View source for Borodino-class battleship

{{Short description|Russian pre-dreadnought battleship class}}
{{About|the battleship class|the battlecruiser class|Borodino-class battlecruiser{{!}}''Borodino''-class battlecruiser}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Good article}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=RUS Orel 2.jpg
|Ship caption=Oblique view of ''Oryol'' at anchor
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=
|Builders=*[[Baltic Yard|Baltic Works]], [[Saint Petersburg]]
*[[Admiralty Shipyard|New Admiralty Shipyard]], Saint Petersburg
|Operators=*{{navy|Russian Empire}}
*{{navy|Empire of Japan}}
|Class before={{ship|Russian battleship|Tsesarevich||2}}
|Class after={{sclass|Evstafi|battleship|4}}
|Cost=
|Built range=1899–1905
|In service range=1904–1922
|In commission range=1904–1922
|Total ships completed=5
|Total ships scrapped=1
|Total ships lost=4
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Pre-dreadnought battleship]]
|Ship displacement={{convert|14091|-|14415|LT|t|0|lk=in|abbr=on}}
|Ship length= {{convert|397|ft|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{convert|76|ft|1|in|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|29|ft|2|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=2 shafts, 2 [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|Triple-expansion steam engines]]
|Ship speed={{convert|18|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|2590|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
|Ship complement=28 officers, 826 enlisted men
|Ship power=*{{convert|15800|-|16300|ihp|abbr=on|0|lk=in}}
*20 [[Belleville boiler]]s
|Ship armament=*2 × twin [[Russian 12 inch 40 caliber naval gun|{{convert|12|in|0|abbr=on}}]] guns
*6 × twin [[152 mm 45 caliber Pattern 1892|{{convert|6|in|0|abbr=on}}]] guns
*20 × single [[75mm 50 caliber Pattern 1892|{{convert|75|mm|in|0|abbr=on}}]] guns
*20 × single [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss|{{convert|47|mm|in|abbr=on}}]] guns
*4 × single {{convert|15|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s
|Ship armor=*[[Krupp armor]]
*[[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{convert|7.64|-|5.7|in|mm|0}}
*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|1|-|2|in|mm|0}}
*[[Gun turret|Turrets]]: {{convert|10|in|mm|0}}
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
The '''''Borodino''-class battleship'''s were a group of five [[pre-dreadnought battleship]]s built for the [[Imperial Russian Navy]] around the end of the 19th century. Their design was based on that of the French-built {{ship|Russian battleship|Tsesarevich||2}} modified to use Russian equipment. The first four ships were finished after the start of the [[Russo-Japanese War]] of 1904–1905 and were among the ships ordered to sail from the [[Baltic Sea]] to the [[Far East]] to relieve the [[Russian Pacific Fleet|Pacific Squadron]] besieged by the Japanese in [[Lüshunkou District|Port Arthur]]. Three of these ships were sunk and one was captured by the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] at the [[Battle of Tsushima]] in 1905. The fifth and final ship, {{ship|Russian battleship|Slava||2}}, was not completed in time to participate in the war and served with the [[Baltic Fleet]] through [[World War I]].

==Design and description==
[[File:Borodino class battleship diagrams Brasseys 1906.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Right elevation and deck plan as depicted in [[Brassey's Naval Annual]] 1906]]
[[Tsar]] [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]] had desired a [[warm-water port]] on the Pacific since his accession to the throne in 1894. He achieved this ambition in March 1898 when Russia signed a 25-year lease for Port Arthur and the [[Liaotung Peninsula]] with China. Japan had previously forced China to sign over the port and its surrounding territory as part of [[Treaty of Shimonoseki|the treaty]] that concluded the [[First Sino-Japanese War]] of 1894–1895, but the [[Triple Intervention]] of France, Russia, and Germany forced them to return the port in exchange for a sizeable increase in the indemnity paid by the Chinese. Japan invested much of the indemnity money in expanding its fleet, while Russia began a major building programme ("For the Needs of the Far East") to defend its newly acquired port that included the ''Borodino''-class battleships.<ref>McLaughlin, pp. 100–103</ref>

