An illustrated monograph dedicated to the story of the construction, building and service of the three Russian sister-ships - the Pallada-class cruisers 'Aurora', 'Diana' and 'Pallada' - commissioned into the Russian Navy in the beginning of the twentieth century. All of them participated in the Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 and the first two served in the Baltic Sea during World War One (1914-1918). The Aurora was involved in the 1917 October Revolution and has been a preserved museum ship, a major tourist attraction in St. Peters burg visited (to date) by 28 million people. She has now been re-commissioned as the honorary flagship of the Russian Navy. Cruisers of the 1st Rank features more than 300 photographs, mostly previously unpublished, and many scale plans including original ones created for this book. This is a rarely documented aspect of early twentieth-century naval history; essential reading for naval enthusiasts and historians, maritime modellers and collectors.
