Ships of the class;
– SRN Kolyma (in commission)
– SRN Omolon (in commission)
– SRN Bolshoy Anyui (in commission)
– SRN Maly Anyui (in commission)
After the First World War, Sieran experienced an economic boom with the increased yields across the nations many mines. With this expansion was an explosion of trade routes carrying this vital, and at times literal, economic gold. With such a large network of trade routes, primarily to the United States and Canada, fueling the economy, it wasn’t long before these vital routes became the source of contention for how best to defend them in case of war with Japan.
Until this point, trade protection had been undertaken by the WW1 and prior Tanyurer and Velikaya class raiders which whilst possessing the range lacked the firepower and armour to swiftly deal with the IJNs Kuma and Nagara class light cruisers and their destroyer flotillas. The cruisers in particular posed the greatest risk as it was viewed that they would be able to present a threat even in the typically harsh and inhospitable weather conditions of the Bering Sea.
With this threat in mind, a tender was pitched to the major shipyards of the time for a relatively small protected cruiser mounting enough firepower to deal with the Japanese cruisers whilst possessing protection adequate for stopping the 140mm/5.5in guns they were armed with within reason. The signing of the Washington Naval Treaty in 1922 further stipulated design considerations. Whilst not a signatory to the treaty directly, it was seen as desirable for Sieran to abide by its restrictions. a 6,000t standard displacement was selected in part to allow the use of existing port facilities, with the inherited Bogatyr class cruiser Oleg (the largest vessel then in Sieranian naval service) being the baseline.
It would be the French who offered the winning bid for a ship of the required displacement with 76mm/3in of belt armour, 6x 152mm/6in guns with a cruising range of 4,400nm at 13 knots, over double the operational range of Oleg but nearly 2,000nm shorter than the raiders of the Velikaya class (albeit the French design had far superior weight in broadside and protection to compensate & a 5 knot speed advantage). The design was also novel in being the first vessel designed with aviation in mind, with provision for a catapult and flying boat to be mounted, though these would be removed from the ship after her sea trials and not reinstalled until 1927.
Four ships were ordered and laid down in Arsenal de Brest & Arsenal de Lorient by the end of 1922 with the first ship of the class SRN Kolyma completed by the end of 1924 (the same yards would also later take experience from building the Kolymas for the French Navy’s own Duquesne Class cruisers).
On trials Kolyma was able to hit 35 knots with a light combat load, far above any existing Sieranian cruiser or even destroyer, a fact that became quite contentious later and drove the push for a new fleet of destroyers capable of keeping up with the new cruiser.
SRN Kolyma, Socialist Republic of Sieran Kolyma Class Cruiser laid down 1922
Displacement:
5,452 t light; 5,661 t standard; 6,000 t normal; 6,271 t full load
Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
(524.93 ft / 522.73 ft) x 51.18 ft x (16.40 / 16.95 ft)
(160.00 m / 159.33 m) x 15.60 m x (5.00 / 5.17 m)
Armament:
6 – 5.98″ / 152 mm 50.0 cal guns – 113.44lbs / 51.45kg shells, 220 per gun
Quick firing guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1922 Model
3 x 2-gun mounts on centreline ends, majority forward
1 raised mount – superfiring
4 – 2.95″ / 75.0 mm 300.0 cal guns – 17.59lbs / 7.98kg shells, 150 per gun
Quick firing guns in deck mounts, 1892 Model
2 x Single mounts on sides aft
8 – 0.30″ / 7.6 mm 45.0 cal guns – 0.01lbs / 0.01kg shells, 5,000 per gun
Machine guns in deck mounts, 1905 Model
2 x Quad mounts on sides, forward deck aft
2 raised mounts
Weight of broadside 751 lbs / 341 kg
Main Torpedoes
6 – 21.0″ / 533 mm, 22.97 ft / 7.00 m torpedoes – 1.492 t each, 8.954 t total
In 2 sets of deck mounted side rotating tubes
Armour:
– Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 2.99″ / 76 mm 439.63 ft / 134.00 m 5.91 ft / 1.80 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 129 % of normal length
– Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 0.98″ / 25 mm 0.98″ / 25 mm 0.98″ / 25 mm
– Armoured deck – multiple decks:
For and Aft decks: 1.57″ / 40 mm
Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 2 shafts, 64,000 shp / 47,744 Kw = 32.00 kts
Range 4,400nm at 13.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 610 tons
Complement:
340 – 443
Cost:
£1.796 million / $7.184 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 323 tons, 5.4 %
– Guns: 305 tons, 5.1 %
– Weapons: 18 tons, 0.3 %
Armour: 790 tons, 13.2 %
– Belts: 305 tons, 5.1 %
– Armament: 60 tons, 1.0 %
– Armour Deck: 425 tons, 7.1 %
Machinery: 2,108 tons, 35.1 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 2,191 tons, 36.5 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 548 tons, 9.1 %
Miscellaneous weights: 40 tons, 0.7 %
– On freeboard deck: 20 tons
– Above deck: 20 tons
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
4,467 lbs / 2,026 Kg = 41.7 x 6.0 ” / 152 mm shells or 0.8 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.07
Metacentric height 2.1 ft / 0.6 m
Roll period: 14.9 seconds
Steadiness – As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 74 %
– Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.35
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.06
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck,
a normal bow and a cruiser stern
Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.478 / 0.484
Length to Beam Ratio: 10.21 : 1
‘Natural speed’ for length: 22.86 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 58 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 70
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 5.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
Fore end, Aft end
– Forecastle: 18.00 %, 25.16 ft / 7.67 m, 20.57 ft / 6.27 m
– Forward deck: 20.00 %, 20.57 ft / 6.27 m, 16.01 ft / 4.88 m
– Aft deck: 47.00 %, 16.01 ft / 4.88 m, 16.01 ft / 4.88 m
– Quarter deck: 15.00 %, 16.01 ft / 4.88 m, 16.01 ft / 4.88 m
– Average freeboard: 17.62 ft / 5.37 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space – Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 128.7 %
– Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 158.7 %
Waterplane Area: 17,485 Square feet or 1,624 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 101 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 84 lbs/sq ft or 408 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
– Cross-sectional: 0.96
– Longitudinal: 1.38
– Overall: 1.00
Cramped machinery, storage, compartmentation space
Excellent accommodation and workspace room
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform