To the 110th anniversary of the feat of the Russian destroyer sailors
At dawn on February 26 (March 10), 1904, the destroyers Guarding and Resolute were returning after night reconnaissance to the Elliot Islands in Port Arthur. Suddenly, in the thick morning fog, they stumbled upon four Japanese ships.
These were the destroyers Usugumo, Sinonome, Sazanami and Akebono, which were soon approached by two more Japanese cruisers. An unequal battle ensued. "Resolute", which had a more powerful engine, managed to break through to Port Arthur, and the "Guardian" was hit by all the fire power of enemy guns.
It turned out 64 guns against four! It was a real hell: Japanese shells demolished all the masts and pipes on the Russian destroyer, the hull was pierced. While the machine was still working, there was still a hope of breaking through to Port Arthur, but at 0640 hours a Japanese shell exploded in a coal pit and damaged two adjacent boilers. The destroyer began to quickly lose speed. Soon, his guns were silent.
The mortally wounded commander of the "Guarding" Lieutenant Alexander Sergeev gave the last order: "Fight so that everyone fulfills his duty to the Motherland to the end, not thinking about the shameful surrender of his own ship to the enemy."
The sailors nailed the riddled St. Andrew's flag to the gaff and continued to shoot back even from rifles. The entire deck was covered in blood and strewn with the bodies of the dead Russian sailors ...
Seeing that "Guarding" had ceased to show signs of life, the Japanese ceased fire, deciding to take it in tow and capture it as prey. The boat was lowered from the destroyer "Sazanami". This is what the picture was revealed to the Japanese sailors boarding the Russian ship, described in the report by midshipman Hitara Yamazaki: “Three shells hit the forecastle, the deck was pierced, one shell went into the right anchor. On both sides, outside there are traces of hits from dozens of large and small shells, including holes near the waterline, through which water penetrated into the destroyer while rolling. On the barrel of the nose gun there is a trail of the hitting shell, near the gun is the gunner’s corpse with a torn off right leg and blood oozing from the wound. The foremast fell to starboard. The bridge is smashed to pieces. The entire front half of the ship is in complete destruction with scattered fragments of objects. In the space up to the front chimney lay about twenty corpses, disfigured, partly without limbs, partly torn off legs and arms - a terrible picture, including one, apparently an officer, wearing binoculars around his neck. In the middle part of the destroyer from the starboard side, one 47-mm gun was dropped from the machine and the deck was distorted. The aft mine apparatus was turned across, apparently ready to fire. There were few killed in the stern - only one corpse lay at the stern itself. The living deck was completely in the water, and it was impossible to enter there. " In conclusion, Yamazaki concluded: "In general, the position of the destroyer was so terrible that it defies description."
In an unequal battle, the commander of the "Guardian", three officers and forty-five members of his team were killed. The Japanese, having picked up four Russian sailors who miraculously survived, tied them to the disfigured ship steel rope, however, as soon as they began to drag him with them, the tug burst. The "guard" began to roll aboard and soon disappeared under the waves.
Meanwhile, the Resolute made it to Port Arthur. His seriously wounded captain Fyodor Bosei reported to the fleet commander, Admiral Stepan Makarov: "I lost the destroyer, I can't hear anything." And he fell unconscious. Two Russian cruisers, "Bayan" and "Novik", hastened to the place of the battle. The sailors saw the sinking "Guardian" and the Japanese ships circling around, including their heavy cruisers that had arrived in time. When the Russian destroyer sank, Makarov ordered to return to Port Arthur: it was useless to fight the light cruisers Bayan and Novik with the Japanese armada.
The admiration of the Japanese for the feat of the Russian sailors was so great that when the four captured sailors were brought to Sasebo, they were already waiting for an enthusiastic letter from the Japanese naval minister Yamamoto.
It said: “You, gentlemen, fought bravely for your Fatherland, and defended it perfectly. You have done your duty as sailors. I sincerely praise you, you are great! "
The unparalleled battle received a wide international response. The correspondent of the English newspaper "Times", referring to the Japanese reports, was the first to tell the whole world the version that, not wishing to surrender to the enemy, two Russian sailors locked themselves in the hold, opened the Kingston and flooded their own ship. The article was reprinted by the Russian newspaper Novoye Vremya, and the English version of the "heroic flooding" went for walks in Russia. Postcards about the feat were printed, reproductions of a painting by the artist Samokish-Sudkovsky, depicting the moment of the opening by "two unknown sailors" of the Kingston and the porthole on the dying "Guarding", were widely disseminated. Poems were also composed:
The two sons of the "Guardian" are sleeping in the depths of the sea,
Their names are unknown, hidden by an evil fate.
