Russian destroyer Lovky

Lovky (Russian: Ловкий) was a Leytenant Burakov-class destroyer built for the Imperial Russian Navy in France during the first decade of the 20th century. Completed in 1906, she served in the Baltic Fleet and participated in the First World War.

History
Russian Empire
Name	Lovky
Builder	Normand, Le Havre, France
Laid down	1905
Launched	15 October 1905
Completed	April 1906
Fate	Scrapped, 1925
General characteristics
Class & type	Leytenant Burakov-class destroyer
Displacement	402 t (396 long tons)
Length	56.72 m (186 ft 1 in)
Beam	6.4 m (21 ft)
Draft	3.4 m (11 ft 2 in) (deep load)
Installed power	4 Normand boilers 6,000 ihp (4,474 kW)
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 triple-expansion steam engines
Speed	26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph)
Range	1,080 nmi (2,000 km; 1,240 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement	67
Armament	2 × single 75 mm (3 in) guns 6 × single 7.62 mm (0.30 in) machine guns 2 × single 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes

Design and description

The Leytenant Burakov-class ships displaced 402 metric tons (396 long tons) at normal load. They measured 56.72 meters (186 ft 1 in) long overall with a beam of 6.4 meters (21 ft 0 in), and a draft of 3.4 meters (11 ft 2 in). The ships were propelled by two 4-cylinder vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam from four Normand boilers. The turbines were designed to produce a total of 6,000 indicated horsepower (4,500 kW) for an intended maximum speed of 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph). The ships normally carried 80 metric tons (79 long tons) of coal, but could carry a maximum of 100 t (98 long tons). Range figures varied widely between the ships, but her sister ships Likhoy and Letuchy had ranges of 1,080 nautical miles (2,000 km; 1,240 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph). Their crew numbered 67 officers and men.^[1]

The main armament of the Leytanant Burakov class consisted of two 50-caliber 75-millimeter (3 in) guns, one gun each on the roofs of the forward and rear conning towers. They were also equipped with six 7.62-millimeter (0.30 in) machine guns. The ships were fitted with two single 450-millimeter (17.7 in) torpedo tubes. The forward mount was positioned between the funnels and the rear one was aft of the rear pair of funnels.^[2][3][4]

Construction and career

Lovky was laid down in 1905 by Chantiers et Ateliers Augustin Normand at their shipyard in Le Havre, France, and launched on 15 October 1905. She was completed in April 1906.^[1]