Russian Ironclad Battleship Chesma
The Russian ironclad battleship Chesma was one of the four ships of the Ekaterina II class (which included Ekaterina II , Sinop, and their half-sister Georgii Pobedonosets) built for the Imperial Russian Black Sea Fleet during the late nineteenth century. Constructed at Sevastopol and launched in 1886, she represented Russia’s effort to strengthen its naval presence in the Black Sea following restrictions imposed after the Crimean War. The ship entered service in 1889 and was designed primarily for coastal defence and fleet support operations.
Chesma displaced roughly 11,000 tons and carried a distinctive barbette arrangement for her main armament. She mounted six 305 mm guns in three twin barbettes positioned in a triangular layout, intended to maximise firing arcs in confined waters. Secondary armament included medium calibre guns and smaller quick firing weapons for defence against torpedo boats. Armour protection consisted of a heavy belt of compound armour along the waterline, backed by armoured barbettes and protective decking. Steam engines powered by coal fired boilers gave the ship a speed of about 15 knots, adequate for Black Sea operations.
Although she participated in training exercises and fleet manoeuvres, Chesma saw no combat service. By the early twentieth century she had become obsolete. The ship was later disarmed and ultimately expended as a target ship during gunnery trials (as Stricken Vessel Nr. 4), contributing to Russian naval weapons testing.