But glory, bright memory will remain forever,
About those whose grave is deep water ...
The version, it seemed, was later confirmed by the surviving sailors themselves. Returning to his homeland from Japanese captivity, the bilge driver Vasily Novikov said that it was he who discovered the Kingstones and sunk the destroyer ...
In April 1911, a monument was erected in the Alexander Park on the Petrograd side heroic deed to the sailors of the "Guarding". The skillfully arranged bronze composition against the background of the cross consists of two sailors: one with an effort opens the porthole, from which water gushes, and the other - the kingstones. It was designed by the famous sculptor Konstantin Isenberg. The five-meter-high monument is located on a block of gray granite. The base is a fill mound with three staircases. On its sides there are granite pillars-lanterns, reminiscent of lighthouses. The opening of the monument took place on April 26, 1911 with great solemnity. Nicholas II was present, dressed in a naval uniform with an Andreevskaya ribbon, Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin, grand dukes, including Grand Duke Kirill, who miraculously escaped during the explosion of the cruiser "Petropavlovsk", which killed the famous Admiral Stepan Makarov and the painter Vasily Vereshchagin. As a contemporary wrote, “the sounds of the prayer service and the singing of the anthem“ God Save the Tsar ”were interspersed with the brave, rolling“ Hurray! ” Inspired by his success, K. Isenberg later wanted to erect a monument to the sailors of the Varyag cruiser, but did not have time, in the same 1911 the talented sculptor died.
In 1930, to give the sculptural composition a greater effect, pipes were brought to it, and real water began to gush from the window. However, then the water was still turned off, as it turned out that the monument began to rust quickly. In addition, the original design of the sculptor did not provide for "living" water at all. In 1954, in connection with the 50th anniversary of the feat, a bronze memorial plaque with a bas-relief image of the battle and a list of the "Guarding" crew was reinforced on the back of the monument.
The historical paradox is that such an episode, masterfully cast in bronze by the sculptor, has never actually happened.
Immediately after the Russian-Japanese war, a special commission was investigating the cause of the death of the "Guardian". Senior Lieutenant E. Kvashnin-Samarin, who was conducting the research, tried to suspend the construction of the monument to “two unknown heroes”.
“It’s sad to see in great Russia that someone at random is promoting the erection of a monument to non-existent naval heroes, when the entire history of our fleet is full of real exploits, ”he wrote, believing that Novikov had discovered the kingstones. However, the version of "two unknown sailors" has already been reported to the emperor. They began to collect information again. Who discovered them: "two unknown sailors" or Novikov? But in the testimony of Novikov, who claimed that it was he who went down to the engine room and opened the Kingstones while the destroyer was being towed by the Japanese, and other surviving sailors, obvious contradictions and "incongruities" were revealed. The Naval General Staff considered that the version of the "two unknown sailors" was an invention, and "as an invention, it could not be immortalized in a monument." However, in 1910 the monument was already cast and is completely ready for opening. Proposals for its alteration began to be put forward.
Then the General Staff made a report to the "highest name", where he asked whether the monument proposed for the opening should be considered erected in memory of the heroic self-sacrifice of the two unknown lower ranks of the destroyer command "Guarding", or to open this monument in memory of the heroic death in the battle of the destroyer "Guardian"?
Meanwhile, disputes about the "Guardian case" continued. The version about the discovery of the kingstones by Novikov caused more and more doubts. For a long time, the commission dealt with the drawings of the destroyer, and then came to the final conclusion that "there were no kingstones in the engine room." Therefore, neither Novikov nor anyone else could open them. Moreover, the Japanese, as it turned out, before taking the "Guarding" in tow, carefully checked the holds, and there was no one left there.
But then what about the testimony of the "living witness"? Novikov was also interviewed by the commission, and he could not confirm his story. Probably, during the Japanese captivity, the sailor heard about the English version of the "open kingstones" and decided, upon returning to his homeland, to ascribe all this to himself. By the way, the fate of Novikov himself was also tragic. After the war, he returned to his native village Elovka, and in 1921 he was shot by fellow villagers as helping the Kolchak people.
