Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-22
OFF TO THE FAR EAST
THE POWERFUL BALTIC FLEET
ON ITS WAY TO vLAD1vosToK.
Vessels Will Be at Least Ninety Days
ON Their Trip to the Orient-Com-
position Of Fighting Force.

From the New York Herald.
After weeks of preparation. rehabilitation
and Manning. the most powerful and the
sole remaining fleet of war vessels In the
navy of the car has set forth on cruise
of more than fifteen thousand marine mics
TO the far east. For at least ninety days
th,s feet. divided into two squadrons. made
ND of the powerful fighting machines of the
present day, the vessel of the past. cruisers
ancient and modern. torpedo boats. torpedo
boat destroyers and dispatch boats. will be
on the way: more than half hundred yes
sells of all kinds proceeding not by the Ia
r1iliar ..short cut to the east. but by the
ancient course, around the Cape Of Good
Hope.
Vladivostok the Destination.
yladivostok is the destination at present.
in the belief that the japanese viii make
no attack on that port, this winter at least.
The feet, avoiding the Kiel canal and using
the Kattegat, will coal first at Brest and
thereafter, according to announced plans,
will be supplied by Hamburg american col
liers placed at intervals on the course En-
try cannot be made into Vladisvostok until
next spring, however, because 1t Will De ice
locked long before the fleet can reach there.
Where the Intervening time will be spent Is
known to Russia alone.
The fleet, divided into two squadrons. has
as it's commander Vice Admiral Rojestven-
sky with Rear Admirals Enkvisf and Eel
kersan as squadron commanders.
The following is the composition of the
fleet, taking the battle ships and the cruis-
ers by themselves The list does not in
clude the BOrodino. Kniaz Suvarof and
Slava launched in O1-02, none of which
has yet had even dock trials:
The Alexander III.
A SC for
most powerful vessel of the squadron and is
one of Russia's newest ships She belongs
to the Borodino class. and was launched
in the Neva in August. 1901, and is of 10 sic
tons displacement. She was designed for
eighteen knots speed. with SEQ indicated
horse power. and coal capacity 1,250 tons.
equal to $500 miles steaming at ten knots,
or 5000 at full speed. The Alexander III
Is a twin screw battle ship, 397 feet over
all, Of seventy-six feet beam and twenty
six feet draught. She has complete belt
Of Krupp steel four inches thick at each
end and nine inches thick amidships, with
protective deck and splinter deck and
Krupp steel bulkheads. She has four
twelve-inch guns Qiring 720-pounds shells)
in her main turrets, which protected
by eleven-inch armor and twelve six-inch
quick flrers in pairs in secondary turrets
Of 6-inch steel on the bow, beam and quar-
ter. She carriers six torpedo tubes. The
Alexander IT'S complement numbers 74O.
Captain Bukhvostoff commands.
The oslyabia.
The Oslyabia is a new frst-class battle
ship. launched at the new admiralty yard
st. Petersburg. November 8. 1898. She is a
sister ship to the Poltava and Peresviet
Cloth at Port Arthur, and is Of 1854 tons
displacement. and IA, 500 horse power de-
signed to give her eighteen knots speed
hA q, {r;v, zt.;~
line belt of Harveyized steel, 91k inches
thick amidships. tapering to inches at
each end. and mounts four 10-inch heavy
guns In 9-inch armored barbettes, and elev-
en- 6-inch. sixteen 3-inch. ten 1.s-inch and
seventeen 1.4-inch quick firers. The Oslya-
bia has six torpedo tubes and her crew
numbers 100 officers and men. Her coal ca
pacity is 1850 tons normal, but she can
stow 2,056 tons.
The Sissoi Veliky.
The Sissoi Veliky (Sissoi the GreaD Is
ten years old. She Is second-class battle
ship of $3.50 tons. The coal her bunkers
can hold, from 500 to 500 tons. can hardly
take her more than from 1850 to 1000 miles
at ten knots without recoaling. Her armor
is compound steel on partial belt, PAT feet
long and feet deep, varying In thickness
from 11.8 to 10. L inches The hull, over all,
is 34S feet long Cat the water line 341 feeD.
with GO feet beam and "a feet greaTest
n.
12-inch Obouskhoff breechloaders in pairs
in two turrets She has six torpedo tubes,
all above water. The Sissois complement
is 5S2 officers and men.
The Navarin.
The Navarin goes back further still In
date and is as fighting craft considerably
slower and weaker. She was launched as
long ago as 1891 and is Of $500 tons dis
placement and 1900 horse power, with a
highest possible speed OF FIFTEEN knots. Her
coal capacity Is from 700 to 800 tons. Her
armor is of the compound type. discarded
In all navies ten years ago.
The Aurora.
The Aurora is a flrst-class protected
cruiser, built in 1900. of 6.6O0 tons and TWEEN
ty knots speed, mounting eight 6-inch. TWEEN
ty-two 3-inch and eight smaller quick frers
and fitted with four torpedo tubes. Her
speed is twenty knots and she Is q sister