Bayan-class cruiser

File:Brasseys Bayan 2.jpg 1902}}]]

The Bayan class marked a departure from the previous Russian armored cruisers, as they were smaller ships designed to serve as scouts for the fleet rather than as commerce raiders. Authorized in the 1896–1902 building program, the design was outsourced to a French shipyard, Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, because Russian shipyards were already at full capacity. Negotiations began in March 1897, and a contract was signed in May 1898 for one ship with delivery in 36 months.McLaughlin, pp. 60–61, 68

The Navy was reasonably pleased with the first ship, Bayan, and decided to order another cruiser after the start of the Russo-Japanese War in February 1904. Russian shipyards were still unavailable, so the Navy decided to simply order a repeat with minor modifications based on war experience. This was an attempt to minimize the work load on the Naval Technical Committee (Morskoi tekhnicheskii komitet), but they proved to require more attention than planned and a contract was not signed until 20 April 1905.All dates used in this article are Old Style The contract specified that all drawings would be turned over to allow for the construction of two identical ships in St. Petersburg, using newly available slipways. These changes generally added weight and the armor was reduced in thickness to compensate, although the change from Harvey armor to more resistant Krupp armor meant that there was little actual loss in protection.McLaughlin, p. 68

The Bayan-class ships were {{convert|449|ft|7|in|1|}} long overall and {{convert|443|ft|m|1}} between perpendiculars. They had a maximum beam of {{convert|57|ft|6|in|1}}, a draft of {{convert|22|ft|1}} and displaced {{convert|7750|-|7802|LT|t}}. The ships had a crew of 573 officers and men.McLaughlin, p. 75

They had two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving a single propeller shaft, using steam provided by 26 Belleville boilers. Designed for a total of {{convert|16500|ihp|kW|lk=in|0}} intended to propel the cruisers at {{convert|21|kn|lk=in}}, the engines actually developed {{convert|17400|-|19320|ihp|kW|lk=in}} during their sea trials and drove the ships to maximum speeds of {{convert|20.9|-|22.55|kn}}. They could carry a maximum of {{convert|1100|-|1200|LT|t|0}} of coal, which gave the first Bayan a range of {{convert|3900|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn}}.

File:Bayan1911-1918.jpg

The main armament of the Bayan-class ships consisted of two 203mm 45 caliber Pattern 1892 45-caliber guns in single-gun turrets fore and aft of the superstructure. The guns fired a {{convert|87.8|kg|lb|adj=on|order=flip}} shell at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|891|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on|order=flip}}. At an elevation of +15°, they had a range of {{convert|11163|m|yd|order=flip}}.Friedman, pp. 258–259 The ships' eight 45-caliber 152 mm 45 caliber Pattern 1892 Canet Model 1891 quick-firing (QF) guns were mounted in casemates on the sides of the ship's hull.Watts, p. 100 They fired shells that weighed {{convert|41.4|kg|lb|order=flip}} with a muzzle velocity of {{convert|792.5|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on|order=flip}}. They had a range of {{convert|11523|m|yd|order=flip}} when fired at an elevation of +20°.Friedman, p. 260

A number of smaller guns were carried for close-range defense against torpedo boats. These included twenty 50-caliber {{convert|75|mm|adj=on|sp=us}} Canet Model 1891 QF guns. Eight of these were mounted in casemates in the side of the hull and in the superstructure. The remaining guns were located above the 6-inch gun casemates in pivot mounts with gun shields.McLaughlin, pp. 68, 75 The gun fired {{convert|4.91|kg|lb|adj=on|order=flip}} shells to a range of about {{convert|7869|m|yd|order=flip}}, at an elevation of +20° degrees with a muzzle velocity of {{convert|862|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on|order=flip}}.Friedman, p. 264 The Bayan class also mounted eight (Bayan) or four QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss Hotchkiss guns in the three later ships. They fired a {{convert|3.2|lb|kg|adj=on}} shell.Friedman, p. 118 In addition, Bayan was fitted with two {{convert|37|mm|adj=on|sp=us}} Hotchkiss guns that fired a {{convert|1.1|lb|kg|adj=on}} shell at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|1540|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}.Friedman, p. 120

