Topic: Nicholas II
Nicholas II on board the Rurik, dated 23rd September, 1908. The Rurik was an armoured cruiser built for the Russian Imperial Navy in 1906, and named in honour of Rurik, the semi-legendary founder of ancient Russia.
The ship was constructed by Vickers in Barrow in Furness, England. What is unusual is that the Russian Imperial Navy was not usually a customer of British shipyards.
During her service, the Rurik carried out a deployment to the Mediterranean where she joined two battleships of the Russian Imperial Navy, Tsesarevich and Slava, in representing Russia at the coronation of King Nicholas of Montenegro in 1910.
During World War I, the Rurik became the flagship of the Baltic Fleet. She saw much action and was heavily damaged by mines on several occasions. The ship was worn out by 1918, she was hulked in 1922, and sold for scrapping in 1930.
© Paul Gilbert @ Royal Russia. 15 December, 2012