The cruiser Varyag needs no introduction. Nevertheless, the battle of Chemulpo is still a dark page in Russian military history. Its results are disappointing, and there are still a lot of misconceptions about the Varyag's participation in this battle.
"Varyag" - a weak cruiser
In popular publications one can find an assessment that the combat value of the "Varyag" was not great. Indeed, due to the poor-quality work performed during construction in Philadelphia, the Varyag could not reach the contract speed of 25 knots, thereby losing the main advantage of the light cruiser.
The second serious drawback was the lack of armor shields for the main caliber guns. On the other hand, during the Russo-Japanese War, Japan, in principle, did not have a single armored cruiser capable of withstanding the Varyag and the Askold, Bogatyr or Oleg similar in armament.
12 152 mm guns did not have any Japanese cruiser of this class. True, the hostilities developed in such a way that the crews of Russian cruisers never had to fight with an enemy equal in number or class. The Japanese always acted for sure, compensating for the shortcomings of their cruisers by a numerical superiority and the first, but far from the last, in this glorious and tragic list for the Russian fleet was the battle of the cruiser Varyag.
A hail of shells fell on the "Varyag" and "Koreets"
In fictional and popular descriptions of the battle at Chemulpo, it is often said that the "Varyag" and "Korean" (who did not receive a single hit) were literally bombarded with Japanese shells. However, official figures show otherwise. In just 50 minutes of the battle at Chemulpo, six Japanese cruisers used up 419 rounds: Asama 27 - 203 mm, 103 152 mm, 9 76 mm; "Naniwa" - 14,152 mm; "Niitaka" - 53 152 mm., 130 76 mm. Takachiho - 10 152 mm, Akashi - 2 152 mm, Chiyoda 71 120 mm.
In response, according to Rudnev's report, 1105 rounds were fired from the Varyag: 425-152mm, 470-75mm, 21047mm. It turns out that the Russian gunners have achieved the highest rate of fire. To this can be added the 22,203 mm, 27,152 mm and 3,107 mm projectiles fired from the Koreyets.
That is, in the battle at Chemulpo, two Russian ships fired almost three times more shells than the entire Japanese squadron. The question of how the spent shells were recorded on the Russian cruiser, or the figure was indicated approximately based on the results of a survey of the crew, remains debatable. And could such a number of shells have been fired on a cruiser that had lost 75% of its artillery by the end of the battle?
Rear admiral at the head of the "Varyag"
As you know, after returning to Russia and upon his resignation in 1905, the commander of the Varyag Rudnev received the rank of Rear Admiral. Already today, one of the streets in Yuzhny Butovo in Moscow received the name of Vsevolod Fedorovich. Although, perhaps it was more logical to name Captain Rudnev, if it was necessary to single out among his famous namesakes in military affairs.
There is no mistake in the name, but this image requires clarification - in military history this man remained the captain of the 1st rank and the commander of the Varyag, and as a rear admiral he could not prove himself in any way. But an obvious mistake has crept into a number of modern textbooks for high school students, where there is already a "legend" that the cruiser "Varyag" was commanded by Rear Admiral Rudnev. The authors did not go into details and think that the rear admiral would command an armored cruiser of the 1st rank as something out of order.
Two against fourteen
The literature often indicates that the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets were attacked by the Japanese squadron of Rear Admiral Uriu, consisting of 14 ships - 6 cruisers and 8 destroyers.
Outwardly, a huge numerical and qualitative superiority of the Japanese, which the enemy did not take advantage of during the battle. It should be noted that on the eve of the battle, Chemulpo's squadron of Uriu consisted not even of 14, but 15 pennants - the armored cruiser Asama, armored cruisers Naniwa, Takachiho, Niitaka, Chiyoda, Akashi and eight destroyers and advice note "Chihaya".
