Built as a steam corvette by the Reposaari Shipbuilding Co., Bjorneborg for the Russian Imperial Navy.
23 August 1861 laid down.
24 July 1862 launched as the VITYAZ, (given as VITIAZ on the stamp) one of the Boyarin class.
Displacement 2,156 ton, 1,609 ton (bm). Dim. 225 (bpp) x 39.8 x 17.3ft., draught 19.3ft.
Powered by steam engine of 1,618 ihp, manufactured by Cockerill Seraing, speed under steam 12 knots.
Armament when completed: 1 – 60pdr., 16 – 60pdr shell guns.
1863 Commissioned.
After commissioned a unit of the Baltic Fleet.
1863-64 Cruised in the Atlantic and visited the USA with Vice-Admiral Stepan Lesovskiy’s diplomatic mission.
1864 In the Mediterranean.
From 1870 till 1874 in the Pacific Ocean.
September 1871 she made a call at Port Constantine Papua New Guinea with on board the Russian explorer and ethnologist Nicolai Miklouho-Mcclay. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Miklouho-Maclay
The crew of the VITYAZ built a hut there fore Mcclay, and the Russian flag was hoisted.
He spent 15 months living with the local inhabitants of Papua New Guinea, learning their language and custom as well as doing other scientific researches. He was sponsored by the Russian Geographical Society who commissioned the corvette VITYAZ to transport him to the Astrolabe Bay area and assist in setting up a base for his studies.
He was much loved by the people of the “Rai” coast (named after him as “Rai” is a native corruption of Maclay) and in this way smoothed the way for Otto Finsch to peacefully examine the future German occupation.
1874 Repaired and refitted, and also in 1880.
27 June 1882 renamed in SKOBELEV.
01 February 1892 decommissioned and reduced to a training vessel.
26 November 1894 disarmed.
31 January 1895 stricken and hulked.
Papua New Guinea 1988 30t sg549, scott676A. 1999 5t sgMS861, scott?
Ukraine 1996 40000k sg141, scott234
Source: Russian Warships in the age of sail by Tredrea and Sozan. Watercraft Philately 1989 page 25.