.

There is another dedicated legendary cruiser song - "Cold waves are splashing." In the newspaper "Rus" 16 days after the "Varyag" and "Koreets" were flooded, a poem by Y. Repninsky was placed, the music for which was later written by Benevsky V. D. and Bogoroditsky F. N. The song also has an unofficial the name given by the people is "Korean".

Preparing for war with Russia, Japan had first of all and at any cost to gain dominance at sea. Without this, all her further struggle with her mighty northern neighbor became absolutely meaningless. A small island empire, deprived of mineral resources, would not only not be able to transfer troops and reinforcements to the battlefields in Manchuria in this case, but would not be able to protect its own naval bases and ports from bombardment by Russian ships, would not be able to and ensure normal shipping, and the work of the entire Japanese industry depended on the regular and uninterrupted delivery of goods. The Japanese could protect themselves from a very real threat from the Russian fleet only by inflicting a preemptive, unexpected strike on the places where enemy ships were concentrated. Such strikes, even before the official declaration of war, began hostilities in the Sea of ​​Japan.

On the night of January 27, 1904, 10 Japanese destroyers suddenly attacked the Russian squadron of Vice Admiral Stark, stationed on the outer roads of Port Arthur and torpedoed the battleships Retvisan and Tsesarevich, as well as the cruiser Pallada. The damaged ships were out of action for a long time, providing Japan with a tangible superiority in forces.

The second blow of the enemy was inflicted on the armored cruiser "Varyag" (commanded by Captain 1st Rank Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev) and the gunboat "Koreets" (commander Captain 2nd Rank Grigory Pavlovich Belyaev) located in the Korean port of Chemul. Against two Russian ships, the Japanese threw a whole squadron of Rear Admiral Sotokichi Uriu, which included the heavy armored cruiser Asama, 5 armored cruisers (Tieda, Naniwa, Niitaka, Takatiho and Akashi), advice note "Chihaya" and 7 destroyers.

On the morning of January 27, the Japanese issued an ultimatum to the commanders of Russian ships demanding that they leave the neutral port by 12 noon, threatening to attack the Varyag and Koreets right in the roadstead if they refused. The commanders of the French cruiser Pascal, the English Talbot, the Italian Elba, and the American gunboat Vicksburg, who were in Chemulpo, received a Japanese notification of the upcoming attack of his squadron on Russian ships the day before. Their protest against the violation of the neutral status of the port of Chemulpo by the commander of the Japanese squadron was not taken into account. The commanders of the ships of the international squadron did not intend to protect the Russians by force of arms, and informed V.F. Rudnev, who answered bitterly: “So my ship is a piece of meat thrown to the dogs? Well, they will impose a fight on me - I will accept it. I'm not going to give up, no matter how big the Japanese squadron is." Returning to the Varyag, he announced to the team. "The challenge is more than bold, but I accept it. I do not shy away from the battle, although I do not have an official report on the war from my government. I am sure of one thing: the Varyag and Koreets teams will fight to the last drop of blood, showing everyone an example of fearlessness in battle and contempt for death."

At 11 o'clock. 20 minutes. the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" raised anchors and headed for the exit from the roadstead. The Japanese squadron guarded the Russians at the southern tip of Philip Island. Closest to the exit from the raid was "Asama", and it was from her that the "Varangian" and "Korean" who were going towards them were found. Admiral Uriu ordered the anchor chains to be riveted, as there was no time to raise and clean the anchors. The ships began to hastily stretch out onto the stretch, reorganizing themselves into battle columns on the move, according to the disposition received the day before.

When Russian ships were found on the masts of the Naniva, signal flags were raised with a proposal to surrender without a fight. But Rudnev decided not to answer the signal and went to approach the enemy squadron. "Korean" was a little to the left of "Varyag".

At a distance of 10 miles from Chemulpo, a battle took place near the island of Yodolmi, which lasted about 1 hour. The Japanese cruisers moved in a converging course, pressing the Russian ships to the shallows. At 11 o'clock. 44 min. on the masts of the flagship "Naniva" a signal was raised to open fire. A minute later, the Asama armored cruiser began firing from the bow turret guns.

