Английская Википедия:Avnillah-class ironclad

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Шаблон:Use shortened footnotes Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Good article

Шаблон:Infobox ship imageШаблон:Infobox ship class overviewШаблон:Infobox ship characteristics

The Avnillah class was a group of two ironclad warships built for the Ottoman Navy in the 1860s. The class comprised two vessels, Шаблон:Ship and Шаблон:Ship. The two ships were built in Britain between 1868 and 1870. They were armed with a battery of four Шаблон:Cvt guns mounted in a central casemate, making them central battery ships.

Both ships served during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, where they operated against Russian forces in the Black Sea. They were primarily tasked with supporting Ottoman forces ashore, though Muin-i Zafer also helped to defend the port of Sulina. After the war, both vessels were placed in reserve, and saw no further activity until 1897, when they were mobilized at the start of the Greco-Turkish War. Like the rest of the Ottoman fleet, both ships were in poor condition and were unable to be used offensively.

After the war ended, both vessels were rebuilt as part of a large reconstruction program aimed at modernizing the ancient Ottoman fleet. They returned to service with a new battery of four [[15 cm SK L/40 naval gun|Шаблон:Convert Krupp]] quick-firing guns as guard ships, and in this capacity Avnillah was sunk in the Battle of Beirut during the Italo-Turkish War in January 1912. Muin-i Zafer served on as a training ship from 1913, a barracks ship from 1920, and a depot ship for submarines from 1928. She was finally broken up for scrap in 1932.

Design

In 1861, Abdülaziz became sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and thereafter began a construction program to strengthen the Ottoman Navy, which had incurred heavy losses during the Crimean War of 1853–1856. The Navy ordered several ironclad warships from shipyards in Britain and France, though the program was limited by the Ottoman Empire's restricted finances.Шаблон:Sfn

Characteristics

Файл:Avnillah line-drawing.jpg
Line-drawing of Avnillah

Avnillah and Muin-i Zafer were Шаблон:Convert long between perpendiculars, and they had a beam of Шаблон:Convert and a draft of Шаблон:Convert. The hulls were constructed with iron, incorporated a partial double bottom, and included a ram bow. The ships displaced Шаблон:Convert normally and Шаблон:Convert BOM. They had a crew of 15 officers and 130 enlisted men as built.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

The ships of the Avnillah class were powered by a single horizontal compound engine which drove one screw propeller. Steam was provided by four coal-fired box boilers that were trunked into a single funnel amidships. The engine was rated at Шаблон:Convert and produced a top speed of Шаблон:Convert, though by 1877 both vessels were only capable of Шаблон:Convert. Decades of poor maintenance had reduced the ships' speed to Шаблон:Convert by 1892. The ships carried Шаблон:Convert of coal. A supplementary brigantine rig with two masts was also fitted.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

The ships were armed with a battery of four Шаблон:Cvt muzzle-loading guns that weighed Шаблон:Convert apiece, mounted in a central, armored casemate, two guns per side. The guns were positioned so as to allow any two to fire directly ahead, astern, or to either broadside. Both vessels were protected with wrought iron armor plate. The ships' armored belt was Шаблон:Convert thick, with the thicker portion above the waterline and the thinner below. It extended Шаблон:Convert above the waterline and Шаблон:Convert below. The belt was capped with Шаблон:Convert thick transverse bulkheads at either end. The casemate had heavy armor protection, with the gun battery protected by 150 mm of iron plating.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

Modifications

Файл:Avnillâh - Engineering - 1870-05-20.png
Illustration of Avnillah as originally configured

Both ships received a pair of Шаблон:Convert breech-loading guns manufactured by Krupp in 1882. At some point, they both also received new Scotch marine boilers, and their brigantine rig was removed, with heavy military masts installed in its place. The Ottomans planned to further strengthen the ships' armament with a pair of Шаблон:Convert Krupp guns, two Шаблон:Convert Hotchkiss revolver cannon, two Шаблон:Cvt guns, also manufactured by Hotchkiss, and a Шаблон:Convert torpedo tube, but the plan came to nothing.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

In 1903–1906, both ships were heavily modernized, which included the installation of a conning tower, along with a complete replacement of their armament. Their old muzzle-loading guns were replaced with new [[15 cm SK L/40 naval gun|Шаблон:Convert Krupp]] 40-caliber guns, and a new light battery consisting of six Шаблон:Cvt quick-firing (QF) Krupp guns, ten Шаблон:Convert QF Krupp guns, and two Шаблон:Convert QF Krupp guns. During their reconstruction, both vessels had their box boilers replaced with Scotch marine boilers, though they retained the original engine. Their sailing masts were removed and were replaced with heavy fighting masts. The ships' crew increased to 220 officers and enlisted.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

Ships

Ship BuilderШаблон:Sfn Laid downШаблон:Sfn LaunchedШаблон:Sfn CompletedШаблон:Sfn
Шаблон:Ship Thames Iron Works, London Шаблон:Centre 21 April 1869 Шаблон:Centre
Шаблон:Ship Samuda Brothers, London Шаблон:Centre

Service history

Файл:Ottoman ironclad Muin-i Zafer (NH 94226).tiff
Muin-i Zafer in Constantinople, sometime before 1894

Both ships of the class were stationed in Crete after they entered service, to assist in stabilizing the island in the aftermath of the Cretan Revolt of 1866–1869. Nevertheless, the Ottoman fleet remained largely inactive during this period.Шаблон:Sfn Both ships saw action during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, where they operated against Russian forces in the Black Sea. They were primarily occupied with bombarding Russian coastal positions in support of the Ottoman army in the Caucasus. They also supported an amphibious assault on the port of Sokhumi in May 1877. For the rest of the war, Muin-i Zafer was stationed in Sulina at the mouth of the Danube, while Avnillah assisted in the defense of Batumi in the Caucasus.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn After the war, both vessels were laid up in Constantinople, and they received a minor refit in 1882.Шаблон:Sfn

At the start of the Greco-Turkish War in February 1897, the Ottomans inspected the fleet and found that almost all of the vessels, including both Avnillah-class ships, to be completely unfit for combat against the Greek Navy. Following the end of the war with Greece, the government decided to begin a naval reconstruction program. The two ships were rebuilt by Gio. Ansaldo & C. between 1903 and 1906 at the Ottoman Imperial Arsenal, which was in part leased to Ansaldo.Шаблон:Sfn After returning to service, both ships were reduced to guard ships in 1910. At the outbreak of the Italo-Turkish War in September 1911, Avnillah was stationed in Beirut, where on 24 February 1912, two Italian armored cruisersШаблон:Ship and Шаблон:Ship—attacked the port in the Battle of Beirut. During the action, the Italians hit Avnillah with multiple shells and then torpedoed her, sinking her in the harbor.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Muin-i Zafer was meanwhile disarmed at Port Said so her guns could be used to strengthen the defenses of the city.Шаблон:Sfn In 1913, she became a torpedo training ship, and in 1920 she was converted into a barracks ship, before becoming a depot ship for submarines in 1928. Decommissioned in 1932, she was broken up thereafter.Шаблон:Sfn

Notes

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References

Шаблон:Avnillah class ironclad Шаблон:Ottoman ironclads