Today in Russia you will hardly find a person who would not know about the heroic deed of the crews of the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets. Hundreds of books and articles have been written about this, films have been shot … The battle, the fate of the cruiser and its crew are described to the smallest detail. However, the conclusions and assessments are very biased! Why did the commander of the Varyag, Captain 1st Rank VF Rudnev, who received the Order of St. George of the 4th degree and the rank of Adjutant Wing for the battle, soon found himself in retirement and lived out his life on the family estate in the Tula province? It would seem that a folk hero, and even with an aiguillette and Georgy on his chest, should have literally "taken off" up the career ladder, but this did not happen.
So much has already been written about the fight that there is simply no point in repeating it. But what happened "after the ball"?
The battle, which began at 11:45 a.m., ended at 12:45 p.m. 425 6-inch rounds, 470 75-mm and 210 47-mm calibers were fired from the Varyag, and a total of 1105 rounds were fired. At 13 hours 15 minutes "Varyag" anchored in the place from which it took off 2 hours ago. The gunboat "Koreets" was not damaged, as there were no killed or wounded. In 1907, in the brochure "The Battle of the Varyag" at Chemulpo, VF Rudnev repeated word for word the story of the battle with the Japanese detachment. The retired Varyag commander did not say anything new, but it was necessary to say.
Taking into account the current situation, at the council of officers of the Varyag and Koreyets, it was decided to destroy the cruiser and the gunboat, and take the crews to foreign ships. The gunboat "Koreets" was blown up, and the cruiser "Varyag" was sunk, opening all the valves and kingstones. At 18 hours 20 minutes he went on board. During low tide, the cruiser was exposed to more than 4 meters. Somewhat later, the Japanese raised the cruiser, which made the transition from Chemulpo to Sasebo, where it was commissioned and sailed in the Japanese fleet under the name "Soya" for more than 10 years, until the Russians bought it.
The reaction to the death of the Varyag was not straightforward. Some of the naval officers did not approve of the actions of the Varyag commander, considering them illiterate both from a tactical point of view and from a technical point of view. But the officials of higher authorities thought differently: why start a war with failures (especially since there was a complete failure at Port Arthur), wouldn't it be better to use the battle at Chemulpo to raise the national feelings of Russians and try to turn the war with Japan into a popular one. Developed a scenario for the meeting of the heroes of Chemulpo. All were silent about miscalculations.
The senior navigator of the cruiser E. A. Behrens, who became the first Soviet chief of the Naval General Staff after the October Revolution of 1917, later recalled that he was expecting arrest and a naval court on his native shore. On the first day of the war, the Pacific Ocean fleet decreased by one combat unit, and the enemy's forces increased by the same amount. The news that the Japanese had begun raising the Varyag spread quickly.
By the summer of 1904, the sculptor K. Kazbek made a model of a monument dedicated to the battle at Chemulpo and called it "Rudnev's Farewell to the Varyag". On the model, the sculptor depicted VF Rudnev standing at the rails, to the right of whom was a sailor with a bandaged hand, and an officer with his head bowed behind his back. Then the model was made by the author of the monument to "Guarding" KV Isenberg. A song about "Varyag" appeared, which became popular. Soon the painting "Death of the Varyag. View from the French cruiser Pascal" was painted. Photo cards with portraits of commanders and images of "Varyag" and "Koreyets" were issued. But the ceremony of welcoming the heroes of Chemulpo was especially carefully designed. Apparently, it should be said in more detail about it, especially since in the Soviet literature they almost did not write about it.
The first group of Varangians arrived in Odessa on March 19, 1904. The day was sunny, but there was a strong swell on the sea. From the very morning, the city was decorated with flags and flowers. The sailors arrived at the Tsar's pier on the steamer "Malaya". The steamer "Saint Nicholas" stepped out to meet them, which, upon finding the "Malaya" on the horizon, was decorated with colored flags. This signal was followed by a volley of fireworks from the coastal battery. A whole flotilla of ships and yachts left the harbor to the sea.
The flooded "Varyag"
Rise of the cruiser "Varyag"
On one of the ships were the head of the Odessa port and several gentlemen of St. George. Climbing aboard the "Malaya", the head of the port presented the Varangians with St. George's awards. The first group consisted of Captain 2nd Rank V. V. Stepanov, Warrant Officer V. A. Balk, engineers N. V. Zorin and S. S. Spiridonov, doctor M. N. Khrabrostin and 268 lower ranks. About 2 pm "Malaya" began to enter the harbor. Several regimental bands were playing on the shore, and a crowd of thousands greeted the steamer with shouts of "hurray."
The first to go ashore was Captain 2nd Rank V. V. Stepanov. He was met by the priest of the seaside church, Father Atamansky, who presented the senior officer of the Varyag with the image of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors. Then the team went ashore. Along the famous Potemkin Stairs leading to Nikolaevsky Boulevard, the sailors went upstairs and passed through a triumphal arch with an inscription of flowers "To the Heroes of Chemulpo". On the boulevard, the sailors were met by representatives of the city administration. The mayor presented Stepanov with bread and salt on a silver platter with the city's emblem and the inscription: "Greetings from Odessa to the heroes of the Varyag who have surprised the world."
A prayer service was served on the square in front of the Duma building. Then the sailors went to the Saban barracks, where a festive table was laid for them. The officers were invited to the cadet school for a banquet hosted by the military department. In the evening, a performance was shown to the Varangians in the city theater. At 15:00 on March 20, the Varangians departed from Odessa to Sevastopol on the St. Nicholas steamer. A crowd of thousands again came to the embankments.
On the approaches to Sevastopol, the steamer met the destroyer with a raised signal "Hello to the brave". The steamer "Saint Nicholas", decorated with colored flags, entered the Sevastopol roadstead. On the battleship "Rostislav" his arrival was greeted with a salute of 7 shots. The first to board the steamer was the chief commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral N. I. Skrydlov.
Walking around the line, he turned to the Varangians with a speech: "Hello, dear ones, congratulations on the brilliant feat in which you proved that Russians know how to die; you, like true Russian sailors, surprised the whole world with your selfless bravery, defending the honor of Russia and St. Andrew's flag, ready to die rather than give the ship to the enemy. I am happy to greet you from the Black Sea Fleet and especially here in the long-suffering Sevastopol, a witness and keeper of the glorious military traditions of our native fleet. Here every piece of land is stained with Russian blood. Here are monuments to Russian heroes: they have me for you. I bow low on behalf of all the Black Sea people. At the same time, I cannot resist saying to you my heartfelt thanks as your former admiral for the fact that you so gloriously applied all my instructions on the exercises carried out by you in battle! Be our welcome guests! "Varyag" died, but the memory of your exploits is alive and will live for many years. Hurray!"
A solemn prayer service was served at the monument to Admiral PS Nakhimov. Then the chief commander of the Black Sea Fleet handed over to the officers the highest diplomas for the St. George's crosses. It is noteworthy that for the first time doctors and mechanics were awarded the St. George's Crosses along with combat officers. Taking off the St. George cross, the admiral pinned it to the uniform of Captain 2nd Rank V. V. Stepanov. The Varangians were placed in the barracks of the 36th naval crew.
The Tavrichesky governor asked the chief commander of the port that the crews of the Varyag and Koreyets, on their way to Petersburg, would stop for a while in Simferopol to honor the heroes of Chemulpo. The governor also motivated his request by the fact that his nephew, Count A. M. Nirod, had died in the battle.
At this time in St. Petersburg they were preparing for a meeting. The Duma adopted the following procedure for honoring the Varangians:
1) at the Nikolaev railway station, representatives of the city public administration, headed by the mayor and the chairman of the duma, a meeting of heroes, bringing bread and salt to the commanders of the Varyag and Koreyets, inviting commanders, officers and class officials to the meeting of the duma to announce greetings from cities;
2) presentation of the address, artistically executed during the expedition of procurement of state papers, with the statement in it of the resolution of the city duma on honoring; presenting gifts to all officers totaling 5 thousand rubles;
3) treating the lower ranks with dinner at the People's House of Emperor Nicholas II; delivery to each lower rank of a silver watch with the inscription "To the Hero of Chemulpo", stamped with the date of the battle and the name of the person awarded (for the purchase of a watch was allocated from 5 to 6 thousand rubles, and for treating the lower ranks - 1 thousand rubles);
4) arrangement of performances for the lower ranks in the People's House;
5) the establishment of two scholarships in memory of the heroic deed, which will be assigned to students of the naval schools - St. Petersburg and Kronstadt.
