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Description
Named for Prince Yaroslav the Wise's bard Boyan, Bayan was the first ship in its class of four armored cruisers commissioned into the Imperial Russian Navy around the turn of the century. Due to the Russian shipyards being over capacity, construction of Bayan was contracted out to Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée of Toulon, France. The ship was commissioned in 1902 and assigned to Captain Robert N. Wiren. Along with the battleship Tsesarevich, Bayan sailed to Port Arthur, China to join the Pacific Fleet and protect Russian interests in the Far East.

Bayan was damaged by Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) Admiral Togo's surprise attack on Port Arthur in February 1904, but was repaired and returned to the patrol of Port Arthur. In April, Bayan sailed out to support the destroyer Strashniy, and Admiral Makarov in turn decided to support Bayan with his battleship Petropavlovsk. This was the signal for the IJN to attack, and Admiral Makarov was killed when Petropavlovsk struck a mine and sank while trying to retreat. In June, Bayan tried to sail to Vladivostok as part of Admiral Vitgeft's fleet, but Vitgeft ordered a retreat to Port Arthur after he saw the Japanese fleet moving in for a night battle.

Admiral Vitgeft was killed in the August battle of the Yellow Sea, and Captain Wiren was promoted to admiral, with Bayan as his flagship. Unfortunately for Admiral Wiren, his ship was sunk at anchor by Japanese howitzers in December, and Wiren was forced to abandon ship. Later on, the Japanese towed the wreck of Bayan to Dalian, China, where it was refloated and recommissioned as HIJMS Aso. HIJMS Aso and another former Russian cruiser, HIJMS Soya (originally Varyag), were used as training ships for naval cadets. In this capacity, the torpedo tubes were removed and the 8-inch main guns were replaced by 6-inch guns.

During World War I, HIJMS Aso was refitted as a minelayer, helping the Allied powers counter the threat of Germany in the Pacific. After the war, HIJMS Aso was decommissioned, and was sunk in 1932 as a gunnery and torpedo target for the new heavy cruisers HIJMS Myoko and HIJMS Nachi. This model of Bayan as it appeared during the Russo-Japanese War is on display at the maritime museum aboard HIJMS Mikasa in Yokosuka.

Description
Named for Prince Yaroslav the Wise's bard Boyan, Bayan was the first ship in its class of four armored cruisers commissioned into the Imperial Russian Navy around the turn of the century. Due to the Russian shipyards being over capacity, construction of Bayan was contracted out to Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée of Toulon, France. The ship was commissioned in 1902 and assigned to Captain Robert N. Wiren. Along with the battleship Tsesarevich, Bayan sailed to Port Arthur, China to join the Pacific Fleet and protect Russian interests in the Far East.

Bayan was damaged by Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) Admiral Togo's surprise attack on Port Arthur in February 1904, but was repaired and returned to the patrol of Port Arthur. In April, Bayan sailed out to support the destroyer Strashniy, and Admiral Makarov in turn decided to support Bayan with his battleship Petropavlovsk. This was the signal for the IJN to attack, and Admiral Makarov was killed when Petropavlovsk struck a mine and sank while trying to retreat. In June, Bayan tried to sail to Vladivostok as part of Admiral Vitgeft's fleet, but Vitgeft ordered a retreat to Port Arthur after he saw the Japanese fleet moving in for a night battle.

Admiral Vitgeft was killed in the August battle of the Yellow Sea, and Captain Wiren was promoted to admiral, with Bayan as his flagship. Unfortunately for Admiral Wiren, his ship was sunk at anchor by Japanese howitzers in December, and Wiren was forced to abandon ship. Later on, the Japanese towed the wreck of Bayan to Dalian, China, where it was refloated and recommissioned as HIJMS Aso. HIJMS Aso and another former Russian cruiser, HIJMS Soya (originally Varyag), were used as training ships for naval cadets. In this capacity, the torpedo tubes were removed and the 8-inch main guns were replaced by 6-inch guns.

During World War I, HIJMS Aso was refitted as a minelayer, helping the Allied powers counter the threat of Germany in the Pacific. After the war, HIJMS Aso was decommissioned, and was sunk in 1932 as a gunnery and torpedo target for the new heavy cruisers HIJMS Myoko and HIJMS Nachi. This model of Bayan as it appeared during the Russo-Japanese War is on display at the maritime museum aboard HIJMS Mikasa in Yokosuka.