Pegas class heavy cruiser

Pegas class Heavy Cruiser
Class overview
Name	Pegas class Heavy Cruiser
Operators	Far Eastern Imperial Navy
Planned	4
Building	4
General Characteristics
Type	Heavy cruiser
Displacement	10000 tons standard 12500 tons full load
Length	185.2 metres (608 ft)
Beam	18.2 metres (60 ft)
Draught	6.45 metres (21.2 ft)
Propulsion	4 shafts, 4 KhTGZ steam turbines
Power	14 watertube boilers 90,000 ihp (67,000 kW)
Speed	32 kts
Range	7000 nm at 14 kts
Complement	630
Armament	8 × 203mm/50 KO 1918 g gun 6 x 76.2mm/40 KO 1915 g gun 2 533mm underwater torpedo tubes
Armour	Belt: 150 mm Deck: 30 mm conning tower: 76 mm

Development

After the Far Eastern-Japanese war the main naval construction was focused on creating organic battle fleet with most resources going into ships that would operate under the battleline. However the events of World War I showed to importance of naval supply lines and trade protection which required attention from the Far Eastern Imperial Fleet as well. Main catalyze for the need of new type of cruisers came from Great Britain which laid down new type of heavy cruisers (The Hawkins class) intended for trade protection and was armored and armed against standard light cruisers serving abroad at the time. This resurrected the old commercial raider concept of powerful and large cruiser able to counter enemy trade protecting assets.

4 new cruisers were ordered in 1918. They were of the new type and were shared similar silhouette as the new battlecruisers (Lkr 1917 g) being build at the time. 4 twin 203mm turrets were fitted linearly in the centerline as in Far Eastern Capital ships. These ships were powered by 10 oil-firing and 4 coal firing boilers. They were de facto the first Heavy Cruisers alongside with their British counterparts. 4 Hulls were under construction prior the Revolution.

Ships in class

Name	Builder	Laid down	Launch Date	Entered Service	Fate
Pegas	Tatarskiy sudostroitelnyy Zavod, Imperatorskaya Gavan	October 1918	December 1919	Fitting out	Under construction in 1920
Persei	Tatarskiy sudostroitelnyy Zavod, Imperatorskaya Gavan	October 1918	December 1919	Fitting out	Under construction in 1920
Pavliv	Amurskiy Sudostroitelnyy Zavod, Permskoye-na-Amure	April 1919	Building	Building	Under construction in 1920
Orion	Amurskiy Sudostroitelnyy Zavod, Permskoye-na-Amure	April 1919	Building	Building	Under construction in 1920

See Also

Ships of Far Eastern Imperial Navy 1920