True, even on the eve of the battle with the Varyag, the Japanese suffered non-combat losses. When the gunboat "Koreets" tried to proceed from Chemulpo to Port Arthur, the Japanese squadron began dangerous maneuvers (which ended with the use of a gun) around the Russian gunboat, as a result of which the destroyer Tsubame flew aground and did not participate directly in the battle. The messenger ship "Chihaya" did not participate in the battle either, which, nevertheless, was in the immediate vicinity of the battlefield. In reality, the battle was fought by a group of four Japanese cruisers, two more cruisers participated only sporadically, and the presence of destroyers by the Japanese remained a factor of presence.
"A cruiser and two enemy destroyers at the bottom"
When it comes to military losses, this issue often becomes the subject of heated discussions. The battle at Chemulpo was no exception, estimates of Japanese losses in which are very contradictory.
Russian sources point to very large losses of the enemy: a sunk destroyer, 30 killed and 200 wounded. They are based mainly on the opinion of representatives of foreign powers who watched the battle.
Over time, two destroyers and the cruiser Takachiho were already sunk (by the way, these data were included in the feature film Cruiser Varyag). And if the fate of some Japanese destroyers raises questions, the cruiser "Takachiho" safely survived the Russo-Japanese war and died 10 years later with the entire crew during the siege of Qingdao.
The reports of all the commanders of the Japanese cruisers indicate that there were no losses or damage to their ships. Another question: where, after the battle in Chemulpo, the main enemy of the Varyag, the armored cruiser Asama, "disappeared" for two months? Neither Port Arthur, nor in the composition of the squadron of Admiral Kammimura operating against the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers. And this was at the very beginning of the war, when the outcome of the confrontation was far from being decided.
It is likely that the ship, which became the main target of the Varyag's guns, was seriously damaged, but at the beginning of the war, it was undesirable for the Japanese side to talk about this for propaganda purposes. From the experience of the Russo-Japanese War, it is well known how the Japanese for a long time tried to hide their losses, for example, the deaths of the battleships Hatsuse and Yashima, and a number of destroyers that were apparently at the bottom were simply written off after the war as beyond repair.
Legends of Japanese modernization
A number of misconceptions are associated with the service of the "Varyag" in the Japanese fleet. One of them is connected with the fact that the Japanese, after lifting the Varyag, preserved the Russian state emblem and the name of the cruiser as a sign of respect. However, this was more likely connected not with the desire to pay tribute to the crew of the heroic ship, but with the design features - the coat of arms and the name were mounted in the aft balcony and the Japanese fixed the new name of the cruiser "Soya" on both sides on the balcony lattice. The second delusion is the replacement of Nikolos's boilers with Miyabar boilers at Varyag. Although the vehicles had to be thoroughly repaired, the cruiser showed a speed of 22.7 knots during testing.
The cruiser Varyag, which entered into an unequal battle with much superior enemy forces, wrote its heroic page in the history of the Russian-Japanese war. His feat, as well as the feat of the "Korean" will forever remain in the hearts of people.
Russian sailors withstood an unequal battle with the Japanese, did not surrender to the enemy, sinking their ship and not lowering their flag. This legendary battle with six cruising ships and eight enemy destroyers made an indelible impression not only in Russia, but also abroad. We will talk about the history of the cruiser "Varyag" today.
Considering the history of the cruiser "Varyag", it will be expedient to refer to the events that preceded it. The war between Russia and Japan (1904 - 1905) was fought between the two empires for control over the territories of Manchuria, Korea, and also over the Yellow Sea. After a long hiatus, it became the first major military conflict in which such the latest weapons as long-range artillery, battleships and destroyers were used.
The question of the Far East at that time was in the first place for Nicholas II. Japan was the main obstacle to Russian dominance in this region. Nikolai foresaw an inevitable clash with her and prepared for it both from the diplomatic side and from the military.
But the government still hoped that Japan, fearing Russia, would refrain from a direct attack. However, on the night of January 27, 1904, without a declaration of war, the Japanese fleet unexpectedly attacked the Russian squadron near Port Arthur. There was a naval base here, which Russia rented from China.