The first volley lay ahead of the Varyag with a short flight. To the surprise of the Russians, the Japanese shells exploded even on impact with the water, raising huge columns of water and puffs of black smoke.

"Varyag" and "Korean" returned fire. True, the very first volleys from the gunboat gave a big shortfall, and in the future the Russian cruiser fought an artillery duel with the enemy almost alone. Meanwhile, the density of fire from the enemy increased: the ships of the second group entered the battle. The Russian cruiser was completely hidden behind huge water columns, which, with a roar, now and then took off to the level of combat mars. The superstructures and the deck were doused with a hail of fragments. Despite the loss of life, the Varyag energetically responded to the enemy with frequent fire. The main goal of his gunners was Asama, which soon managed to disable him. Then an enemy destroyer went on the attack on the cruiser, but the very first salvo from the Varyag sent it to the bottom.

However, Japanese shells continued to torment the Russian ship. At 12 o'clock. 12 min. on the surviving halyards of the foremast of the cruiser, the signal "P" ("Peace") was raised, which meant "I'm turning right." This was followed by several events that hastened the tragic denouement of the battle. First, an enemy shell broke the pipe in which all the steering gears were laid. As a result, the uncontrolled ship moved to the rocks of Yodolmi Island. Almost simultaneously, another shell exploded between Baranovsky's landing gun and the foremast. At the same time, the entire crew of gun No. 35 was killed. Fragments flew into the passage of the conning tower, mortally wounding the bugler and drummer; the cruiser commander escaped with a slight wound and shell shock. Further control of the ship had to be transferred to the aft steering compartment.

Suddenly there was a rattle, and the ship shuddered to a stop. In the conning tower, instantly assessing the situation, they gave the car the fullest back, but it was too late. Now the Varyag, which turned to the enemy with its left side, was a stationary target. The Japanese commander, noticing the plight of the Russians, raised the signal "Everyone turn to approach the enemy." The ships of all groups lay down on a new course, simultaneously firing from bow guns.

The Varyag's position seemed hopeless. The enemy was rapidly approaching, and the cruiser sitting on the rocks could not do anything. It was at this time that he received the most severe injuries. A large-caliber shell, breaking through the side under water, exploded in coal pit No. 10, at 12.30 an eight-inch shell exploded in coal pit No. 12. Water began to rise to the fireboxes, the crew immediately began to pump it out with all available means. Under enemy fire, emergency parties began to bring patches under these holes. And here a miracle happened: the cruiser itself, as if reluctantly, slid aground and moved away from the dangerous place in reverse. No longer tempting fate, Rudnev ordered to lie down on the return course.

However, the situation was still very difficult. Although the water was pumped out by all means, the Varyag continued to roll to the port side, and a hail of enemy shells showered it. But, to the surprise of the Japanese, the Varyag, having increased its speed, confidently left in the direction of the raid. Due to the narrowness of the fairway, only the Asama and Chiyoda cruisers could pursue the Russians. “Soon, the Japanese had to cease fire, as their shells began to fall near the ships of the international squadron. The Italian cruiser Elba even had to go deep into the raid because of this. At 12.45 the Russian ships also ceased fire. The fight is over.

In total, during the battle, the Varyag fired 1105 shells: 425 152-mm, 470 75-mm and 210 47-mm. In the surviving Varyag logbook, it is noted that its gunners managed to sink an enemy destroyer and inflict serious damage on 2 Japanese cruisers. According to foreign observers, after the battle, the Japanese buried 30 dead in A-san Bay and had more than 200 wounded on their ships. According to an official document (a sanitary report for the war), the losses of the Varyag crew amounted to 130 people - 33 killed and 97 wounded. In total, 12-14 large high-explosive shells hit the cruiser ..

