Ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet

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Bogatyr-Class cruisers: Kagul and Pamyat Merkuriya

Based upon the German-built Bogatyr and her Russian-built clone Oleg, both serving with the Baltic Fleet, Kagul and Pamyat Merkuriya were the sole protected cruisers of the Black Sea fleet (not counting the Prut, which was captured from the Ottomans in 1915). They could be distinguished from Bogatyr and Oleg by the different torpedo arrangement: Bogatyr had four 381mm above water tubes, one in the bow, one in the stern and two amidships; Oleg had the same fore and aft tubes, but none at the sides, and the Black Sea Fleet ships had no above water tubes at all, but one 450mm submerged tube amidships on either beam. The smooth stem without the bow torpedo tube was the only certain giveaway to tell the Baltic from the Black Sea vessels; otherwise, they were virtually identical. Although vastly differing displacement figures are given in most sources (the Black Sea vessels are described as displacing 7.790 tons, more than 1.000 tons more than the 6.700 ton Bogatyr), the same sources give identical external dimensions; IMHO the displacements were probably measured at differing loads. They were well armed with twelve 152mm guns, four in two centerline turrets, four in single casemates and four in shielded mounts amidships, plus twelve 75mm and eight 47mm guns, and credited with a speed of 23 knots, an excellent figure for their age and size. All things considered they are probably the best protected cruisers of the pre-dreadnought era.

The first Black Sea unit was Kagul; she was laid down in 1901 and completed in 1905. There is a single photo showing her in the yard in a very advanced state of fitting out; she looks like she is painted black all over, which was probably not her as-completed paintjob. I depicted her in the standard buff-white-black livery I saw on other Black Sea Fleet ships photographed before 1906.

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The second ship, Ochakov, was built to the same design, but she was damaged before completion when her crew mutinied during the unrest of 1905, when the more famous mutiny on the battleship Potemkin happened as well. Like the Potemkin, she was renamed after the mutiny was put down in order to suppress the memory of the event. She received the new name Kagul; her sister was renamed Pamyat Merkuriya to free the name. Why they did not just give Ochakov the new name Pamyat Merkuriya and leave Kagul alone beats me. The new Kagul (ex-Ochakov) was not completed before 1909 to a revised and simplified design. She had much of her bridge structure including the prominent charthouse removed, and the aft superstructure was eliminated entirely, with only a full-width searchlight platform remaining.

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By 1912 - provided the photograph is labeled correctly - the Pamyat Merkuriya (ex-Kagul) had her fore and aft superstructure cut down in a similar way as her sister. The 47mm guns were removed, rangefinders were added fore and aft and a more modern w/t rig was installed. Pamyat Merkuriya differed from her sister by a plated bulwark on her aft casemate for the 75mm gun placed there, and - more prominently - by the lack of visible ventilators; these were replaced by flat structures less prone to battle damage. The retractable bowsprit - part of a mine sweeping installation - appears on photos labeled 1914 or later, but may have been there before; there also are later photos which do not show it.

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Kagul (ex-Ochakov) received the same modifications as her sister (except the newer ventilators; she retained the old ones through the end of the first world war. Another visible difference was the aft 47mm embrasure, which was plated in on Pamyat Merkuriya, but entirely removed on Kagul). She had her armament significally strengthened in 1914, immediately prior to the war: She landed all 75mm guns, retaining only two of a newer model on the turrets, but four additional 152mm guns in shielded mounts were added amidships, bringing the total to 16. The amidships searchlight platform was deleted for unknown reasons.

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Pamyat Merkuriya was similarly re-armed, although sources differ whether this happened in 1914, 1915 or 1916. She never received the 75mm guns on top of her turrets, but is shown on contemporary photographs with a single 75mm HA gun dead aft (written sources say two, photographs show only one). The aft searchlights were removed from their platform, which itself was retained, and one searchlight was mounted on a new platform on the mainmast.

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When construction of three Borodino-class battlecruisers was abandoned in 1916, a large number of modern 130mm/55 guns - each Borodono-class ship was to have 24 of them, and many were already delivered - became redundant and could be used to re-arm older, but still useful ships. One of the ships chosen for re-armament was Kagul, who in 1916/7 landed all her 152mm guns (including the centerline turrets) and received an all-new armament of 14 single 130mm guns. The aft centerline gun and the four aft broadside guns were unshielded. She also received a new searchlight platform on the mainmast, but unlike her sister, the former platform was removed. Kagul also had two 75mm HA guns aft.

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After the revolution, Kagul reverted to her old name Ochakov to honour the mutineers; she was later captured by the Whites and renamed General Kornilov. She went to Bizerta with Wrangel's fleet and scrapped after 1924. Pamyat Merkuriya was slated to receive the same rearmanent, but Imperial Russia collapsed before the work was done, and she was scuttled by the Whites in 1919. The Soviets repaired the decrepit hull and used her as a minelayer till sunk by the Luftwaffe in 1942; she was also changed externally, but I am not interested enough in Soviet era ships to do the necessary research, and whoever wants to draw her in her late guise is free to do so.

Greetings
GD

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