As a result, several of the strongest ships belonging to the Russian squadron were out of order, which ensured the landing of the Japanese military in Korea in February without any obstacles.
The news that the war had begun did not leave anyone indifferent in Russia. At its first stage, the people were dominated by a patriotic mood, an awareness of the need to rebuff the aggressor.
In the capital, as well as in other large cities, unprecedented demonstrations took place. Even revolutionary-minded youth joined this movement, singing the hymn "God Save the Tsar!" Some circles of the opposition decided to suspend their actions during the war and not to put forward demands to the government.
Before moving on to the story of the feat of the cruiser "Varyag", let's talk about the history of its construction and characteristics.
The ship was laid down in 1898 and built in the United States at Philadelphia. In 1900, the armored cruiser "Varyag" was transferred to the Russian navy, and from 1901 it was in service. Ships of this type were common at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The protection of their mechanisms, as well as the gun cellars, was made up of an armored deck - flat or convex.
This deck was a floor of the ship's hull, located horizontally in the form of a deck of armor plates. It was intended to protect against bombs, shells, debris and debris falling from above. Ships such as the armored cruiser Varyag constituted the largest part of the cruising personnel of most naval powers at the turn of the century.
The base of the ship was Port Arthur. While some researchers argued that it had poor boiler design and other construction defects that resulted in a significant reduction in speed, tests showed otherwise. In tests carried out in 1903, the ship developed a high speed, almost equal to that of the initial tests. The boilers served well for many years on other ships.
In 1904, at the beginning of February, two ships from Russia arrived on a diplomatic mission at the port of Seoul, the capital of Korea. These were the cruiser "Varyag" and "Koreets", a gunboat.
The Japanese admiral Uriu sent a notice to the Russians that Japan and Russia were at war. The cruiser was commanded by V.F. Rudnev, captain of the 1st rank, and the boat was commanded by the captain of the second rank, G.P. Belyaev.
The admiral demanded that the Varyag leave the port, otherwise the battle would be fought right on the roadstead. Both ships weighed anchors, after a few minutes they gave a combat alert. To break through the blockade of the Japanese, the Russian sailors had to pass the narrow fairway with a fight and go out into the open sea.
This task was almost impossible. The Japanese cruisers passed the offer to surrender at the mercy of the winner. But this signal was ignored by the Russians. The enemy squadron opened fire.
The battle of the Varyag cruiser with the Japanese was fierce. Despite the hurricane attack led by ships, one of which was heavy, and the other five were light (and also eight destroyers), Russian officers and sailors fired at the enemy, laid holes and extinguished the fire. The commander of the cruiser "Varyag" Rudnev, despite the injury and shell shock, did not stop leading the battle.
Ignoring the great destruction and heavy fire, the Varyag crew did not stop aimed fire from those guns that were still intact. At the same time, the "Korean" did not lag behind him.
As stated in Rudnev's report, the Russians sank 1 destroyer and damaged 4 Japanese cruisers. The losses of the Varyag crew in battle were as follows:
Critical damage inflicted on the cruiser "Varyag" forced it to return to the harbor raid in one hour. After the severity of the damage was done, the weapons and equipment that remained after the battle were, if possible, destroyed. The ship itself was sunk in the bay. The "Korean" did not suffer human losses, but was blown up by its crew.
On the roadstead near the Korean city of Chemulpo (now - Incheon) there were ships of Italians, British, Koreans, as well as Russians - "Varyag" and "Koreets". The Japanese cruiser Chiyoda was also moored there. The latter, on February 7, at night, withdrew from the raid without turning on the identification lights and set off for the open sea.
At about 16:00 on February 8, the "Korean", leaving the bay, met with the Japanese squadron, which consisted of 8 destroyers and 7 cruisers.
One of the cruisers, called Asama, blocked the path of our gunboat. At the same time, the destroyers fired 3 torpedoes into it, of which 2 flew past, and the third sank a few meters from the side of the Russian boat. Captain Belyaev was given the command to go to a neutral harbor and hide in Chemulpo.
