Kamchatka (ship)
Kamchatka was an armed auxiliary vessel of the Russian Navy. The ship was launched in 1903. Its short career during the Russo-Japanese War was plagued with unfortunate incidents, which ended in its sinking at the Battle of Tsushima.
 Kamchatka | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Russian Empire | |
| Name | Kamchatka |
| Namesake | Kamchatka Peninsula |
| Builder | New Admiralty Shipyard |
| Laid down | August 26, 1901 |
| Launched | September 18, 1902 |
| In service | 1903-1905 |
| Fate | Sunk at the Battle of Tsushima, 27 May 1905 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 7,200 tons |
| Length | 76.25 m |
| Beam | 15.25 m |
| Speed | 12 knots |
| Armament | 6 x 47mm cannons |
Service history
Originally built as a collier, it was converted to a repair ship while still under construction. The Kamchatka entered service in the Russian Baltic Fleet in 1903. Its main features were a large hold and large cranes that made it ideal for the role as a repair ship.
The ship was infamous for its actions during the voyage of the Second Pacific Squadron, where it precipitated the Dogger Bank incident.[1] It also was involved in numerous other incidents including misidentifications of neutral vessels as Japanese torpedo boats and mistakenly firing at the Russian cruiser Aurora. While stopping in Madagascar several ships in the fleet acquired several local predatory animals, Kamchatka being no exception. The ship was lost with all hands when it was sunk in 1905 during the Battle of Tsushima to Japanese shell fire.
References
- Dogger Bank – Voyage of the Damned ('Hullwebs – History of Hull' website(Archived). Retrieved 12 July 2022.)
External links
- "Kamchatka - Guide 151" video on YouTube
- "Dogger Bank - Voyage of the Damned" article on Hullsweb