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HISTORY
Russian
gunboat Korietz
Korietz
(Russian: Кореец, this translates Korean into English) was a gunboat
in Russian Imperial Navy. She was the lead vessel in a class of nine
ships in her class (including the Mandzhur and Khivinets served on
the Baltic, Donets, Zaporozhets, Kubanets, Terets, Uralets and
Chernomorets on the Black Sea.) The etymology of the names of this
class of ships was: Korietz is a Russian word for "Korean man",
Mandzhur - "Manchuria man", Khivinets - "Khiva man", Donets - "Don
Cossack" (literally "Cossack from Don"), Kubanets - "Kuban Cossack"
("Kuban man"), Terets - "Terek Cossack" ("Terek man"), Uralets -
"Ural Cossack" ("Ural man"), Chernomorets - "Black Sea man" and
Zaporozhets - "Zaporozhian Cossack".
Operational history
Korietz was laid down in Stockholm, Sweden at the Bergsund Mekaniksa
shipyards in December 1885, launched on August 7, 1886, and
commissioned in 1888.
Assigned to service with the Russian Pacific Fleet in 1895, she was
a frequent visitor to ports in Korea, Japan and northern China.
During the Boxer Rebellion, she participated in the Eight-Nation
Alliance attack on Taku Forts on June 1900. During this battle, she
was hit six times by shells fired by the Chinese defenders, and
suffered nine crewmen killed and 20 wounded.
Together with the cruiser Varyag, Korietz was dispatched from Port
Arthur to the main Korean port of Chemulpo (modern-day Incheon) in
early 1904 to protect Russian interests, as diplomatic tensions
continued to increase between Russia and the Empire of Japan. After
the Russian transport Sungari arrived at Chemulpo on 7 February
1904, reporting the sighting of a large Japanese force approaching,
Korietz (under the command of G. P. Belyaev) was ordered to return
to Port Arthur to report and request instructions. In the early
morning of 8 February 1904, Korietz spotted Chiyoda outside the
Chemulpo roadstead, and mistaking it for a fellow Russian ship,
loaded its guns for a salute. On closing in, the crew of the Korietz
realized their mistake and in the ensuing confusion the guns were
discharged. Chiyoda responded by launching a torpedo. Both sides
missed, but this was the first actual exchange of fire in the
Russo-Japanese War, and it is highly unclear which side actually
opened fire first. Korietz retreated back to Chemulpo harbor.
In the subsequent Battle of Chemulpo Bay, Captain Vsevolod Rudnev of
the Varyag refused an ultimatum by Imperial Japanese Navy admiral
Uryū Sotokichi to surrender, and on February 9, 1904 attempted to
break through the Japanese squadron from Chemulpo to the open sea.
Vastly outnumbered and outgunned, Korietz fired 52 rounds at the
Japanese ships, but was at a distance that most of its shots did not
even reach the Japanese fleet. Varyag took heavy damage; Korietz
suffered from only light damage from shrapnel with no casualties.
Unable to break past the Japanese squadron by mid-afternoon, Korietz
and Varyag returned to Chemulpo harbor, where both took refuge near
the neutral warships. At 1600 the same day, Korietz was scuttled by
its crew by blowing up two ammunition magazines. The crew was taken
aboard a French cruiser Pascal, taken to Saigon, French Indochina,
and returned to Russia. In St. Petersburg all the officers were
awarded the Order of St. George (4th class), the highest military
decoration of the Russian Empire.
After the end of the Russo-Japanese War, the wreckage of Korietz was
raised by Japanese engineers, and scrapped.
Second gunboat
There was a second gunboat named Korietz, laid down in 1906 at the
Putilov Plant in Saint Petersburg, Russia. She was of the Gilyak
class. At the end of the First World War she participated in the
Battle of Moon Sound, but was blown up by her crew on August 8, 1915
in to avoid having to be surrendered to German forces.
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