It seems that it will be interesting to get acquainted with the content of excerpts from Rudnev's report, the meaning of which boils down to the following:
In conclusion, the captain considered it his duty to report that the ships of the naval detachment, which was entrusted to him, exhausted all possible means for a breakthrough, prevented the Japanese from gaining victory, inflicted many losses on the enemy, maintaining with dignity the honor of the Russian flag. Therefore, he petitioned for rewarding the team for the valiant performance of duty and the selfless bravery shown at the same time.
After the battle, Russian sailors were taken over by foreign ships. A commitment was made from them that they would not participate in further hostilities. The sailors returned to Russia through neutral ports.
In 1904, in April, the crews reached St. Petersburg. Tsar Nicholas II greeted the sailors. All of them were invited to the palace for a gala dinner. The dining utensils were specially prepared for this event, which were then handed over to the sailors. And also the king gave them a personalized watch.
The battle at Chemulpo vividly demonstrated the miracles of heroism of people capable of going to inevitable death in order to preserve their honor and dignity.
In honor of this brave and at the same time desperate step of the Russian sailors, a special medal was established. The feat of the sailors has not been forgotten over the years. So, in 1954, on the 50th anniversary of the battle at Chemulpo, NG Kuznetsov, commander of the naval forces of the Soviet Union, awarded 15 of his veterans with medals "For Courage".
In 1992, a monument was erected to the commander of the cruiser Rudnev in the village of Savina, which is located in the Zaoksky district of the Tula region. It was there that he was buried in 1913. In the city of Vladivostok in 1997, a monument to the heroic cruiser Varyag was erected.
In 2009, after lengthy negotiations with representatives of Korea were successfully completed, relics related to the feat of two Russian ships were delivered to Russia. Previously, they were kept in Icheon, in museum storage facilities. In 2010, the mayor of Icheon, in the presence of Dmitry Medvedev, who was at that time the President of the Russian Federation, handed over to our diplomatic workers the jack (bow flag) of the Varyag cruiser. This solemn ceremony took place in the capital of South Korea, at the Russian Embassy.
Tsar Nicholas II delivered a heartfelt speech in the Winter Palace in honor of the heroes. In it, in particular, it was said about the following:
In 1905, the Japanese lifted the cruiser "Varyag" from the bottom of the bay and used it for training purposes, calling the ship "Soya". During World War I, Japan and Russia were allies. In 1916, the ship was redeemed and included in the navy of the Russian Empire under the previous name.
In 1917, the Varyag went to Great Britain for repairs. There it was confiscated by the British, since the newly formed Soviet government did not pay for the repairs. After that, the ship was resold to Germany for scrap. While being towed, it got caught in a storm and sank off the coast of the Irish Sea.
In 2003, they managed to find the place of the death of the cruiser "Varyag". Next to him, on the shore, in 2006, a memorial plaque was erected. And in 2007, a fund was established to support the Navy, giving it the name "Cruiser" Varyag ". One of his goals was to raise funds necessary for the construction and installation of a monument in Scotland dedicated to the legendary ship. Such a monument was unveiled in the city of Lendelfoot in 2007.
This famous song is dedicated to the described by us, which became the most famous event of the Russian-Japanese war (1904-1905) - the feat of "Varyag" and "Koreyets", who entered into an unequal battle in the Chemulpo bay with the forces of the Japanese squadron much superior to them.
The text of this song was written in 1904 by the Austrian poet and writer Rudolf Greinz, who was greatly impressed by the feat of Russian sailors. First, the poem called "Varyag" was published in one of the magazines, and soon after that several Russian translations of it were made.
The most successful was the translation by E. Studentskaya. It was set to music by A.S. Turishchev, a military musician. The song was performed for the first time at a gala reception in the Winter Palace, which was described above.
There is also another song dedicated to the legendary cruiser - "Cold waves are splashing." In the newspaper "Rus" 16 days after the "Varyag" and "Koreets" were flooded, a poem by J. Repninsky was placed, the music to which was later written by V. D. Benevsky and F. N. Bogoroditsky. The song also has an unofficial the name given by the people is "Korean".
Probably, there is not a single person in Russia who has not heard about the suicidal feat of the Varyag cruiser. Despite the fact that more than a hundred years have passed since the events described below, the memory of unheard-of heroism still lives in the hearts and memory of people. But at the same time, knowing in general terms the history of this legendary ship, we lose sight of many amazing details that are rich in its fate. The beginning of the 20th century was marked by a clash of interests between two rapidly developing empires - Russian and Japanese. The stumbling block was the territory in the Far East belonging to Russia, which the Japanese emperor slept and saw as belonging to his country. On February 6, 1904, Japan broke off all diplomatic relations with Russia, and on February 9 it blocked the port of Chemulpo, where the then unknown "Varyag" was located.
The cruiser Varyag was considered one of the best ships in the Russian fleet. Built at an American plant in Philadelphia, it was launched in 1899 and entered service in the Russian fleet in 1901, arriving in Kronstadt. In 1902 the Varyag entered the Port Arthur squadron.
It was a four-pipe, two-masted, armored cruiser of the 1st rank with a displacement of 6500 tons. The cruiser's main caliber artillery consisted of twelve 152-mm (six-inch) guns. In addition, the ship had twelve 75mm cannons, eight 47mm rapid-fire cannons and two 37mm cannons. The cruiser had six torpedo tubes. He could reach speeds of up to 23 knots. However, the "Varyag" also had a number of serious shortcomings: the steam boilers were very difficult to operate, the actual speed was much lower than the design speed, there was no cover for the gun servants from shell fragments. These shortcomings manifested themselves during the transition from Kronstadt to Port Arthur, and then during the battle at Chemulpo.
The ship's crew consisted of 550 sailors, non-commissioned officers, conductors and 20 officers.
Captain 1st Rank Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev, a native of the nobility of the Tula province, an experienced naval officer, took command of the cruiser on March 1, 1903. It was a difficult and stressful time. Japan was strenuously preparing for war with Russia, creating a significant superiority in forces here.
A month before the start of the war, the imperial governor in the Far East, Admiral E.I. Alekseev sent the cruiser Varyag from Port Arthur to the neutral Korean port of Chemulpo (now Incheon).
On January 26, 1904, a Japanese squadron of six cruisers and eight destroyers approached the Chemulpo Bay and stopped in the outer roads steamer "Sungari". There were also foreign warships.
Early in the morning of January 27, 1904 V.F. Rudnev received an ultimatum from Japanese Rear Admiral S. Uriu demanding to leave Chemulpo by 12 noon, otherwise the Japanese threatened to open fire on Russian ships in a neutral port, which was a flagrant violation of international law.
V.F. Rudnev announced to the crew that Japan had begun military action against Russia. The Varyag weighed anchor and headed towards the exit from the bay. In the wake was the gunboat "Koreets" (commander Captain 2nd Rank GP Belyaev). A combat alarm was sounded on the ships.
At the exit from the gulf, a Japanese squadron, surpassing the Varyag in artillery weapons by more than five times, and by torpedoes by seven, blocked the way for the Russian ships to the open sea. Six Japanese cruisers - "Asama", "Naniwa", "Takachiho", "Niitaka", "Akashi" and "Chiyoda" took their initial positions in the bearing formation. Eight destroyers loomed behind the cruisers. The Japanese offered to surrender to the Russian ships. V.F. Rudnev ordered to leave this signal unanswered.
The first shot rang out from the armored cruiser Asama, and after it the entire enemy squadron opened fire. "Varyag" did not answer, he went to rapprochement. And only when the distance was reduced to the right shot, V.F. Rudnev ordered to open fire.
The fight was fierce. The Japanese concentrated all their fire on the Varyag. The sea was seething with explosions, splashing the deck with shell fragments and cascades of water. Every now and then there were fires, holes were opened. Under the enemy's hurricane fire, sailors and officers fired at the enemy, applied a plaster, plugging holes, and extinguished fires. V.F. Rudnev, wounded in the head and shell-shocked, continued to lead the battle. Many sailors fought heroically in this battle, among whom were our fellow countrymen A.I. Kuznetsov, P.E. Polikov, T.P. Chibisov and others, as well as the ship's priest M.I. Rudnev.
Well-aimed fire from the Varyag brought its results: the Japanese cruisers Asama, Chiyoda, and Takachiho were seriously damaged. When the Japanese destroyers rushed to the Varyag, the Russian cruiser concentrated its fire on them and sank one destroyer.
Wounded, but not defeated, "Varyag" returned to the port to make the necessary repairs and again go for a breakthrough. However, the cruiser heeled aboard, the vehicles were out of order, and most of the guns were wrecked. VF Rudnev made a decision: to remove the teams from the ships, to flood the cruiser, and to blow up the gunboat so that they would not get to the enemy. The Council of Officers supported their commander.
During the battle, which lasted for one hour, "Varyag" fired 1105 shells at the enemy, "Koreets" - 52 shells. After the battle, the losses were calculated. On the "Varyag", out of a crew of 570 people, there were 122 killed and wounded (1 officer and 30 sailors were killed, 6 officers and 85 sailors were wounded). In addition, more than 100 people were lightly injured.
The sailors of the "Varyag" and "Koreyets" returned to their homeland in several echelons, where they were enthusiastically greeted by the Russian people. The sailors were warmly greeted by the residents of Tula, who filled the station square late at night. Large celebrations in honor of the heroes-sailors were held in St. Petersburg.
The crews of "Varyag" and "Koreyets" were awarded with high awards: the sailors were awarded with St. George's crosses, and the officers were awarded the Orders of St. George, 4th degree. Captain 1st rank V.F. Rudnev was awarded the Order of St. George of the 4th degree, the rank of adjutant wing and was appointed commander of the 14th naval crew and the battleship Andrey Pervozvanny under construction in St. Petersburg. A medal "For the battle of" Varyag "and" Koreyets "was established, which was awarded to all participants in the battle.
In November 1905, V.F. Rudnev was dismissed from the rank of rear admiral. He left for the Tula province, where he settled in a small estate near the village of Myshenki, three versts from the Taruskaya station.
July 7, 1913 V.F. Rudnev died and was buried in the village of Savino (now the Zaoksky district of the Tula region).
On September 30, 1956, a monument to the commander of the legendary cruiser was unveiled in Tula. And on February 9, 1984 in the village of Rusyatine, Zaoksky district, the opening of the V.F. Rudnev.
On August 9, 1992, a monument to V.F. Rudnev. In the summer of 1997, a monument to the commander of the Varyag was erected in the city of Novomoskovsk, not far from which, near the village of Yatskaya, was the family estate of the Rudnevs.
A guards missile cruiser with the proud name "Varyag" serves as part of the Russian Pacific Fleet.
On May 10, 1899, at the Crump and Sons shipyard in Philadelphia, the official ceremony of laying down a rank 1 armored cruiser for the Russian fleet took place. The ship was largely experimental - in addition to the new Nikloss boilers, its design contained a large number of innovations. Of the Russian Admiralty, finally on October 31, 1899, the Varyag was solemnly launched, an orchestra began to play, 570 Russian sailors from the crew of the new cruiser burst out: "Hurray!" American engineers, having learned that the ship would be baptized according to the Russian custom, shrugged their shoulders and opened a bottle of champagne. The one that, according to American tradition, should have been smashed against the ship's hull. The head of the Russian commission E.N. Schensnovich told his superiors: "The descent went well. No hull deformations were found, the displacement coincided with the calculated one."
There are shameful defeats, but there are those that are dearer than any victory. Defeats, tempering the military spirit, about which songs and legends are composed. The feat of the cruiser Varyag was a choice between shame and honor.
On February 8, 1904, at 4 pm, the Russian gunboat "Koreets" was fired upon by the Japanese squadron when leaving the port of Chemulpo: the Japanese fired 3 torpedoes, the Russians responded with a 37 mm revolver cannon. Not becoming further involved in the battle, the "Korean" hastily retreated back to the Chemulpo raid.
The day ended without incident. On the cruiser Varyag, the military council spent the whole night deciding what to do in this situation. Everyone understood that war with Japan was inevitable. Chemulpo is blocked by a Japanese squadron. Many officers spoke out in favor of leaving the port under cover of night and breaking through to their bases in Manchuria. In the dark, a small Russian squadron would have a significant advantage than in a daytime battle. But Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev, the commander of the Varyag, did not accept any of the proposals, expecting a more favorable development of events.
Alas, in the morning at 7 o'clock. 30 minutes, the commanders of foreign ships: English - Talbot, French - Pascal, Italian - Elba and American - Vicksburg received a notification indicating the time of delivery of the notification from the Japanese admiral about the beginning of hostilities between Russia and Japan, and that the admiral suggested that the Russian ships leave the raid before 12 hours days, otherwise they will be attacked by the squadron in the roads after 4 o'clock. the same day, and foreign ships were asked to leave the raid at this time, for their safety. This information was delivered to the Varyag by the commander of the cruiser Pascal. At 9:30 am on February 9, on board the HMS Talbot, Captain Rudnev received a notification from the Japanese admiral Uriu, announcing that Japan and Russia were at war and demanding that the Varyag leave the port by noon, otherwise, at four o'clock Japanese ships will fight right on the roadstead.
At 11:20 the Varyag and the Korean weighed anchor. Five minutes later, a combat alert was played on them. The English and French ships greeted the passing Russian squadron with the sounds of an orchestra. Our sailors had to fight through a narrow 20-mile fairway and break out into the open sea. At half past eleven, an offer was received from the Japanese cruisers to surrender at the mercy of the winner, the Russians ignored the signal. At 11:45 am the Japanese opened fire ...
For 50 minutes of an unequal battle, "Varyag" fired 1105 shells at the enemy, of which 425 were large-caliber (although, according to Japanese sources, no hits were noted on Japanese ships). It is hard to believe this data, because a few months before the tragic events of Chemulpo, "Varyag" participated in the exercises of the Port Arthur squadron, where it hit the target three times out of 145 shots. In the end, the accuracy of the Japanese was also simply ridiculous - 6 cruisers achieved only 11 hits in an hour on the Varyag!
Broken boats burned on board the Varyag, the water around it boiled from explosions, the remnants of ship superstructures crashed onto the deck, burying the Russian sailors under them. One after another the knocked-out guns fell silent, around which the dead lay. Japanese buckshot rained down, the deck of the Varyag turned into a terrible sight. But, despite heavy fire and enormous destruction, the Varyag nevertheless conducted aimed fire at the Japanese ships from the remaining guns. "Korean" did not lag behind him either. Having received critical damage, the Varyag described wide circulation in the Chemulpo fairway and was forced to return to the roadstead an hour later.
Legendary cruiser after the battle
“... I will never forget this stunning sight that presented itself to me,” later recalled the commander of the French cruiser, who witnessed an unprecedented battle, “the deck is covered with blood, corpses and body parts are scattered everywhere. Nothing escaped destruction: in the places where the shells exploded, the paint was charred, all the iron parts were punctured, the fans were knocked down, the sides and bunks were burned. Where so much heroism was shown, everything was rendered useless, broken into pieces, riddled; the remains of the bridge hung deplorably. Smoke was coming from all the holes in the stern, and the roll to the port side was increasing ... "
Despite such an emotional description of the Frenchman, the position of the cruiser was by no means so hopeless. The surviving sailors selflessly extinguished the fires, emergency crews put a plaster under a large hole in the underwater part of the left side. Of the 570 crew members, 30 sailors and 1 officer were killed. The gunboat "Koreets" had no casualties among its personnel.
