The Russian fleet completed the Bayan project, which was clearly overdue by the end of the 19th century. transition from the construction of single ocean raiders to a cruiser for close interaction with a squadron of battleships. This was a right step in the right direction, and one could only rejoice at the successful transition of the fleet to a new, higher level of cruiser construction that meets the requirements of the time. But everything turned out to be not so simple and optimistic. Among the Bayan cruisers built before the war, there was only one, and the choice of its characteristics, as it soon became clear, was not the most optimal. Note. OCR: There are text fragments in the old spelling.