Steamship, Russia, 1909
FICHA TÉCNICA:
Nombre: Orel, 1:200, OREL
Código: ORE-0085
Fabricante: OREL
Hojas: 18
Escala: 1:200
Dificultad: Difícil
Formato: A4
Otros: En inglés, alemán, ruso y polaco.
In 1878 the Emperor Alexander the Third established the Voluntary Fleet with the purpose of having the steamships fit for military needs, which could be armed and used as auxiliary cruisers, hospital ships or ships for transportation of the landing force. One of the sources of funding for construction of ships was voluntary contributions from the Russian cities. On 6 July 1908 the Emperor Nikolay the Second ratified the resolution on issue of funds for development of steamship communications in the Far East, what became the grounds for ordering from abroad by the Voluntary Fleet of five new steamships. The order for the construction was given to the German company “F. Schichau”. According to the contract, the company obliged to build 5 single-screw first-class mail and passenger steamships of spar deck type. As it was planned to use the steamships for special service in the time of war, it was foreseen to make the fasteners for mounting of 3 guns of 120-mm, the place for laying of the railing on the deck meant for transportation from the holds to the stern of barrage mines. The inner premises were designed for transportation of 600 men of landing force. The quantity of civil passengers was planned as follows: in the first-class cabins – 62 passengers, in the second-class cabins – 20 passengers and in the third-class cabins – 100 passengers. The quantity of the crew included 95 men. On 13 April 1909 the ships, which were built, were given the following names: to 3 big ships – “Orel”, “Poltava”, “Riazan”, to the other ships: “Simbirsk”, “Penza”. On 1 August 1909 the steamship “Orel” was put on trial and already in the end of the year began to carry out the voyages in the Far East together with the “Poltava”. With the beginning of the First World War “Orel” was included into the Siberian Flotilla as an auxiliary cruiser and was armed with the following battle guns: two guns of 120-mm, two guns of 75-mm and four guns of 47-mm. Later on it was used as a training ship. In 1922 it was sold to an English firm, which named it “Silvia”. In 1934 the steamship passed into the ownership of the shipping company from Hong Kong and was renamed into “Haitan”. During the Second World War it was mobilized and included in the British Navy. In June 1946 it was returned to the owner and in 1950 - disassembled for metal in Hong Kong.