The ''Borodino''s were the most numerous class of battleships ever built by Russia. Although they were intended to be near duplicates of ''Tsesarevich'', as soon as the contracts were signed, it became clear that they would be quite different from the French-built ship.  The basic problem facing the navy was that the ''Borodinos'' would have heavier engines and larger turrets which would require a designer to build a ship which had the same speed, draft, guns and armor as ''Tsesarevich'', but a greater displacement. The new design was drawn up by D. V. Skvortsov of the Naval Technical Committee (NTC). He completed his new design in July/August 1898, one month after the original contract had been signed. The new concept was roughly {{convert|1000|LT|t|0}} tons heavier and slightly larger and wider than the ''Tsesarevich.''<ref>McLaughlin, p. 137</ref>

As might be expected, the ''Borodino''s greatly resembled ''Tsesarevich'', although Skvortsov added two more casemates, each containing four {{convert|75|mm|in|sp=us|adj=on}} guns, one at the bow and the other aft. These guns were added to the already existing dozen 75&nbsp;mm guns emplaced along the sides above the armor belt. This caused the [[tumblehome]] used on the rest of the hull to be deleted over the twelve guns and flat-sided armor was used in its place. Thus the five ''Borodino''-class battleships had tumblehome hulls only fore and aft of their 75&nbsp;mm guns emplaced along their sides.<ref>McLaughlin, p. 138</ref> The centreline [[Bulkhead (partition)|bulkhead]] between the engine and boiler rooms caused a danger of capsizing if one side flooded and the narrow [[belt armor]] became submerged when overloaded. As such, naval historian [[Antony Preston]] regarded these as some of the worst battleships ever built.<ref>Preston 2002, pp. 50, 55</ref>

The ships were {{convert|389|ft|5|in|m|1}} [[length at the waterline|long at the waterline]] and {{convert|397|ft|3|in|m|1}} long [[length overall|overall]], with a [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|76|ft|1|in|m|1}} and a [[Draft (hull)|draft]] of {{convert|29|ft|2|in|m|1}}, {{convert|38|in|0}} more than designed. Their normal displacement ranged from {{convert|14091|to|14145|LT|t|0|lk=on}}, {{convert|500|-|900|LT|t|abbr=on|0}} more than their designed displacement of {{convert|13516|LT|t|abbr=on|0}}. They were designed for a crew of 28 officers and 754 enlisted men,<ref name="McLaughlin, p. 136">McLaughlin, p. 136</ref> although {{ship|Russian battleship|Knyaz Suvorov||2}} carried 928 crewmen during the Battle of Tsushima.<ref name=c7>Campbell 1978, p. 187</ref>

The ''Borodino''-class ships were powered by two 4-cylinder [[Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion|triple-expansion steam engines]], each driving one propeller shaft, using steam generated by 20 [[Belleville boiler]]s. The engines were designed to reach a top speed of {{convert|18|kn|lk=in}}. The [[lead ship]], ''Borodino'', was fitted with a copy of the La Seyne machinery installed in ''Tsesarvich'' and built by the [[Franco-Russian Works]].  The remaining four ''Borodino''s were supplied with machinery designed and built by the [[Baltic Works]]. ''Borodino''{{'}}s engines were rated at {{convert|16300|ihp|lk=on}} and its boilers had a working pressure of {{convert|19|atm|kPa kg/cm2|0|abbr=on|lk=on}}; the machinery of her [[sister ship|sisters]] was rated at {{convert|15800|ihp|abbr=on}} and their boilers had a working pressure of {{convert|21|atm|kPa kg/cm2|0|abbr=on}}. Other differences were that ''Borodino'' was equipped with [[economiser]]s for her boilers as well as three-bladed screws, while her sisters lacked economisers and had four-bladed propellers.<ref name=m74>McLaughlin, pp. 137, 144</ref>