Rudnev, on a French boat, went to the English cruiser Talbot to arrange for the transportation of the crew of the Varyag to foreign ships and report on the alleged destruction of the cruiser right on the roadstead. Bailey, the commander of the Talbot, objected to the explosion of the Varyag, motivating his opinion by the large crowding of ships in the roadstead. At 13 o'clock. 50 min. Rudnev returned to the Varyag. Hastily gathering nearby officers, he informed them of his intention and obtained their support. They immediately began transporting the wounded, and then the entire crew, to foreign ships. At 15 o'clock. 15 minutes. the commander of the "Varyag" sent midshipman V. Balka to the "Korean". G.P. Belyaev immediately gathered a military council, at which the officers decided: “The upcoming battle in half an hour is not equal, it will cause unnecessary bloodshed ... without harming the enemy, and therefore it is necessary ... to blow up the boat ... ". The crew of the "Korean" switched to the French cruiser "Pascal". At 15 o'clock. 50 min. Rudnev with the senior boatswain, having gone around the ship and making sure that no one was left on it, got off it together with the owners of the hold compartments, who opened the kingstones and flood valves. At 16 o'clock. 05 min. "Korean" exploded, at 18 o'clock. 10 min. lay down on the port side and disappeared under the water "Varyag", at 20 o'clock. The ship "Sungari" was blown up.

Japan formally declared war on Russia only on January 28 (February 10), 1904. Having blocked the Russian fleet on the Port Arthur roadstead, the Japanese landed their troops in Korea and on the Liaodong Peninsula, which advanced to the border of Manchuria and, at the same time, began to lay siege to Port - Arthur with sushi. For Russia, a big problem was the remoteness of the theater of operations from its main territory. - The concentration of troops was slow, due to the incomplete construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. With the numerical superiority of their armed forces, equipped with the most modern models of military equipment, the Japanese inflicted a number of heavy defeats on the Russian troops.

On April 18 (May 1), 1904, the first big battle took place between Russian and Japanese troops on the river. Yalu (Chinese name Yalujiang, Korean name - Amnokkan). The Eastern Detachment of the Russian Manchurian Army under the command of Major General M.I. Zasulich, having lost Gen. T. Kuroki more than 2 thousand people. killed and wounded, 21 guns and all 8 machine guns were forced to retreat to the passes of the Fyn-Shuilinsky ridge.

On May 13 (26), 1904, units of the 2nd Japanese Army, General. Ya. Oku captured the city of Jinzhou, cutting off the garrison of Port Arthur from the Russian Manchurian army. To assist the besieged Port Arthur, the 1st Siberian Corps of Gen. I.I. Stackelberg. On June 1-2 (13-14), 1904, his troops entered into battle with units of the 2nd Japanese Army near the Wafangou station. As a result of a two-day stubborn battle, the troops of General Oku, who had a significant superiority in infantry and artillery, began to bypass the right flank of the corps of General Stackelberg and forced him to retreat to join the main forces of the Russian army (in Pasichao). The main formations of the 2nd Japanese Army launched an offensive against Liaoyang. For the siege of Port Arthur, the 3rd Japanese Army was formed under the command of General M. Nogi.

The Japanese offensive against Liaoyang, launched in July 1904, forced the Russian command to engage them in battle. August 11 (24) - August 21 (September 3), 1904, the battle of Liaoyang took place. Started successfully for the Russian troops, it, due to the erroneous actions of the gene. A.N. Kuropatkin, ended with the defeat of his army, forced to retreat to the city of Mukden. Russian troops lost 16 thousand people in this 11-day battle, Japanese - 24 thousand people.