On April 6, 1904, the third and last group of Varangians arrived in Odessa on the French steamer "Creme". Among them were Captain 1st Rank V. F. Rudnev, Captain 2nd Rank G. P. Belyaev, Lieutenants S. V. Zarubaev and P. G. Stepanov, doctor M. L. Banshchikov, paramedic from the battleship "Poltava", 217 sailors from "Varyag", 157 - from "Koreyets", 55 sailors from "Sevastopol" and 30 Cossacks of the Trans-Baikal Cossack Division, guarding the Russian mission in Seoul. The meeting was as solemn as the first time. On the same day on the steamer "St. Nicholas" the heroes of Chemulpo went to Sevastopol, and from there on April 10 by an emergency train of the Kursk railway - to St. Petersburg via Moscow.
On April 14, residents of Moscow met the sailors on a huge square near the Kursk railway station. The orchestras of the Rostov and Astrakhan regiments played on the platform. VF Rudnev and GP Belyaev were presented with laurel wreaths with inscriptions on white-blue-red ribbons: "Hurray for the brave and glorious hero - the commander of the Varyag" and "Hurray for the brave and glorious hero - the commander of the Koreyets". All officers were presented with laurel wreaths without inscriptions, and bouquets of flowers were presented to the lower ranks. From the station, the sailors went to the Spassky barracks. The mayor presented the officers with gold tokens, and the priest of the Varyag, Father Mikhail Rudnev, a gold neck icon.
On April 16, at ten o'clock in the morning, they arrived in St. Petersburg. The platform was filled with welcoming relatives, military, representatives of the administration, nobility, zemstvo and townspeople. Among the greeters were Vice Admiral F. K. Avelan, Manager of the Naval Ministry, Rear Admiral Z. P. Rozhestvensky, Chief of the Main Naval Staff, his assistant A. G. Niedermiller, Chief Commander of the Kronstadt Port, Vice Admiral A. A. Birilev, Chief the medical inspector of the fleet, life-surgeon V. S. Kudrin, the St. Petersburg governor, equestrian O. D. Zinoviev, the provincial leader of the nobility, Count V. B. Gudovich, and many others. Grand Duke General-Admiral Alexey Alexandrovich arrived to meet the heroes of Chemulpo.
A special train arrived at the platform at exactly 10 o'clock. On the platform of the station, a triumphal arch was erected, decorated with the state emblem, flags, anchors, ribbons of St. the palace. The ranks of soldiers, a huge number of gendarmes and mounted policemen could hardly hold back the onslaught of the crowd. The officers walked ahead, followed by the lower ranks. Flowers fell from windows, balconies and rooftops. Through the arch of the General Staff building, the heroes of Chemulpo entered the square near the Winter Palace, where they lined up opposite the royal entrance. On the right flank stood the Grand Duke, Admiral-General Alexei Alexandrovich and Adjutant General FK Avelan, head of the Naval Ministry. Emperor Nicholas II came out to the Varangians.
He accepted the report, walked around the line and greeted the sailors of the "Varyag" and "Koreyets". After that, they marched in a solemn march and proceeded to the St. George Hall, where the divine service took place. Tables were laid for the lower ranks in the Nicholas Hall. All the dishes were with the image of St. George's crosses. In the concert hall, a table was set with a gold service for the highest persons.
Nicholas II addressed the heroes of Chemulpo with a speech: "I am happy, brothers, to see you all healthy and safely returned. Many of you, with your blood, have entered into the chronicles of our fleet a deed worthy of the feats of your ancestors, grandfathers and fathers who performed them on" Azov "and" Mercury "; now you have added with your feat a new page in the history of our fleet, added the names of" Varyag "and" Koreyets "to them. They will also become immortal. I am sure that each of you will remain worthy of that award until the end of your service which I gave you. All of Russia and I with love and trembling excitement read about the deeds that you showed at Chemulpo. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting the honor of the St. Andrew's flag and the dignity of Great Holy Russia. I drink to the further victories of our glorious fleet. To your health, brothers!"