Because the ships were being prepared to go to the [[Far East]] shortly after completion, they conducted only abbreviated [[sea trial]]s. Only {{ship|Russian battleship|Oryol||2}} reached her designed speed during these trails, despite her engines producing only {{convert|14176|ihp|abbr=on}}. The engines of her sisters produced more power, but they were slower during their trials. At deep load they carried {{convert|1350|LT|MT|0}} of coal that provided them a range of {{convert|2590|nmi|lk=in}} at a speed of {{convert|10|kn}}. The ships were fitted with six steam-driven generators with a total capacity of {{convert|738|kW|lk=in}}.<ref name=m74/>

=== Armament and fire control===
The [[Main battery|main armament]] of the ''Borodino'' class consisted of two pairs of 40-[[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] [[Russian 12 inch 40 caliber naval gun|12-inch]] guns mounted in French-style, electrically powered, twin-[[gun turret]]s fore and aft. The turrets had a maximum elevation of +15° and 60 [[Cartridge (firearms)|rounds]] per gun were carried.<ref name=m2/> The guns fired one shell every 90–132 seconds.<ref>Forczyk, p. 29</ref> They fired a {{convert|731|lb|kg|adj=on}} shell at a [[muzzle velocity]] of {{convert|2598|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}<ref>Friedman, pp. 251–252</ref> to a range of {{convert|14640|m|yd|disp=flip}} at maximum elevation.<ref>Forczyk, p. 28</ref>`

The secondary armament of the ships consisted of a dozen 45-caliber [[Canet guns|Canet]] Model 1891 [[152 mm 45 caliber Pattern 1892|{{convert|6|in|mm|adj=on|0}}]] [[quick-firing gun|(QF) guns]] mounted in six electrically powered twin-gun turrets on the upper deck. The turrets had a maximum elevation of +15° arc of fire and the center turrets could cover 180°. Each six-inch gun was provided with 180 rounds.<ref name=m2/> Their rate of fire was about 2–4 rounds per minute.<ref name=f0>Forczyk, p. 30</ref> They fired shells that weighed {{convert|41.4|kg|lb|abbr=on|disp=flip}} with a muzzle velocity of {{convert|792.5|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on|disp=flip}}.<ref>Friedman, pp. 260–261</ref> They had a maximum range of approximately {{convert|12600|yd|m}}.<ref name=f0/>

A number of smaller guns were carried for defense against [[torpedo boat]]s. These included twenty 50-calibre Canet QF [[75mm 50 caliber Pattern 1892|{{convert|75|mm|adj=on|0}}]] guns mounted in hull [[embrasure]]s. The ships carried 300 shells for each gun.<ref name=m2/> They fired a {{convert|4.9|kg|lb|adj=on|disp=flip}} shell at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|2700|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} to a maximum range of {{convert|6405|m|yd|disp=flip}} at an elevation of +13°.<ref>Friedman, p. 264</ref> The ''Borodino''-class ships also mounted sixteen or eighteen [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss|{{convert|47|mm|adj=on}}]] [[Hotchkiss gun]]s in the superstructure.<ref name=m2>McLaughlin, p. 142</ref> They fired a {{convert|2.2|lb|kg|adj=on}} shell at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|1400|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}<ref>Smigielski, p. 160</ref> at a rate of around 15 rounds per minute.<ref name=f0/>

The ships carried four {{convert|381|mm|in|adj=on|0}} [[torpedo tube]]s, two of which were mounted above water in the bow and stern while the two [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]] underwater tubes were located near the forward 12-inch magazine. Four torpedoes were carried for the above-water tubes and six for the submerged tubes. They also carried 50 [[Naval mine|mines]] to be laid to protect their anchorage in remote areas.<ref name=m2/>