The arrival of new troops replenished the Manchurian army, whose strength by the autumn of 1904 reached 214 thousand people. Having a numerical superiority over the enemy (170 thousand people), part of whose troops were distracted by the ongoing siege of Port Arthur, the Russian command decided to go on the offensive. September 22 (October 5) - October 4 (17), 1904 on the Shahe River there was a head-on battle between the Russian and Japanese armies, which ended in vain for both sides. For the first time in the entire war, opponents who suffered heavy losses (the Russians - over 40 thousand people, the Japanese - 20 thousand people) were forced to switch to positional military operations. However, the stabilization of the front line on the river. Shahe had disastrous consequences for the besieged Port Arthur. After the capture by the Japanese of Mount High, a key point of the Russian defense, and the destruction of the squadron stationed in the inner roadstead by the fire of their batteries, the commandant of the Kwantung Fortified Region, Gen. A.M. On December 20, 1904 (January 2, 1905), Stessel signed an agreement with representatives of the Japanese command on the surrender of the fortress and the surrender of the Port Arthur garrison.

On the Manchurian front, a new and largest clash of the Russian and Japanese armies in the entire war took place near Mukden on February 6 (19) - February 25 (March 10). The Russian army, having suffered a heavy defeat, retreated to the city of Telin. The losses of Russian troops in this battle reached 89 thousand people. killed, wounded and captured. The Japanese lost 71 thousand people killed and wounded, which turned out to be very high for the army of a small island state, whose government soon after this victory was forced to agree to the beginning of peace negotiations with Russia through the mediation of US President T. Roosevelt. Another consequence of the Mukden defeat was the resignation of Gen. A.N. Kuropatkin from the post of commander-in-chief of the armed forces in the Far East. He was succeeded by Gen. N.P. Linevich. The new commander-in-chief refused active actions, being engaged only in engineering support of the Sypingai positions 175 km away. sowing Mukden. The Russian army remained on them until the end of the war

At sea, the last hopes of the Russian command perished after the rout. in the Tsushima Strait by the Japanese fleet of Admiral H. Togo of the Russian squadron of Vice Admiral Z.P. Rozhdestvensky, directed from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean (May 14-15 (27-28), 1905).

During the hostilities, Russia lost approx. 270 thousand people, incl. OK. 50 thousand people - killed, Japan - also approx. 270 thousand people, but approx. 86 thousand people

Aviso is a small warship used for messenger service.

Only the commander of the American Vicksburg, Captain 2nd Rank Marshall, did not join the protest of the commanders of foreign ships.

"Varyag" was flooded at a shallow depth - at low tide the ship was exposed almost to the diametrical plane by 4 m. The Japanese decided to take possession of it and began lifting work. In 1905 "Varyag". was raised and sent to Sasebo. There, the cruiser was repaired and then commissioned by the squadron of Vice Admiral Uriu under the name "Soya", but on the stern, under Japanese hieroglyphs, by the decision of Emperor Mutsuhito, an inscription was left in golden Slavic script - "Varyag". On March 22, 1916, Russia bought out its illustrious cruiser, which was returned to its former name. In 1917, the ship was under repair in the UK and after the October Revolution was sold for scrap. However, fate and the sea were against such an end of the Varyag - in 1922, during his last campaign, he sank off the coast of Scotland, 60 miles south of Glasgow.

V.A. Volkov

The cruiser "Varyag" needs no introduction. Nevertheless, the battle at Chemulpo is still the dark page of the Russian military history. Its results are disappointing, and there are still a lot of misconceptions about the participation of the Varyag in this battle.

"Varyag" - a weak cruiser

In popular publications, there is an assessment that the combat value of the Varyag was low. Indeed, due to poor-quality work performed during the construction in Philadelphia, the Varyag could not develop a contract speed of 25 knots, thereby losing the main advantage of a light cruiser.

The second serious drawback was the lack of armor shields for the main caliber guns. On the other hand, Japan during the Russo-Japanese War, in principle, did not have a single armored cruiser capable of withstanding the Varyag and the Askold, Bogatyr or Oleg similar to it in armament.

Not a single Japanese cruiser had 12 152 mm guns this class. Truth, fighting developed in such a way that the crews of Russian cruisers never had to fight with an enemy equal in number or class. The Japanese always acted for sure, compensating for the shortcomings of their cruisers with a numerical superiority, and the first, but far from the last in this glorious and tragic list for the Russian fleet was the battle of the Varyag cruiser.

