Kamchatka (ship)

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Kamchatka
History
Russian Empire
Name	Kamchatka
Namesake	Kamchatka Peninsula
Builder	New Admiralty Shipyard
Laid down	August 26, 1901
Launched	September 18, 1902
In service	1903
Out of service	1905
Fate	Sunk at the Battle of Tsushima, 27 May 1905
General characteristics
Displacement	7,200 tons
Length	76.25 m
Beam	15.25 m
Speed	12 knots
Armament	6 x 47mm cannons

Kamchatka was an armed auxiliary vessel of the Russian Navy. The ship was launched in 1903. Its short career during the Russo-Japanese War was plagued with unfortunate incidents, which ended in its sinking at the Battle of Tsushima.

Originally built as a collier, Kamchatka was converted to a repair ship while still under construction. Kamchatka entered service in the Russian Baltic Fleet in 1903. Its main features were a large hold and large cranes that made it ideal for the role as a repair ship.

Kamchatka played a role in causing the Dogger Bank incident, where the Second Pacific Squadron opened fire on unarmed British fishing trawlers. At about 21:00 on the night of October 21, 1904, Kamchatka radioed that it was being attacked by eight Japanese destroyers or torpedo boats.^[1] Not long after, small vessels without lights were spotted, which were crossing the Russian fleet's course. Deciding that the vessels were Japanese, the battleships opened fire.

On 25 December 1904 while the fleet was sailing between Lüderitz Bay and Nosy Boraha the Kamchatka sent a signal to the Russian battleship Knyaz Suvorov that was interpreted by the Suvorov as “do you see the torpedo boat” causing some alarm until the signal was correctly understood.^[2]

While stopping in Madagascar, several ships in the fleet acquired several local predatory animals, Kamchatka being no exception.

There are many apocryphal legends associated with Kamchatka, such as:

• It falsely claimed to be sinking, when the only damage to it was a cracked steam pipe^[3]
• It became separated from the fleet, fired 300 shells at German, Swedish and French ships before rejoining the squadron^[3]
• It fired a live shell during a salute for a funeral, which hit the Aurora^[3]

However, these legends often have few primary sources. Many of these events never happened, while others may have been exaggerated for comedic effect.

The Kamchatka was hit by Japanese shellfire during the 1905 Battle of Tsushima. This disabled its rudder, forcing it to turn. Its engines were later disabled, and ultimately the ship sank.^[1][4] About 50 of the crew escaped on boats and were later picked up by Japanese Fishermen and taken prisoners of war.^[5]

• "Kamchatka - Guide 151" video on YouTube
• "Dogger Bank - Voyage of the Damned" article on Hullsweb

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