Detail.
Imperial Russian Cruiser "Rossiya/Russia" Keel Laying Commemorative Plate/Закладная доска крейсера "Россия"
Detail.
The Imperial Navy armoured cruiser "Rossiya" was built in 1893 – 1895 and launched on 30th of April, 1896. She took part in the Review of the Fleet for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee held at Spithead in June, 1897. Based in Vladivostok at the time of the Russo-Japanese war of 1904/05, she served as a long-range commerce raider. Like the cruiser "Rurik", she was part of the Pacific Squadron, and was damaged in the same battle in the Strait of Tsushima. Unlike ‘Rurik’, ‘Rossiya’ was repaired and returned to Kronstadt for a major refit. "Rossiya" was then used to lay mines during World War 1. In 1915 she underwent a further upgrading of her armaments but played no further part in World War I as her crew joined the Bolshevik revolutionaries in 1917. She was then put decommissioned and scrapped in 1922.
The enamel inscription on the obverse reads:
"24-gun armoured cruiser 1st Class ‘Rossiya’, its construction began in the St. Petersburg Baltic Works and the Mechanical Works Factory of the Maritime Ministry, 20th of May, 1895 in the presence of Their Imperial Majesties the Emperor, the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna and His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke General Admiral".
The reverse engraved with "Vice Admiral Chikhachev, Commander-in-Chief of the Maritime Ministry, Representative of the Pacific Maritime Committee, Vice-Admiral Pilkin, Commander of the port of St. Petersburg, Vice-Admiral Verkhovsky, Representative of the Board of the Factory, Major-General Balk, Inspector of Shipbuilding Samoilov, Acting Chief-Inspector of Shipbuilding, Chief Shipbuilding Engineer of port of St. Petersburg, Senior Shipbuilder Subbotin, Director of the Factory, Senior Shipbuilder Ratnik, Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Senior Shipbuilding Engineer Titov".
"24-gun armoured cruiser 1st Class ‘Rossiya’, its construction began in the St. Petersburg Baltic Works and the Mechanical Works Factory of the Maritime Ministry, 20th of May, 1895 in the presence of Their Imperial Majesties the Emperor, the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna and His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke General Admiral".
The reverse engraved with "Vice Admiral Chikhachev, Commander-in-Chief of the Maritime Ministry, Representative of the Pacific Maritime Committee, Vice-Admiral Pilkin, Commander of the port of St. Petersburg, Vice-Admiral Verkhovsky, Representative of the Board of the Factory, Major-General Balk, Inspector of Shipbuilding Samoilov, Acting Chief-Inspector of Shipbuilding, Chief Shipbuilding Engineer of port of St. Petersburg, Senior Shipbuilder Subbotin, Director of the Factory, Senior Shipbuilder Ratnik, Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Senior Shipbuilding Engineer Titov".
Silver, gilt, enamel.
Height 117 mm; length 154 mm.
Marked with "P. Ovchinnikov/П.Овчинников" and "E.K/Э.К" of Eduard Kortman.
St.Petersburg assay office for 84th silver.
Height 117 mm; length 154 mm.
Marked with "P. Ovchinnikov/П.Овчинников" and "E.K/Э.К" of Eduard Kortman.
St.Petersburg assay office for 84th silver.
Plaque from the collection of Central Navy Museum in St. Petersburg.
