Russian battleship Ekaterina II
Encyclopedia
Ekaterina II ( Catherine II of Russia
) was the lead ship
of the pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Russian Navy
in the 1880s. Her crew was considered unreliable when the crew of the battleship mutinied in June 1905 and her engines were decoupled from the propeller
s to prevent her from joining Potemkin. She was turned over to the Sevastopol
port authorities before being stricken on 14 August 1907. She was re-designated as Stricken Vessel Nr. 3 on 22 April 1912 before being sunk as a torpedo target for the Black Sea Fleet
.
Ekaterina II was 331 foot long at the waterline and 339 in 3 in (103.4 m) long overall. She had a beam
of 68 in 11 in (21.01 m) and a draft
of 27 in 11 in (8.51 m), 24 inches (61 cm) more than designed. Her displacement was 11050 long tons (11,227.4 t) at load, almost 900 LT (914.4 MT) more than her designed displacement of 10181 LT (10,344.4 t).
Ekaterina II had two 3-cylinder vertical compound steam engines built by the Baltic Works
. Fourteen cylindrical boilers
, also built by the Baltic Works, provided steam to the engines. The engines had a total designed output of 9000 ihp, but they produced 9101 ihp on trials and gave a top speed of 15.25 knots. At full load she carried 900 long tons (914.4 MT) of coal that provided her a range of 2800 nautical miles (5,185.6 km) at a speed of 10 knots (5.4 m/s) and 1367 nautical miles (2,531.7 km) at 14.5 knots (7.9 m/s).
Ekaterina II differed from her sisters
mainly in her 12 inches (305 mm) gun mounts. Her guns used bulky, hydraulically powered Moncrieff disappearing gun
mounts. They had a rate of fire of five minutes, ten seconds between aimed rounds. Each of the forward mounts could traverse 30° across the bow and 35° abaft the beam, or a total of 155°. Sixty rounds per gun were carried. The main guns were mounted very low, (only 4 in 6 in (1.37 m)) above the main deck, and caused extensive damage to the deck when fired over the bow or stern. The seven 6 inches (152 mm) Obukhov Model 1877
35-calibre
guns were mounted on broadside pivot mounts in hull embrasures, except for one gun mounted in the stern in the hull. Six of the eight 47 millimetres (1.9 in) five-barrelled revolving Hotchkiss gun
s were mounted in small sponson
s that projected from the hull with the aftermost pair mounted in embrasures in the hull to defend the ship against torpedo boat
s. Four 37 millimetres (1.5 in) five-barrelled revolving Hotchkiss guns were mounted in the fighting top
. She carried seven above-water 14 inches (356 mm) torpedo tube
s, one tube forward on each side, able to bear on forward targets, two other tubes mounted on each broadside
forward and aft of the central citadel and the seventh tube was in the stern.
at Nikolaev
. The ship was laid down on 26 June 1883, launched on 20 May 1886, and completed in 1889. She ran her first trials in 1888, after she had been transferred to Sevastopol to be fitted out, and spent her career with the Black Sea Fleet
. In 1897 the Naval General Staff proposed to re-gun her with more powerful 12-inch 40-calibre guns and to replace the compound armour of her redoubt with Krupp armor, but this proved to be too expensive. Her machinery was upgraded between mid-1898 and 1902. Her boilers were replaced with eighteen Belleville water-tube boiler
s and her engines were converted to triple expansion. On trials after the refit she made 9978 ihp and a speed of 15 knots on 8 November 1902.
Her crew was considered sympathetic to the revolutionary movement when the crew of the battleship mutinied in June 1905 and her engines were disabled to prevent her from joining Potemkin. She was turned over to the Sevastopol
port authorities before being stricken on 14 August 1907. She was re-designated as Stricken Vessel Nr. 3 on 22 April 1912 before being sunk as a torpedo target. The remnants of the ship were salvaged in 1914 in Nikolaev.
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
) was the lead ship
Lead ship
The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of the pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Russian Navy
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
in the 1880s. Her crew was considered unreliable when the crew of the battleship mutinied in June 1905 and her engines were decoupled from the propeller
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
s to prevent her from joining Potemkin. She was turned over to the Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
port authorities before being stricken on 14 August 1907. She was re-designated as Stricken Vessel Nr. 3 on 22 April 1912 before being sunk as a torpedo target for the Black Sea Fleet
Black Sea Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov....
.
Design and description
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
of 68 in 11 in (21.01 m) and a draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
of 27 in 11 in (8.51 m), 24 inches (61 cm) more than designed. Her displacement was 11050 long tons (11,227.4 t) at load, almost 900 LT (914.4 MT) more than her designed displacement of 10181 LT (10,344.4 t).
Ekaterina II had two 3-cylinder vertical compound steam engines built by the Baltic Works
Baltic Shipyard
The Baltic Shipyard is one of the oldest shipyards in Russia. It is located in Saint Petersburg in the south-western part of the Vasilievsky Island. It is one of the three shipyards active in Saint Petersburg...