At the officers' table, the emperor announced the establishment of a medal in memory of the battle at Chemulpo for wearing by officers and lower ranks. Then a reception took place in the Alexander Hall of the City Duma. In the evening, everyone gathered at the People's House of Emperor Nicholas II, where a festive concert was given. The lower ranks were given gold and silver watches, and spoons with silver handles were given out. The sailors received a brochure "Peter the Great" and a copy of the address from the St. Petersburg nobility. The next day, the teams went to their carriages. The whole country learned about such a magnificent celebration of the heroes of Chemulpo, and therefore about the battle between "Varyag" and "Koreyets". The people could not have a shadow of doubt about the plausibility of the accomplished feat. True, some naval officers doubted the accuracy of the description of the battle.
Fulfilling the last will of the heroes of Chemulpo, the Russian government in 1911 appealed to the Korean authorities with a request to allow the ashes of the dead Russian sailors to be transferred to Russia. On December 9, 1911, the funeral cortege headed from Chemulpo to Seoul, and then along the railway to the Russian border. Throughout the entire route, the Koreans showered the platform with the remains of the sailors with fresh flowers. On December 17, the funeral cortege arrived in Vladivostok. The burial of the remains took place at the Sea Cemetery of the city. In the summer of 1912, an obelisk of gray granite with the St. George's Cross appeared over the mass grave. The names of the victims were engraved on its four sides. As expected, the monument was built with public money.
Then the Varyag and the Varangians were forgotten for a long time. Remembered only after 50 years. On February 8, 1954, a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On rewarding the sailors of the cruiser" Varyag "with a medal" For courage "was issued. At first, only 15 people were found. Here are their names: V. F. Bakalov, A. D. Voitsekhovsky, D. S. Zalideev, S. D. Krylov, P. M. Kuznetsov, V. I. Kalinkin, A. I. Kuznetsov, L. G. Mazurets, P. E. Polikov, F. F. Semenov, T. P. Chibisov, A. I. Shketnek and I. F. Yaroslavtsev. The oldest of the Varangians, Fyodor Fedorovich Semyonov, is 80 years old. Then the others were found. In total, 1954-1955. medals were received by 50 sailors from the Varyag and Koreyets. In September 1956, a monument to V. F. Rudnev was unveiled in Tula. In the newspaper Pravda, Admiral of the Fleet N. G. Kuznetsov wrote these days: "The feat of the Varyag and the Koreyets entered the heroic history of our people, the golden fund of the combat traditions of the Soviet fleet."
However, a number of questions arise. The first question is: for what merits were they so generously rewarded without exception? Moreover, the officers of the gunboat "Koreets" first received regular orders with swords, and then simultaneously with the Varangians (at the request of the public) - also the Order of St. George of the 4th degree, that is, they were awarded twice for one feat! The lower ranks received the insignia of the Military Order - St. George's Crosses. The answer is simple: Emperor Nicholas II really did not want to start a war with Japan with defeats.
Even before the war, the admirals of the Naval Ministry reported that they would easily destroy the Japanese fleet, and if necessary, they could "arrange" a second Sinop. The emperor believed them, and then there was such bad luck! Under Chemulpo they lost the newest cruiser, and near Port Arthur 3 ships were damaged - the battleships "Tsesarevich", "Retvizan" and the cruiser "Pallada". Both the Emperor and the Naval Ministry covered up mistakes and failures with this heroic hype. It turned out believable and, most importantly, pompous and effective.
The second question: who "organized" the feat of "Varyag" and "Koreyets"? The first to call the battle heroic were two men - the governor of the emperor in the Far East, Adjutant General Admiral E. A. Alekseev and the senior flagship of the Pacific squadron, Vice Admiral O. A. Stark. The whole situation indicated that a war with Japan was about to begin. But they, instead of preparing to repel a sudden attack of the enemy, showed complete carelessness, or more precisely, criminal negligence.