Bayan was equipped with two submerged {{convert|15|in|mm|0|adj=on}} torpedo tubes, one on each broadside, while those of the three later ships were {{convert|18|in|mm|0}} in size.Campbell, p. 190

The waterline belt of the Bayan-class ships was {{convert|175|-|200|mm|1|sp=us|order=flip}}{{#tag:ref|Where two figures are given, the higher figure applies only to the first ship of the class.|group=Note}} thick over her machinery spaces. Fore and aft, it reduced to {{convert|90|-|100|mm|1|sp=us|order=flip}}. The upper armor strake and the armor protecting the casemates was {{convert|60|mm|1|sp=us|order=flip}} thick. The thickness of the armored deck was {{convert|50|mm|0|sp=us|order=flip}}; over the central battery it was a single plate, but elsewhere it consisted of a {{convert|30|mm|adj=on|sp=us|order=flip}} plate over two {{convert|10|mm|adj=on|sp=us|order=flip}} plates. The gun turret sides were protected by {{convert|132|-|150|mm|sp=us|order=flip}} of armor and their roofs were 1.2 inches thick. The barbettes were protected by armor plates {{convert|170|mm|adj=on|sp=us|order=flip}} thick. The sides of the conning tower were {{convert|136|-|160|mm|sp=us|order=flip}} thick.

File:Bayan&AdmiralMakarov&Pallada1912-1914.jpg

Bayan was assigned to the First Pacific Squadron after completion, and based at Port Arthur from the end of 1903. She suffered minor damage during the Battle of Port Arthur at the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War and participated in the action of 13 April 1904, when Vice Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō successfully lured out a portion of the Pacific Squadron, including Vice Admiral Stepan Makarov's flagship, the battleship {{ship|Russian battleship|Petropavlovsk|1897|2}}. When Makarov spotted the five Japanese battleships, he turned back for Port Arthur, and Petropavlovsk struck a minefield and quickly sank after a mine detonated one of her magazines. After bombarding Imperial Japanese Army positions on 27 July, Bayan struck a mine and was under repair for the next month or so. She was subsequently trapped in Port ArthurCorbett, I, pp. 51, 105, 179–183, 357, 466; Corbett, II, pp. 77–78, 103–104 and sunk at her mooring by Japanese howitzer shells on 8 December.Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 76

The ship was refloated by Japanese engineers the following year; repairs, re-boilering, and the replacement of her armament with Japanese weapons took until 1908 to complete. Renamed Aso in Japanese service, she initially served as a training shipLacroix & Wells, pp. 656–657 before she was converted into a minelayer in 1920. Aso was decommissioned on 1 April 1930 and renamed Hai Kan No. 4. She was sunk as a target on 4 August 1932 by two submarine torpedoes.Lacroix & Wells, p. 109

File:Gibel pallady.jpg

All three of the later ships were assigned to the Baltic Fleet upon completion, although Admiral Makarov was detached to the Mediterranean several times before the start of World War I in 1914. During the first month of the war, Pallada captured codebooks from the German cruiser {{SMS|Magdeburg||2}} that had run aground. She was torpedoed by the German submarine {{SMS|U-26|sub=y}} on 11 October 1914 and was lost with all hands.Halpern, pp. 36–37, 184–185

