Russian pre dreadnought battleship Retvizan 1899-1905 and Japanese Hizen 1905-1924

Source l’Illustration d.d. 13-2-1904

Source l’Illustration d.d. 16-4-1904 trapped in Port Arthur

Retvizan

suceeded by the Tsesarevich

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 donewith 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.

Displacement 12.912 tons/12.708 long tons (standard) and as dimensions 117,9 x 22,0 x 7,6 metres or 386.8 x 72.2 x 25 feet. The 2 shafts 2 vertical triple expansion steam engines and 24 Niclausse boilers supplied 16.000 ihp allowing a speed of 18 knots and with a speed of 10 knots a range of 4.900 nautical miles. The Krupp made armour consisted of a 22,9cm/9” thick belt, 5,1-76,cn/2-3” thick deck and 17,8cm/7” bulkhead with the barbettes, turrets and conning tower protected by respectively 10,2-20,3cm/4-8”, 22,9cm/9” and 25,4cm/10”. The original armament consisted of 2x2-30,5cm/12” guns, 12x1-15,2cm/6” guns, 20x1-7,5cm/3” guns, 24x1-4,7cm/1.9” guns, 6x1-3,7cm/1.5” guns, 6x1-38,1cm/15” torpedo tubes and she carried 45 mines with her. Her crew numbered 796 (Japanese service)-750 (Russian) men.