The ''Borodino'' class were originally fitted with Liuzhol [[Stadiametric rangefinding|stadiametric rangefinders]] that used the angle between two vertical points on an enemy ship, usually the waterline and the [[crow's nest]], to estimate the range. The gunnery officer consulted his references to get the range and calculated the proper elevation and [[deflection (ballistics)|deflection]] required to hit the target. He then transmitted his commands via a Geisler electro-mechanical [[Fire-control system#Naval fire control|fire-control transmission system]] to each gun or turret. While [[fitting out]], these rangefinders were replaced on the first four ships by two [[Barr and Stroud]] [[coincidence rangefinder]]s that used two images that had to be superimposed to derive the range. Perepelkin [[telescopic sight]]s were also installed for their guns, but their crews were not trained in how to use them.<ref name=m2/><ref>Forczyk, pp. 27–28, 57</ref>

The [[waterline]] armor belt of the ''Borodino''s consisted of [[Krupp armor]] and was {{convert|5.7|-|7.64|in|0}} thick. The armor of their gun turrets had a maximum thickness of {{convert|10|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} and their [[deck (ship)|deck]] ranged from {{convert|1|to|2|in|0}} in thickness. The {{convert|1.5|in|adj=on}} armored lower deck curved downwards and formed an anti-[[torpedo bulkhead]].<ref>McLaughlin, pp. 136–137</ref>

== Ships ==
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data
! scope="col" | Ship
! scope="col" | Namesake
! scope="col" | Builder<ref name="McLaughlin, p. 136"/>
! scope="col" | Cost<ref name=m2/>
! scope="col" | [[Laid down]]<ref name="McLaughlin, p. 136"/>
! scope="col" | [[Ceremonial ship launching|Launched]]<ref name="McLaughlin, p. 136"/>
! scope="col" | Entered service<ref name="McLaughlin, p. 136"/>
! scope="col" | Fate<ref>McLaughlin, pp. 145–146</ref>
|-
! scope="row" | {{ship|Russian battleship|Borodino||2}} (''Бородино'')
| [[Battle of Borodino]]<ref>Silverstone, p. 373</ref>
| [[New Admiralty Shipyard]], [[Saint Petersburg]]
| 14.572&nbsp;million [[ruble]]s
| rowspan=2| 23 May 1900{{refn|group=Note|All dates used in this article are [[Adoption of the Gregorian calendar#Adoption in Eastern Europe|New Style]].}}
| 8 September 1901
| style="text-align: center;" | August 1904
| rowspan=3|Sunk at the [[Battle of Tsushima]], 27 May 1905
|-
! scope="row" | {{ship|Russian battleship|Imperator Aleksandr III|1901|2}} (''Император Александр III'')
| [[Tsar]] [[Alexander III of Russia]]<ref>Silverstone, p. 376</ref>
| rowspan=2|[[Baltic Works]], Saint Petersburg
| 13.979&nbsp;million rubles
| 3 August 1902
| style="text-align: center;" | November 1903
|-
! scope="row" | {{ship|Russian battleship|Knyaz Suvorov||2}} (''Князь Суворов'')
|[[Alexander Suvorov]]<ref>Silverstone, p. 378</ref>
| 13.841&nbsp;million rubles
| 8 September 1901
| 25 September 1902
| style="text-align: center;" | September 1904
|-
! scope="row" | {{ship|Russian battleship|Oryol||2}} (''Орёл'')
| [[Eagle]]<ref>Silverstone, p. 380</ref>
| [[Admiralty Shipyard|Galernyi Island Shipyard]], Saint Petersburg
| 13.404&nbsp;million rubles
| 1 June 1900
| 19 July 1902
| style="text-align: center;" | October 1904
| Surrendered at the Battle of Tsushima, 28 May 1905, renamed ''Iwami'' by the [[Imperial Japanese Navy|Japanese]], and [[ship breaking|scrapped]] or sunk as target, 1924–1925 
|-
! scope="row" | {{ship|Russian battleship|Slava||2}} (''Слава'')
| Glory<ref>Silverstone, p. 385</ref>
| Baltic Works, Saint Petersburg
| 13.841&nbsp;million rubles
| 1 November 1902
| 29 August 1903
| style="text-align: center;" | October 1905
| Scuttled during the [[Battle of Moon Sound]], 17 October 1917
|}

