Rang Dong battleship: Legendary Russian ship

Born

The cruiser Aurora, still known by the Vietnamese as the battleship Rang Dong, named after the goddess of dawn, is anchored at the Petrogradskaya embankment in the city of St.Petersburg. Here, the legendary ship that participated in 3 wars and experienced 2 revolutions of the 20th century was brought to a permanent berth in November 1948. Aurora became the base of the Nakhimov military school, on board there is also a museum.

Aurora was laid down on June 6, 1897. The cruiser can reach a top speed of 19 knots. This was a high speed for the time – about 37 km/h, powered by three steam engines with a capacity of 11,000 hp.

Aurora entered service 2 years later than the two ships built with it. The ship’s crew consisted of 320 people, including 30 officers, under the command of Colonel – Captain Ivan Sukhotin.

In May 1900, the new cruiser, with the main armament of the 152 mm cannon belonging to the system of the French engineer Gustave Canet, was launched.

Ups and downs

The cruiser was tested for several years – it cruised the seas and oceans, visited Portland, Piraeus, La Spezia, and visited Port Said and Suez. When the war with Japan broke out, Aurora was assigned to the 2nd Pacific Squadron. And the ship also experienced a bitter memory – it took part in the Battle of Tsushima, in which the Russian fleet was lost. completely defeated. The cruiser was hit by two Japanese shells on her starboard side. A fire broke out but luckily it was extinguished.

However, Aurora’s misfortune did not end there. Fragments of another shell punctured the cruiser two holes, causing water to flood into the torpedo tube compartment in the bow. In total, the cruiser was damaged by about 20 seats, but remained afloat. The Japanese shot down the Russian flag six times, but after each time, the Russian sailors pulled the flag that was riddled with shrapnel to the mast.

During the Battle of Tsushima, Aurora lost one officer and nine sailors, in addition, five other sailors later died of their injuries. About 100 people were injured with varying degrees of severity. But the biggest loss was the death of the cruiser commander, Colonel – Captain Evgeny Egoriev.

Serving the country

On the night of October 25, 1917, the cruiser reached the Nikolaevsky Bridge and from there shelled the Winter Palace, where the ministers of the Provisional Government met. Commander Yaroslav Ognev opened fire on the palace, and all of Petrograd shuddered from the roar of the 6-inch cannon.

In the summer of 1918, Aurora was towed to Kronstadt, the armament was removed and put into conservation. Only the ship remained empty – some of the sailors scattered home, others to fight in the Civil War.

The cruiser was only remembered at the end of 1922. The whole ship was a sad sight – the sides peeled, the cabins looted, a thick layer of dirt laid on the deck. Aurora must be repaired and refitted.

In February 1923, the ship was put back into service, becoming a training ship, making a number of overseas voyages. But in the late 1930s it was almost thrown into the… scrap metal. And this time, it was saved because the submarines were in need of a non-self-propelled command ship, and so for a long time, Aurora took on this role.

In Great Patriotic War, the cruiser was once again serving the country. Aurora was included in Kronstadt’s air defense system and was repeatedly subjected to German air attacks. However, the cruiser’s anti-aircraft guns made it impossible for the Luftwaffe to hit the target and the ship also shot down enemy aircraft.

However, the cruiser was wounded in several places and paralyzed on the starboard side. The Germans continued to fire on Aurora, deliberately bringing the relics of the October Revolution to the bottom of the river. But the floating fortress doesn’t want to sink…

In August 1944, the legendary ship was towed to Leningrad and permanently anchored on the banks of the Neva River.

In 2013, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Rossia TV channel that the Russian Ministry of Defense is considering to be able to restore the ship to its original form, that is, to run on boilers.

A revived revolutionary cruiser will symbolize the connection of the times, reinforcing old maritime traditions.

The Aurora is a ship shrouded in romance, and therefore anything can happen to it…even mythical stories.