- Yes
- No
Background
Spoiler
Only 13% of the Ship was Built
The fledgling Republic of China Navy was still in a critical state due to the aging and disrepair of many of its warships. To address this issue, the new Navy Minister of the Republic of China, Liu Guanxiong, initiated negotiations for an ambitious expansion of the navy. Seeking financial support, the Navy Minister approached various European banks for a loan to fund the construction of six destroyers from AG Vulcan Stettin in Germany and twelve small destroyers from Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino (STT) in Austria-Hungary. Among the offers received, Arnhold, Karberg & Co. of Berlin emerged as the successful bidder with a £3,200,000 proposal (at 6% interest to be repaid over four years). Additionally, Škoda Works of Plzeň, Austria-Hungary’s largest arms manufacturer, provided a loan of £500,000 as part of the overall consolidated loan. In June 1913, Liu revised the order, seeking three additional 4,900 ton light cruisers armed with four 203-millimetre (8.0 in) guns. Despite initial reluctance from Vulcan and STT to take on more orders beyond the destroyers, Škoda, eager to secure the contract, facilitated the construction of the cruisers through the new shipyard in Monfalcone, Cantiere Navale Triestino (CNT), in which they became the majority shareholder. CNT later informed Škoda that the initial loan amount would not cover the construction of all 18 destroyers and three large cruisers as planned. Instead, they proposed building three smaller 1800 ton cruisers within two years for the same cost as one large cruiser. The Chinese were adamant about sticking to the larger, original cruiser design. However, due to the excessive expenses incurred in the naval artillery provided by Škoda for the ships, Liu eventually gave in. In 1913, the new Chinese government entered into a total of four contracts with various European shipyards. The third contract, signed in September 1913, was specifically for the construction of three small protected cruisers weighing 1800 tons each, to be built by CNT. The entire project was estimated to cost £1,200,000. The cruisers were scheduled to be launched in 1915 and completed by 1916.
The fourth agreement became possible thanks to a second loan of £200,000 from Arnhold, Karberg & Co. This particular contract, which was made on 20 October 1913, involved the construction of a single, larger, modern light cruiser weighing 4800 tons. It was commissioned by CNT and assigned the construction number Number 68. Additionally, the contract included the provision of thirty-six field guns and seventy-two mountain guns from Škoda. Unfortunately, out of the twenty-two warships ordered by China in 1913, none of them were able to enter Chinese service. This was due to the outbreak of the First World War, which resulted in the seizure of all the ships being built in Europe. This was a significant setback for China’s efforts to strengthen its navy. The three cruisers mentioned earlier were never given names and were instead referred to by their construction numbers: 64, 65, and 66. These three smaller cruisers were intended to replace three German-built Hǎi Róng-class cruisers that China had acquired at the beginning of the century. Construction on Number 65 began first, on 2 April 1914, followed shortly after by Number 64 on 15 April, and finally Number 66 on 30 May 1914. The CNT shipyards were located very close to the Austria-Hungarian front lines. When the Kingdom of Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary on 23 May 1915, the Austrian-Hungarian forces began evacuating Monfalcone. As a result, they abandoned the four incomplete Chinese cruisers, deeming them not advanced enough in their construction to be worth relocating. Shortly thereafter, on 9 June 1915, the shipyard, along with the Chinese cruisers, was captured by the forces of the Royal Italian Army. (Cruiser Number 65 was scheduled to be launched that month). The CNT suffered significant destruction and removal of equipment and machinery by the Italians, but surprisingly, the unfinished cruisers remained mostly untouched. Following their crushing victory at the Battle of Caporetto on 27 October 1917, the Austro-Hungarian Army recaptured Monfalcone from Italy. To their surprise, they discovered all four cruisers still in their drydocks and in good condition. It was then decided that Cruiser Number 68 would be taken over and completed by the Austro-Hungarian Navy, while the three smaller cruisers would remain unfinished.
After the war concluded on 11 September 1918 with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, Škoda, now under the ownership of the newly formed Czechoslovakia, still legally possessed the shipyard and ships. They approached the Chinese government with an offer to complete the cruisers left in Monfalcone. Negotiations took place between 1919 and 1920, but due to the Chinese government’s severe financial difficulties, they declined the offer. As a result, CNT decided to scrap cruisers Number 64-66 between February and March 1921.
Technical Data
Specifications
Displacement - 1,800 Metric Tons
Length - 106 m
Beam - 10.9 m
Draught - 4 m
Propulsion - 2 AEG Steam Turbines, 4 Yarrow Boilers (9,300 kW)
Speed - 24.5 Knots
Armor - Deck; 20-25mm, Conning Tower; 60mm, Turrets; Unknown, Hull; Unknown
Armament
4 x Skoda 120mm/50 Cannons (2 Guns in 2 Turrets)
8 x 66mm Skoda 7 cm K10 Cannons
4 x 47mm QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss Cannons
2 x 450mm Torpedo Tubes (3 Torpedoes each)
Sources
Spoiler
Number 64-class cruiser - Wikipedia
(Book) Conway’s All the world’s fighting ships, 1906-1921 (Page 397)