==Service history==
On 15 October 1904, ''Knyaz Suvorov'', [[flagship]] of [[Vice Admiral]] [[Zinovy Rozhestvensky]], commander of the 2nd Pacific Squadron, and the other three ''Borodino''-class battleships set sail for Port Arthur from [[Liepāja|Libau]] along with the other vessels of the squadron.<ref>Forczyk, p. 9</ref> Rozhestvensky had received numerous reports of Japanese agents and torpedo boats disguised as fishing vessels before sailing and he ordered maximum alertness after [[Coaling (ships)|coaling]] at [[Skagen]], Denmark on 7 October. Early on the evening of the following day, when the squadron was near the [[Dogger Bank]], the auxiliary [[repair ship]] ''Kamchatka'' reported that she was under attack by torpedo boats in the rain. About four hours later, the squadron encountered British fishing trawlers working the Dogger Bank in the fog and opened fire on them at very short range.<ref>Pleshakov, pp. 91–97</ref> One trawler was sunk and at least three others were damaged; several fishermen were killed and others wounded.<ref>Hough, pp. 42–44</ref> The battleships also fired upon and damaged the cruisers {{ship|Russian cruiser|Aurora||2}} and {{ship|Russian cruiser|Dmitrii Donskoi||2}} in the confusion. The incident enraged the British population and caused a diplomatic incident with the British that nearly led to war until Russia apologized and agreed to pay reparations on 29 October.<ref>Pleshakov, pp. 98–109</ref>

Rozhestvensky led his ships down the Atlantic coast of Africa, rounding the [[Cape of Good Hope]], and reached the island of [[Nosy Be]] off the north-west coast of Madagascar on 9 January 1905 where they remained for two months while Rozhestvensky finalized his coaling arrangements. During this time, he learned of the capture of Port Arthur and changed his destination to [[Vladivostok]], the only other port controlled by the Russians in the Far East. The squadron sailed for [[Camranh Bay]], [[French Indochina]], on 16 March and reached it almost a month later to await the obsolete ships of the 3rd Pacific Squadron, commanded by [[Rear Admiral]] [[Nikolai Nebogatov]]. The latter ships reached Camranh Bay on 9 May and the combined force sailed for Vladivostok on 14 May. While exact figures are not available, it is probable that the ships were approximately {{convert|1700|LT|t|0}} overweight as they were overloaded with coal and other supplies; all of which was stored high in the ships and reduced their [[Stability conditions|stability]]. The extra weight also submerged their waterline armor belt and left only about {{convert|4|ft|6|in|m|1}} of the upper armor belt above the waterline.<ref>McLaughlin, pp. 141, 167</ref>

