IMPERIAL CHINESE PEIYANG FLEET CRUISER 'CHIH YUEN'

Chih Yuen (also known as Zhiyuan or Chih Yuan) was a British-made Chinese armored cruiser of the late 19th century. The keel for this unit was laid in 1885, the launch took place in September 1886, and the entry into service took place in 1887. The total length of the ship was 82 meters and a width of 12 meters. The displacement was around 2,300 tons and the maximum speed was up to 18 knots. At the time of the launch, the ship's armament included: 3 210 mm cannons, 2 152 mm cannons or 4 torpedo tubes. Chih Yuen was built to a Chinese order at the British Armstrong Whitworth shipyard in Elswick. She was the leading unit of the Zhiyuen-class cruisers, which included only two units. Both units of this class were created in connection with the pursuit of modernization of the Chinese fleet, which Chinese politician and military Li Hongzhang tried to implement. The unit also had an early and very primitive fire control system that allowed the commander to fire full salvos of the main artillery. The cruiser took part in the First Japanese-Chinese War (1894-1895). During it, he participated in the battle at the mouth of the Yalu River (1894), during which he was sunk by Japanese units on September 17.