Zhiyuan-class cruiser

Zhiyuan circa 1894.
Class overview
Name:	Zhiyuan-class cruiser
Builders:	Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick, England
Operators:	Qing dynasty, Beiyang Fleet
In service:	29 September 1886 - 9 February 1895
Planned:	2
Completed:	2
Lost:	2
General characteristics
Type:	Zhiyuen-class protected cruiser
Displacement:	2,300 long tons (2,300 t)
Length:	268 ft (82 m)
Beam:	38 ft (12 m)
Draft:	15 ft (4.6 m)
Propulsion:	Compound-expansion steam engine, two screws 4 x boilers
Speed:	18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Capacity:	510 tons of coal
Complement:	204–260 officers and men
Armament:	3 × 8 in (20 cm) Krupp guns 2 × 6-inch (15 cm) Armstrong guns 8 × QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss guns 2 x QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns 8 x 1-pounder guns 6 x gatling guns 4 × above water torpedo tubes
Armour:	Deck armour: 4 in (10 cm) (flat), 3 in (7.6 cm) (slope) Gun shields: 2 in (5.1 cm)

The Zhiyuan-class (Chinese: 致远级; pinyin: Zhiyuanji; Wade–Giles: Chih-yuan-chi) were 2 protected cruisers built during the late stages of the Qing dynasty, in the build order of Zhiyuan and later Jingyuan. They were built as part of Li Hongzhang's effort to modernize the Imperial Chinese Fleet in the late 19th century.^[1]

Both cruisers took part in the Battle of Yalu River during the First Sino-Japanese War, with Zhiyuan being sunk in battle and Jingyuan damaged. Jingyuan was later sunk during the Battle of Weihaiwei in January 1985.

References