The story of the mythical Kingston does not diminish the greatness of the feat of the Russian sailors "Guarding", which has gone down in the history of wars forever as an example of brilliant valor and heroism. The Japanese never ceased to be amazed at the unparalleled feat of the Russian sailors. Admiral Togo himself reported this in his report to the emperor, noting the courage of the enemies. It was decided to pay special tribute to the memory of the victims: a black granite stele was erected in Japan, dedicated to Russian sailors, with the inscription: “For those who more life honored the Motherland. "
E. Kvashnin-Samarin wrote in 1910: “Anyone who would read and compare all the materials and documents collected on the“ Guarding ”case, it would be perfectly clear how great the“ Guardian's ”feat was even without the unsaid myth ... Let the legend live and wakes up future heroes to new unparalleled feats, but admit that on February 26, 1904, in the fight against the strongest enemy, the destroyer "Guarding", having lost the commander, all officers, 45 out of 49 sailors, after an hour, until the last shell of the battle, went to the bottom, astonishing the enemy with the valor of his crew. "
However, the story with the mythical Kingston nevertheless turned out to be tenacious. Even much later, when all the circumstances of the death of "Guarding" were established long ago, they talked about it again, wrote books, about the Kingstones is still mentioned in some modern guidebooks to St. Petersburg, and the Leningrad poet Leonid Khaustov wrote:
You ended the battle with the Russians as sailors.
The latter was given honor to the Motherland:
The Kingstons opened with their own hands
With the same will of iron as here,
On this steep granite pedestal ...
Almost immediately after the death of the "Guarding", in 1905, a destroyer with the same name was launched in Revel.
The third "Guarding" was built in the USSR in 1939. He took part in the Great Patriotic War and died in an unequal battle with Hitler's aircraft.
The fourth "Guarding" was launched in 1966, he served in the Pacific Fleet. And in 2008 the fifth corvette "Guarding" was built.
So glory, bright memory will remain forever ...
Especially for the Centenary
On March 10, 1904, the Russian destroyer "Guarding" was killed in an unequal battle with Japanese ships near Port Arthur.
Torpedo boats are small ships, and their death in sea battles is by no means uncommon. Perhaps this case would have remained only in the memory of the witnesses of the battle, and in the staff documents, but fate decreed otherwise.
A few days after the battle, the London Times published an article that made the whole world marvel at the staunchness and dedication of the Russian sailors. It is noteworthy that a few weeks before this, newspapers from many countries described the feat of the Varyag, and the Guardian performs a similar feat, confirming that Russian sailors prefer to die in battle, but not to surrender their ship to the enemy. The correspondent, referring to the stories of the Japanese sailors, wrote that the "Guarding", deprived of the course, took an unequal battle with the Japanese ships, but refused to lower the flag. Soon the destroyer deck was a heap of twisted metal, among which lay the bodies of the dead sailors.
The Japanese, having approached the destroyer on a whaleboat to take it in tow, saw that “35 killed and wounded were lying on the deck of the Russian destroyer. But two sailors of the "Guarding" locked themselves in the hold and did not give up, despite all the admonitions. They not only did not surrender to the enemy, but snatched from him the prey, which he considered his own: having opened the kingstones, they filled the destroyer with water and buried themselves with him in depths of the sea". Naturally, the article was reprinted and Russian newspapers who often drew information from foreign colleagues. "Guarding" and his commander, Lieutenant Alexander Sergeev, became known throughout the country.
The feat of the sailors produced great impression on the Russian society, newspapers wrote about him for a long time, they dedicated poems to him, carried out charitable actions to raise funds for the families of the dead sailors. Artist N.S. Samokish painted a picture in which he depicted sailors discovering Kingston on a dying ship. After the war, the sculptor K. V. Isenberg, based on this painting, created a project for the monument “Two unknown sailors-heroes”.
The emperor liked the monument, and a contract was signed for its construction. It was then that they decided to clarify all the details of the legendary battle in order to place the corresponding inscription on the pedestal.
It turned out that in reality the events developed a little differently from how the newspapers described them. At dawn on March 10, the Guarding and Resolute destroyers returning from reconnaissance were blocked by 4 Japanese destroyers with more powerful weapons. Russian ships tried to break through with a fight, but only the "Resolute" succeeded. The boilers of the "Guarding" were damaged from a direct hit of the shell, and he continued the battle, practically losing speed. Despite the significant superiority of the enemy, "Guarding" fought for almost an hour.
