- Yes
- Yes, for premium
- Yes, for event / gift
- No
My new greetings, ladies and gentlemen, who have looked into the topic of ship proposals!
Today I propose to consider the proposal to introduce into the game and add to the development plan the cruiser “Kagul”(Ochakov) - one of the representatives of the armored deck (protected) cruisers of the “Bogatyr” type.
‘War Thunder’ already has ships with similar characteristics, but the “Bogatyrs” in their class became some of the best in all fleets of the early 20th century, demonstrating, in addition, impressive survivability. The lead ship of the project successfully survived the Russo-Japanese War and the First World War; the cruiser “Oleg” became a surviving veteran of the Battle of Tsushima; and the cruiser “Memory of Mercury” even took part in the Second World War on the Black Sea - without being sunk by the enemy despite its obvious obsolescence.
In the same topic we will talk about another cruiser, whose fate was to go through turmoil, change its name several times, but worthily leave undefeated.
Let’s talk about the details.
History
The cruiser bore the names of cities of military glory of the Russian Empire
Attention, hidden content in spoilers.
Spoiler: 'Ochakov'
During the modernization and strengthening of the fleet at the turn of the late 19th century, the Russian Empire faced the task of developing and building not only large armored ships that could compete with the latest English or Japanese opponents. The adopted shipbuilding program “For the Needs of the Far East” among other things assumed the creation of light cruisers capable of conducting reconnaissance, operating on the communications of a potential enemy, as well as participating directly in squadron battles and protecting armored ships from torpedo boat attacks. One of the answers to the task was the project of armored deck cruisers of the “Bogatyr” class, which optimally combined offensive and defensive capabilities in combination with good speed for their time. Built in a relatively large series, these cruisers also became some of the best in their class for the beginning of the 20th century. A good cruising range combined with 12 152mm guns, 4 of which were located in two-gun armored turrets, also served as a good argument in favor of the ability to compete in battle with any similar or even superior enemy.
While the lead ship was being built by a German shipyard on Russian orders, the remaining cruisers were being built by Russia’s own shipbuilding companies based on the lead ship’s model.
Cruiser at launch
The cruiser, originally named “Ochakov”, was laid down in Sevastopol on February 27, 1901.
The construction itself did not proceed very quickly, aggravated by both the not very modern, compared to others, condition of the slipway, and purely technical difficulties. The manufacture of armor and turret mounts is especially slow.
Nevertheless, on September 21, 1902, the cruiser is launched in the Highest Presence, already assembled to the upper deck. Work on equipping the ship with various control and auxiliary mechanisms takes up the rest of 1902 and all of 1903, but external events interfere with the plan: soon the Russo-Japanese War begins and many resources and mechanisms are redirected to higher priority areas. So even the turrets are transferred to the hastily completed cruiser “Oleg”, which was necessary to strengthen the 2nd Pacific Squadron.
Cruiser under construction
Because of such delays, “Ochakov” begins sea trials only in the early autumn of 1905, when the Russo-Japanese War was already coming to an end. The cruiser achieves good indicators, exceeding the design, but… Soon the trials have to be interrupted due to unrest that began that same autumn.
Cruiser undergoing sea trials
Spoiler: 'Kagul'
The events of the turbulent autumn of 1905 did not pass without leaving a trace for the cruiser. The ship, which was almost ready for commissioning, now required repairs, and a thorough one at that. In addition, the situation was still far from ideal, and the end of the Russo-Japanese War caused a significant reduction in funding. A quick restoration in such conditions was impossible.
But the experience of the past conflict was also systematized, so the Russian command considered the possibility of its application, including to the cruiser, which required restoration.
Cruiser after commissioning
Meanwhile, the ship, which had not yet been commissioned, was decided to be renamed - the new name of the former “Ochakov” became “Kagul”. Repairs were still proceeding just as slowly, in addition, the type itself gradually began to become obsolete at the same time as new and more technically advanced ships appeared. By 1911, when the ship was finally commissioned, this became especially noticeable. However, the cruiser was supposed to operate in view of the Ottoman fleet, which could not boast of any modern innovations.
Cruiser in the Bosphorus roadstead 1912
New sea trials are successful and this time calm. Then the cruiser, as part of the russian Black Sea squadron, is engaged in training maneuvers and visiting its own and foreign ports.
However, the first sign of the future big storm is the anchorage at the Constantinople roadstead on October 27, 1912, when the international squadron was engaged in ensuring the security of foreign embassies. “Kagul” returns to its homeland only in August 1913, where after a short rest a series of exercises and naval maneuvers begins in tandem with the sister cruiser “Memory of Mercury”.
This period is then replaced by the next one, which entered the memory of many peoples as the beginning of the Great War.
