The material presented to your attention is dedicated to the 2nd rank armored cruiser "Boyarin". This ship became the second, after Novik, "small" cruiser of the Russian Imperial Navy, built as part of the shipbuilding program in 1898.
How the "second-rank" high-speed ships got into this program, what tasks were defined for them and how the tactical and technical characteristics were formed, was described in detail in a series of articles devoted to the armored cruiser of the 2nd rank "Novik", and we will not repeat … We will only remind that the admirals wished to receive reconnaissance cruisers with a displacement of 3,000 tons for service with the squadron, the main feature of which was to be a phenomenal speed of 25 knots at that time, which no ship of this class in the world had at that time.
The winner, as you know, was the Shikhau company, which proposed the Novik project, with which a contract was signed on August 5, 1898. Nevertheless, it was possible to start construction only in December 1899 - the process of final approval of the cruiser design turned out to be so complicated and confusing.
And now, after six months of the "battle" of the representatives of the Shihau company with the domestic MTK, or to be more precise, in January-February 1899, the Naval Ministry received 3 more projects of armored cruisers of the 2nd rank: French, SA des Chantiers el Ateliers de la Gironde, English, by Laird, Son & Co and Danish, by Burmeister og Vein, which we will write in the Russian transcription “Burmeister og Vine”. The ministry reviewed the projects and, apparently, grinning into a mustache, told the enterprises that submitted them that, generally speaking, the competition had long since ended, and the Russian Imperial Navy is not planning to order a cruiser of the 2nd rank abroad.
More precisely, such a message was received by the English and French firms, as for the Danish, then, according to the respected A. V. Skvortsov, the author of a monograph dedicated to the cruiser Boyarin, MTK was going to answer "Burmeister og Vine" in the same vein, but it is unclear whether he answered. The thing is that, quite unexpectedly for the specialists of the Marine Technical Committee, they received instructions from the head of the Marine Ministry, Admiral P. P. Tyrtova "to meet the wishes of the Burmeister og Vine" plant.
This was all the more strange because the Danish project, in comparison with the proposals of other firms, was perhaps the most distant from the MTK requirements for an armored cruiser of the 2nd rank, formulated and approved for the competition that had already ended. Without going into details, we note that the ship's displacement was only 2,600 tons, the speed was 21 knots, and the strength of the hull did not at all correspond to the standards adopted in Russia. On the whole, although it had some advantages, the project was replete with such a list of shortcomings that their elimination, even taking into account the possible increase in displacement up to the permitted limit of 3,000 tons, was extremely doubtful.
In other words, the Russian Empire was not going to order another cruiser of the 2nd rank abroad, and the Burmeister og Vine project, apparently, was the most unsuccessful of all submitted for the competition. And yet, suddenly, as if by magic, a permission to order a ship from foreigners arises, and an instruction to work with Danish shipbuilders. Of course, the idea that the root cause of such an unusual zigzag is the influence of the widow of Alexander III, Empress Maria Feodorovna, is nothing more than a hypothesis. But taking into account the fact that Her Majesty was a Danish princess by birth, did not forget her roots, spending a lot of time in Copenhagen, this hypothesis seems to be quite reasonable and, perhaps, the only possible one.
But, of course, MTK would never have allowed the construction of a cruiser according to the original project "Burmeister og Vine" - however, the Danes did not insist on anything like that. They wanted to build a cruiser for the Russian fleet and get a profit for it, so they were ready for almost any large-scale alterations. Perhaps that is why it turned out to be much easier and faster to coordinate the drawings with Burmeister og Vine than with representatives of Shihau. Despite the fact that "Boyarin" began to be dealt with much later, the construction of "Novik" and "Boyarin" began almost simultaneously, in December 1899.
I must say that the German shipyard, as expected, surpassed the Danish in terms of the speed of building the cruiser: as we said earlier, "Novik" entered factory tests on May 2, 1901, that is, after 1 year and 5 months from the start of construction. "Boyarin" was able to take out similar tests only in July 1902, after 2 years and almost 7 months. from the beginning of construction, that is, a year and two months later than "Novik". However, the Danes are to some extent justified by the fact that their country has long been no longer a great maritime power and has not independently produced many of the mechanisms necessary for the ship. As a result, the Danes had to order and deliver many of the Boyarin's parts and assemblies from abroad: undoubtedly, this greatly affected the speed of the ship's construction. On the other hand, the Germans were too hasty to hand over the ship to the customer, violated the reasonable sequence of tests of the Novik and "ripped" its mechanisms, which required a significant amount of repairs in the future. Therefore, despite the significant difference in the speed of construction, the Boyarin entered service only 5 months after the Novik. This happened in September 1902.
Let's take a closer look at what the Danes did.
Artillery and mine weapons
In essence, the Novik and Boyarin had minimal differences in the composition of their armament. The main armament of the cruiser built in Denmark consisted of the same 6 * 120-mm / 45 guns, completely similar to those installed on the Novik. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the placement of the main caliber on the Boyarin was much more rational.
The Boyarin's hull was taller, so the elevation of the barrel of the 120-mm tank (running) gun above the waterline was 7.37 m, while the Novik's was almost a meter lower, only 6.4 m. onboard closer to the bow of the ship) 120-mm guns of the "Boyarin" were located at the same height as that of the "Novik" - 4.57 m. 4.57 m, and on the Novik it is slightly lower - 4.3 m. But the retired, pooled gun at the Boyarin was located at an altitude of 7.2 m, at the Novik - only 4.8 m. it turned out that the onboard 120-mm / 45 cannons of the Boyarin and Novik were approximately at the same level, but the running and retired Boyarin cannons of the same caliber could operate in significantly fresher weather than on the Novik.
Sometimes there is an opinion that the onboard cannons of the "Boyarin" in comparison with the artillery of the "Novik" had superiority in the sectors of fire, since they were located in sponsons. On the other hand, when looking at the schemes of ships, such a feeling does not arise, and from the description of the cruisers it follows that both Novik and Boyarin, at least formally, could fire at the bow and stern with three guns. Thus, it is possible that despite the noticeable "bulges" along the sides, the "Boyarin" did not have an advantage in this parameter. But on the other hand, it is quite possible that in practice, due to sponsors, the real sectors of the Boyarin's airborne guns were still higher.
As we said earlier, exact data on the nominal number of 120-mm shells for Novik's guns have not been preserved, and the only information from which information about it can be gleaned is contained in the report of N. O. von Essen. According to this document, the ammunition load of 120-mm / 45 guns did not exceed 175-180 rounds per barrel - in this case, the Boyarin had an advantage, since in the final version its 120-mm / 45 guns had 200 rounds per barrel.
Small-caliber artillery "Boyarin" and "Novik" differed insignificantly. On the Novik, on the deck and bridge of the cruiser, there were 6 * 47-mm and 2 * 37-mm cannons, as well as 2 * 7, 62-mm machine guns. "Boyarin" had 8 * 47-mm guns and 2 machine guns of the same caliber, in addition, both cruisers had one 63, 5-mm Baranovsky cannon and one detachable 37-mm gun for arming a steam boat, although on Novik, perhaps there were two after all. In principle, we can say that the 47-mm artillery of the "Boyar" was located more successfully - so, 4 such artillery systems were located, in pairs, inside the tank and canopy superstructures, and the remaining 4 were in sponsons, while 6 * 47- mm guns "Novik" stood on the deck. But taking into account the fact that artillery with a caliber of 37-47 mm did not have any combat value, this will be a conversation about little things, in which, contrary to the well-known proverb, the devil does not hide.
As for the torpedo armament, on the Boyarin it was represented by five 381 mm caliber mine vehicles, of which 4 were traverse, and one was retired. Ammunition in the state was 11 "self-propelled mines". This almost exactly repeated the mine armament of the Novik, with the only exception that the latter had in ammunition not 11, but 10 torpedoes.
Reservation and constructive protection
In general, the armor protection of the Boyarin was somewhat superior to that of the Novik. Its basis on both cruisers was represented by the "karapasnaya" armored deck, which on Novik and Boyarin had approximately 50 mm bevels (A. V. Skvortsov indicates that on the Boyarin the bevel had 50.8 mm, and "- 49, 2 mm), but its horizontal part on" Novik "had a thickness of 30 mm, and on" Boyar "- 38 mm.
As you can see from the diagrams, the Novik and Boyarna steam engines somewhat protruded beyond the size of the armored deck, so their protruding part on the first cruiser was covered with special vertically arranged armor plates - glacis, the thickness of which was 70 mm. Unfortunately, there is no data on a similar protection of the Boyarin, but I would like to note that in the diagram, the indicated protrusions are covered not by vertical protection, but by armor plates located at an angle, so that even if their thickness did not exceed the horizontal section of the armored deck, it can be assumed that they provided a comparable level of protection.