A hail of shells hit the Varyag and Koreets

In artistic and popular descriptions of the battle at Chemulpo, it is often said that the Varyag and the Korean (who did not receive a single hit) were literally bombarded with Japanese shells. However, official figures show otherwise. In just 50 minutes of the battle at Chemulpo, six Japanese cruisers used up 419 shells: Asama 27 - 203 mm. , 103 152 mm., 9 76 mm; "Naniva" - 14 152 mm; "Niitaka" - 53 152 mm., 130 76mm. Takachiho - 10 152 mm, Akashi - 2 152 mm, Chiyoda 71 120 mm.

In response, according to Rudnev's report, 1105 shells were fired from the Varyag: 425-152mm, 470-75mm, 210-47mm. It turns out that the Russian gunners have achieved the highest rate of fire. To this we can add 22 203 mm, 27 152 mm and 3 107 mm shells fired from the "Korean".

That is, in the battle at Chemulpo, two Russian ships fired almost three times more shells than the entire Japanese squadron. The question of how the account of spent shells was kept on the Russian cruiser or the figure was indicated approximately based on the results of a survey of the crew remains debatable. And could such a number of shells have been fired on a cruiser that had lost 75% of its artillery by the end of the battle?

Rear Admiral at the head of the Varyag

As you know, after returning to Russia and upon his retirement in 1905, the commander of the Varyag, Rudnev, received the rank of Rear Admiral. Already today, the name of Vsevolod Fedorovich was given to one of the streets in South Butovo in Moscow. Although, perhaps it would have been more logical to name Captain Rudnev, if necessary, to single out among his well-known namesakes in military affairs.

There is no mistake in the name, but this image needs clarification - in military history this man remained the captain of the 1st rank and the commander of the Varyag, but as a rear admiral he could no longer prove himself. But a clear mistake has crept into a number of modern textbooks for high school students, where the “legend” already sounds that it was Rear Admiral Rudnev who commanded the Varyag cruiser. The authors did not go into details and think that the rear admiral was in command of an armored cruiser of the 1st rank somehow out of rank.

Two against fourteen

The literature often indicates that the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" were attacked by the Japanese squadron of Rear Admiral Uriu, consisting of 14 ships - 6 cruisers and 8 destroyers.

Here it is necessary to make several clarifications.

Outwardly, the huge numerical and qualitative superiority of the Japanese, which the enemy did not take advantage of during the battle. It should be noted that on the eve of the battle at Chemulpo, the Uriu squadron consisted of not even 14, but 15 pennants - the Asama armored cruiser, the Naniva, Takachiho, Niytaka, Chiyoda, Akashi armored cruisers and eight destroyers and memo "Chihaya".

True, on the eve of the battle with the Varyag, the Japanese suffered non-combat losses. When the gunboat Koreets tried to proceed from Chemulpo to Port Arthur, the Japanese squadron began dangerous maneuvering (which ended with the use of guns) around the Russian gunboat, as a result of which the destroyer Tsubame ran aground and did not participate directly in the battle. The messenger ship "Chihaya" did not participate in the battle, which, nevertheless, was in the immediate vicinity of the battlefield. In reality, the battle was fought by a group of four Japanese cruisers, two more cruisers participated only sporadically, and the presence of destroyers among the Japanese remained a presence factor.

"Cruiser and two enemy destroyers at the bottom"

When it comes to military losses, this issue often becomes the subject of heated discussions. The battle at Chemulpo was no exception, in which estimates of Japanese losses are very contradictory.

Russian sources point to very heavy losses of the enemy: a sunken destroyer, 30 killed and 200 wounded. They are based mainly on the opinion of representatives of foreign powers who observed the battle.

Over time, two destroyers and the cruiser Takachiho turned out to be “sunk” (by the way, these data got into the thin film “Cruiser Varyag”). And if the fate of some Japanese destroyers raises questions, then the Takachiho cruiser safely survived the Russo-Japanese war and died 10 years later with the entire crew during the siege of Qingdao.