At the beginning of the battle, the St.Andrew's flag was nailed to the mast so that it would not be accidentally ripped off by an explosion. The composure with which the sailors acted in battle is striking. The commander of the ship, Lieutenant Sergeev, led the battle lying on the deck with his legs broken. When he died, Lieutenant N. Goloviznin took command, but he too was soon struck by a shrapnel. The sailors not only fired at the enemy from four guns (one caliber 75 mm and three caliber 47 mm), but also tried to fight for the survivability of the ship, which received multiple damage and holes. On the deck of the "Guarding" there was nowhere to hide, even its guns did not have shields, but in place of the dead, those who could still fight were immediately taken to the guns. According to the testimony of the survivors, warrant officer K. Kudrevich, who had received several wounds, fired the longest from the bow cannon. Firemen and machinists brought shells and put out fires. By the end of the battle, the ship was commanded by a seriously wounded mechanical engineer V. Anastasov.
When the last weapon fell silent, the dying signaller Kruzhkov, with the help of the fireman Osinin, was able to throw signal books overboard, tying a load to them. The commander died on the ship, all the officers and 45 out of 49 sailors, who carried out the last order of the commander at the cost of their lives: "Fulfill your duty to the Motherland to the end, without thinking about the shameful surrender of your native ship to the enemy"... Actually, the Japanese had nothing to capture. This is confirmed by the midshipman from the Japanese ship: “ The living deck was completely in the water, and it was impossible to enter there. In general, the position of the destroyer was so terrible that it defies description ... ".
By the time the Japanese whaleboat approached, the "Guarding" was half-submerged, only two living sailors could be removed from it, and two more were picked up from the water, where they were thrown by the explosion. The Japanese tried to tow the "Guarding", but the ship continued to submerge and the cable broke.
From Port Arthur, cruisers sent by Admiral Makarov were in a hurry to help the destroyer, and the Japanese ships preferred to leave without taking a fight, especially since they too were damaged, had killed and wounded. The destroyer Akebono suffered the most, with about thirty shells hitting it. The English correspondent described the sinking of the Russian ship very truthfully, except for one thing: no one opened the kingstones on the "Guarding". This was no longer necessary, and they are not on the ships of this class. By and large, the feat of the sailors did not need additional heroization, but the legend of the Kingston proved to be tenacious. The Japanese were amazed at the resilience of the Russian sailors, perhaps this was the birth of the legend.
In Japan, since samurai times, they knew how to respect the courage of their opponents. It is not for nothing that they have kept Russian name on the "Varyag" raised from the bottom, and the sailors of the "Guarding" they even erected a monument with a laconic inscription - "To those who honored the Motherland more than their lives".
But back to the monument in St. Petersburg. The emperor was presented with a memo in which they set out the details of the battle and refuted the version about two unknown heroes who discovered Kingston. On it, the monarch imposed a resolution: "To consider that the monument was erected in memory of the heroic death in the battle of the destroyer" Guarding". Naturally, they did not make the previously supposed inscription, but the monument itself was left unchanged. The monument was solemnly unveiled in the presence of the emperor on April 26, 1911 in the Alexander Park. When the 50th anniversary of the "Guardian" feat was celebrated, a bronze plaque with a list of its crew and a depiction of the legendary battle was reinforced on the pedestal of the monument. The feat of the sailors "Guarding" was immortalized not only in the monuments (nowadays another is installed in Kronstadt), in April 1905 the Russian navy was replenished with two destroyers - "Lieutenant Sergeev" and "Mechanical Engineer Anastasov", and at the Nevsky plant they laid mine cruiser "Guarding". Since that time, the ship with the proud name "Guarding" is constantly in the fleet.
And the legend of the Kingston continues its own life, even today it can be found in publications about the feat of the "Guarding" crew, apparently, the monument itself contributes to this. Back in 1910, foreseeing such a development of events, the head of the Historical Department of the Naval General Staff E. Kvashin-Samarin said: "Let the legend live and live the future heroes for new unparalleled deeds." And similar feats Russian fleet knows a lot. So, in 1915, the gunboat Sivuch died, having taken an unequal battle, and at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War until recently, the patrol ship "Tuman" fought with three German destroyers.
See also:
The "Guarding" destroyer is a domestic warship of the "Sokol" class, which was laid down in St. Petersburg in 1900. It was originally called "Kulik". In the summer of 1902, it was launched in Port Arthur, receiving a well-known name. He was taken to the east by railroad in several parts. It officially entered service in August 1903. Already in February, it was destroyed in an unequal battle with superior enemy forces during the Russo-Japanese War. In that memorable battle "Guarding" together with the destroyer "Resolute" fought against four Japanese warships. They significantly outnumbered the Russian ships in the number of crews, weapons and displacement.