. Fourteen cylindrical boilers
Boiler (steam generator)
A boiler or steam generator is a device used to create steam by applying heat energy to water. Although the definitions are somewhat flexible, it can be said that older steam generators were commonly termed boilers and worked at low to medium pressure but, at pressures above this, it is more...
, also built by the Baltic Works, provided steam to the engines. The engines had a total designed output of 9000 ihp, but they produced 9101 ihp on trials and gave a top speed of 15.25 knots. At full load she carried 900 long tons (914.4 MT) of coal that provided her a range of 2800 nautical miles (5,185.6 km) at a speed of 10 knots (5.4 m/s) and 1367 nautical miles (2,531.7 km) at 14.5 knots (7.9 m/s).
Ekaterina II differed from her sisters
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
mainly in her 12 inches (305 mm) gun mounts. Her guns used bulky, hydraulically powered Moncrieff disappearing gun
Disappearing gun
A disappearing gun is a type of heavy artillery for which the gun carriage enabled the gun to rotate backwards and down into a pit protected by a wall or a bunker after it was fired...
mounts. They had a rate of fire of five minutes, ten seconds between aimed rounds. Each of the forward mounts could traverse 30° across the bow and 35° abaft the beam, or a total of 155°. Sixty rounds per gun were carried. The main guns were mounted very low, (only 4 in 6 in (1.37 m)) above the main deck, and caused extensive damage to the deck when fired over the bow or stern. The seven 6 inches (152 mm) Obukhov Model 1877
6 inch 35 caliber naval gun 1877
6 inch 35 caliber naval gun 1877 was a 152 mm naval gun used by Russian Empire. The gun was used from 1887 as battleship secondary armament and cruiser armament. The gun was mostly replaced by newer 6 inch 45 caliber Canet gun 1892 by Russo-Japanese War, but was still used on some ships...
35-calibre
Caliber (artillery)
In artillery, caliber or calibredifference in British English and American English spelling is the internal diameter of a gun barrel, or by extension a relative measure of the length....
guns were mounted on broadside pivot mounts in hull embrasures, except for one gun mounted in the stern in the hull. Six of the eight 47 millimetres (1.9 in) five-barrelled revolving Hotchkiss gun
Hotchkiss gun
The Hotchkiss gun can refer to different products of the Hotchkiss arms company starting in the late 19th century. It usually refers to the 1.65-inch light mountain gun; there was also a 3-inch Hotchkiss gun...
s were mounted in small sponson
Sponson
Sponsons are projections from the sides of a watercraft, for protection, stability, or the mounting of equipment such as armaments or lifeboats, etc...
s that projected from the hull with the aftermost pair mounted in embrasures in the hull to defend the ship against torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
s. Four 37 millimetres (1.5 in) five-barrelled revolving Hotchkiss guns were mounted in the fighting top
Top (sailing ship)
On a traditional square rigged ship, the top is the platform at the upper end of each mast. This is not the masthead "crow's nest" of the popular imagination – above the mainmast is the main-topmast, main-topgallant-mast and main-royal-mast, so that the top is actually about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way...
. She carried seven above-water 14 inches (356 mm) torpedo tube
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
s, one tube forward on each side, able to bear on forward targets, two other tubes mounted on each broadside
Broadside
A broadside is the side of a ship; the battery of cannon on one side of a warship; or their simultaneous fire in naval warfare.-Age of Sail:...
forward and aft of the central citadel and the seventh tube was in the stern.
History
Ekaterina II was named after the Empress Catherine II of Russia. She was the only one of her class to be built by the Nikolayev Admiralty DockyardShipyard named after 61 Communards
Shipyard named after 61 Communards is a major shipyard located in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. In modern times, the shipyard has been most commonly referred to as Nikolaev North Shipyard but was also known as Soviet Shipyard No. 200.- History :...
at Nikolaev
Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv , also known as Nikolayev , is a city in southern Ukraine, administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv is the main ship building center of the Black Sea, and, arguably, the whole Eastern Europe.-Name of city:...
. The ship was laid down on 26 June 1883, launched on 20 May 1886, and completed in 1889. She ran her first trials in 1888, after she had been transferred to Sevastopol to be fitted out, and spent her career with the Black Sea Fleet
Black Sea Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov....
. In 1897 the Naval General Staff proposed to re-gun her with more powerful 12-inch 40-calibre guns and to replace the compound armour of her redoubt with Krupp armor, but this proved to be too expensive. Her machinery was upgraded between mid-1898 and 1902. Her boilers were replaced with eighteen Belleville water-tube boiler
Water-tube boiler
A water tube boiler is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by the fire. Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which heats water in the steam-generating tubes...
s and her engines were converted to triple expansion. On trials after the refit she made 9978 ihp and a speed of 15 knots on 8 November 1902.
Her crew was considered sympathetic to the revolutionary movement when the crew of the battleship mutinied in June 1905 and her engines were disabled to prevent her from joining Potemkin. She was turned over to the Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
port authorities before being stricken on 14 August 1907. She was re-designated as Stricken Vessel Nr. 3 on 22 April 1912 before being sunk as a torpedo target. The remnants of the ship were salvaged in 1914 in Nikolaev.