The reports of all the commanders of the Japanese cruisers indicate the absence of losses and damage on their ships. Another question: where, after the battle in Chemulpo, did the main enemy of the Varyag, the armored cruiser Asama, "disappear" for two months? Neither Port Arthur nor the squadron of Admiral Kammamura operating against the Vladivostok cruiser detachment was present. And this was at the very beginning of the war, when the outcome of the confrontation was far from being decided.

It is likely that the ship, which became the main target of the Varyag guns, was seriously damaged, but at the beginning of the war, for propaganda purposes, it was undesirable for the Japanese side to talk about this. From the experience of the Russo-Japanese War, it is well known as the Japanese long time they tried to hide their losses, for example, the death of the battleships "Hatsuse" and "Yashima", and a number of destroyers, apparently at the bottom, were simply written off after the war as beyond repair.

Legends of Japanese Modernization

A number of misconceptions are associated with the service of the "Varyag" in the Japanese fleet. One of them is related to the fact that the Japanese, after the rise of the Varyag, retained the Russian state emblem and the name of the cruiser as a sign of respect. However, this was more likely due not to the desire to pay tribute to the crew of the heroic ship, but to design features- the coat of arms and the name were mounted in the aft balcony and the Japanese fixed the new name of the Soya cruiser on both sides on the balcony grille. The second misconception is the replacement of Nikoloss boilers with Miyabar boilers on the Varyag. Although a thorough repair of the machines still had to be made, the cruiser showed a speed of 22.7 knots during tests.

By the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, the armored cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets were stationed in the Korean port of Chemulpo (now a seaside suburb of Seoul). "Stationaries" were then called warships stationed in foreign harbors to support their diplomatic missions.

In Korea, it has been going on for a long time yet political struggle Russia and Japan for influence. The Korean king, fearing the Japanese, hid in the house of the Russian ambassador. The cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" in these conditions guaranteed the forceful support of our embassy in case of any provocations. At that time, this was a common practice: in the port of Chemulpo, next to our ships, there were warships - "stationaries" of England, France, the USA and Italy, protecting their embassies.

On February 6, 1904, Japan severed diplomatic relations with Russia. Two days later, the gunboat "Koreets", which left Chemulpo to deliver a report from the embassy to Port Arthur, was attacked by Japanese destroyers. They fired two torpedoes at her, but missed. The "Korean" returned to a neutral port with the news of the approach of an enemy squadron.

So, our two ships, "Korean" and "Varyag", were "locked" in this port, and on the morning of January 27, the Japanese sent Rudnev such an ultimatum:

"His Imperial Majesty's Naniwa ship,

The eldest of the Russian officers.

Sir.

In view of the current hostile activities between the governments of Japan and Russia, I respectfully ask you to leave the port of Chemulpo with the forces under your command before noon on January 27, 1904. Otherwise, I will be obliged to open fire against you in the port. I have the honor to be, sir, your most obedient servant.

S. Uriu. Rear Admiral Commanding a Squadron of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Rudnev read the letter several times, looked at his watch. Half past ten. The letter was dated yesterday. It is difficult to assume that Uriu would not be able to deliver it to the Varyag earlier, as to other foreign ships on the roadstead in Chemulpo. Late the evening before, similar notices were given to the senior officers of the British warship Talbot, the French cruiser Pascal, the Italian Elba, and the American Vicksburg. There was no doubt that if foreign warships had not been in this port, the Varyag would have been attacked without any warning. Only because of the fear of causing damage to foreign ships in a neutral port, Uriu did not dare to attack the Varyag.

To the credit of the commanders of the three foreign ships, they expressed a written protest to the commander of the Japanese squadron:

“Soto Kichi Uriu, Rear Admiral Commander of the Squadron of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Sir.