In Port Arthur
In its little story the sinking of the "Guarding" destroyer remained the most striking event. The situation developed rapidly. On February 26, two ships returned to Port Arthur from night reconnaissance. In fact, by chance they encountered four Japanese destroyers. These were "Sadzanami", "Akebono", "Usugumo" and "Shinome". Over time, the enemy's power increased as they were joined by the cruisers Chitose and Tokiwa.
The commanders of the destroyers "Guarding" and "Resolute" are trying to avoid the battle, but only one of them succeeds in breaking through to Port Arthur. "Guarding" is surrounded by superior enemy forces, he is forced to take an unequal battle.
Unequal fight
While the vehicle was still working, the "Guarding" destroyer hoped to break through to Port Arthur if it succeeded. But at 6 hours 40 minutes, a Japanese shell exploded in a coal pit, as a result of which two adjacent boilers were damaged at once.
He began to rapidly lose speed. The fireman Ivan Khirinsky went to the upper deck with a report on the incident. The driver Vasily Novikov also followed him up. At this time, the fireman Alexei Osinin and the fireman quartermaster Pyotr Khasanov remained below. Together they tried to repair the damage that had arisen, but at that time another shell exploded in the area of stoker No. 2. The blast wave wounded Osinin. Water immediately gushed through the hole, which almost instantly flooded all the furnaces. The stokers closed their necks behind them, making their way to the upper deck.
There they witnessed the last minutes of this battle.
End of story
The guns fell silent one after the other. By this time, Commander Sergeev and Warrant Officer Kudrevich had already been killed, who never left their posts. Lieutenant Goloviznin, who was in charge of launching the whaleboat, was killed. Powerful explosion the projectile was thrown overboard by mechanical engineer Anastasov.
The guns of the "Guarding" were finally silenced at 7:10. On the water there was only the almost completely destroyed shell of the destroyer, on which there were no longer masts and pipes. The deck and side were badly mutilated, corpses lay everywhere heroic defenders ship.
After that, the Japanese ships ceased fire, gathering near the flagship destroyer "Usugumo". The reports made by the head of the detachment added to the picture of what happened. Sinonome and Usugumo received minor damage. But two other Japanese ships barely stayed afloat. The Akebono was hit by 13 shells, and the Sanazami - 8. There were enough dead and wounded on both ships.
At 8:10 the Japanese began towing the Sazans. By this time, two cruisers arrived - "Novik" and "Bayan", they were commanded by Admiral Makarov. The Japanese ships did not accept the battle, it was decided to retreat. On board they lifted four crew members of the deceased ship who survived.
At 9:07 am "Guarding" sank. As noted in documents from the time sent to Tokyo by the Naval General Staff, this happened seven miles east of Liaoteshan Lighthouse. This is the story of the sinking of the "Guarding" destroyer.
From the crew of the "Guarding" four people survived. These were the fireman Khirinsky, the mine-engine quartermaster and the acting boatswain Yuryev, the bilge engineer Novikov and the fireman of the first article Osinin. When they returned to their homeland, they were awarded the insignia of the military order of the fourth degree, which in everyday life were called the St. George's Crosses.
Specifications
The destroyer was built at the Nevsky Shipyard. At the same time, he belonged to the squadron class. It was launched in 1902 at the Nevsky Zavod, and in 1904 it was withdrawn from the Russian fleet.
The vessel was about 58 meters long and about 5 and a half wide. Among the main characteristics of the "Guarding" destroyer, it is necessary to note the displacement, which was 259 tons.
The draft of the ship is 3 and a half meters, the speed is up to 26 and a half knots, the power is 3800 horsepower.
Armament
The destroyer carried mine-torpedo weapons and artillery. In particular, these were two torpedo tubes.
In total, four artillery pieces were installed on the "Guarding". Only one of them was 75 mm, and three more were 47 mm. This was the armament of the "Guarding" destroyer.
The ship's crew consisted of 48 sailors and 4 officers.
Lieutenant Sergeev
Until 1904, the captain of the ship was a lieutenant by the name of Kuzmin-Karavaev, about whom practically no information was preserved. But already during the Russo-Japanese War, Alexander Semenovich Sergeev, who also had the rank of lieutenant, took the reins into his own hands.
At the time of his death, Sergeev was forty years old. It is known that in 1863 he was born in the city of Kursk, although initially many believed that the future officer was born in the village of Stakanovo. His parents were nobles.
