HIRMS Diana - Guide 197

The Diana / Pallada class, protected cruisers of the Imperial Russian Navy, is today's subject.

Read more about the class here:

 Next on the list:
-Imperator Nikolai I
-USS Tennesse
-HMNZS New Zealand
-HMS Queen Mary
-HMS Belfast
-HMS Caroline
-USS Marblehead
-New York class
-L-20e-Abdiel class
-Panserskib (Armoured ship) Rolf Krake
-HMS Victoria
-HMS Charybdis
-Eidsvold class
-IJN “Special” DD's
-SMS Emden
-Ships of Battle of Campeche
-Tashkent-1934A Class
-HMS Plym (K271)
-Siegfried class

[Big_E_Soul_Fragment]

"With the rising threat of torpedo boats"
_The ghost of a certain repair ship suddenly appears_

[norfolx]

Two ships that clashed in the battle of Tsushima more than a century ago, Aurora and Mikasa, survived to this day and are open for visit.
Both also feature exhibits of each other.
Ain't that beautiful.

[salfox]

Those guns could be fired at the deck because of a Boarding action or...mutiny....this is imperial Russia after all.

[leifringvarrsson]

Thanks for the video Drach! Amazing as always.

Avrora was also refitted in 1922, becoming one of the first fully operational ships of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet. Her original armament was replaced with 10 130-mm B-7 guns (those were intended for Svetlana-class light cruisers), 76-mm AA guns were also fitted. These guns were uninstalled and used as land artillery during WWII. Avrora got her "original" 14 6" Canet guns only in 1946.

Now Avrora is partly a ship of Theseus -- she undergone two major restorations, in 1984 and in 2014. During the first one, her underwater part was sawed off and rebuilt from scratch, hull was also restored using modern materials and technology. 2014 restoration was not that complex, but almost all electric systems and interiors were rebuilt.
I visited the ship a week ago, she looks good, but not completely historically accurate. Gunshields from land-based Canet guns are the most disappointing feature.

[G-slinger]

There is something beautiful about sea going vessels, even the ugly ones.

[jarmokankaanpaa]

I've shot one of those 6" guns. The type was a French (Canet) design that the Russians manufactured on licence, and they were also used on coastal fortifications, some of which fell in Finnish hands when Finland gained independence in 1917. The guns remained in use through WW2 and beyond, though they were rebarreled with slightly longer (50 cal vs. 45 cal) Finnish Tampella barrels in the 1950s. They were still the standard heavy guns of Finnish coastal fortresses up to the 1980s, when they were replaced by a domestic 130 mm type with autoloading, automatic laying etc.. The 152/50 T had a range up to c. 24 km (c. 15 miles) -- more than the Russian version, partly due to the Finns turning the gun upside down in its cradle to give it a higher maximum elevation. Shooting at maximum range was a weird experience: after firing, it took around a minute for the shell to splash down and even longer for the sound of the explosion to make it back.

[davidgifford]

Visited Aurora in Leningrad (Soviet era) as a school kid., one of the highlights of my trip.

[ericamborsky]

When I saw Aurora on the list, I was sort of hoping for HMS Aurora, the Arethusa class cruiser, but this is also cool.

[Александр-ъзв]

Thank you for remembering those cruisers! I was on Aurora two weeks ago, for the first time since a recent renovation. The ship is simply beautiful, I have always loved being on board. The only pity is that it has been almost completely recreated, and not much historical parts survived.
P.S. love your videos! Please go on!

[orzorzelski]

Aurora: the ship that went through so much crap she started drinking.

[billwit]

The Auroras guns were dismounted in WW2 and mounted on railcars. And were used to shell german positions

[anantr]

Ah...the Aurora. Possibly one of the only effective ships of the Second Pacific Squadron. Possibly helped save Admiral Rozhestvensky's sanity. Escaped a certain repair ship's curse (mostly). Escaped the Japanese. Hats off. She is definitely a warship that should have been, and thankfully was, saved for posterity.

[brentsummers]

Some amazing black and white photos such as the three young crew members in heavy winter coats - with the cruiser behind them.

[bigblue]

A Russian warship that escaped the Japanese. Worth preserving just for that

[otohikoamv]

Also worth noting that while she's a fantastic exhibit - Aurora is criticized by some as a de-facto replica more than a preserved ship. She has undergone massive refits as a result of deterioration and damage: for example, her entire lower hull was replaced in the 1980s, and nearly all riveted structures including funnels have been replaced with welded construction (simply because there's no longer the trained riveters or equipment for the job). As far as I'm aware, only one or two of her current 152mm guns had ever actually served on an original Diana-class of any sort - others being credible but much later replacements, and thus other-model guns.
I don't think that makes a huge difference myself, and she's a great ship to visit if you ever get chance - but just something to be aware of!

[Boxghost]

Aurora 1905: Is the only sane man in the Imperial Russian Navy.

Aurora 1917: Starts the Bolshevik revolution.

[otohikoamv]

One of the more poignant exhibits on board is a preserved bit of wall with a shellhole, next to the portrait of Aurora's then-commander - reportedly, metal salvaged from the bridge where he was killed at Tsushima.

[ericgrace]

There is something beautiful about these steam punk warships.
Thanks...good work.

[informationmimic]

Also, when you someday run out of warships to review, i suggest going for transatlantic liners, which competed for Blue Ribbon. Not only Titanic and Lusitania but also QM, QE, United States, SS Bremen, France, Normandy, RMS Empress of Ireland, and so much more.

[digimanga]

Man I remember seeing this on my flying visit through St Petersburg and being impressed seeing history in reality. Sadly there was not enough time to actually board but it was fascinating!