Russian cruiser Askold ( 1900 ) Askold ( ) was a protected cruiser built for the Imperial Russian Navy . She was named after the legendary Varangian Askold . Her thin , narrow hull and maximum speed of were considered impressive for the time . Askold had five thin funnels which gave it a unique silhouette for any vessel in the Imperial Russian Navy . This led British sailors to nickname her " Packet of Woodbines " after the thin cigarettes popular at the time . However , the five funnels also had a symbolic importance , as it was popularly considered that the number of funnels was indicative of performance , and some navies were known to add extra fake funnels to impress dignitaries in less advanced countries . Background . After the completion of the , the Imperial Russian Navy issued requirements for three large protected cruisers to three separate companies : The was ordered from William Cramp and Sons in Philadelphia , United States , the " Askold " was ordered from Krupp - Germaniawerft in Kiel , Germany , and the " Bogatyr " from Vulcan Stettin , also in Germany . Although " Askold " was the fastest cruiser in the Russian fleet at the time of its commissioning , the " Bogatyr " was selected for further development into a new class of ships , and the " Askold " remained as a unique design . Operational History . " Askold " was laid down at the Germaniawerft shipyards in Kiel , Germany on June 8 , 1899 , launched on March 2 , 1900 and commissioned on January 25 , 1902 . She initially entered service with the Russian Baltic Fleet , but only after one year was assigned to the Russian Pacific Fleet based at Port Arthur , Manchuria , instead . Askold detoured to the Persian Gulf on her way to the Far East , and hosted the Emir of Kuwait Mubarak Al - Sabah on December 1 , 1902 . She arrived in Port Arthur on February 13 , 1903 and shortly afterwards made port calls to Nagasaki , Kobe and Yokohama in Japan , the Taku Forts in China , the Royal Navy base at Weihai wei and Imperial German Navy base at Tsingtao . May 3 , she accompanied " Novik " on an official visit to Japan with Russian Minister of War , Aleksey Kuropatkin . She again visited Japan in August , calling on Hakodate with Rear Admiral Baron Olaf von Stackelberg on the . She remained in Hakodate until October 1903 and was the last Russian ship to visit Japan before the outbreak of war . During the Russo - Japanese War . From the start of the Russo - Japanese War of 1904 - 1905 , " Askold " was one of the most active vessels in the Russian fleet . She was moored within the protected confines of Port Arthur during the initial pre - emptive strike launched by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Battle of Port Arthur , and took only minor damage . During the Battle of the Yellow Sea , she was flagship for Rear Admiral Nikolai Reytsenshteyn ’ s cruiser squadron during the failed attempt to escape the Japanese blockade and to link up with forces in Vladivostok . Together with , Askold took heavy damage , but escaped from the pursuing Japanese fleet to Shanghai , where she was interned until the end of the war . With the Siberian Flotilla . On October 11 , 1905 , " Askold " was allowed to return to service with the Russian Navy , returning to Vladivostok on November 1 . In 1906 , she spent most of the year in dry - dock for repairs . By February 1 , 1907 , she was able to make a training cruise from Vladivostok to Shanghai , where she ran aground on in March . The damage was minor , and she was able to call on Hong Kong , Amoy , Shanghai and Qingtao on her way back to Vladivostok . In 1908 , with the gradual withdrawal of larger vessels to the Baltic Sea , she became the flagship of the Russian Siberian Flotilla . However , mechanical problems persisted , and she remained largely out of operational service from 1908 through 1911 . After replacement of her boilers in September 1912 , she was only able to achieve 17 . 46 knots , with problems partly attributable to low - quality Chinese coal . After further repairs to her hull by the end of 1912 , she was able to achieve 20 . 11 knots . At the end of 1913 , she made a long - distance voyage to Hong Kong , Saigon , Padang , Batavia , Surabaya and Manila back to Vladivostok . She suffered more damage by hitting a naval mine in 1914 , and it was felt that only a major overhaul at a European shipyard could restore her to operational status . However , before this could occur , " Askold " was involved in a new war . World War I service . At the start of World War I , " Askold " was part of the Allied ( British - French - Japanese ) joint task force pursuing the German East Asia Squadron under Admiral Maximilian von Spee . In August 1914 she patrolled the area to the east of the Philippines , resupplying out of Hong Kong and Singapore . In September and October , she was assigned to escort duty in the Indian Ocean . " Askold " was then assigned to the Mediterranean Sea for operations off the coasts of Syria and Palestine for coastal bombardment and commerce raiding operations based from Beirut and Haifa . In 1915 , she was involved in operations against the Ottoman Navy and the Austrian Navy in Greece and Bulgaria , including support for troop landings in the Gallipoli Campaign . She underwent and extensive refit in Toulon , France in March 1916 , which involved the replacement of her guns . The repairs were delayed by lack of materials and manpower . Crew tensions flared as the crewmen were forced to live on board , whereas the officers went to Paris . On August 19 , there was an explosion in her powder magazine attributed to sabotage , and four crewmen were later convicted and sentenced to death . Repairs were completed only in December . " Askold " was then transferred to the Barents Sea theatre of operations , but suffered from storm damage after departing from Gibraltar in late December , which required further repairs in Plymouth . In February , with the fall of the Russian Empire in the February Revolution , " Askold " pledged allegiance to the Russian Provisional Government . She departed Scotland on June 4 , 1917 and was subsequently based out of Murmansk . After the armistice with Germany in December 1917 , " Askold " was demobilized and plans were made to place her in storage at Arkhangelsk . In Royal Navy service . " Askold " was seized in Kola Bay in 1918 by the Royal Navy after the Russian Revolution and commissioned as the " HMS Glory IV " . She was based at Gareloch , Scotland but was used primarily as a depot ship . On the conclusion of the Russian Civil War , she was offered to the new Soviet Navy in return for costs incurred , but Soviet inspectors found that she was in such bad shape that the offer was rejected . In 1922 , she was towed to Hamburg , where she was scrapped .