Absolutely everyone heard about the cruiser "Varyag" - someone only in a song that tells how this cruiser "does not surrender to the enemy", someone from the school curriculum. But both those and others are unlikely to be able to name exactly where the famous "Varyag" actually sank. You will be surprised, but the place of his death is not at all in Korea.
A bit of history
During its existence "Varyag" has visited different parts of the world. It was built at the end of the 19th century in American Philadelphia, where it was launched.
The cruiser was the pride of the Russian fleet: its equipment was perfect. Therefore, it was this ship that was supposed to become the pearl of the Russian Pacific Flotilla. He was sent to the Far East, actively exploited for several years, until in 1904 the Varyag and another ship called the Korean were hit by the Japanese fleet in the Korean bay of Chemulpo.
"Varyag", indeed, did not surrender to the enemy: it was flooded, by order of the command. However, the ship spent very little time at the bottom. During one of the low tides, the Japanese discovered the cruiser and made a lot of efforts to restore the Varyag. For a time, the cruiser, which at one time fought with Japan, was in the service of the Japanese emperor.
Only in 1916 Russia was able to acquire it. After a year of use, the ship was in a depressing state and needed immediate repairs, which at that time could only be provided by the UK shipyards. He was sent to Liverpool. The British fulfilled their task, but a revolution broke out in Russia. There was no one to decide the fate of the cruiser.
The ship stood at the shipyard for some time, and then the British appropriated it, justifying this by paying for the debts of the royal family. It was unclear what to do with the new ship. In 1920 he was offered to Germany at the price of scrap metal.
Before Germany, the ship had to be transported by sea. But off the coast of Scotland, the unexpected happened: "Varyag" ran into an underwater stone ridge and went under water. However, the history of the cruiser did not end there.
Search for the cruiser
For a long time, no one could pinpoint the place of death of the legendary Russian cruiser. Only in 2003 did TV people from Russia become interested in the fate of Varyag.
They arrived in Scotland, on the shore of the Firth of Clyde, to the village of Lendalfoot with a team of search engines, who managed to find the wreck of a ship at the bottom of the sea near the village. Then the guys who participated in the dives were able to get several artifacts from the ship. By the way, among the scuba divers there was also the grandson of the former commander of the Varyag.
In memory of the Varyag, a memorial plaque was first installed in the Scottish village of Lendelfoot.
In 2007, a significant event took place in Lendelfoot - the cruiser Varyag, which sank in the Irish Sea 87 years ago, was marked with a special monument, about which you need to know the following:
- the monument "Varyag" is a bronze three-meter cross;
- the erection of the monument was carried out by the Russians, who founded a charitable foundation to raise funds for the memorial;
- the memorial "Varyag" cost 650 thousand dollars;
- the idea of the monument was shared by three cadets from St. Petersburg, and the implementation of this idea was entrusted to two sculptors - Danila Surovtsev and Viktor Pansenko;
- at the base of the memorial, in small capsules, is placed the land from the cities that played an important role in the history of the "Varyag";
- the monument was unveiled by 240 guests from Russia, including the choir of St. Daniel's monastery, and representatives of local authorities;
- the monument is now run by the village of Lendalfoot.
