Kuril class Armored Cruiser

Kuril class Armored Cruiser
Class overview
Name	Kuril class Armored Cruiser
Operators	Far Eastern Imperial Navy
Planned	4
Built	4
Active	3
Destroyed	1
General Characteristics
Type	Armored cruiser
Displacement	9400 tons standard 10500 tons full load
Length	139.0 metres (456.0 ft)
Beam	19.38 metres (63.6 ft)
Draught	7.63 metres (25.0 ft)
Propulsion	3 shafts, 3 VTE steam engines
Power	28 Belleville water-tube boilers 21,500 ihp (16,000 kW)
Speed	21 kts
Range	8500 nm at 10 kts
Complement	752
Armament	2 × 2 203mm/45 KO 1893 g gun 1, 6 x 2 152mm/45 KO 1893 g gun 24 x 76.2mm/40 KO 1900 g gun 8 x 37mm/40 KO 1893 g gun 4 457mm torpedo tubes
Armour	Belt: 152 mm Deck: 51-76 mm conning tower: 152 mm

Development

Although the main naval strategy had switched towards battleship-oriented battle-squadrons, it was still thought that series of armored cruisers would be needed to make the Light Squadron full strength of 8 modern armored cruisers. The new ships were the first break off from the french-influenced designs. The tumblehome hull form was reduced considerably and secondary armament was moved into casemates. This was partly after operational experience had showed that the turreted secondaries in the earlier ships had slower response and firing rates than casemate guns. This experience was later confirmed in the Far Eastern - Japanese war. Main reason was however reducing weight. Overall the ships were somewhat smaller than their predecessors. The unique single 152mm gun was retained in the bow.

Building these ships was criticized from the beginning and that critic grew louder in hindsight after the Far Eastern - Japanese war. It was said that the commercial raiding cruisers just ate too much room and resources from the battleship construction and with the money spend on these ships would allowed 1 or 2 more battleships being build.

Even during the construction of these ships the role of armored cruisers begun transition from the commercial raiding role into more combined fleet operations. Far Eastern Empire followed closely Japanese fleet expansion program and took notice of Japanese idea of using Armored cruisers as organic part of the battlefleet. This idea begun to interest Far Eastern naval planners as well. After completion these ships occasionally operated with the 1st Squadron. However when the Far Eastern-Japanese war started, only Alyaska and Kuril were assigned into the 1st Squadron. Kuril escaped the Japanese blockade after the Battle of Yellow sea together with the Battleship Imperiya and were interned in China for the rest of the war. Alyaska was sunk in the battle of Tsusima in 1905.

Ships in class

Name	Builder	Laid down	Launch Date	Entered Service	Fate
Kuril	Novaya Verf, Dalny	February 1899	July 1900	April 1902	Extant in 1920
Alyaska	Novaya Verf, Dalny	February 1899	July 1900	May 1902	Sunk in 1905
Gavai	Admiralteyskiye verf, Vladivostok	June 1899	September 1900	August 1902	Extant in 1920
Sakhalin	Admiralteyskiye verf, Vladivostok	June 1899	September 1900	August 1902	Extant in 1920

See Also

Ships of Far Eastern Imperial Navy 1920