"Batumi", the first seagoing destroyer of the Russian fleet, which served as a prototype for the further development of this class in Russia, was built in 1880 at the shipyard of the famous shipbuilder Alfred Yarrow (1842–1932) and entered history as the first destroyer in the world to make an independent long-distance sea voyage – from London to the Black Sea. The destroyers of Yarrow & Company, one of the leading shipbuilding companies, from the moment of its founding until the end of World War II, not only stood at the origins of their creation but also transformed them from an unreliable vessel, often more dangerous for its own crew than for the enemy, into a formidable warship, a true "wonder weapon" of the late 19th century, posing a serious threat to the maritime lord of that time – the armored ship. A NEW BOOK by a renowned historian of the naval fleet reconstructs for the first time in all detail the line of development, design, service, and combat use of Yarrow destroyers over thirty years – from 1875 to 1905, detailing all the destroyers built for both the Royal Navy of Great Britain and the fleets of Austria-Hungary, Argentina, Brazil, Greece, Germany, Spain, Italy, China, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Empire, France, Chile, Ecuador, and Japan. The publication is illustrated with unique drawings, projections, and photographs of Alfred Yarrow's destroyers.