===Battle of Tsushima===
{{main|Battle of Tsushima}}
Before the battle Rozhestvensky grouped the four ''Borodino''s into one division and retained personal command of the division. ''Oryol'', the last ship in the division, fired the first shots of the Battle of Tsushima when the ship's [[captain (nautical)|captain]], [[Nikolay Yung]], ordered her to open fire at 11:42 at a Japanese [[cruiser]] that was shadowing the Russian formation at a range of {{convert|9000|m|sp=us|yd}}. Rozhestvensky had not given any pre-battle instructions to the fleet covering this situation, but he ordered Yung to cease fire after 30 rounds had been fired without effect. ''Knyaz Suvorov'' was the lead ship in the Russian battle line and she opened fire at the {{ship|Japanese battleship|Mikasa}}, flagship of [[Admiral]] [[Tōgō Heihachirō]] at 14:05.<ref>Forczyk, pp. 56, 58</ref> ''Mikasa'' and the other Japanese ships began to return fire about five minutes later. Their [[High-explosive fragmentation|high-explosive shells]] quickly set all four of the ''Borodino''s on fire; at 14:35, Rozhestvensky and the ''Knyaz Suvorov''{{'}}s captain were wounded by splinters that entered the ship's conning tower.{{#tag:ref|The overhanging roof of the conning tower deflected splinters from nearby hits into the conning tower.<ref name=m9/>|group=Note}} Around 14:52, another hit jammed ''Knyaz Suvorov''{{'}}s steering gear after a four [[Boxing the compass|point]] turn to starboard had been ordered and caused the ship to make nearly a full circle before she could be steered by her engines.<ref>Campbell 1978, p. 129</ref> By this time ''Knyaz Suvorov''{{'}}s aft 12-inch gun turret had been destroyed by an explosion that blew its roof off onto the [[quarterdeck]], her forward [[funnel (ship)|funnel]] had fallen down and her [[mainmast]] had been shot away.<ref name=m9>McLaughlin, p. 169</ref>

''Imperator Aleksandr III'' and the other ships of the division briefly followed ''Knyaz Suvorov'' until it became clear that the latter ship was out of control and then turned north in an effort to get behind Tōgō's ships. ''Knyaz Suvorov'' never regained her position in the battle line and became the primary target of the Japanese for a time. Around 16:00 the captain of ''Imperator Alexandr III'', Nikolai Bukhvostov, decided to duplicate {{ship|Russian battleship|Retvizan||2}}'s maneuver at the [[Battle of the Yellow Sea]] by charging straight for the Japanese battleline in an attempt to focus their attention on his ship rather than ''Knyaz Suvorov''. He was successful, but ''Imperator Aleksandr III'' was badly damaged in the process. ''Borodino'' now assumed the lead position and turned the fleet to the south where they temporarily managed to disengage in the mist and fog.<ref>Forczyk, pp. 25, 63, 66–67</ref>

''Knyaz Suvorov'' was badly damaged by repeated attacks after she separated from the main body although she was initially in no danger of sinking. The Russian [[destroyer]] ''[[List of Imperial Russian Navy destroyers#Buinyi class .28350.2F450 tons.29.2C 10 ships|Buinyi]]'' came alongside around 17:30 and evacuated Rozhestvensky and other wounded officers. Torpedoes fired by a number of torpedo boats ultimately caused a magazine to explode around 19:20 and ''Knyaz Suvorov'' capsized at about 19:30.<ref name=c7/> Other than the 20 officers taken off by ''Buinyi'',<ref name="Forczyk, p. 67">Forczyk, p. 67</ref> there were no survivors of the 928 crew aboard.<ref name=c7/>

When the shooting between the battle lines resumed around 18:00, the Japanese concentrated their fire upon ''Imperator Aleksandr III'' and ''Borodino''. ''Imperator Alexandr III'' sheered out of line to port around 18:30 and [[capsize]]d, but did not sink until 19:07; there were no survivors.<ref name="Forczyk, p. 67"/> ''Borodino'' lasted a little while longer under concentrated Japanese fire. Two 12-inch hits by the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Shikishima||2}} at 19:18 started a massive fire and both the ship's 12-inch gun turrets were knocked out. Ten minutes later, after Tōgō ordered his ships to cease fire and disengage, the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Fuji||2}} fired her already-loaded 12-inch guns before turning away. One of these hit ''Borodino'' beneath her starboard forward six-inch turret and ignited the ready-use ammunition in the turret. The fire spread and caused a catastrophic detonation in several magazines that blew open her hull. ''Borodino'' quickly capsized and sank with only one crewman from her crew of 855 being rescued.<ref name=c5>Campbell 1978, p. 135</ref><ref>Forczyk, pp. 67, 70</ref>