Sergeev grew up in a family of four sons of an official who was part of the local provincial government, Semyon Alexandrovich. Mother - Olga Ivanovna Barantseva. Alexander was the youngest child.
He was baptized in the Mikhailovskaya Church of Kursk. Having matured, he began to study at a local real school, and then entered the St. Petersburg Naval Cadet Corps. He graduated from it in 1884 with the rank of midshipman.
In 1890, he continued his career in Kronstadt, ending up in the mine officer classes. There he was sent to serve on which at that time was considered the flagship of the Russian Mediterranean squadron. There Sergeev rose to the rank of lieutenant. In total, he spent about three and a half years on this ship.
In 1893, the officer was awarded the French Legion of Honor of the Cavalry Cross during a friendly visit on the "Emperor Nicholas I" at the head of the Mediterranean squadron to France.
After that Sergeev mainly served in the Baltic Sea. In particular, he commanded small mine ships, which were minoships of numbered destroyers. They were part of the Petersburg detachment.
He was transferred to Port Arthur just before the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War in early 1904. In the Pacific, he was assigned the command of the 1904 destroyer "Guarding".
Death on the captain's bridge
Sergeev collided with Japanese ships when he was returning from reconnaissance, which he went to on the orders of General Makarov. The destroyer was immediately attacked by Japanese ships.
Sergeev withstood about an hour of unequal battle, after which he ordered the kingstones to be opened to flood the ship. By that time he himself was already seriously wounded.
It is believed that this version is actually a legend. According to some reports, the commander of the "Guarding" destroyer, Lieutenant Sergeev, was killed at the very beginning of the battle. After that, the command was assumed by the previous commander Goloviznin. At the same time, no one opened the Kingstones - since they were absent on a ship of this type, they were not provided for by the project.
According to the popular version, the ship sank due to very significant damage received during the battle.
Memory of Sergeev
At the same time, information about the feat of the "Guarding" destroyer and its commander Sergeev quickly spread. In 1905, the destroyer "Lieutenant Sergeev" was even laid down, which since 1908 was part of naval forces Russia, based on Far East... Over time, he was transferred to the Arctic Ocean flotilla, until 1924 was among the ships of the Red Fleet.
In 1910, his father built a stone church in the village of Stakanovo, which today is located in the Kursk region. She appeared in memory of the two sons of Semyon Alexandrovich, who died in the Russian-Japanese war.
Detailed circumstances of what happened on the destroyer can be found in the historical novel "Port Arthur", which first saw the light of day in 1940. Some scenes of the work are dedicated just to Sergeev.
Awards
Lieutenant Alexander Semyonovich Sergeev has been repeatedly awarded high awards.
In addition to the Order of the Legion of Honor, he received the third degree in 1895. This is the youngest order in the hierarchy of state awards. Interestingly, most often they were awarded to officials, but sometimes the military also got it.
In 1896 Sergeev was awarded a silver medal in memory of the reign of the Russian Emperor Alexander III. It is known that the last significant award was presented to him in 1898. It was the Order of St. Anne of the third degree. He was the youngest in the hierarchy of Russian orders until 1831, when the Order of St. Stanislav appeared.
Monument to "Guarding"
By 1911, the construction of the monument to the heroic death of the destroyer was completed. It was the last in St. Petersburg, built before the revolution, as well as the only one in the entire city, made in the Art Nouveau style.
The sculptor was Konstantin Vasilievich Isenberg. And the calculations of the strength of the foundation, important for the monument, were carried out by Professor Sokolovsky. Sculptural composition was cast in a workshop specializing in artistic bronze. The work was supervised by master Gavrilov.
Monument "Guarding" is a part of the ship's hull and two sailors, who are rapidly opening the kingstones. This illustrates the legend widespread at that time that the ship was sunk by the Russian sailors themselves, realizing that the situation was hopeless. This was done so that he would not only fall to the enemy.
Grand opening
The monument was first presented to the public in April 1911. The opening was attended by Emperor Nicholas II. He appeared on Kamennoostrovsky Prospekt in Aleksandrovsky Park.
A month later, the Iskra magazine published photographs from the opening ceremony of the monument.
The open Kingston greatly damaged the monument itself. In the mid-30s, water was supplied through it, which actually destroyed the monument. The same situation persisted from 1947 to 1971.
