was a destroyer of the Estonian Navy during the interwar period, originally a Russian ship. Previously, it was known as the Russian during World War I, later the Soviet , and subsequently the Peruvian .
The construction of the vessel began in 1914 for the Imperial Russian Navy, launched in 1915, and entered service in 1917 under the name (). It avoided capture by the Germans by fleeing Helsingfors during the Ice March. The ship was taken over by the Red Fleet and renamed (). During the conflict against Estonia, it participated in landing and mining operations. In December 1918, it was captured by the Royal Navy and handed over to the Estonians. In the Estonian Navy, it was named . During the Estonian War of Independence, it took part in operations against the Bolsheviks in the waters of the Gulf of Finland and in operations against the Baltische Landeswehr in Riga. After the war, it made occasional diplomatic visits. In 1933, due to high maintenance costs, it was sold to Peru. In the Peruvian Navy, it was named . It did not manage to participate in the Colombia–Peru War but took part in battles against Ecuador in 1941. During World War II, it served in patrol duties and was decommissioned in 1954.
Background and construction The Russian Empire suffered significantly from its conflict with Japan, both in terms of prestige and naval power. To recover from these losses and modernize the navy, efforts were made to expand its potential. This was ultimately decided by the Shipbuilding Intensification Program, adopted by a decisive majority in the State Duma on 19 June 1912. The plan, approved by Nicholas II on August 9, included the construction of 12 cruisers (including 4 battlecruisers), 12 submarines, and 36 destroyers.
Preliminary requirements for the destroyers were defined in 1907. Vessels with a displacement of up to 1,000 tons were to be powered by steam turbines, providing a speed of 35 knots. There was a strong emphasis on seaworthiness and armament, which was to include a pair of twin torpedo tubes and two 120 mm L/45 guns.
All destroyers resulting from the program are collectively referred to as the class, named after the prototype ship. However, in reality, they belonged to six different types. The technical specifications for the destroyers, approved on 6 October 1911 and sent to the shipyards, called for significantly stronger torpedo armament – six twin launchers. On 13 June 1912, the Main Directorate of Shipbuilding selected a design submitted by the Putilov works, which was instructed to make minor corrections. The updated design was approved by the Ministry of the Navy on August 16, after which orders were placed with several Russian shipyards.
Among the ordered destroyers, eight were to be built by the Putilov works. The relevant contract was signed on 11 January 1913. Among the destroyers, later referred to as the Leytenant Ilin class, was to be a vessel named (). Since the Putilov works could not fulfill the entire order, the Putilov works was established in 1912, where construction of two destroyers began on 1 July 1913.
Due to the looming threat of war, the planned Kapitan II ranga Kingsbergen was renamed on 22 June 1914, as the previous name was considered unpatriotic, sounding German. The ship was named Kapitan I ranga Miklouho-Maclay in memory of Captain 1st Rank Vladimir Miklukha (a.k.a. Vladimir Miklouho-Maclay by analogy with his older brother), who fell in the Battle of Tsushima.
The keel was laid on 5 November 1914 at the Putilov works, after the launching of .
Most of the ship's components – hull, boilers, steam turbines, and torpedo launchers – were manufactured by the Putilov works, which collaborated on this task with Blohm+Voss. These contacts were severed due to the outbreak of World War I, and similar situations occurred with other foreign suppliers from Central Powers and neutral countries. Consequently, Russian companies were burdened with additional orders, which they were not always able to fulfill. For Miklouho-Maclay, construction delays were caused by a shortage of drive shafts, which the Obukhov Works failed to produce on time. In May 1915, top-down measures were taken to help supply the shipyards with materials.
Kapitan I ranga Miklouho-Maclay was launched on 27 August 1915. Further delays in its delivery were caused by broken blades in the ship's right turbine.
Design description
Hull
The full displacement of Kapitan I ranga Miklouho-Maclay was either 1,538 or 1,620 tons, with a design or normal displacement of 1,260 tons. The length overall of the ship was 98.06 m, while the length between perpendiculars was 96.08 m. The maximum beam was 9.33 m. The draft was 2.8 m at the bow and 3.7 m at the stern. At a displacement of 1,260 tons, the draft did not exceed 3 m. The ship was divided into compartments by 12 main watertight bulkheads. Between frames 41 and 139, under the machinery and boiler compartments, there was a double bottom. Side roll stabilizers of the Frahm system were used to counteract rolling. Both Frahm tanks and double-bottom tanks stored fuel reserves.
The deck housed four small auxiliary vessels, including two motorized ones.
The crew of Kapitan I ranga Miklouho-Maclay consisted of 171 sailors and officers.
Propulsion The ship was powered by 2 double-shaft Curtis AEG turbines. Each was housed in separate compartments and had a power of 15,000 hp, with the actual achieved power reaching up to 31,500 hp. The destroyer had 4 Normand or Normand-Vulcan oil-fired boilers, each in separate compartments. The working pressure in the boiler was 17 atmospheres, and the heating surface was 1,000 m2. Exhaust gases were expelled through one of three chimneys, with the middle, twice as wide, chimney serving two boilers. The ship had two boiler water tanks, holding 10 and 13 tons each, and one freshwater tank holding 11.8 tons. The turbines drove two screws. Miklouho-Maclay could reach a speed of 30 knots. A fuel reserve of 500 tons allowed for a range of 1,253 nautical miles at a speed of 16 knots or 634 at 24 knots. The rudder blade area was 6.2 m2. Electric power was supplied by 2 turbo generators, each with a capacity of 20 kW, and an emergency petrol generator with a capacity of 10 kW.
