Why did the cruiser Varyag end up in the diplomatic service? Firstly: it was in the commander of the cruiser V.F. Rudnev, who was considered not only a brave, knowledgeable sailor, but also an intelligent and subtle diplomat. The author of the two-volume novel Port Arthur, Alexander Stepanov, claims that “Rudnev acquired a diplomatic gloss and tact from a young age. "The command appreciated this very much and invariably sent Rudnev to where the international political situation threatened with complications, as was the case now in Korea." Another reason was the technical malfunction of the Varyag. The cruiser had to overcome the huge and difficult path from Kronstadt to Port Arthur through the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the East China Sea. Without a small “Varangian” in this passage he crossed the path of 8000 miles. As a result of such a long transition, the "Varangian" was technically in a deplorable state. The boilers, which already often failed, could not stand the hard work. Also, the power plant was not up to par. As a result, Varyag needed a long and expensive repair. However, the repair and technical base of Port Arthur could not provide such repairs. It was unthinkable to send the latest cruiser back to Kronstadt or to Vladivostok. After all, this would once again prove the weakness of the Russian navy, the mediocrity of those who were instructed to observe the construction of the cruiser in Philadelphia. In addition, it damaged the prestige of Russia and tsarism. As a result, Alekseev makes a logical decision in peacetime, but completely absurd (with imminent military danger) a decision - to send the "Varyag" to Chemulpo as a stationary vessel, designed to fulfill a purely diplomatic mission. In order not to once again load the Varyag, the gunboat Koreets was attached to it to carry out courier functions.
The decision to send the Varangian to the hospital was dictated by the fact that neither in St. Petersburg, nor in Port Arthur did not believe in the possibility of a war. Alekseev, believed that Japan, militarily weak, would never dare to attack the Russian Empire, which had a powerful military fleet and army. However, the Japanese government, in just a few years, having received significant subsidies from Britain and military assistance from the United States, improved its army and navy. By the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese fleet (according to modern experts) was 1.5 - 2 times stronger than the Russian one. Moreover, the Pacific Fleet of Russia was dispersed from Port Arthur and Vladivostok to Kronstadt. In Port Arthur there was only the first Pacific squadron, which included 7 battleships, three of which the Sevastopol, Peresvet and Poltava were outdated, low-speed ships without powerful artillery. Also at the disposal of Admiral O.V. Stark, who commanded the Pacific Fleet at that time, had 7 cruisers. Of these, 4 Askold, Bayan, Novik, and Boyarin (not counting the Varyag sent to Chemulpo) were the newest. Together with destroyers, transports and auxiliary vessels - about 50 ships. Unlike the Russian fleet, Japanese was concentrated in one place. The armored squadron of Admiral Togo consisted of 7 armadillos of the latest type, built between 1882 and 1900. In addition, Admiral Togo had 6 large armored cruisers and about fifty destroyers. But back to the fate of the "Varyag" and the gunboat "Korean".
On the night of January 25-26 (according to the old style), Japanese troops launched a landing in Korea, thereby violating all international agreements on neutrality of Korea that existed at that time. On January 26, Rudnev was delivered an ultimatum from Rear Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy S. Uriu with the following contents:
“In view of the outbreak of hostilities between Japan and Russia, I have the honor ... to ask you to leave, with all the ships under your command, the port of Chemulpo until noon on February 9, 1904 (January 27, 1904 in Russian style). Otherwise, I will attack you in the port. "
Rudnev, having received an ultimatum, decides to accept the challenge. At 11 o’clock on January 27, the “Varangian” and “Korean” leave the port. The purpose of Rudnev is clear. He wanted to try to break into Port Arthur and reunite with the first Pacific squadron. But this was not destined to come true. The Japanese squadron of Rear Admiral Uriu, consisting of 14 ships: six cruisers and eight destroyers, fought against the Varyag and the Korean. The only advantage of the "Varangian" over this armada was the speed of the cruiser. More than one Japanese vessel, which was part of the Uriu squadron, could not match the speed of the Varyag. However, the Japanese cruisers outnumbered the Varyag in armament. Only one heavy armored cruiser "Asama" with a displacement of 9.5 thousand tons was 1.5 times stronger than the "Varyag" and "Korean" combined. Naturally, the battle in the water area of the port of Chemulpo ended in victory for the Japanese.
Within an hour (the battle of the Varyag with the superior enemy forces lasted so long), the Russian cruiser received enormous damage, which did not allow the cruiser not to continue the battle, not to repair them under the blockade of the neutral port of Chemulpo by the Japanese. There were losses in people. According to some experts, the loss of "Varyag" in people amounted to about 1/3 of the crew (killed, wounded, burned and shell-shocked). The captain of the ship Rudnev himself was wounded. As for the Japanese, they lost one destroyer sunk by the "Varangian". Significant damage was received by the Asama cruiser. Other ships of the Japanese squadron were also damaged. The cruiser "Varangian", accompanied by the gunboat "Koreets", returned back to Chemulpo. After inspecting the cruiser, Rudnev decides to flood the cruiser, which was done. "Korean" was withdrawn from the port and undermined. The surviving Russian officers and sailors were stationed in hospitals of foreign countries. A few days later they were delivered to Shanghai, and from there to Petersburg. Thus ended this battle, which showed that even in the most hopeless situation, Russian sailors honor the traditions laid down by their ancestors - "We will die, but not surrender."
The fate of the Varyag
The saga of the "Varangian" did not end there. After Korea was in the hands of the Japanese, the Russian cruiser was raised from the bottom and enlisted in the Japanese Navy. Under the name "Soya", the former "Varangian" served the Japanese until 1916, until it was bought out by Russia. The cruiser was returned to its historical name "Varangian". Until 1917, he was part of the Northern Fleet. In 1917, the "Varangian" was sent for repair to the UK, where in 1918 he was interned in connection with revolutionary events in Russia. In 1920, the “Varangian”, when moving from Great Britain to Germany, fell into a severe storm and sat on the chalk off the coast of Ireland. According to another version, the "Varangian" sank off the coast of Northern Scotland. Thus, the exact place in which the legendary cruiser ended his journey is unknown
Epilogue
On the centennial of the Russo-Japanese War - in 2004 in the village of Savino, Zaoksky District, Tula Region, the V.F. Rudnev ", dedicated to the feat of the crews of the cruiser" Varyag "and the gunboat" Koreets ".