The International Fleet at Canea: The disaster of the Russian Ironclad, Charles Edwin Fripp, 27 March 1897

The crisis in crete. Illustration for the graphic, 27 march 1897. Illustration of an accidental turret explosion aboard the imperial russian navy battleship sissoi veliky during target practice off w:crete on 15 march 1897 while she was operating as part of the international squadron. The explosion – which occurred in the after 12-inch (305-mm) turret after the turret crew disabled a safety mechanism, allowing one of the guns to fire before its breech was properly closed – killed 22 men instantly and injured 15, six of whom later died of their injuries. Date: 27 March 1897. Turret explosion aboard Sissoi Veliky 15 March 1897 (cropped)