Russian cruiser Askold (1900)

Russian cruiser Askold on trials after construction at Kiel.
History
Russian Empire
Name:	Askold (Аскольд)
Namesake:	Askold
Builder:	Germaniawerft, Kiel
Laid down:	8 June 1899
Launched:	2 March 1900
Commissioned:	25 January 1902
In service:	1902
Out of service:	1917
Renamed:	1918
Fate:	Scrapped 1922
General characteristics
Type:	Protected cruiser
Displacement:	5,910 t (5,820 long tons) full load
Length:	132.5 m (434.7 ft)
Beam:	15 m (49.2 ft)
Draught:	6.2 m (20.3 ft)
Propulsion:	3 shaft Triple expansion steam engines (VTE), 9 Shultz-Thonycroft Boilers - 14,650 kW (19,650 hp)
Speed:	23.8 knots (44.1 km/h)
Range:	6,500 nautical miles (12,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Complement:	580 officers and crewmen
Armament:	12 - 6-inch (152 mm)/L45 Canet guns 12 - 75-millimetre (3 in)/L50 Canet guns 8 - 47-millimetre (2 in) Hotchkiss rapid-fire guns 2 - 37-millimetre (1 in) Hotchkiss guns 2 – 7.62 mm Maxim machine guns 6 - 15-inch (381 mm) torpedo tubes
Armour:	Krupp armour Sloping deck: 2–4-inch (51–102 mm) Conning tower 6-inch (152 mm)

Askold (Russian: Аскольд) was a protected cruiser built for the Imperial Russian Navy. She was named after the legendary Varangian Askold. Her thin, narrow hull and maximum speed of 23.8 knots (44.1 km/h) were considered impressive for the time.

Askold had five thin funnels which gave it a unique silhouette for any vessel in the Imperial Russian Navy. This led British sailors to nickname her Packet of Woodbines after the thin cigarettes popular at the time. However, the five funnels also had a symbolic importance, as it was popularly considered that the number of funnels was indicative of performance, and some navies were known to add extra fake funnels to impress dignitaries in less advanced countries.

After the completion of the Pallada class, the Imperial Russian Navy issued requirements for three large protected cruisers to three separate companies: Varyag was ordered from William Cramp and Sons in Philadelphia, United States, Askold was ordered from Krupp-Germaniawerft in Kiel, Germany, and Bogatyr from Vulcan Stettin, also in Germany. Although Askold was the fastest cruiser in the Russian fleet at the time of its commissioning, Bogatyr was selected for further development into a new class of ships, and Askold remained as a unique design.

Askold was laid down at the Germaniawerft shipyards in Kiel, Germany on 8 June 1899, launched on 2 March 1900 and commissioned on 25 January 1902. She initially entered service with the Russian Baltic Fleet, but only after one year was assigned to the Russian Pacific Fleet based at Port Arthur, Manchuria, instead.