Cruiser on the eve of the First World War
On its first combat mission, the “Kagul” sets out as part of the Russian Imperial Black Sea Fleet on October 16, 1914, with the task of searching for the German-Turkish battlecruiser “Goeben”, as well as regular Turkish ships. The latter, in turn, had previously begun military operations against the Russian Empire, shelling Russian coastal cities.
The search this time is unsuccessful, but between October 22 and 25, the Russian fleet manages to suppress the Ottoman main coal port.
Cruiser at sea
On November 5, 1914, the Black Sea Squadron was lucky enough to spot the “Goeben”, accompanied by the light cruiser “Breslau”, but the weather conditions did not allow for a full-scale battle with the enemy - the rising fog reduced the battle to a duel between the “Goeben” and the Russian pre-dreadnought-battleship “Evstafiy”. The duel, however, ended with an unpleasant surprise for the German crew of the Turkish ship. Thus, having received several significant hits, the battlecruiser with the matelot preferred to retreat to Turkey for repairs.
Cruiser on return to base 1915
In the following months, there were less significant clashes, where the opponents of the pair “Kagul” and “Memory of Mercury” were Turkish light cruisers. The battles were relatively successful for the Russian side, but still without a complete defeat of the enemy. However, in one of the battles “Kagul” sent 11 Turkish transports to the bottom.
Cruiser at anchor
Constant combat campaigns contributed to the wear of the mechanisms, so in March 1915, “Kagul” was put under repair. At the same time, the remaining 75-mm guns, which had become ineffective by this time, were removed from the cruiser, but in exchange, the ship received additional 152-mm guns, bringing their total number to 16. At the same time, 2 75-mm guns were installed, converted into anti-aircraft guns.
Cruiser in the 1916 campaign
Later, “Kagul” made more than 10 combat missions to the shores of Turkey, in one of which the cruiser was part of the escort for “Empress Maria”, a new Russian battleship.
But still, urgent repairs could not replace the need for a major overhaul, especially since the engine room malfunctions on the cruiser were gradually becoming more frequent. As a result, on September 25, the ship was undergoing a major overhaul, during which ammunition was unloaded from the Kagul and all 152-mm guns were removed: in addition to a complete replacement of the boilers, modernization and replacement of the artillery with a new 130-mm caliber was planned. There were no turrets for such a project, so the armament of the cruiser as a result of the modernization consisted of 14 130-mm B-7 guns from the Obukhov Plant, 2 75-mm Kane anti-aircraft guns and 2 40-mm AA Vickers guns added during the same modernization.
Cruiser shortly before modernization
However, although the repairs to the cruiser were completed, the subsequent period in the ship’s history was overshadowed by new unrest, uncertainty and turmoil, which put an end to the measured life of the ship’s crew, in addition, leaving a seal of doubt where there was no one to monitor the truth.
It is known that the ship continued to be called “Kagul”, both publicly and privately, taking part in a number of battles, during which the newly installed anti-aircraft guns successfully protected the armored deck cruiser from air attacks.
Eventually, “Kagul” left the area of its home port and went to the shores of Africa, finding its last anchorage there, but keeping the Russian flag raised.
Main characteristics
Classification:
- Sub Category: Protected cruiser / Light cruiser
- Class: Bogatyr
Technical component:
- Full load displacement: 7 600 t.
- Complement: 580
- Boiler & engine: 2 steam engines, 16 Normand-Sigaudy boilers
- Power: 20 370
- Speed: 23,55 knots
Protection:
- Armored deck — 35-70 mm
- Traverse — 100 mm
- Main turret — 127-89 mm (Removed by 1916)
- Main gun shields — 25 mm
- Conning tower — 140 mm
Weapon: (1916)
- Main battery artillery
14 × single 130/55-mm naval guns from the Obukhov plant mod.1913 - Anti-aircraft artillery
2 х single 75/50-mm AA Canet guns mod.1892
2 х single 40/40-mm AA Vickers guns mod.1915 - Mine armament
292 Anchored mines
Thank you for your attention!
Additional illustration
All resources:
Мельников Р.М. Крейсер «Очаков». — Л. Судостроение, 1986. — 256 с.
Заблоцкий В.П. Вся богатырская рать (бронепалубные крейсера типа «Богатырь») часть 1. «Морская коллекция» Дополнительный выпуск № 3, 2010.
Заблоцкий В.П. Вся богатырская рать (бронепалубные крейсера типа «Богатырь») часть 2. «Морская коллекция» Дополнительный выпуск № 1, 2011.
Широкорад А.Б. Корабельная артиллерия Российского флота 1867—1922 гг. «Морская коллекция» № 2, 1997
Крестьянинов В.Я. Крейсера Российского Императорского флота 1856—1917 — СПб., 2003. — Ч. 1. Архивная копия от 12 ноября 2009 на Wayback Machine
Campbell, N.J.M. (1979). “Russia”. In Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.). Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1860–1905. New York: Mayflower Books. pp. 170–217.
