As of 2026-10-12, Russian cruiser Novik tops the list with 46 km/h.
- #1 Russian cruiser Novik — 46 km/h
1900 Russian cruiser
Novík was a protected cruiser in the Imperial Russian Navy, built by Schichau shipyards in Elbing near Danzig, Germany. Commissioned in 1901, it was at Port Arthur as part of the Russian Pacific Fleet during the Russo-Japanese War. It was heavily damaged after the Battle of the Yellow Sea and Battle of Korsakov and scuttled. It was salvaged as a prize of war by the Imperial Japanese Navy and commissioned as the Suzuya in 1906 before being sold for scrap in 1913. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #2 Chinese cruiser Hai Chi — 44 km/h
1898 Hai Tien-class cruiser
Hai Chi was a Hai Chi-class protected cruiser of the Imperial Chinese Navy. She was at the time the largest warship in Imperial China with a displacement of 4,300 tons and was armed with two 8-inch (203 mm) guns and a top speed of 24 knots. She subsequently served in the Republic of China Navy, before being scuttled in 1937. The hull of the vessel was raised in 1960 and subsequently broken up. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #3 Chinese cruiser Hai Tien — 44 km/h
1897 Hai Tien-class cruiser
Hai Tien was the second ship of the Hai Chi class of protected cruisers and one of the last built for the Manchu Qing dynasty. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #4 Varyag — 43 km/h
Russian protected cruiser
Varyag sometimes also spelled Variag, was a Russian protected cruiser. Varyag became famous for her crew's stoicism at the Battle of Chemulpo Bay. She was acquired as a prize of war during the Russo-Japanese War by the Imperial Japanese Navy, who renamed her Soya and was later returned to the Russian Imperial Navy during World War I. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #5 Oleg — 43 km/h
1903 Bogatyr-class cruiser
Oleg was the fourth and final Bogatyr-class protected cruiser built for the Imperial Russian Navy. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #6 Japanese cruiser Yoshino — 43 km/h
protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Yoshino (吉野) was a protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Yoshino is sometimes regarded as a sister ship to Takasago, although the two vessels are of different classes. The name Yoshino comes from the Yoshino mountains, located in the southern portion of Nara prefecture. She played an important role in the First Sino-Japanese War, but was sunk in the Russo-Japanese War after being rammed by the Japanese armored cruiser Kasuga in dense fog. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #7 Bogatyr — 43 km/h
1901 Bogatyr-class cruiser
The cruiser Bogatyr, launched 1901, was the lead ship of the Bogatyr class of four protected cruisers built between 1898 and 1907 for the Imperial Russian Navy. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #8 Takasago — 42 km/h
Japanese protected cruiser
Takasago was a protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy, designed and built by the Armstrong Whitworth shipyards in Elswick, in the United Kingdom. The name Takasago derives from a location in Hyōgo Prefecture, near Kobe. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #9 Japanese cruiser Kasagi — 42 km/h
1898 Kasagi-class cruiser
Kasagi (笠置) was the lead ship in the Kasagi-class protected cruisers in the Imperial Japanese Navy. The vessel was the sister ship to the Chitose. She was named after Mount Kasagi, a holy mountain outside Kyoto. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #10 Japanese cruiser Chitose — 42 km/h
1898 Kasagi-class cruiser
Chitose (千歳) was a Kasagi-class protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was the sister ship to Kasagi. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata