War against Japan was imminent and the Russian fleet needed a new protected cruiser
capable not only of accomplishing its primary mission, but also defending a squadron
against enemy destroyers and providing fire support for light ships.
One of the main performance characteristics of such a cruiser would have to be its speed.
In 1902 the rank II protected cruiser Novik joined the Russian fleet.
Light and fast, with a maximum speed of 25 knots,
this vessel represented a new step forward in world shipbuilding.
Novik became the forefather of a category of scout cruisers, also referred to as "scouts,"
that later appeared in fleets of many countries around the world.
Russian engineers developed the technical specifications for the new ship;
then a tender procedure was organized
that ended with a contract being signed with the German company Schichau.
The description of the ship's design printed in an Admiralty Report said
that the "Novik-class rank II cruiser is an enormous destroyer
with a displacement of 3,000 tons and a maximum speed of 25 knots.
The cruiser was almost 110 meters long, more than 12 meters wide
and had a draft of 5 meters.
The ship’s main protection came from the armored deck, consisting of two layers of armor plates
with a total thickness of 30 millimeters in the horizontal section.
During final testing, Novik managed to move at an average speed of over 25 knots,
making her the fastest cruiser in the world.
The ship's primary armament consisted of six 120-millimeter Canet guns mounted on the upper deck:
two guns were installed on the bow and stern, and four more on the sides.
The cruiser also had six single-barrel Hotchkiss guns of 47-millimeter caliber
to repel attacks by enemy destroyers.
Another two 37-millimeter Hotchkiss guns were mounted on the bridge wings.
Her armament also included five torpedo launchers for self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes.
Novik was laid down in February 1900 at a shipyard in Gdańsk.
In April 1902 the ship officially completed full speed trials,
raised St. Andrew's colors, and sailed to Kronstadt.
She did not stay there long: in the middle of September 1902,
the ship departed for the Russian Far East and after a journey of six and a half months,
with stops in about 20 cities in Europe, Africa, and Asia, Novik arrived at Port Arthur
and joined the squadron of the Pacific fleet.
From the very beginning of the Russo-Japanese War
Novik became the most active ship of the Russian squadron.
The cruiser was commanded by Rank II Captain Nikolai Ottovich von Essen,
who would later become Commander in Chief of the Baltic Fleet
and one of the most famous Russian naval officers of the early 20th century.
Novik left harbor more often than other ships;
she fired at Japanese shore emplacements, engaged the enemy ironclad Mikasa,
and fought various cruisers and entire squads of destroyers.
She received damage, but always returned to sea after repairs.
In March 1904, Rank II Captain Maximilian Fyodorovich von Schulz
became the new captain of the cruiser.
The ship left Port Arthur for the last time and set sail for Vladivostok together with the squadron.
On July 28, 1904 Novik, together with the Russian squadron,
tried to force their way through from Port Arthur.
In the Yellow Sea, the First Pacific Squadron engaged the Japanese fleet.
Novik was among the ships who managed to battle through:
she built up speed of 24 knots and left the enemy far behind by skillfully maneuvering and shooting back.
The captain of the cruiser decided to sail to Vladivostok independently,
going around the Japanese islands in order to avoid meeting enemy ships in the Tsushima Strait.
This last 3,000-mile voyage through rough seas
after a difficult battle against the Japanese fleet became a true test of the capabilities of Novik
and the skills of her crew.
Moreover, her coal consumption dramatically increased when her speed exceeded 15 knots,
so fuel shortage became an extremely acute issue.
Ten days later, the cruiser arrived at Post Korsakov in the southern part of Sakhalin.
Vladivostok was still 500 miles away, and the captain deemed it reasonable to replenish his coal stock.
Then, by a fatal coincidence, two Japanese cruisers —Tsushima and Chitose—appeared on the horizon.
The Russian ship decided to fight her way out and engaged Tsushima in an artillery duel.
During the one-hour battle Novik managed to inflict such serious damage to her more powerful adversary
that the Japanese ship had to retreat.
Unfortunately, Novik also received three holes below the waterline
and extensive damage to her superstructure.
Four men were killed and eleven injured.
It was impossible to make repairs and the ship took on a lot of water.
In addition, other Japanese ships, alerted by a radio message from Tsushima,
hurried to Post Korsakov.
The decision was made to scuttle the ship.
On August 7, 1904, the heroic Novik sank to the bottom near South Sakhalin.