The readiness of the fleet was low. They themselves drove the cruiser "Varyag" into a trap. To accomplish the tasks that they assigned to the stationary ships in Chemulpo, it was enough to send the old gunboat "Koreets", which was of no particular combat value, and not to use the cruiser. When the Japanese occupied Korea, they did not draw any conclusions for themselves. VF Rudnev also did not have the courage to make the decision to leave Chemulpo. As you know, the initiative in the navy has always been punishable.
Through the fault of Alekseev and Stark in Chemulpo, "Varyag" and "Koreets" were left to fend for themselves. An interesting detail. During the strategic game in the 1902/03 academic year at the Nikolaev Naval Academy, just such a situation was played: with a surprise attack by Japan on Russia in Chemulpo, a cruiser and a gunboat remain unrequited. In the game, destroyers sent to Chemulpo will report the beginning of the war. The cruiser and gunboat manage to connect with the Port Arthur squadron. However, in reality this did not happen.
Question three: why did the Varyag commander refuse to break through from Chemulpo and did he have such an opportunity? A false sense of camaraderie worked - "perish yourself, but help your comrade." Rudnev in the full sense of the word began to depend on the low-speed "Koreyets", which could reach speeds of no more than 13 knots. The Varyag, on the other hand, had a speed of over 23 knots, which is 3-5 knots more than the Japanese ships, and 10 knots more than the Koreets. So Rudnev had opportunities for an independent breakthrough, and good ones. Back on January 24, Rudnev became aware of the severance of diplomatic relations between Russia and Japan. But on January 26, on the morning train, Rudnev went to Seoul to the envoy for advice.
Returning, he only sent a gunboat "Koreets" with a report to Port Arthur on January 26 at 15 hours 40 minutes. Again the question: why was the boat sent so late to Port Arthur? This remained unclear. The Japanese did not release the gunboat from Chemulpo. The war has already begun! Rudnev had one more night in reserve, but he did not use it either. Subsequently, Rudnev explained the rejection of an independent breakthrough from Chemulpo by navigational difficulties: the fairway in the port of Chemulpo was very narrow, winding, and the outer roadstead was full of dangers. Everyone knows that. Indeed, entering Chemulpo in low water, that is, during low tide, is very difficult.
Rudnev did not seem to know that the height of the tides in Chemulpo reaches 8-9 meters (the maximum height of the tide is up to 10 meters). With a cruiser draft of 6, 5 meters in full evening water, there was still an opportunity to break through the Japanese blockade, but Rudnev did not take advantage of it. He settled on the worst option - to break through in the afternoon during low tide and together with "Koreyets". We all know what this decision led to.
Now about the fight itself. There is reason to believe that the artillery was not used quite competently on the Varyag cruiser. The Japanese had a huge superiority in forces, which they successfully implemented. This is evident from the damage that the Varyag received.
According to the Japanese themselves, in the battle at Chemulpo, their ships remained unharmed. In the official publication of the Japanese Naval General Staff "Description of military operations at sea in 37-38. Meiji (1904-1905)" (vol. I, 1909) we read: "In this battle, enemy shells never hit to our ships and we have not suffered the slightest loss. " But the Japanese could have lied.
Finally, the last question: why did Rudnev not disable the ship, but flooded it by simply opening the Kingstones? The cruiser was essentially a "gift" to the Japanese navy. Rudnev's motivation that the explosion could damage foreign ships is untenable. Now it becomes clear why Rudnev resigned. In Soviet publications, the resignation is explained by Rudnev's involvement in revolutionary affairs, but this is a fiction. In such cases, in the Russian fleet with the production of rear admirals and with the right to wear a uniform, they were not fired. Everything is explained much more simply: for the mistakes made in the battle at Chemulpo, the naval officers did not accept Rudnev into their corps. Rudnev himself was aware of this. At first he was temporarily in the position of commander of the battleship Andrew the First-Called, which was under construction, then he submitted his resignation letter. Now, it seems, everything fell into place.
It turned out not very nice. Not like a legend. But then it turned out the way it happened. In my opinion, this was the first Russian "black PR" action. But far from the last. Our history knows many examples when soldiers and sailors paid in blood for the stupidity, indecision and cowardice of commanders.
