The Askold light cruiser was first launched in 1899 at the Krupp-Germania shipyard in Kiel, Germany.  It  fell into a class of ships known as Protected Cruisers.  These were ships that had belts of armor that protected parts of their structure.  The ship's armor was in the form of horizontal belts on the deck and around the engines.  This partial armor protection is why it was called a Protected Cruiser not an Armored Cruiser which usually had better all around armor protection.

It was named after the early Varangian chieftain Askold and was known as one of the few warships that had more than four exhaust funnels.  This was due to the arrangement of the boilers and engines within the hull that gave the ship her relatively high speed of 23 knots.

The Askold saw a great deal of action throughout its service life.  Its first action was during the Russo-Japanese war at Port Arthur where it was trapped with the survivors of the Japanese raid.  After an intense battle the Askold managed to break through the Japanese blockade and make it to the relative safety of Shanghai where it was disarmed for the duration of the war.  It was because of this internment that it managed to escape the disaster at Tsushima.

During the Great War the Askold operated with the Russian Pacific squadron.  During the early months of the war it took part in the hunt for the German Far East squadron under Admiral von Spee.    When the German fleet was driven from the Far East the Askold was dispatched to the Mediterranean were it was placed under British operational control.  During these operations it bombarded coastal fortifications in the Dardanelles.

The Bolshevik revolution saw the Askold remain under British control, although it was briefly taken by revolutionaries, and then retaken by the British.  At the close of the British intervention the Askold was returned to the Bolsheviks where it lay rusting in port until she was sent to Germany in 1922 to be scrapped.  A sad ending to a glorious and historic vessel.

Tactical Use and Limitations

The Askold was designed for commerce raiding much like her compatriots Bogatyr and Variag.  Its 23 knot speed allowed it to outrun merchant ships of the day, while its armament allowed it to keep hostile destroyers at bay.

When employed against other warships of similar size or larger the ship did not fare as well. Its light armor was not enough to take hits from the 11 inch guns of heavier warships.  It was equally unsuited for shore bombardment, which it attempted in the Dardanelles for a time while it was under British command.

Deployment Chronology

Information about turn of the century warships is difficult for us to find, and as such we do not yet know what ship type the Askold replaced or what ships eventually replaced it as the front line light cruiser of the Russian fleet.  We believe that the Askold and ships of its class replaced older Russian cruisers such as the Admiral Kornilov and Pamiat-Azova which were both made in the late 1880's.  It was possibly replaced in front line service by the light cruisers of 1912 type such as the Admiral Greig and Svietlana.

Sources Cited

Here are some of the most informative sources that we have used in compiling this information for you.  We hope you can find them as useful as we have.

• The Imperial Russian Navy, by Anthony J Watts, published by Arms and Armour press, London, copyright Anthony J Watts 1990

• Jane's Fighting Ships of World War One, Originally published by Janes Publishing Company 1919; 1990 edition published by Military Press, New York, 1990

• War Machine, volume 12, issue 135, Edited by Stan Morse, an Orbis Publication, copyright Aerospace Publishing Ltd, 1986

• Janes Fighting Ships 1906-1907 (reprint), published by Arco Publishing Company, New York, 1970