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Tuesday 31 January 2017

Russian squadron arrived at Sabang, Dutch East Indies according to the Bataviaasch nieuwsblad dated 30 March 1903

Retzivan

An item dated Sabang 30th reported that the expected Russian squadron arrived a day earlier. It consisted of the battleship Retvizan (1), the cruisers Diana (2) and Pallada (3) and 5 destroyers. It would stay for around f5 days for bunkering water, coal and provisions. In fact was it just a part oft the squadron which was to strengthen the Russian fleet in Chinese waters.(4)

Notes
1. Building at the shipyard of William Cramp&Sons, Philadelphia, USA was ordered in 2 May 1898, to built her was a modified Potemkin design used, she was with yard number 300 laid down on 29 July 1899, launched on 23 October 1900, commissioned on 23 March 1902, building costs 4.360.000 US dollars, and sunk by the Japanese army howitzers in Port Arthur on 6 December 1904, after the capitulation of the Russian forces on 2 January 1905 was nothing done with her until the Japanese salvaged her on 22 September 1905, renamed Hizen on 24 September 1905, repaired at Sasebo, Japan between 27 November 1905 and November 1908, refitted in 1913, stationed at Vladivostok in 1918, reclassified as 1st coast defence ship on 1 September 1921, disarmed at Sasebo, Japan as result of the Washington Naval Treaty in April 1922, stricken on 20 September 1923 and finally sunk in the Bungo channel while used as a target on 25 July 1924.
2. Of the Pallada class protected cruisers, consisting of the Diana, Pallada and Aurora, preceded by the Svetlana and succeeded by the Varyag, laid down at Admiralty Shipyard, St. Petersburg, Russia on 23 May 1897, launched on 30 September 1899, commissioned on 10 December 1901 and finally broken up at Bremen, Germany in 1922.
3. Of the Pallada class protected cruisers, consisting of the Diana, Pallada andAurora, preceded by the Svetlana and succeeded by the Varyag, laid down at the Admiralty Shipyard, St. Petersburg, Russia on 1 December 1895, launched in August 1899, sunk on 8 December 1904m in Japanese hands since 9105, renamed Tsugaru, decommissioned in 1922 and sunk as a target in 1924.
4. Russian and Japanese ambitions in Manchuria and Korea conflicted. The Russo-Japanese War 8 February 1904-5 September 1905 ended disastrous for Russia.