Russian battleship Admiral Ushakov

The "Admiral Ushakov" was the lead ship in the her class of armoured warships (coastal battleships) of the Imperial Russian Navy, and named after Admiral Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov the Russian naval commander of the 18th century.

Service Life

"Admiral Ushakov" was part of the Baltic Fleet at the beginning of the Russo-Japanese war. The "Ushakov" was chosen to form part of Admiral Nikolai Nebogatov's "Third Pacific Squadron" which was sent out to reinforce Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky on his journey to the Far East. The ship was obsolete and was not considered suitable for a voyage to the Pacific. [p115, "Battleships"] However the Admiralty insisted on including "Ushakov" and her sister ships "General-Admiral Graf Apraxin" and "Admiral Senyavin" to bolster their force. Journeying via the Suez Canal and across the Indian Ocean, they linked up with Rozhestvensky's fleet off Cam Ranh Bay in Indochina and proceeded together to the Straits of Tsushima.

At the Battle of Tsushima, on 27-28 May 1905, the "Ushakov" was separated from Nebogatov during the night and fought to the last. She was twice hit below the water line and once above, the blazing wreck being scuttled on the evening of 28th May.

References

*
* Tomitch, V. M., "Warships of the Imperial Russian Navy Battleships", Volume 1 (1968)
* Corbett, Julian, Sir. "Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905". (1994). Originally published in two volumnes, and classified secret/confidential until the 1950s. ISBN 1557501297.
* Pleshakov, Constantine. "The Tsar's Last Armada: The Epic Voyage to the Battle of Tsushima". (2002). ISBN 0-46505-792-6.
* Semenov, Vladimir, Capt. "The Battle of Tsushima". (1912). E.P. Dutton & Co.

Notes