We, the undersigned, commanders of three neutral warships of England, France and Italy, having learned from the letter received from you dated January 26 about the attack by you of the Russian warships moored at the Chemulpo roadstead at 4 p.m. today, have the honor to draw your attention to the following circumstance. We recognize that, since the port of Chemulpo is neutral on the basis of generally recognized provisions of international law, no nation has the right to attack the ships of other nations located in this port, and the power that transgresses this law is fully responsible for any harm caused life or property in that port. Therefore, in this letter, we vigorously protest against such a violation of neutrality and will be glad to hear your opinion on this subject.

Bailey, Commander of His Majesty's HMS Talbot.

Borea, commander of the Elba.

Senes, commander of the Pascal ship.

However, only the signature of the commander of the American Vicksburg, Captain Second Rank Marshall, is not under this letter. When it is beneficial to the interests of the United States, the Americans always insistently talk about international law, when it is not beneficial, they remain silent.

Meanwhile, Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev announced an ultimatum to the crew with the words: “The challenge is more than audacious, but I accept it. I do not shy away from combat, although I do not have an official report of the war from my government. I am sure of one thing: the Varyag and Koreyets teams will fight to the last drop of blood, showing everyone an example of fearlessness in battle and contempt for death. Midshipman Padalko answered for the whole team: “All of us: both the Varyag and the Korean, will defend our native Andreev flag, its glory, honor and dignity, realizing that the whole world is watching us.”

The captain of the Varyag, Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev, decided to break through with a fight to Port Arthur, and in case of failure, blow up the ships. The captain turned to the team: “Of course, we are going for a breakthrough and will engage in battle with the squadron, no matter how strong it is. There can be no questions about surrender - we will not surrender the cruiser and ourselves and will fight to the last opportunity and to the last drop of blood. Perform each of your duties accurately, calmly, without haste.

On February 9, 1904, at 11 am, Russian ships left the port to meet the enemy. At noon, the Varyag sounded the alarm and raised the battle flag.

"Varyag" and "Korean"

Cruiser "Varyag"

Our sailors were opposed by superior enemy forces - 6 cruisers and 8 destroyers. Later, military experts and historians calculated that the weight of a volley (the weight of shells fired at once by all the ship's guns) of the Japanese cruisers was almost 4 times greater than the weight of the volley of the Varyag and the Korean. In addition, part of the Japanese cruisers had better armor and speed, and the old guns of the slow-moving "Korean" had a shorter range and rate of fire compared to guns of a similar caliber on Japanese ships.

At 12:20 the Japanese opened fire on our ships. After 2 minutes, Varyag and Koreets returned fire. In total, our ships had 21 guns with a caliber of 75 mm or more, compared to 90 similar Japanese calibers.

Superiority in forces immediately affected the course of the battle. The Japanese literally bombarded the Varyag with heavy shells. Already 18 minutes after the opening of fire, a 152-mm shell from the Asama armored cruiser, hitting the right wing of the Varyag's front bridge, destroyed the front rangefinder and caused a fire. The loss of the rangefinder sharply reduced the ability of the Russian cruiser to conduct aimed fire.

The distance between the opponents was less than 5 km. In just 25 minutes of the battle, the Russian cruiser received a whole series of hits: one 203-mm shell hit it between the bow bridge and the pipe, 5–6 152-mm shells hit the bow and central part of the ship. The last was the hit of a 203-mm projectile in the stern of the Varyag.

As it turned out after the battle, fires caused by enemy shells damaged a sixth of the ship. Of the 570 people of the Varyag team, 1 officer and 22 sailors were killed directly during the battle. After the battle, 10 more people died from their wounds within a few days. 27 people were seriously injured, "less seriously injured" - the commander of the cruiser Rudnev himself, two officers and 55 sailors. More than a hundred people were slightly injured by small fragments.

"Varangian" concentrated fire on "Asama". The commander of the Asama was only amazed at the number of shots from the guns of the Russian cruiser and the speed with which they were fired.