''Oryol'' took the lead after ''Borodino'' was sunk; she was joined by Nebogatov's Second Division after Tōgō ordered the Japanese battleships to disengage in the gathering darkness. Nebogatov assumed command of the remains of the fleet and they continued towards Vladivostok. The ships were discovered by the Japanese early the following morning and attacked by Tōgō's battleships around 10:00. The faster Japanese ships stayed beyond the range at which Nebogatov's ships could effectively reply and he decided to surrender his ships at 10:30 as he could neither return fire nor close the range.<ref>Forczyk, pp. 70–71</ref>

===Post-Tsushima careers===
[[File:Iwami1905-1923.jpg|right|thumb|''Iwami'' at anchor]]
The Japanese substantially rebuilt ''Oryol'' and recommissioned her in June 1907 with the name of ''Iwami''.<ref name=j0>Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 21</ref> To reduce her top weight, they cut down her [[superstructure]] and repositioned her guns. In addition, her boilers were replaced by an unknown number of Japanese-built Miyabara boilers and she was rearmed with Japanese-made guns. These changes reduced her displacement to approximately {{convert|13500|LT|t|0}} and her crew now totaled 750 officers and crewmen.<ref>McLaughlin, pp. 452–453</ref>

During World War I, the ship participated in the [[Siege of Tsingtao]] in August–November 1914<ref name=m6>McLaughlin, p. 146</ref> and served as the flagship of the Japanese Intervention Squadron in Vladivostok in 1918 when Japan [[Siberian Intervention|intervened]] in the [[Russian Civil War]].<ref>Preston 1972, p. 193</ref> She was used as a training ship in 1921 and disarmed in 1922 in accordance with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty. Sources differ as to her ultimate fate; she was either sunk as a target by aircraft near [[Miura, Kanagawa|Miura]] in July 1924 or scrapped at [[Kobe]] in 1924–1925.<ref name="McLaughlin, p. 136"/>

