Built as a battleship by the Nikolaev State Shipbuilding Works at Nikolaey for the Imperial Russian Navy.
10 October 1898 keel laid down.
09 October 1900 launched, other sources gives 26 September 1900 under the name KNIAZ POTEMKIN TAVRICHESKIY, named after the Russian statesman Kniaz Potemkin Tavricheskiy.
Displacement 12.900 fully loaded, dim. 113.2 x 22.2 x 8.4m. (draught).
Powered by 2 sets vertical triple expansion steam engines 10.600 hp, twin shafts, speed 16.7 knots.
Range 1.750 mile by 16 knots, 3.400 mile by 10 knots. Bunker capacity 1.100 tons
Armament: 2 – 305mm, 16 – 152mm, 14 – 75mm, 4 – 47mm, 2 –37mm guns. 5 – 18 inch torpedo tubes.
Crew 731.
11?? 1904 Commissioned. A unit of the Black Sea Fleet.
She took not part in the Russian – Japanese war of 1904/05 but this war affected her history.
After this war a wave of rebellion breaks out amongst the Imperial forces.
27 June 1905 mutiny started on board the KNIAZ POTEMKIN TAVRICHESKIY when she was away from her main base in the Black Sea for firing practice, when in the harbour of the remote island Tendra, at anchor and preparing for this exercise, mutiny broke out on board the Russian torpedo-boat No. 267, who had arrived a day before a protest started over rotten meat brought aboard, the revolt was taken over by the revolutionaries amongst the sailors on board the KNIAZ POTEMKIN TAVRICHSKIY.
Soon this protest erupted in a shooting between the officers and crew, in which most of the officers including Capt. Yevgeny Golikov were killed, the remaining officers were arrested including the officers of the torpedo-boat No. 267.
The leader of the upraising G.N. Vakulenchuk was mortally wounded; the fireman Mursak succeeded him.
After the two ships were taken over the red flag was hoisted, where after she steamed to Odessa where she arrived in the evening of the same day.
At the port they were met by mutinous workers who were on a general strike, with the expectation of assistance in the capture of the town. The crews hesitated and fired only two 6-inch shells at the seat of the local Governmental Council; both shells missed their targets.
The Russian Government issued an order to suppress the mutiny or sink the vessel, and two squadrons of the Black Sea Fleet were sent for this porpoise.
The admiral in command of this fleet at first signalled to the crew of the KNIAZ POTEMKIN TAVRICHESKIY to arrest their leaders and surrender the vessel, but to no avail, things got worse when one of his ships the GEORGEY POBIEDONOSETZ swung out of his formation and followed the KNIAZ POTEMKIN TAVRICHESKIY back to Odessa. The GEORGEY POBIEDONOSETZ was soon retaken by loyal crew and deliberately run aground in the harbour, where she was boarded by troops and surrender to the local authorities.
01 July the KNIAZ POTEMKIN TAVRICHESKIY with her torpedo-boat No. 267 left Odessa and sailed to the Romanian port Constanza for coaling and stores, the supplies at Odessa were well guarded by troops loyal to the government and unobtainable for them.
03 July she arrived at Constanza but was met by Romanian authorities that refused to supply anything to the ship.
Then the mutineers decided to steam to Feodosia to get their supplies and coal. The mayor of the city had received orders from St Petersburg not to supply anything to the ships, and refused entry in the port.
When a small landing party of the battleship tried a landing to get some supplies, they were met by rifle fire and had to return empty handed.
The only thing both ships could do, was to return to Constanza, where she arrived on 08 July 1905 and handed the ship over to the Romanian Authorities. All their crew got ashore and in majority returned to Russia where the leaders after a court-martial were shot, some crewmembers stayed abroad as political emigrants.
A crew from the Black Sea Fleet was brought from Russia, and sailed the battleship to Sevastopol where on 09 August 1905 (the old Russian calendar 27 July) she was renamed PANTELEIMON, named after the Russian church celebrated the memory of St. Panteleimon, and the Russian Navy an anniversary of its Battle of Gangut on 27 July 1714.
During World War I was she part of the 2nd Battleship squadron of the Black Sea Fleet a squadron under command of Admiral Ebergard, a series of daring raids were undertaken against the Turkish coast, including the naval bombardment on the Bosphorus.
18 November 1914 the squadron met the Turkish battleship YAVUZ SULTAN SELIM the ex German GOEBEN under command of Admiral Souchon off Cape Sarych south of Yalta.
In a 14 minute engagement where the PANTELEIMON fired many salvos, but not any hit, also she received not any damage, the YAVUZ SULTAN SELIM broke off the action.
The Russian squadron reverted to their raiding operations against the Turkish coast, in the end of that war she took on a supporting role.
February 1917 the Imperial Government collapsed and the PANTELEIMON was renamed by the Kerensky Provisional regime in POTEMKIN on 15 April 1917, then she changed her name in BORETZ ZA SVOBODOU (Freedom Fighter) on 11 May 1917.
After the October Revolution in 1917 became she part of the Soviet Navy.
April 1918 was she seized by the German forces at Sevastopol.
December 1918 the White Russian forces with the western allies took Sevastopol and the remaining ships of the fleet.
25 April 1919 all her machinery was destroyed by British sailors, on orders of the commander of the British light cruiser HMS CALYPSO.
November 1920 recaptured by units of the Red Army.
During 1921/22 she served as the stage for the well-known film Potemkin by S Eisenstein.
She was slowly broken up between 1922 and 1924.
Source: Navicula.
http://flot.sevastopol.info/eng/ship/pr ... temkin.htm
http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/model ... nteleimon/
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