History and the Future

I call this shot, 'The History and the Future,' because it depicts the Russian battleship Retvizan and, in the foreground, the USN's first submarine, USS Holland (SS1)

The Retvizan was built by Cramps of New York to a US design adapted to Russian requirements. The name is a transliteration of the Swedish 'Ratvisa', a two decker captured by the Russians in the 17th century.

The Retvizan spent her life in the Far East. She struck a mine early on during the siege of Port Arthur, repaired, and took the line during the Battle of the Yellow Sea. Retvizan shared the fate of the rest of the Port Arthur squadron, being repaired by the Japanese to serve in the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Retvizan was highly regarded in her day, considered one of the best of the Russian battleships, and one the Japanese chose not to hand back to the Russians when they became reluctant allies in 1914.

This photo was likely taken during the ceremony handing over the Retvizan to her new owners, the Imperial Russian Navy in 1903.

Don