Classification: Cruiser of I-st rate Name: AVRORA Class: a PALLADA (1899) class vessel Principal designer: K. K. Ratnik, buisiness manager
of Baltiyskiy Ironworks Shipyard, city: New Admiralty, Saint Petersburg
Building supervisors: E. R. de Grofe, K. M. Tokarevskiy
Coast, including guns: about 6400 roubles. Laid down: June 4, 1897 Launched: May 24, 1900 Commissioned: July 29, 1903 in lists of Baltic
fleet Displacement (standard): 6731.3 t Dimensions:
Length (overall): 126.8 m
Beam (overall): 16.8 m
Draught (aver.): 6.4 m
Normal maximum speed: 19.2 knots Range: 4000 miles at 10 knots Main propulsion (in 1903):
- total power 11'610 h.p.
- steam engines, number and type 3 vertical engins of
triple expansion
- steam boilers, number and type 24 Belleville boilers
1894-type
Propulsors: 3 three-bladed propellers (135 rot.
per min)
Fuel (coal) stock:
normal: 912 t
higest possible: 1000 t
Artillery weapons:
(in 1917) 14x1 - 6-inch Cane guns;
6x1 - 3-inch Lender AA guns Torpedo armament: 1 above-water, 2 submersible
torpedo tubes
(8 torpedos of 1898-type) Mine weapons: 35 mines of 10-inch caliber
(since 1915: 150 mines of 1908-type) Anti-torpedo weapons: Anti-torpedo nets Communication equipment: A.S.Popov-type wireless
station,
6 - 75-mm Mangen searchlights
(since 1904: T.S.F.-type radio station) Fire control equipment: N.K.Geisler-type fire control
system,
2 - 1.4-m Barr&Strudd-type range finders Navigating equipment:
(main) 2 - 10-inch standadt magnetic compasses,
4 - 7.5-inch working magnetic compasses Sonar: since 1916: FESSENDEN-type underwater communication
station
Cruiser Aurora history
The ship was constructed in St. Petersburg New Admiralty
in 1897-1903 under the program of strengthening of the
Russian sea forces at the Far East. On the 8th of November,
1903 AURORA was sent to the Far East together with the
cruiser detachment under the flag of Rear Admiral A.A.Virenius.
She had made the voyage on a route: Kronstadt - Portland
(U.K.) - Algeria - Specia (Italy) - Bizerta (Tunis) -
Peraeus (Greece) - Port Suez - Gibuti. However the detachment
was withdrawn on Baltic Sea owing the beginning of Russo-Japanese
war.
Cruiser AURORA received her baptism of fire during the
war 1904-1905, when she was included in 2-nd Squadron
of the Pacific Fleet and on October 15, 1904 left Libau
for the Far East under the command of captain 1-st rank
Ye.R.Yegoryev. Cruiser took part in Tsushima battle on
May 27-28, 1905. In the formation of Rear Admiral O.A.Enkvist's
Cruiser Detachment, she followed the flagship, cruiser
OLEG, and in the beginning of daylight action covered
the column of Russian transports from the East. At 14:30
p.m. Russian cruiser detachment (formed of two 1-st rate
cruisers and two old cruisers under the command of Rear
Admiral O.A.Enkvist) and Reconnaissance Detachment (one
1-st rate cruiser, one 2-nd rate cruiser and one auxiliary
cruiser under the command of captain 1-st rank S.P.Shein)
engaged in a battle with Japanese 3-rd (4 cruisers, Vice-Admiral
Deva) and 4-th (4 cruisers, Rear Admiral Uriu) Combat
Detachments and at 15:20 p.m. - with Japanese 6-th Combat
Detachment (4 cruisers, Rear Admiral Togo the Junior)
in addition. About 16:00 p.m. AURORA got under the fire
of Japanese armoured cruisers of 1-st Combat Detachment
and was damaged. At the same time Rusian cruisers engag
in an action with Japanese 5-th Combat Detachment (one
old coastal defence ironclad and 3 cruisers, Vice-Admiral
Kataoka) in addition. About 16:30 p.m. AURORA along with
other cruisers went under the protection of Russian ironclads
and stopped fighting.
Cruiser's commanding officer from July 1904 till May
1905
captain 1-st rank Ye.R.Yegoryev (1854-1905).
Total 303 6-inch and 1282 75-mm shells were wasted during
the battle. Cruiser endured moderate damages due to 18
hits of 8"-3" shells. Splinters of one 75-mm
shell flied into the conning tower and wounded all present
officers. commanding officer Yeroryev was killed, and
senior officer, captain 2-nd rank A.K.Nebolsin, took the
command over the cruiser, in spite of his seriuos wound.
Total 15 seamen were killed in action and 83 were wounded.
All the killed were buried at the sea later: commanding
officer in a point 15¦00'N, 119¦15'O, the
other crew members in a point 32¦00'N, 126¦00'O.
Cruiser received moderate damages of the hull and superstructures.
Fire control system partially sent out of operation. One
6-inch and five 75-mm guns were destroyed.
In night on May 28 Rear Admiral Enkvist, expecting a
complete defeat of Russian squadron, had accepted the
decision to withdraw the three cruisers, remained in his
detachmend, on the South. Following the flagship, AURORA
forced her speed, broke away the Japanese ships and on
the 6-th of June had arrived in Manila (Philippines, U.S.A.).
On the 7th of June Enkvist's detachment was interned by
the American authorities. After the ending of the war,
in February 1906, cruiser returned to Libau.
After the war Cruiser became a training ship for cadets
and reefers of Marine Cadet Corps. She was reclassified
from Cruiser of 1-st rate to Cruiser in 1907. During the
summers of 1907-1908, 1910 and 1913 AURORA was voyaging
with Marine Corps reefers at the Baltic Sea, visited Visbo
and Stockholm (Sweden), Copenhagen (Denmark), participated
in celebration the Kieler Woche («Kiel week»),
when (on 1st of July) she was visited by German emperor.
Since autumn 1909 till spring 1910 AURORA had made the
long voyage to Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Russian
cadets had been to Vigo (Spain), Algeria, Bizerta (Tunis),
Toulon and Villefranche-sur-Mer (France), Smirna (Turkey),
Naples and Messina (Italy), Suda (Crete), Peraeus and
Poros (Greece), Gibraltar (U.K.), Vigo again, Cherbourg
(France) and Kiel (Germany). Since autumn 1910 till spring
1911 ship made the second long voyage on a route: Libau
(Russia) - Christiansund (Denmark) - Vigo (Spain) - Bizerta
(Tunis) - Peraeus and Poros (Greece) - Messina (Italy)
- Malaga and Vigo (Spain) - Cherbourg (France) - Libau.
During the third long voyage (autumn 1911 - summer 1912)
AURORA participated in coronation ceremony of king of
Thailand (16.11-02.12.1911), visited ports in Atlantic
Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Indian and Pacific Oceans. In
the spring and summer 1912 Cruiser in the formation of
the international squadron for protecting the Crete stood
in the Suda Bay as Russian stationeer.
Combat service in the First World War
At the beginning of the World War I Cruiser AURORA under
the command of captain 1-st rank G.I.Butakov was included
in 2-nd Cruiser Brigade of the Baltic Fleet (homeport
Sveaborg). She accomplished the artillery shooting and
performed the patrol service. For example the Cruiser
safeguarded the security of the diving works on wrecked
German Cruiser MAGDEBURG in August and September 1914,
reconnoitred the skerriers fairway between Gulfs of Finland
and Bothnia. During the winter 1914/1915 Cruiser was rearmed
14 6" guns, 4 75-mm guns, as well as mine rails for
150 electric&percussion 1908-type mines and anti-mine
fore-trawl. In a campaign of 1915 the Cruiser's task was
to patrol to the West of the Central Mine&Artillery
position. Cruiser safeguarded the minesweeping works,
made campaign for searching the concealed passages in
Finnish skerries. In winter routine repairs Cruiser received
in addition two 75-mm and one 40-mm «airguns»,
and in summer of that year - next two 75-mm «airguns»
(whereas all 75-mm guns of anti-mine calibre were taken
off). In a campaign of 1916 AURORA was temporary used
for cadets' naval practice, and later participated in
Gulf of Riga defence: supported by the fire land forces,
repelled air attacks on Russian ship's detachment.
In autumn 1916 AURORA laid in Saint Petersburg Franco-Russian
plant while major repairs were made. During the winter
1916/1917 steam-engins were repaired, new Belleville-Dolgolenko
boilers were mounted. Main calibre artillary received
new mountings, which increased their firing range from
53 to 67 cable lengths. Instead of temporary 75-mm «airguns»
six 3-inch ordinary AA guns of F.F.Lender's system were
installed. Besides new powerful radio station and sonar
communication system were mounted. Crew was increased
up to 723 men.
Lying in Petrograd the Cruiser had appeared at the centre
of events of Russian Revolution 1917. Being in close contact
to the workers of a plant, the cruiser's seamen were involved
in revolutionary propaganda. This was promoted by general
situation in Russia, which was put on a verge of catastrophe
by the war. Russian army, fatiged, bloodless, insufficiently
armed, suffered tremendous losses and went from defeat
to defeat. The national economy had come in decline: there
were starvation, lack of bread, meat, kerosene, goods
of the primary needs. There was obvious an inability of
imperial government to cope with a crisis situation. The
mutual relations between AURORA's officers and team became
extremely strained. On 12th of March the crew had required
commanding officer to release under the arrest a three
imprisoned workers-propagandists. In order to disperse
this mass-meeting commanding officer Captain 1-st rank
M.I.Nikolskiy and Senior officer P.P.Ogranovich opened
pistol fire; there were wounded. When on March 13, 1917
at the Cruiser it had become known about the occured Revolution,
sailors together with the workers hoisted the Red flag
over the ship. Commanding officer was killed, senior officer
was wounded, most part of crew landed and joined the revolt.
Soon the Ship Committee was elected in realization of
democratic rights of sailors. As a result of secret voting
it was decided, that democratic republic must be a form
of government in Russia. During the spring-summer-autumn
1917 the political situation aboard the AURORA was characterized
by gradual loosing the confidence for Provisional Government
between both sailors and officers. Influence of Russian
Social Democratic Workers' Party (Bolshevistic) rose.
After bloody events on March 13-14 the relations between
Ship Committee and officers become rather normal: the
officers did not go against the crew that concerned political
convictions, and the Ship Committee did not put obstacles
in officers's way concerning a service, discipline and
ordinary ship works. When in October 1917 political situation
in the country had become aggravated again and conflict
between the Provisional Government and the Councils of
workers', peasant's and soldiers' deputees had reached
a deadlock, majority of the crew took Bolsheviks Party's
side. Under the Baltic Fleet Central Committee's decision
quite repaired AURORA was remained in Petrograd and was
subordinated to Petrograd Council. Cruiser's sailors took
part in October Revolt in Petrograd (7.11.1917), when
Cruiser reestablished the traffic on the Nikolayevskiy
bridge. Later AURORA blank-fired a forecastle gun to bringing
moral pressure to defenders of Winter Palace, where the
Provisional Government was.
By November 11 repaired AURORA had returned to 2-nd Cruiser
Brigade, but shortly after most part of her crew was demobilized
according to the Government Decree of old Navy's dissolution
and new Wokers' and Peasants' Red Fleet organization.
Only about 40 men remained aboard for purposes of guarding
and routine affairs. In 1918 the Civil war began in Russia.
By the summer 1918 Cruiser was removed to Kronstadt and
put in reserve, since there was no more possibility to
remain it battle-worthy. 6-inch guns were dismounted and
sent to Astrakhan for arming the floating batteries of
red Volga&Caspian naval flotilla. Most part of cruiser's
sailors either went to Civil war fronts or simply went
home. In 1922 the ship was handed over Kronstadt port
for long duration storage (laid up).
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