Warship Wednesday 14 October 2026: The Hard Luck Empress of the Black Sea

Here at LSOZI, we take a break every Wednesday to explore the old steam/diesel navies from 1833 to 1954, profiling a different ship each week. These ships have a life and a tale all their own, sometimes taking them to the strangest places.- Christopher Eger If you enjoy my always ad-free Warship Wednesday content, you can support it by buying me a cup of joe at https://buymeacoffee.com/lsozi As Henk says: “Warship Coffee – no sugar, just a pinch of salt!” Warship Wednesday 14 October 2026: The Hard Luck Empress of the Black Sea Above we see the Tsar Nicholas II touring the pride of his fleet, the newly commissioned dreadnought Imperatritsa Mariya (Empress Maria), her massive Obukhovskii 12″/52 Pattern 1907 guns framing the photo. Just 15 months after she joined the fleet, she was lost, some 110 years ago this month, in an incident that is still seen by some as controversial. Tsarist Dreadnought efforts The Russians lost an incredible 17 pre-dreadnoughts and coastal battleships in two…