Soon, the artillery of the cruiser Chiyoda began to "work" on the "Korean". The Japanese were sure that this fire was more than enough to send the small Russian gunboat along with the sailors to the "realm of shadows", so they did not pay much attention to it anymore. The "Korean" took advantage of this attitude and inflicted serious damage on the Japanese squadron.

Did not waste time and "Varyag". Within an hour, he fired 1105 shells at the Japanese, as a result of which a fire started on the Asama, the captain's bridge collapsed and the ship's commander was killed.

The Akashi cruiser received such an impressive blow that it was then repaired for more than a year. Two other cruisers received no less severe damage. One of the destroyers, having received a portion of Russian metal, sank during the battle, and the other - on the way to the port of Sasebo. V total the Japanese brought ashore thirty dead and two hundred wounded, not counting those who perished with their ships. The enemy could neither sink nor capture the Russian ships. Yes, it was a victory for the Russian fleet! But at what a terrible cost! The mutilated Russian ships reached the port with great difficulty.

Captain Senes recalls, who climbed onto the deck of the Varyag immediately after the battle: “I will never forget the amazing sight that presented itself to me. The deck is covered in blood, corpses and body parts are everywhere. Nothing escaped destruction."

Indeed, almost everything was destroyed. Of the 36 guns, only seven remained more or less intact. Found four huge holes.

The most serious damage was the destruction of the highway, in which all the steering gears passed. This made the ship almost uncontrollable. Of the crew on the upper deck, 31 sailors were killed and 86 were injured.

Captain Rudnev was severely wounded in the head. In order to prevent the capture of unarmed ships by the Japanese, it was decided to blow up the gunboat "Koreets", and kingstones were opened on the "Varyag".

The surviving 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 American ship did not accept the wounded.

The surviving officers and sailors from the "Varyag" and "Korean" returned to Russia through neutral countries. The remains of the Russian sailors who died in that battle were transferred to Vladivostok in 1911 and buried in mass grave at the Sea Cemetery of the city.

The battle of the Varyag with the superior forces of the Japanese squadron was later assessed differently by military experts, more than once speculative theories were put forward that the enemy could have been inflicted more damage. But public opinion, not only in Russia, but also in European countries, immediately highly appreciated the feat of Russian sailors, who boldly moved into a hopeless battle.

So, the Austrian poet Rudolf Greinz, previously distant from Russia, and even more so from the Far East, soon after he learned about the heroic battle of the Russian cruiser, impressed by the courage of the Varyag team, wrote a song that immediately became, as they would say today, " hit "and" hit ":

Auf Deck, Kameraden, all' auf Deck!

Heraus zur letzten Parade!

Der stolze Warjag ergibt sich nicht,

Wir brauchen keine Gnade!

Already in April 1904, Der Warjag was translated into Russian, and to this day these words are known to almost everyone in our country:

Up, comrades, all in their places!

The last parade is coming!

Our proud Varyag does not surrender to the enemy,

Nobody wants mercy!

P.S. The Varyag was raised by the Japanese on July 26, 1905, repaired and in 1907, under the name Soya, was included in their fleet as a training cruiser.

It was redeemed by Russia from Japan in March 1916 for the S.L.O. flotilla, with the return of its former name.

In December 1916 he arrived in Murmansk. At that time, the Varyag could reach a speed of 10 knots, had armament: 12-152 / 45 mm. and 4-76/40 mm. guns, 4 7.62 mm. machine gun,

6 surface torpedo tubes of caliber 381 mm., 35 min.

At the end of 1919 it was sold for scrap. While being towed to a dismantling site, the metal hit rocks near the town of Lendalfoot in the Irish Sea and was then destroyed by a violent storm.

Dismantled by divers in parts in 1924-1925.

P.P.S.. The feat of the sailors of the cruiser was not forgotten. In 1954, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the battle at Chemulpo, Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy N.G. Kuznetsov personally awarded 15 veterans with medals "For Courage".

On August 9, 1992, a monument was unveiled to the commander of the cruiser V.F. Rudnev in the village of Savina (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.

Sources: