Still thundering salvos of the Russo-Japanese war, an armored cruiser of Kamimura had to prove his suitability to participate in a line battle, along with the “senior comrades” — the Armadillo, and on the stocks of all the major naval powers had already laid the ships of this class, belonging to a new generation. Designers “squeezed” from all the extra projects and used the latest advances of modern technology, making their products more and more rational and powerful. In fact, the armored cruiser has ceased to be a cruiser in the old sense of the word — single by raider, intended to hunt for enemy merchant vessels. Huge, armored giants, carrying more powerful artillery, which was definite overkill for the intended objectives. In the naval doctrines of the cruisers now are basically given the role of scouts in the squadron, fast avant-garde is able to disperse the enemy’s patrols, giving them the opportunity to observe the deployment of private line squadrons. In fact, the last armored cruiser was created on the principle of “ship vs ship”.
The construction of the new unit could not be smaller and weaker commissioned a potential enemy, on the contrary, she had to surpass him if possible “personal meeting”. The other side replied to this as its “strongman”, and when a potential rival was still in the shipyard. Escalating individual power armored cruisers captured all of the nation. It is quite natural that in such cases the stormy rivalries led to the emergence of highly sophisticated samples. But, as often happens in the history of military equipment, that it carried within it the seeds of the end of this line of development. The ending of this was quite close. The chance to meet in battle specifically with the same opponent against which it was built, this ship has become quite elusive, not to mention the fact that in a real combat situation one of the parties could be in numerical superiority, and under cover of the battleships, or destroyers — because the fleets continued to grow rapidly. But while in England, USA, France, Italy, Germany and Russia continued to think about the “cruiser-absolute” that can crush the enemy in a kind of joust.
In the Chapter on “process”, as usual, acted as “mistress of the seas”. The latest and most powerful armored cruisers of Britain began to be built in the midst of the Russo-Japanese war. But in their projects, the designers possibly have taken into account its lessons, though in typical English spirit. The displacement taken as a prototype “Worrier” has increased a thousand tons, fully perekonomian weapons.
The result is a graceful four-pipe ship with multiple gun turrets. In addition to the two-gun fore and aft, which will house 234-graph paper on each side lined up five odnorodnyh 190 mm. Bristling like hedgehogs, rapid-fire guns, “defense”, “the Minotaur” and “Shannon” in the exercise managed to produce per minute up to 50 heavy shells of the tower guns — 20 times more than ours “Russia”. But all was not as smooth as it looked on paper and at exhibitions. Key features of the cruiser was not sufficiently balanced: compared to its predecessors has not improved, and in some places it has become even more weaker. In fact, the projectile, which pierced the side zone (the thickness of which in the middle of the casing was six inches, decreasing in the bow and stern to four and three inches, respectively), could cause dangerous damage to machinery, boilers or cellars of ammunition — the only other cover of which was purely symbolic, 19 mm bevel the armored deck. Although one of the pre-banquets with the participation of the English and German sailors of the Spee squadron officers with “Minotaur” promised in the event of a meeting with the “Scharnhorst” or “Gneisenau” do not shoot from the same 190-graph paper, “to equalize the number of guns”, not the fact that such a meeting necessarily would have been in favor of “British”. After all targets for the enemy’s shells missed: now each gun had its own feed, which moved the real “chain” of dangerous goods. This danger was confirmed a cruel fate “Defense”, which in the Jutland battle came a heavy shell from the German battleship. Fire track from the ignited charges has penetrated into all the cellars, and they exploded simultaneously, throwing out pillars of flame and smoke through the demolished roof of numerous towers. The ship immediately blew up, taking with them into the abyss of the entire team.
The second weakness was already insufficient for the new era of dreadnoughts speed. Project 23 knots with difficulty reached the first pair, “defense” and “Minotaur”, but a little wider and shallow-draught “Shannon” has not exceeded 22.5 per node. Such a small supply of speed in front of their battleships, and was the cause of death “Defense”, who along with friends just could not quickly removed from the path of the Armada Jellicoe and came under murderous fire suddenly appeared battleships of the enemy, which could survive for only a few minutes.
But such a fate was a kind of justice. After that time, at the bottom of the North sea has’ rested German response to “defen-Sy” — the last armored cruiser the Kaiser’s fleet “Blucher.” It should be noted that the Germans have approached the problem of “improving the breed” in this class of ships more efficiently. “Blucher” got a single main battery, although national traditions are not too powerful — 12 210-mm guns in six turrets, of which the Board could only shoot four. In accordance with the same tradition that protected the ship was much better than the British. Thicker 180 mm belt supported from within a 50-mm bevel of the deck, which, however, only roughly corresponded to booking Japanese “aces”. Tried designers, and with speed: as a traditional three-shaft installation nominally provide 24 knots, but on trials cruiser has developed to a node with excess more. But high speed and good protection (specify — for cruisers!) in the end played a trick on him. The numerical advantage of the British linear cruisers prompted the command of the high seas Fleet to include a “Blucher” in the fast detachment of the Admiral Hipper, consisting of ships of this new class. As a result, speed, and protection was insufficient: in pursuit of the British in the battle of Dogger Bank improvident placed in the rear of the ship gradually began to lag and get one hit after the other. Finally, successfully released a heavy shell found a “Achilles heel” in the design, breaking the top deck armor and exploded in the ship’s corridor, which was fed ammo to the side towers. In a narrow and long pipe ignited the charges, and the flames in the fireplace, pulled around the ship. Subsequent contact with disabled mechanical installation. However, the “Blucher” was hard: the British had put in already fixed the cruiser about a hundred large caliber shells and several torpedoes before it finally went down.
Other than the German armored cruiser main artillery caliber single created only by the French. And also as a result the caliber of this was weak. Two of the latest generation of the class sailed under the tricolor flag, “Edgar Quinet” and “Waldeck Rousseau”, was carrying fourteen 194 mm guns — very impressive at first glance quantity. But only at first. They are located in installations of three types: two – and odnorodnyh the towers and also in the dungeons. The last decision was forced: more towers to fit in a fair amount along the length of the body was not possible. Impressive multitube 14 000-ton giants with his 23-node speed after the appearance of the dreadnoughts almost completely lost their value, but the French kept them in the ranks and in the 1930-ies, after the entry into operation of high-speed cruisers of the new generation, although as training ships.
His version of supercruiser appeared over the ocean. And the Americans continued economic pressure on the Old world: no doubt, they put in a larger series than any of the Europeans. Large in size but relatively poorly armed (“only” jasminewebcam as the main gauge) predecessors — “Pennsylvania”, which we described earlier, was severely criticized. Therefore, even before their accession to the system of the following four (“tn”, “Washington”, “North Carolina” and “Montana”) has already received 10-inch guns, the shells of which weighed 250 kg, more than twice the mass of the projectile from its predecessors. The rest of the new armored cruiser was little different from “Pennsylvania” and his comrades: with a displacement of 14,500 tons, they could only accelerate up to 22 knots. The basic protection was still armored deck with thick 102 mm bevels, backed aboard the 127-mm armor belt. Good cover of the 229-mm slabs had the frontal part of the towers and battle cabin. However, the Americans did not dare to the next step: the second caliber still consisted of sixteen six-inch. However, these tools could render good service, at least in the battle with the cruisers, and partly with battleships, destroying their unarmored parts. But twenty-two of the 76 of graph paper by the time of entry into service looked a little strange — a bit too much as mine caliber, and almost no chance to use them in battle.
In the end, the American giants had not so many advantages but also considerable disadvantages in order to join the main battle squadrons. And they served in the first line very long. During the First world war cruisers began to slowly remove the artillery. The victim fell six-inch guns (in some units was reduced to four) and become quite odious 76 graph paper, the number of which is almost halved (to 12). However, shortly before, in 1911, the status of “tn” and the company formally increased: they set lattice “chehovskie” mast, what then was the exclusive privilege of the American battleships. The desire of the command to test their supercruiser “in the case” testified and installation during the war, a pair of 76-mm anti-aircraft guns. But in the meantime, “Pennsylvania”, like their predecessors, were actively used for experiments with carrier-based aircraft. “North Carolina,” November 5, 1915 the first flight of the aircraft. Later, Washington has become a real “armored AviaMarket”: the cruiser was based four seaplanes, also run from a catapult.
However, after the First world war, these large and outdated units remained in the Navy: the United States, unlike England, there was a distinct lack of any cruisers. But of the four “survivors” only had three left. In August 1916 just renamed “Memphis” “tn” was in the Harbor of the capital of the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo, when this port came a giant 30-meter tsunami wave. And the ship with a displacement of 15 thousand tons, the unthinkable has happened: the powerful shaft just threw it on the shore. Crumpled and “twisted”, the cruiser had to pass to be scrapped. Renaming and subjected the rest: “Washington” in the same 1916 became “Seattle”, and in 1920 “North Carolina” and “Montana” has turned into “Charlotte” and “Missoula”. The reason for this “reduction in rank” (cruiser instead of “States” become “cities”, and among the not the first in the USA) consisted primarily in the fact that the names needed for growing by leaps and bounds fleet of dreadnoughts. But not only that. The last armored cruiser of the United States was no longer of great value, and in 1921 they were transferred to the reserve. But cutting is not sent immediately. The Navy made several attempts to modernize them. One of the projects included, in particular, the installation of more powerful and modern mechanisms. From the weapons on the cruisers remained only a 10-inch switchblade stiletto, complemented by a new 127-mm skorostyami. However, even in such a “rejuvenation” of the ships would remain “obsolete their old men.” In the end, preference is given to a principally new class of heavy cruisers, and “Missoula” and “Charlotte” a few years went to be scrapped. Remained in service only “Seattle”, which served as the floating headquarters and barracks for its clerks before the Second world war, when the once most powerful armored cruiser of the United States finally “demoted” to a floating warehouse. Still, the former “Washington” survived this war, going to be scrapped along with the much more young and strong ships only in 1946 after 40 years of service.
The representatives of the latest generation cruisers with true built in England Russian armored cruiser “Rurik”, which was described earlier. Armament he probably looked even slightly preferable to “Americans”: in the same four 10-duimovich our ship could add fire the same number of 8-inch guns on Board, compared with the much less powerful six 6-dyuymovymi.
All of these ships had a displacement of not less than 14 thousand tons. The engineers thought that in smaller sizes it is impossible to contain equally powerful weapons and adequate protection. To refute this postulate came from the Italians who have achieved success in the design of high-speed combat vessels. The leadership of the Navy in 1904, managed to “break” the construction of a pair of cruisers, provided that they weigh not more than 10, OOO t Designer Giuseppe Orlando approached the matter simply on the basis of drawings of battleships type “Roma” and reducing your ship to the desired size. Of course, I had to sacrifice caliber artillery. Place 12-Dujmovic took the 10-inch guns, but in twice the number 2 in the bow and stern towers. Vosmidesyati had to be replaced by 190 graph paper, and because of the somewhat shorter length of the body additional victim was one of three towers on each side. In the end, “Pisa” and “Amalfi” was “the smallest among the most strong”: with a displacement 9850 t they released the same metal as their prototypes and “elders” — “Roma”. Looked very solid protection Board, reaching in the middle of the body 200 mm pretty well cover of the tower and battle house. Not disappoint, and the speed exceeding on tests of 23 knots — more than the “tn” and “Rurik”, at equality with “Defensor” and the French.
118. Armored cruiser “Blucher” (Germany, 1910)
Built at the shipyard of the Navy in Kiel. Displacement — 15 590 tons, maximum length — 161,7 m, width — 24,5 m, draft — 8.2 m. Capacity of three-shaft steam engine triple expansion installation — 34 000 HP, speed of 24.5 KTS. Reservations: belt 180 — 60 mm, deck 40 — 50 mm (50 mm bevels), tower 180 mm battery 140 mm, cutting 250 mm Armament: twelve 210/45-mm 150/45 eight mm and sixteen 88/45 mm guns, four 450 mm torpedo tubes. Killed in battle at the Dogger-Bank on 24 January 1915
119. Armored cruiser “Minotaur” (England, 1908)
Built at the shipyard of the Navy in Devonport. Displacement — 14 600 tons, maximum length — 158,19 m, width of 22.71 m, maximum draught of 7.92 m. the system Capacity of the two plants triple expansion — 27 000 HP, speed 23 knots. Armament: four 234/50 mm and ten. 190/50-mm guns, sixteen 76/45 mm rapid-fire guns, five 457 mm torpedo tubes. Reservations: belt 152 — 76mm, deck 19 — 37 mm (bevel 19mm), tower 203 — 114 mm supply 178 — 76 mm, combat tower 254 mm. In 1908 — 1909 built three units: “difens”, “Minotaur” and “Shannon”. Difens died in the battle of Jutland in may 1916, the other two are excluded from lists and scrapped in 1920 — 1922.
120. Armored cruiser “San Marco” (Italy, 1911)
Built at the shipyard of the Navy in Castellammare. Displacement — 10 of 970 tons, maximum length — 140,80 m, width — 21,0 m, maximum draught of 7.71 m. Capacity chetyrehbalnoy steam turbine — 23 000 HP, the design speed is 23 knots. Armament: four 254/45-mm and eight 190/45-mm guns, eighteen 76-mm rapid-fire, two 47-mm saluting, three 450 mm torpedo tubes. Reservations: belt 200 — 75 mm, deck 50 mm, turrets 254 mm guns 200 mm, tower 190 mm 160 mm guns, combat tower 254 mm. Only in 1910 — 1911 built two units: “San Giorgio” and “San Marco”. Both excluded from the lists of the fleet in 1947.
Despite all engineering advances, some of the price for the weight savings I had to pay. The Italian cruisers had a relatively low case and with considerable excitement, which often took place even in the calm Mediterranean sea, the well was filled with water. To rectify the situation took a well-known shipbuilder Eduardo Masdea that created a lot of very good ships for the Italian Navy. The next pair, “San Giorgio” and “San Marco”, he introduced the forecastle, to prevent flooding on the wave that managed in excess of 600 tons. Changed the General arrangement: instead of three pipes, “Pisa”, which made her look like “the original” Roma, “the Holy pair” appeared four, in groups of two, as at the first Italian dreadnought “Dante Alighieri”. The armament remained the same; only increased the number of 76-millimetrovogo, which was 18 instead of 16), and booking, at the same thicknesses of the individual elements, managed to have more successfully: the entire middle part of the body was a solid armored redoubt. If the “San Giorgio” failed to provide the domestic slabs production plant in Terni, “Marco” had to order them in the US — the capacity of domestic plants was not enough for both ships, which were built almost simultaneously.
“San Marco” was different from “sisterships” and “polyesterol” the fact that it installed a steam turbine with a capacity of 23 000 HP (instead of steam engines triple expansion 20 000 HP for other units). This innovation went in his favor: the cruiser showed on the tests 23.75 node, more than any of the others, despite the fact that proved to be the most “severe” — the displacement almost reached 11 thousand tons. The mass of the ship reduced, shortening impressive pipes to a few meters, because it turned out that the thrust and so sufficient to 14 boiler Babcock-Wilcox coal with a mixed oil heating provided enough steam for the turbines.
“The fantastic four” (or rather, both pairs are really beautiful in their characteristics) came into operation in 1909 — 1910, and during the First world war the first has undergone substantial modernization. On the shore passed some little helpful 76-millimetrovogo, but at the same time guns of the same caliber again appeared on Board, but as anti-aircraft guns, and in the solid for the time number six on the ship. All armored cruisers received front mast, which gave them a more traditional look compared to the original, when they were decorated with only a hefty mainmast, which made the whole silhouette somehow unbalanced and strange.
Like their class brothers from other countries, the war was “the Italians” failed. No bright campaigns and bold deeds, but obligatory sacrifices. Shortly after Italy entered the war in July 1915, “Amalfi” torpedoed submarine. Formally U-26 belonged to a former ally, Austria-Hungary, but in fact the Austrian was the only room on the submarine was the German crew. Left alone “Pisa” in 1921 reclassified in the coastal defense ship, then training ship, and in this role she successfully lasted until 1937.
More interested in the fate of expected a few “saints”. They have until the beginning of the 1930s years remained (at least formally) in the first line of the fleet. And “Marco” was converted into a radio-controlled ship target, reducing the performance of mechanical installation by almost half. However, with new oil boilers and without heavy towers of the former cruiser rather famously went 18 knots. In 1943, after the capitulation of Italy, he was captured by the Germans, but did not keep, and sunk by bombs of the allies, he went for scrapping after the war.
“San Giorgio” remained a fighter until the end. In 1938 it was significantly upgraded by installing decent for the time anti-aircraft battery of eight 100-mm and six 37-mm and twelve 20-mm and four 13-mm machine guns. (Subsequently, the number of stems of defense has increased to 36.) It turned out a kind of floating artillery battery, able to fend for themselves (and securable), and against the sea and against enemy aircraft. This is how the “San Giorgio” and used. Armored cruiser-battery defended the fortress of Tobruk in Libya. There he met his end in January 1941, undermined by the team not to fall into the hands of the advancing British. However, the history the veteran did not end there. Submerged in shallow waters, “Giorgio” was raised in 1952 and took to the open sea, where solemnly sent to the bottom, finding that glorious path must have an honorable end.
Despite the fact that the last representatives of the class cruisers were built in different countries and according to different ideas, in the end, they were surprisingly similar characteristics. Speed 22 — 23 knots (with minimal deviations) and 8 — 9 shooting onboard guns one or two “main” calibers — 190 — 254 mm. Protection Board was also roughly equivalent, and consisted of 5 — to 6-inch zone. True, it had a “hidden Supplement” in the form of a sloping armored deck, the thickness of which ranged considerably: from 19 mm in the ephemeral British ships to more than impressive 102 mm the American “polypropalene”. Overall they were a very powerful combat units, notably superior to its predecessors, especially in terms of artillery.
It is believed that the maximum efficiency of a major warship becomes after three or four years after the entry into operation, and another five to eight years is quite a modern unit of the first line. According to these criteria, all armored cruisers of the last generation entered the First world war in that capacity. But technical progress in the Navy in the early part of the twentieth century has been so rapid that these great ships, which were expended considerable resources and efforts of the designers, remained unclaimed. The reason for this lies primarily in the miscalculations of the leadership of the navies of the belligerent powers. How useful would the same “defense”, being in the squadron of Admiral Kradeca in battle at Coronel, as it was envisaged in the initial plan. Or, on the contrary, however, significant problems could create a British high-speed and powerful “Blucher” being in the Spee squadron or individual krakerstva. Or is it the same with our ships in the Baltic. However, commanders prefer to keep still new, but do not meet the requirements of the first line ships in the main force. Where they died without glory and of much use.
V. KOFMAN
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