The conning tower was much better protected on the Boyarin, which had 76.2 mm thick armor instead of 30 mm on the Novik. In addition, the pipe leading down from the cabin had 63.5 mm on the Boyarin, while on the Novik it had the same 30 mm. In principle, we can say that the Boyar's conning tower provided protection from high-explosive 152-mm shells at almost any distance of the battle, and from armor-piercing shells by about 15-20 cables and further, while the Novik officers had, in fact, only anti-splinter armor.
The "Boyarin" artillery had the same armor shields as the "Novik" guns, but at the same time the "Boyarin" also received the reservation of the silos for the ammunition supply, which was carried out with 25.4 mm armor plates. On Novik, the shafts were made of 7.9 mm steel and had no other protection.
As we said above, the armor deck was the basis of protection for both cruisers. Its horizontal part rose above the waterline, and the bevels went below it. But, unlike the Novik, the Boyarin also received cofferdams, which were located on the slopes of the armored deck along the sides of the cruiser, and were empty, sealed metal boxes with a wall thickness of 3.1 mm. On the one hand, God knows what kind of protection, but in fact, for armored cruisers, such cofferdams were very useful. Of course, they could not in any way hold even a small-caliber ammunition, but they perfectly localized the inflow of water in cases when the side of the ship was pierced by fragments from a nearby exploding shell.
Power plant
It was completely different on cruisers. Novik had three steam engines, for which a dozen boilers of the Shihau system produced steam. The latter represented a slightly modernized design of Thornycroft. Interestingly, in the initial project of Boyarin, Burmeister og Vine proposed to install Thornycroft boilers, but MTC did not approve of this choice, demanding the installation of Belleville boilers. The Danes resignedly agreed, and as a result "Boyarin" became the only armored cruiser built according to the program of 1898, on which the Belleville boilers, so beloved by MTK, were installed.
The pliability of the Danes may surprise you, against the background of other foreign companies that defended boilers of other systems, but in fairness, we note that a relatively modest speed of 22 knots was expected from the Boyarin, which the Belleville boilers on a small cruiser, obviously, could well provide. The rest of the Russian cruisers ordered abroad were faster.
As a result, "Boyarin" received 2 steam engines with a nominal capacity of 10,500 hp. and 16 boilers of Belleville. In fact, the cars slightly exceeded the rating, showing 11,187 hp, with which the cruiser developed an average speed of 22.6 knots, but, unfortunately, it is not known how long it was able to maintain this speed. In any case, its power plant was significantly inferior to that of the Novik, which with a machine power of 17,789 hp. managed to "keep" the average speed of 25, 08 knots.
In addition, this aspect must be taken into account. As you know, the weight discipline of the Shikhau shipyard turned out to be so high that the Novik turned out to be underloaded, “falling short” of its intended displacement of 3,000 tons over 200 tons. According to various sources, its displacement ranged from 2 719, 1 to 2 764, 6 tons, it was in this weight that "Novik" went to the measured mile. At the same time, the "Boyarin" turned out to be slightly overloaded - with a planned normal displacement of 3,200 tons, in fact it was 3,300 tons, but the ship went for tests in the "standard" displacement of 3,180-3,210 tons, which was not entirely fair …
It is also not entirely clear whether the Boyarin had a trim. For the first tests, he went out, having a draft of 4, 2 m bow, and aft - 5 m, but subsequently the trim did not exceed 30 cm aft, however, apparently, remained.
The full supply of coal on the "Boyarin" was 600 tons, which was 91 tons more than on the "Novik", but at the same time, oddly enough, it was assumed that the cruising range at a speed of 10 knots. “Boyarin” will not exceed 3,000 miles, while for “Novik” they counted on 5,000 miles, but actually got something about 3,200 miles. However, it would be wrong to think that Boyarin turned out to be an outsider in this indicator - on the contrary! During the transition to the Far East, the cruiser made a number of diplomatic visits, and from Souda to Colombo covered 6,660 miles at an average speed of 10.3 knots, spending only 963.2 tons of coal. Accordingly, we can say that the actual cruising range of the Boyarin cruiser with a full supply of 600 tons of coal was approximately 4,150 miles and significantly exceeded that of the Novik.