Armament All Novik-class destroyers were initially to be equipped with 12 torpedo tubes grouped into 4 triple sets. However, due to experiences from mid-1915 – specifically the engagement of Novik with two Kaiserliche Marine destroyers – the number of torpedo tubes was reduced to 9 to enhance the ship's artillery strength. The 450 mm torpedo tube had electric drive, and the ability to fan out the tubes up to 7° allowed for a spread salvo. The torpedoes used were 450 mm Whitehead models, 5,550 mm in length and weighing 810 kg (with 100 kg for the warhead). The piston-powered torpedoes could achieve speeds of 43 knots over a distance of 2 km, 30 knots over 5 km, and 28 knots over 6 km.
The ship's primary artillery consisted of 102 mm 60 caliber Pattern 1911 from the Obukhov Plant. Initially, Miklouho-Maclay was to use two guns, but the number was increased to three based on the experiences of Novik. In spring 1917, another artillery unit was added. The barrel length was 6,284 mm (61.6 calibers), with a rifled section of 5,285 mm. Inside, there were 24 screw threads, each 1.016 mm deep. The horizontal falling-block action weighed from 50 to 53 kg. The gun with its carriage weighed 5.7 tons. The barrel itself weighed 2.2 or 2.8 tons. The gun was shielded by a 38 mm thick, 290 kg shield. The barrel could be depressed to 6 degrees and elevated to 15 degrees, but the pedestal mounting allowed angles of -10° to +30° (with a 500 mm high pedestal). The gun could rotate horizontally without limitations. Both horizontal and vertical movements were at a maximum speed of 3 degrees per second.
The gun could fire the following shells: Shell typeWeightLengthNotesexplosive model 191117.5 kg5 calibers2.4 kg of explosive materialexplosive model 191517.5 kg5 calibers2.1 kg of explosive materialshrapnel shell17.5 kg4.38 calibers22-second delay fuzeincendiary17.6 kg4 calibersdiving15.8 kg5.05 calibers3.13 kg of explosive materialilluminating15.08 kg4.7 caliberschemical??filled with asphyxiating gas The gun position was operated by a crew of 7. Theoretical rate of fire was 15 rounds per minute, well-trained crews could achieve 12 rounds per minute, and practical rate of fire was 10 rounds per minute. For the 1915 model explosive shell, initial velocity was 823 m/s, and range at 30° elevation was about 16.1 km. For shrapnel and diving shells, these figures were 11 km at 768 m/s and 2.2 km at 208.8 m/s, respectively.
For anti-aircraft defense, the ship was initially equipped with a QF 2-pounder naval gun. However, due to its low effectiveness on other ships, it was replaced in 1917 with a Russian 76 mm air-defense gun M1914/15. Minor structural changes were made, placing the ammunition compartments for this gun in the torpedo magazine. The 1.3-ton, 30.5-caliber long barrel could be elevated to 65 degrees and depressed to -5 degrees. The theoretical rate of fire was 30 rounds per minute, but in practice, from 10 to 12 rounds per minute were achieved. Shells were fired at an initial velocity of 588 m/s, reaching an altitude of up to 6,000 m. The ammunition used was from the 76 mm divisional gun M1902, with each shell weighing 6.45 kg.
The ship's armament was complemented by model 1912 naval mines, each containing 100 kg of TNT. They were suitable for use at depths of up to 130 m. The ship could carry up to 80 mines.
Fire control was supported by two sights produced by the Obukhov Works. These 62 kg devices allowed observation over an 8° field with fivefold optical magnification. The foredeck bridge housed a rangefinder manufactured by Barr and Stroud in the United Kingdom. For nighttime operations, two reflectors with 60 cm diameter mirrors were available.
Service in Russia
Commissioning
In 1917, trials of the ship began. The shipyard conducted internal tests of the ship's systems and mechanisms between November 9 and November 28. The acceptance committee began examining the ship on December 2 with artillery trials conducted in Kronstadt. The destroyer underwent two four-hour trial runs: on December 4, the ship reached a speed of 23 knots, and on December 12, at full engine power, it reached 28.8 knots. The third trial, scheduled for December 25, was postponed to the next year due to bad weather. As a result, Kapitan I ranga Miklouho-Maclay was conditionally accepted into the Russian Navy.
Effects of the October Revolution At the time of the October Revolution, the ship was stationed in Helsingfors. The crew did not oppose the Bolshevik takeover; moreover, along with the crews of other ships in the Torpedo Division, the sailors of Kapitan I ranga Miklouho-Maclay formed a regiment that strengthened the ground forces in the city.
The aftermath of the revolution saw mass desertions of officers from ships taken over by their crews. Efforts were made to rectify the situation on the ship by recruiting and promoting existing petty officers and sailors to officer ranks. However, these ranks also dwindled – according to a report from 29 April 1918, the ship's complement was down to 5 officers and 65 sailors. The reduction in crew numbers was due to the formation of units from sailors, who were considered the most politically conscious, to fight against the counter-revolution. Recruiting workers evacuated from Reval and Helsingfors did little to help. All this resulted in the ship being poorly prepared for combat.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk