Visiting the armored cruiser "Gromoboy" in the port of Cherbourg in 1906
Armored cruiser "Gromoboy".
In April 1906, the Russian armored cruiser Gromoboy arrived in the French port of Cherbourg. Among the visitors was the lieutenant de vaisseau of the French fleet A. de Perrinel-Dume, he was given the opportunity not only to inspect the ship, but also to talk with the senior officer of the cruiser, captain of the second rank A.P. Dyachkov, artillery officer, senior lieutenant Ya. Cherkasov and other officers. Perhaps some of the data provided by A. de Perrinel-Dume may raise doubts, but I think this should be treated with understanding.
During the battle on August 14, 1904, shells of various calibers hit the cruiser, approximately 30 shells. Those parts of the chimneys and superstructures that were not replaced were covered with small dents from fragments, one of the chimneys was replaced, as it was damaged by a large-caliber projectile.
The supply of ammunition had weak protection, but hits during the battle did not affect its functioning. A fairly large amount of plating at the stern of the cruiser was replaced. The wooden deck, resting on steel sheet, never caught fire, its surface was still covered in abrasions, resembling "wet cat skin". It should be noted that the armor withstood all hits and was not pierced.
Losses amounted to 135 people killed, most of the dead and wounded were on the upper deck. There were also wounded and killed in the armored cabin, one of the shells hit the ventilation pipe located behind the armored cabin.
Part of the fragments hit the vertical wall of the armored cabin. These fragments, flying up, met with a strongly protruding roof, which had a mushroom shape. They ricocheted off this curved surface into the armored cabin. Another part of the fragments, reflected from the vertical wall, hit the armored traverse that covered the entrance, ricocheting, they also got inside the armored cabin, hitting all the officers and sailors who were there. The spread of fragments is shown in Figure No. 1.
According to the results of the battle in the Vladivostok Arsenal, an external armored ledge was installed on the armored cabin (marked in blue in Figure No. 2). The entire surface of the ceiling of the armored cabin, the inside of the traverse in front of the entrance and the armored ledge were sheathed with cork mattresses and a thick layer of fabric (marked in red). This protection, according to the officers, well delays fragments of Japanese shells.
All cruiser control devices are concentrated in the cruiser's armored cabin. Fire control devices are located on both sides of the armored cabin, one group of devices is designed to work with starboard artillery, the other - on the left side.
The group of instruments consists of five dials, two of which continuously show the distance measured by two rangefinders installed on the cruiser. One dial serves to set and transmit deflection for all the artillery of this side, two more are designed to transmit the distance to two artillery sections of this side. All devices are mounted on racks and do not touch the walls of the armored cabin. A rangefinder is also installed in the armored cabin, which is used by an artillery officer.
Drawing of an armored cabin.
Apparently, on the armored cruiser "Gromoboy" in 1906, all the artillery of one side was divided into two sections. Unfortunately, A. de Perrinel-Dume does not indicate which guns were included in one section.
The cruiser has two rangefinders. They are installed in a cylindrical tower open at the top. The calculation of the rangefinder post consists of two people. Inside the tower is sheathed with cork mattresses, which creates additional protection for the calculation. The rangefinder is controlled by a lever attached to it, while the rangefinder can also measure the distance in case of a roll. There is also a mouthpiece with which he can transmit data by voice. In addition, the assistant transmits this distance to the conning tower using an electric dial.
The artillery officer, senior lieutenant Cherkasov, explained how the shooting was carried out and how he corrected his fire. At long distances of 7–000 meters, the distance measurement error can be up to 8 meters. He takes the average of two distances and fires one, two or three shots. Observing the impact points of projectiles allows him to more or less appreciate the corrections that need to be made for range and deflection.
After making adjustments, one or two volleys of six guns are fired, volley fire allows him to make additional adjustments. Then he gives this correction to all artillery that can hit the target, and commands to open fire. He continues to watch the drop points, and if the shooting becomes inaccurate, he ceases fire, sets a new distance and a new correction, and again orders to open fire.
Together with senior lieutenant Cherkasov, we examined the casemates installed on the deck for 152-mm guns. These casemates are set in the shape of a horseshoe; the remaining free space between the casemates and chimneys is closed during the battle with a curtain consisting of bags filled with cork, with chains or steel cables hung on them.
Baron Cherkasov said that during the ongoing battles, people suffered greatly from thirst in the casemates, so fountains were installed so that people could drink without leaving their combat post.
On the issue of what happened in the Tsushima battle, captain of the second rank A.P. Dyachkov believes that the Tsushima disaster would not have happened if the flagship battleship "Prince Suvorov" (and with it Admiral Z.P. Rozhestvinsky) had not been put out of action through twenty minutes after the start of the battle. This is what paralyzed the Russian squadron and deprived it of the ability to fully maneuver and fight. He also noted that the Russian gunners fired well at a distance of up to 5 meters, they could not fire effectively at a greater distance.
Cruiser officers said that it was important for a warship to have a conning tower large enough and well-equipped to effectively protect officers, sailors, communications and control devices from shell fragments during battle. Devices and equipment should not be attached to the walls of the conning tower. They believe that a warship should have a second conning tower aft. It is necessary to reduce the number of superstructures to a minimum in order to reduce the possibility of hitting high-explosive shells.
After parking, the armored cruiser Gromoboy left the port of Cherbourg.
Cherbourg, 5 May 1906.
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