Seaworthiness
Of course, in this part "Boyarin" had a tangible advantage over "Novik". Generally speaking, the dimensions of the ships, as well as the ratios of their length to width, were quite similar: the length of the Boyarin was 108.3 m, the width was 12.65 m, the ratio was 8.56. The Novik had 106 m, 12, 19 m and 8, 7. We can say that both ships were narrow and long, but the Boyarin had two significant advantages. He had not only a forecastle, but also a poop, which the Novik was deprived of, so that the corresponding decks of the Boyar were located above the Novikovs. But, perhaps, the most important thing - on the "Boyarin" were installed zygomatic keels, which significantly reduced the pitching.
In addition, from the point of view of convenience for the crew, the undoubted advantage of the Boyarin was the closed wheelhouse on the bridge, located above the conning tower. The Novik had only a bridge open to all the winds. However, "Boyarin", like "Novik", received such a dubious innovation as linoleum as a covering of the upper deck, and this, of course, greatly complicated the life of its crew.
Price
"Boyarin" cost the Russian treasury a little more expensive than "Novik". The total cost of the ship together with mechanisms, armor, artillery, mines and combat supplies amounted to 3,456,956 rubles, which is 65,642 rubles. exceeded the similar cost of Novik (RUB 3,391,314). This is often explained by the privileged position of Danish builders who received an order under patronage, but in fairness, we recall that Boyarin was corny larger than Novik, and its cost per ton was 1,080 rubles / ton, while Novik had 1 RUB 101 / t with a planned displacement of 3,200 tons and 3,080 tons, respectively.
Project evaluation
On the Internet, one can often come across the opinion that the Boyarin was a very unsuccessful Danish clone of the Novik, although it had some minor advantages, but lacked the main advantage of the Shihau shipyard's brainchild - speed. Nevertheless, impartially analyzing the performance characteristics of these two ships, we see that this is not the case. "Boyarin", of course, did not shine with speed, but at the same time it was not a slow-moving: nevertheless, it surpassed in speed all Japanese cruisers, with the exception of the "dogs". The latter, however, he was inferior very slightly, we can say that they were approximately equal in speed. Of course, against the background of the Russian standard of 23 knots for 6,000-ton cruisers, and the even faster Novik, Boyarin looks like an outsider, but when evaluating its combat value, we must not forget that this “outsider” developed a speed comparable to the best and fastest cruisers of the enemy.
At the same time, due to slightly better booking and the presence of cofferdams, the Boyarin was less susceptible to damage than the Novik, and due to the zygomatic keels it was a more stable artillery platform. The Belleville boilers, although they did not provide the ship with record characteristics, were still reliable and were the main type of steam boilers of the Russian Imperial Navy, which also gave certain advantages.
Although, of course, one can only regret that the lighter Thornycroft or Norman boilers were not installed on the Boyar - such a decision would lead to significant displacement savings, which could be used either to increase the speed of the ship, or to strengthen the ship's artillery armament. "Boyarin" did not lose to "Novik" in the number of barrels of guns, but alas - having only 6 * 120-mm / 45, just like "Novik" was inferior in artillery power to any Japanese armored cruiser.
Nevertheless, "Boyarin", due to better protection and resistance to excitement, surpassed the "Novik" in combat qualities. Its seaworthiness and cruising range were better and more. The speed, although it was lower, was nevertheless at a quite sufficient level to perform the tasks characteristic of ships of this class - the Boyarin was quite capable of both conducting reconnaissance in the interests of the squadron and carrying out other service with it.
The author of this article will not dare to assert that the Boyarin was better than the Novik, but in terms of their capabilities, these ships were, at least, quite comparable. At the same time, perhaps, "Boyarin" was an even more successful type of cruiser of the 2nd rank for service in Port Arthur. Remembering the tasks that Novik actually solved in the Russo-Japanese War, it is easy to see that Boyarin could shell the coast, serve with a squadron, drive away enemy destroyers no worse, and maybe even better than Novik. If "Boyarin" had lived to see the attempt of the squadron to break through to Vladivostok, then its speed would have been enough to follow the "Askold" and "Novik".
In general, despite the relatively low speed, "Boyarin" cannot be considered an unsuccessful ship: nevertheless, it was, of course, very far from ideal. Despite some advantages, the Belleville boilers were too heavy for ships of this class, besides, the Boyarin carried too weak weapons.