Squadron battleship "Eagle" after the battle of Tsushima
For comparison, in the Battle of Tsushima, out of 900 people from the team of the battleship Alexander III, no one was saved, and out of 850 people from the team of the battleship Borodino, only 1 sailor was saved. Despite this, in the circles of military enthusiasts, respect for these ships remains. "Alexander III" for several hours led the entire squadron under fierce fire, skillfully maneuvering and periodically knocking down the Japanese sight. Now no one will say who competently controlled the battleship in the last minutes - whether it was the commander or any of the officers. But the Russian sailors did their duty to the end - having received critical damage in the underwater part of the hull, the flaming battleship capsized at full speed without lowering the flag. Not a single person escaped from the crew. A couple of hours later, his feat was repeated by the battleship Borodino. Further the Russian squadron was led by "Oryol". The same heroic battleship that received 150 hits, but partially retained its combat capability until the very end of the Tsushima battle. Here is such an unexpected remark. Blessed memory of the heroes.
Nevertheless, the position of the Varyag, which was hit by 11 Japanese shells, remained serious. The controls on the cruiser were damaged. In addition, the artillery was seriously damaged, only seven of the 12 six-inch guns survived.
V. Rudnev went on a French steam boat to the English cruiser Talbot to agree on the transportation of the Varyag crew to foreign ships and to report the alleged destruction of the cruiser right on the roadstead. The Talbot commander Bailey objected to the explosion of the Russian cruiser, explaining his opinion by the large crowding of ships in the roadstead. At 13 o'clock. 50 minutes Rudnev returned to the Varyag. Hastily gathering the officers nearby, he informed them of his intention and received their support. Immediately, they began to transport the wounded, and then the entire crew, ship documents and the ship's cash desk to foreign ships. The officers destroyed valuable equipment, smashed the surviving instruments, pressure gauges, disassembled gun locks, throwing parts overboard. Finally, the Kingstones were opened, and at six o'clock in the evening the Varyag lay down on the port side.
Russian heroes were placed on foreign ships. The English Talbot took on board 242 people, the Italian ship took 179 Russian sailors, the rest were placed on board by the French Pascal. The commander of the American cruiser Vicksburg behaved absolutely disgustingly in this situation, who flatly refused to accommodate Russian sailors on his ship without the official permission of Washington. And without taking on board a single person, the "American" limited himself to sending a doctor to the cruiser. French newspapers wrote about this: "Obviously, the American navy is too young to have those high traditions that inspired all the fleets of other nations."
The crew of the gunboat "Koreets" blew up their ship
The commander of the gunboat "Koreets", captain of the 2nd rank G.P. Belyaev turned out to be a more decisive person: despite all the warnings of the British, he blew up a gunboat, leaving only a pile of scrap metal to the Japanese.
Despite the immortal feat of the Varyag crew, Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev still should not have returned to the port, but should have sunk the cruiser in the fairway. Such a decision would significantly complicate the use of the port for the Japanese, and make it impossible to lift the cruiser. Most importantly, no one would have been able to say that the Varyag had retreated from the battlefield. After all, now many "democratic" sources are trying to turn the feat of Russian sailors into a farce, tk. allegedly the cruiser did not die in battle.
In 1905, the Varyag was raised by the Japanese and entered into the Japanese Imperial Navy under the name Soya, but in 1916 the Russian Empire bought the legendary cruiser.
Finally, I want to remind all "democrats" and "truth seekers" that after the conclusion of the armistice, the Japanese government found it possible to reward Captain Rudnev for the feat of the "Varyag". The captain himself did not want to accept the reward from the opposing side, but the Emperor personally asked him to do so. In 1907 Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun.
Bridge of the cruiser "Varyag"
Map of the battle at Chemulpo from the Varyag logbook