As a result, in the 60s, concrete bowls were installed directly at the pedestal, which were supposed to collect rainwater... But this did not affect the situation in any way. The issue was fundamentally resolved only after the Leningrad City Executive Committee decided in 1970 to dismantle the entire system.
It is noteworthy that in 1954 a large-scale restoration of the monument was carried out, the work was supervised by the sculptor's son Vladimir Isenberg. For example, it was possible to restore a memorial plaque on which all crew members were listed.
Reflection in culture
One cannot but impress the heroic death of the "Guardian", who, as everyone suspected, did not drown voluntarily. Over time, she began to be regularly mentioned in the histories of other Soviet and Russian ships.
In Kursk, where Sergeev was born, school number 18 is named after him. Even the anthem of this mean educational institution called "The Song of the" Guardian "".
Also, the composition "Death of the Guardian" is in the repertoire of the singer, performer of the country folk genre, Zhanna Bichevskaya.
As a result, Bicheskaya's song became so popular that the destroyer mentions Valentin Pikul in his novel Cruiser. Also, mention of him can be found in the novel "Gentlemen, Officers!".
The night Watch
In 1904 Russo-Japanese war was in full swing. On January 26, Port Arthur was blocked, and the next day in the Korean port of Chemulpo, the heroically killed cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets took a fight. It was necessary to urgently change the position and withdraw the ships blocked in Port Arthur against the Japanese. On February 1, 1904, Vice Admiral Stepan Osipovich Makarov was appointed commander of the Pacific Fleet. He arrived in Port Arthur on 24 February. The first step was to find out where the Japanese ships are based near Port Arthur. They couldn't come from Japan every time.
Therefore, on the night of February 25-26 (March 10, new style), the admiral sent two destroyers for reconnaissance - "Guarding", under the command of Lieutenant Sergeev, and "Resolute", under the command of Captain Second Rank Bosse. The main task was to inspect possible places for anchorage of enemy ships along the entire coast. Since the destroyers' weapons were weak, the discovered Japanese ships were ordered to sink with torpedoes ("self-propelled mines") and not to engage unnecessarily in artillery combat. The ships were supposed to leave the port at 18:00 on February 25 and return from the roadstead on the morning of the 26th.
During the operation, a Japanese warship was spotted from the Resolute at the entrance to Taliyvan Bay. Captain Bosse decided to attack, but when his destroyer developed full speed flames began to burst out of the pipes. Our ships' attack was discovered, and Boss decided to dodge the fight. The destroyer commanders considered it necessary to return to Port Arthur, since their task was completed, and turned into the open sea. The base was 20 miles away when our ships collided with 4 Japanese destroyers- "Usugumo", "Sinoname", "Sazanami" and "Akebano". A fierce battle ensued, the Japanese tried to cut off the path to Port Arthur. Enemies outnumbered not only in number, but in speed and armament of their ships. "Resolute" and "Guardian" came under artillery fire, but Boss managed to get ahead. The captain realized that with the existing damage and weapons, he would not be able to help the "Guardian", and decided to go to Port Arthur for help. When the destroyer entered the zone of action of the coastal batteries, the Japanese stopped pursuing and did not dare to join the battle. Boss managed to report to the admiral that he had lost the destroyer. Makarov immediately decided to go to the aid of the remaining one "Guarding" and personally went to the battle site on the cruisers "Bayan" and "Novik".
All this time, the "Guardian" fought against four enemy ships and suffered losses. Shells ripped through the sides and destroyed the deck. As long as the machine was running, there was hope. But at 6:40 am, a Japanese shell hit the coal pit and tore apart two adjacent boilers. The destroyer was losing speed. The fireman Ivan Khirinsky and the machinist Vasily Novikov jumped out onto the upper deck. Remaining below the stoker quartermaster Pyotr Khasanov and the stoker Alexei Osinin tried to repair the damage. But another enemy shell exploded in the stoker and wounded Osinin. The water gushing from the hole flooded the furnaces. The stokers got out. In their places during the battle, the destroyer commander, Lieutenant A.S. Sergeev, Warrant Officer K.V. Kudrevich were killed, Lieutenant N. S. Goloviznin, and mechanical engineer V. S. Anastasova were killed. Only four survived: the bilge engineer V.N. Novikov, the fireman A.A. Osinin, and. O. boatswain F. D. Yuryev and fireman I. P. Khirinsky. All of them were later taken prisoner. At 7:10 am, the weapons of the "Guardian" fell silent. When Makarov approached the site of the battle, he saw how Japanese ships were circling near the twisted destroyer, picking up the survivors and starting a towing cable. While towing, "Guarding" went under water. Makarov decided to return to Port Arthur.
