Gunboat ‘Kubanets’

Shipyard: Sevastopol. Laid Down: 18th May 1886. Launched: 9th April 1887. Commissioned: March 1888.

An active participant from the outbreak of war with Turkey in WWI. Firstly, in the Odesa region and then off the coast of Georgia, ending the war in the Danube flotilla. She was taken by the Bolsheviks near the end of 1917 in Odesa. On retreating, the enemy was unable to take the ship and so the Ukrainian flag was, once again, raised on this ship. Due to the need for repairs, in the Spring of 1918, ‘Kubanets’ did not take part in any more military activities. In July 1918 she became part of the Odesa minesweeping brigade and in September she was renamed ‘Zaporozhets’.

Gunboat ‘Kubanets’, March of 1917

Displacement: 1,280 tonnes. Length: 67.2 metres. Beam: 12.2 metres. Hull: 3.7 metres.

Propulsion: 2 steam engines of 1,820 horsepower.

Max Speed: 13 knots. Complement: 10 officers and 127 seamen.

Armour: deck 10 mm.

Armaments. 2 guns – 152/45 mm, 1 gun – 120 mm, 2 guns – 75 mm, 4 guns – 47 mm, 2 machine guns.