The surviving sisters were modified to lay mines shortly after the war began. They laid mines themselves during the war and provided cover for other ships laying minefields. Admiral Makarov and Bayan fought several inconclusive battles with German ships during the war, including the Battle of Åland Islands in mid–1915,Halpern, pp. 194–195 and they also defended Moon Sound during the German invasion of the Estonian islands in late 1917, where Bayan was badly damaged.Staff, pp. 6, 8, 67, 85, 97, 101, 108–116, 127, 139 Their 75 mm guns were removed in 1916–1917 and replaced by one 8-inch and four 6-inch guns. A pair of anti-aircraft guns were also added.Budzbon, p. 296 Admiral Makarov was in Helsingfors (Helsinki) when Finland declared independence in March 1918, and was forced to evacuate even though the Gulf of Finland was still frozen over. She reached Kronstadt after what became known as the "Ice Voyage". The sisters were decommissioned in 1918 and sold for scrap in 1922.McLaughlin, p. 78

{{reflist|group=Note}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• {{cite book|editor1-last=Gray|editor1-first=Randal|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921 |year=1985 |location=Annapolis, Maryland|publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=0-85177-245-5 |last=Budzbon|first=Przemysław |pages=291–325|chapter=Russia}}
• {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905|editor1-first=Roger|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor2-first=Eugene M.|editor2-last=Kolesnik |publisher=Mayflower Books|location=New York|year=1979|isbn=0-8317-0302-4|url-access=registration |url= https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2|pages=170–217 |chapter=Russia |last1=Campbell |first1=N. J. M.|name-list-style=amp}}
• {{cite book|last=Corbett|first=Julian S.|author-link=Julian Corbett|title=Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War|year=1994|publisher=Naval Institute Press & Naval War College Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland & Newport, Rhode Island|isbn=1-55750-129-7}}
• {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=Naval Weapons of World War One|publisher=Seaforth|location=Barnsley, UK|year=2011|isbn=978-1-84832-100-7}}
• {{cite book|last=Halpern|first=Paul S.|title=A Naval History of World War I|publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1994|isbn=1-55750-352-4}}
• {{cite book| last1 = Jentschura| first1 = Hansgeorg| first2 = Dieter |last2=Jung|first3=Peter |last3=Mickel| year = 1977| title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945| publisher = United States Naval Institute| location = Annapolis, Maryland| isbn = 0-87021-893-X|name-list-style=amp}}
• {{cite book|last1=Lacroix|first1=Eric|last2=Wells|first2=Linton|title=Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1997|isbn=0-87021-311-3|name-list-style=amp}}
• {{cite book|last=McLaughlin|first=Stephen|title=Warship 1999–2000|editor=Preston, Antony|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|year=1999|chapter=From Ruirik to Ruirik: Russia's Armoured Cruisers|isbn=0-85177-724-4}}
• {{cite book|last=Silverstone|first=Paul H.|title=Directory of the World's Capital Ships|year=1984|publisher=Hippocrene Books|location=New York|isbn=0-88254-979-0}}
• {{cite book|last=Staff|first=Gary|title=Battle for the Baltic Islands 1917: Triumph of the Imperial German Navy|publisher=Pen & Sword Maritime|location=Barnsley, England|year=2008|isbn=978-1-84415-787-7}}
• {{cite book|last1=Vinogradov|first1=Sergey|last2=Fedechkin |first2=Aleksey|title=Bronenosnyi kreyser "Bayan" i yego potomki. Ot Port-Artura do Moonzunda|isbn=978-5-699-51559-2|year=2011|publisher=Yauza / EKSMO|location=Moscow|language=ru|name-list-style=amp}}
• {{cite book|last=Watts|first=Anthony J.|title=The Imperial Russian Navy|publisher=Arms and Armour|location=London|year=1990|isbn=0-85368-912-1}}

{{Commons category|Bayan class cruiser}}

• [http://www.neva.ru/EXPO96/book/chap11-2.html WWI Naval Operations in the Baltic Theater] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114064847/http://www.neva.ru/EXPO96/book/chap11-2.html |date=2016-11-14 }}
• [http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/bayan_class.htm Site in English with photographs]

{{Bayan class cruiser}}

{{Cruisers of the Imperial Russian Navy}}

{{Russo-JapaneseWarRussianShips}}

{{WWI Russian ships}}

{{Good article}}

Category:Cruiser classes