The legend of the flooding
The entire crew of the "Resolute" was awarded the Makarov St. George Crosses, and Captain Bosse received the Order of St. George, IV degree. In his report to Nicholas II on the course of the battle, the governor-general in the Far East, Adjutant-General Alekseev, reported from Makarov's words: “When the situation of the Guardian became clear, I transferred my flag to Novik and went out with Novik and Bayan to the rescue, but the destroyer had 5 enemy cruisers, and an armored squadron was approaching. It was not possible to save, the destroyer sank; the surviving part of the crew was taken prisoner. " According to the commander of the Pacific Fleet, "Guarding" sank himself.
However, the British newspaper Times soon published its own version of what was happening. The note said that the destroyer did not drown, but was deliberately sunk by two hero sailors who, seeing the Japanese prize team, locked themselves in the hold, opened the kingstones and drowned along with the ship. This story also got into Russian newspapers and very soon became a legend, which perfectly reflected the fighting spirit of Russian sailors. Even in the official report on the defense of Port Arthur, published by the Naval Department, it was said: "Two sailors locked themselves in the hold, resolutely refused to surrender and opened the Kingston ... Unknown heroes brought a new unfading laurel to the exploits of the Russian fleet."
The same version was supported by the captured Vasily Novikov. In the POW camp, he met Captain I Rank Seletsky and told him about the fate of the "Guardian". Here is how Seletsky put it in the words of the driver: “Shooting from the guard stops; the car and its boilers were damaged, the crew was killed, and the destroyer could no longer resist. Slightly wounded fireman Aleksey Osinin crawls out of the fireman's compartment onto the deck, as his boiler is damaged and the firebox is flooded with water. The Japanese also stop firing and lower the surviving boats into the water to send them to the Guardian to pick up the wounded and take possession of the destroyer itself. At this time, the driver Vasily Novikov, who miraculously survived not only alive, but also not wounded, appears from the car. Seeing that the Japanese are rushing to the destroyer, on the advice of the mortally wounded signalman Vasily Kruzhkov, he begins to throw signal books overboard, having previously wrapped them together with the shells in flags, and then all the ship's flags, having previously wrapped them around the shells so that they would not get to the Japanese like trophies. Seeing that the boat with the armed Japanese is approaching the "Guardian", he rushes into the car and closes the hatch behind him, screwing it up from the inside; and then begins to open the kingstones and clinkets. Having finished his work and seeing that the water in the engine room begins to rise above his knees, he opens the hatch and goes upstairs. Several Japanese immediately grab him, but he does not resist them. Looking around, he sees the following picture: a Japanese military flag flutters on a vertically raised hook; his wounded comrades, Fedorov (Fedor Yuryev - Ed.), Khirinsky and Osinin, are lying in the boat at the side, while the Guarding itself is being towed by a Japanese destroyer. "
But as we can see, this story does not correspond to the "official" legend. There were not two sailor heroes, but one, and not at all nameless, and he did not drown, but was captured by the Japanese. But the most important thing is that there were no kingstons on the "Guarding", however, there is a version that instead of them the Russian sailors used portholes, which turned out to be below the water level due to damage to the destroyer.
By the way, Novikov himself was awarded two St. George's crosses and after the war he returned to his native village Elovka. And in 1919 he was shot by fellow villagers for helping the Kolchak people.
Memory of "Guarding"
In 1911 in St. Petersburg a monument to "Guarding" was unveiled, which depicts two sailors opening a porthole from which water is pouring. According to legend, the sculptor Konstantin Isenberg presented an inkwell to Emperor Nicholas II, which was decorated with the image of the tragic moment of the death of the "Guardian". Nicholas II liked it very much, and he ordered to erect a monument according to this model. However, the controversy over whether the destroyer was sunk by sailors or drowned itself did not subside. Then the emperor decided not to change the sketch, since the people fell in love with the myth of the heroic sailors, but “consider that the monument was erected in memory of the heroic death of the destroyer“ Guarding ”in battle. On May 10, 1911, the grand opening of the monument took place in the Alexander Park of St. Petersburg. The ceremony was attended by Emperor Nicholas II himself, Chairman of the Council of Ministers Pyotr Stolypin, the highest ranks of the army and navy. The fireman Alexei Osinin, who survived that battle, stood on the guard of honor.
