Imperiya class Battleship

Imperiya class Battleship
Class overview
Name	Imperiya class Battleship
Operators	Far Eastern Imperial Navy
Class before	Siyaniye class Battleship
Planned	2
Built	2
Active	1
Destroyed	1
General Characteristics
Type	Battleship
Displacement	12,200 tons standard 14,300 tons full load
Length	124.8 metres (409 ft)
Beam	21.5 metres (71 ft)
Draught	8.4 metres (28 ft)
Propulsion	2 shafts, 2 VTE steam engines
Power	20 Belleville boilers 16,300 ihp (12,200 kW)
Speed	18 kts
Range	5500 nm at 10 kts
Complement	780
Armament	2 × 2 305mm/45 KO 1898 g gun 12 x 152mm/45 KO 1893 g gun 18 x 76.2mm/40 KO 1900 g gun 8 37mm/40 KO 1893 g gun 3 457mm torpedo tubes
Armour	Belt: 250 mm Deck: 40-50 mm turrets: 305mm conning tower: 254 mm

Development

The follow-on class of the Siyaniye was essentially repeat of the earlier ship with main difference being the placement of secondary armament in casemates instead of turrets. This solution was based on the experience with the armored cruisers in the Far Eastern-Spanish war where the secondary turrets were considered to be too slow to react against faster enemy light units. 12 152mm guns were placed in two-level casemates, similar as in the Kuril class cruisers.

Both ships were barely introduced to the 1st Squadron when the Far Eastern-Japanese war broke out. Imperiya served as a flagship for Admiral Vitgeft and was heavily damamged in the first battle of Tsusima straights in 1904. Imperiya took hits from japanese battleships that killed Vitgeft and damaged the steering. It was only saved by the "Charge of Siyaniye" which drew fire away from the damaged flagship. Imperiya managed to escape to German port of Tsingtau in which she remained interned for the rest of the war. Monarkhia assumed the role of flagship and was sunk at the second battle of Tsusima.

Ships in class

Name	Builder	Laid down	Launch Date	Entered Service	Fate
Imperiya	Voenno-Morskoy verf, Dalny	February 1900	April 1902	February 1904	Extant in 1920
Monarkhiya	Admiralteyskiye verf, Vladivostok	February 1900	April 1902	March 1904	Sunk in 1905

See Also

Ships of Far Eastern Imperial Navy 1920