Serving in the [[Baltic Sea]] during World War I, ''Slava'' was the largest ship of the Russian Gulf of Riga Squadron that fought the [[Kaiserliche Marine|German High Seas Fleet]] in the [[Battle of the Gulf of Riga]] in August 1915. She was lightly damaged by three hits during the battle. She repeatedly bombarded German positions and troops for the rest of 1915 and during 1916.<ref>Nekrasov, pp. 52, 59–64</ref> During the [[Battle of Moon Sound]] in 1917, ''Slava'' was badly damaged by the German [[dreadnought]] {{SMS|König}} and the flooding significantly increased her draft. The shallow channel made it impossible to escape and she was scuttled in the Moon Sound Strait between the island of [[Muhu]] (Moon) and the mainland.<ref>Staff, pp. 113–117</ref> The Estonians scrapped her in 1935.<ref>Campbell 1979, p. 294</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book |last1=Arbuzov |first1=Vladimir V. |title=Borodino Class Armored Ships |date=1993 |publisher=Interpoisk |location=Saint Petersburg|oclc=43727130|series=Armored Ships of the World|volume=1}}
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Gray|editor1-first=Randal|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921 |year=1985 |location=Annapolis, Maryland|publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=0-85177-245-5 |last=Budzbon|first=Przemysław |pages=291–325|chapter=Russia}}
*{{cite book|last=Campbell|first=N. J. M.|title= Warship II|chapter=The Battle of Tsu-Shima, Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4|editor-last=Preston|editor-first= Antony|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|year=1978 |pages=38–49, 127–135, 186–192, 258–265|isbn=0-87021-976-6|editor-link=Antony Preston}}
*{{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905|editor1-first=Roger|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor2-first=Eugene M.|editor2-last=Kolesnik |publisher=Mayflower Books|location=New York|year=1979|isbn=0-8317-0302-4|url-access=registration |url= https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2|pages=170–217 |chapter=Russia |last1=Campbell |first1=N. J. M.|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|title=Russian Battleship vs Japanese Battleship, Yellow Sea 1904–05|author=Forczyk, Robert |publisher=Osprey |year=2009|location=Oxford, UK|isbn=978-1-84603-330-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations: An Illustrated Directory|publisher=Seaforth |location=Barnsley, UK|year=2011|isbn=978-1-84832-100-7 |authorlink=Norman Friedman}} 
*{{cite book|last=Hough|first=Richard|title=The Fleet That Had To Die|url=https://archive.org/details/fleetthathadtodi00houg|url-access=registration|year=1958|publisher=Viking Press|location=New York|oclc=832919}}
*{{cite book| last1 = Jentschura| first1 = Hansgeorg| first2 = Dieter |last2=Jung|first3=Peter |last3=Mickel| year = 1977| title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945| publisher = United States Naval Institute| location = Annapolis, Maryland| isbn = 0-87021-893-X|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=McLaughlin|first=Stephen|title=Russian & Soviet Battleships|publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2003|isbn=1-55750-481-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Nekrasov|first=George M.|title=Expendable Glory: A Russian Battleship in the Baltic, 1915–1917 |publisher=East European Monographs|location=Boulder, Colorado|year=2004|series=East European Monographs |volume=636 |isbn=0-88033-534-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Pleshakov|first=Constantine|title=The Tsar's Last Armada: The Epic Voyage to the Battle of Tsushima|year=2002|publisher=Basic Books|location=New York|isbn=0-465-05791-8|url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/tsarslastarmadae00ples}}
*{{cite book|last=Preston|first=Antony|title=Battleships of World War I: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Battleships of All Nations 1914–1918|publisher=Galahad Books|location=New York|year=1972|isbn=0-88365-300-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Preston|first=Antony|title=The World's Worst Warships|year=2002|publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=London|isbn=0-85177-754-6}}
*{{cite book|last=Silverstone|first=Paul H.|title=Directory of the World's Capital Ships|year=1984|publisher=Hippocrene Books|location=New York|isbn=0-88254-979-0}}
*{{cite book|editor-last=Roberts|editor-first= John|last=Smigielski|first=Adam|chapter=Imperial Russian Navy Cruiser ''Varyag'' |title=Warship III|year=1979|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=0-85177-204-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Staff|first=Gary|title=Battle for the Baltic Islands 1917: Triumph of the Imperial German Navy |publisher=Pen & Sword Maritime|location=Barnsley, England|year=2008|isbn=978-1-84415-787-7}}
*{{cite book|last=Westwood|first=J. N.|title=Russia Against Japan, 1904–1905: A New Look at the Russo-Japanese War |year=1986|publisher=State University of New York Press|location=Albany, New York|isbn=978-0-88706-191-2}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Borodino class battleship}}
* [http://ship.bsu.by/main.asp?id=100139 Russian navy site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222180101/http://ship.bsu.by/main.asp?id=100139 |date=22 February 2007 }} {{in lang|ru}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060209143642/http://photo.starnet.ru/Thematic_Wallpapers/Korabli_i_suda/Bronenoscy_i_monitory/Borodino/index.htm photo.starnet.ru – photo album site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071224132732/http://www.steelnavy.com/EExpressSuvorov.htm steelnavy.com – site aimed at model builders]

{{Borodino class battleship}}
{{Russo-JapaneseWarRussianShips}}
{{WWI Russian ships}}
{{WWI Japanese ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borodino Class Battleship}}
[[Category:Battleship classes]]
[[Category:Borodino-class battleships| ''Borodino''-class battleship]]
[[Category:Russo-Japanese War battleships of Russia| ''Borodino''-class battleship]]
[[Category:World War I battleships of Russia| ''Borodino''-class battleship]]