"izumrud" was laid down at the nevsky shipyard in saint petersburg, russia on 1 january 1901. however, construction was delayed due to priority given to completion of . the "zakladka", or formal ceremony of laying a plate, took place on 14 june 1902. "izumrud" was launched on 1 october 1903. construction continued to be plagued by delays, including an ice storm in december. however, with the start of the russo-japanese war in early 1904, construction efforts were greatly accelerated.