“The Dmitri Donskoi, a partly armored frigate launched at St. Petersburg in August 1883, was floated to Cronstatdt on August 7 by means of a dock. The hull is built of iron and steel, and is of the following dimensions. Length between perpendiculars 296 feet 7 inches; breadth extreme 52 feet; depth of hold 32 feet; draught aft 25 feet; draught forward 21 feet; displacement 5,709 tons. The compound armor weighs 400 tons, and was contracted for a 312,000 rubles. It forms a belt from stem to stern, 7 feet in width, varying in thickness from 6 inches to 4½ inches, backed by 24 inches of teak. The armament includes two long 8 inch, pivoted amidships, fourteen 6-inch on the side, no less than ten machine guns, and several 4 and 9 pounders. The engines will indicate 7,000 horsepower, and are estimated to propel the vessel at a speed of 16 knots. There are six double-ended boilers, 17 feet long and 14 feet in diameter. She is full ship-rigged and carries coal sufficient for twenty days at 10 knot speed. Her complement will 612 officers and men.”
Despite the fact that she survived the battle against the Japanese fleet in the Street of Tsushima, followed by a Japanese torpedo attacks in the night of 28 May 1905, she was scuttled by her own crew in the morning of the 19th. In 2005 was an article published dealing with the research for her wreck. Thanks to a Korean geophysical survey in the years 1999-2003 the wreck, including some of her 152mm guns, was found lying on the sea bottom, 400 meter below the sea level around 2km from Port Jeodong, Ulleung Island (37’29½” North and 130’55”East).
She was laid down in 1881 and completed in 1885. Dimensions 296’8”x 52’ x 25’9” and with a displacement of 5.796 tons full load. Originally armed with 2-8”guns, 14-6”guns, 4-3’4”guns and 14-1pdr. Her armour consisted of a 4,5”-6”belt, the guns were protected by 2”shields and the conning tower by 8”armour. She was fitted out with a full barque rig. Her crew numbered 571 men, later 507 men. Her engines provided 7.000 ihp making a speed of 16,5 knots possible. The new triple expansion engines made a speed of 18 knots possible.
Nicolas Lawrentievitch Klado gave in his book just a few details concerning the ship. She was part of the cruiser division of the second Pacific Ocean Squadron, flying the flag of the rear admiral Enquist. P. 98 “amongst which is the Dimitri-Donskoi, which, although, provided with modern guns, is itself of an obsolete type”. P. 176 “No doubt the Dimitri Donskoi has just been furnish with more powerful and p. 177 modern guns (six pieces of 152 mm and ten of 75 mm instead of five pieces of 152mm), but we must also take into account the unquestionable advantage which the Vladimir has over the Dimitri, with its two screws instead of one.”
Sources
Report on the European dockyards by naval constructor Philip Hichborn, USN, 1885. Washington, 1886, p. 26. Digitized by Google.
Captain N. Klado. The Russian Navy in the Russo-Japanese War. London, 1905.
www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/dmitri_donskoi.htm
www.sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/200509/000020050905A0370390.php
www.russojapanesewar.com/donskoi.html
www.publish.csiro.au/paper/EG05104.htm
www.cityofart.net/bship/donskoi.html
