Zhiyuan-class cruiser

The Zhiyuan class (Chinese: 致远级; pinyin: Zhiyuanji; Wade–Giles: Chih-yuan-chi) were two 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]

Zhiyuan circa 1894
Class overview
Name:	Zhiyuan class
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:	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)

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 1895.

References

1. Marcus O. Jones (2016). New Interpretations in Naval History: Selected Papers from the Seventeenth McMullen Naval History Symposium Held at the United States Naval Academy 15-16 September 2011. Government Printing Office. pp. 182–183.