Chapter 5

"As February ground on," the old Admiral said, "the Auxiliary Cruisers Peterburg and Smolensk arrived at the anchorage off Nossi Be'. They had been recalled to the Baltic after a very successful campaign in the seas around Japan. Single-handed they'd driven Japanese coastal traffic into its harbours."

"They were what came to be described as Disguised Merchant Raiders. They had these false superstructures that concealed their guns. Often flying the British Merchant flag, when they spied a Japanese merchantman they would sidle up close, see, run up the Russian Ensign, drop down these false walls and things then blast them with their guns. The Japanese really had no answer for them. They weren't going to stop every British Merchant ship to see if they were a Russian warship. No sir, the Japs were big buddies with the English, they weren't going to upset them."

"So why were they recalled?" asked the Ensign.

"Well, politics again. The British weren't happy about the Raiders using the British flag and after the North Sea fiasco... They said it was a breach of International law. Bastards! Look, the Japs started the war by attacking our ships without a formal declaration and the English talk about law! I tell you, their attitude was most hypocritical."

"We taught them," the Admiral continued, "we taught everybody how to conduct a war on commerce and the Germans learnt that lesson well. Those German colliers... all their officers were Naval reservists under the German system. They went over those two Raiders and learnt how we did it. Then when the Great War came along they copied the idea."

"And," he laughed, "we got the mad Pole and some Maxim Machine Guns for the Grozny."

"Sir?"

Both the Smolensk and the Peterburg looked like innocent merchant ships from a distance. Behind those white deckhouses, however, was concealed a relatively powerful armament of 3.4 and 6 inch Oblukhov guns. They had been fitted out in Vladivostok to supplement the Cruisers Rossiya, Rurik, Boyarin and Diana in their attacks on the Japanese sealanes. While the Vladivostok Cruiser Division attacked the troopships and their escorts, the Merchant Raiders drove Japanese Commercial trade off the seas.

These modern pirates had a good conceit of themselves. At Nossi Be' they were feted and admired, shouted drinks, and strutted around wearing crossed bandoliers and sidearms. All that swagger and posturing caused quite a stir, particularly among the ladies.

Peter Szpetznar was known as the 'Mad Pole' by his comrades on the Auxiliary Cruiser Smolensk. He'd earned that nickname during the attack on the coastal steamship Hakodate Maru, when he was heard to laugh maniacally as he hosed that hapless freighter with machine gun fire.

A firefight had developed between the Japanese crew armed with rifles and the Russians. The Smolensk had intended to capture the vessel and its cargo of fine Welsh coal. However the crew had defended their ship with rifle fire when the Smolensk ran up the St Andrews Ensign. A vicious, close-quarters fight had ended inconclusively so the Smolensk had moved away and sunk the ship with cannon fire.

One night, Peter Szpetznar staggered into the bar the Destroyer crews ran in the alley behind the Customs building. He was propped between two ladies of the night called Suzanne.

"Hey, you Fucks!" he'd shouted, "which of you arseholes is from the Smirnoffs?"

"Who wants to know?" Yvgeny had asked him.

"Peter the mad fucking Pole and I've come to join you."

"Why would we want you?" Gorshin had asked the man.

"Because I come with two machine guns and two whores."

"Then sit down, friend," Yvgeny had told the man, grinning, "what's this about machine guns?"

"Maxims. They come with two gunners and four loaders and we're looking for a fight. The whores, well, we all know what they're looking for."

Many of the crews of the two Merchant raiders weren't happy about returning home. Burning with outrage after the fall of Port Arthur, men like Peter Szpetznar believed they had a score to settle with the Japanese.

Their Captains allowed those who were not essential to the running of the ships to join the 2nd Pacific Squadron if they wished.

Machine Guns were still a rarity in 1905 among the fighting forces in the Far East. The Smolensk and Peterburg handed theirs to the fleet as they had no further use for them. As experienced Machine Gunners were also rare, the guns usually came with their gunners. The Grozny acquired two, complete with the necessary crew to man them.

The guns themselves were of German manufacture from the armaments Works at Spandau. The Russian Navy had been purchasing German Naval equipment for years. In fact, the Grozny itself was of German design. One of what was known at the time as a 'Schicau Boat, ' after the well-known shipyard Vulkan-Schicau.

Peter Szpetznar settled into life at the 'Destroyer's Bar' like he was born to it. He was tall, fair and featured a magnificent waxed moustache which he curled at the ends. Even on shore he carried a brace of Smith and Wesson revolvers in open holsters like a Western cowboy.

Yvgeny Gorshin, Count Khlodovsky and Peter Szpetznar began to acquire a reputation around Nossi Be'. Often seen together and fueled with the Count's Roubles, there wasn't a lark too outrageous, or an Admiral too important to offend for the trio.

Yvgeny himself had practically moved into suite 26, Hotel Orientale with his mistress Yvonne. Despite complaints from the other guests, mostly senior Russian Officers, Peter Szpetznar was a frequent visitor. The Count himself alternated between the 'talented' Denise, who had a room on the top floor, and No. 26. Denise, said the Count, was a 'professional Mistress' who used her talents to provide a tidy living for herself.

Yvonne was beginning to assert herself with Yvgeny and had clearly fallen in love with him. She didn't like Peter, who was 'boorish and rude' and the Count who was an 'amoral gigolo.' She complained about Yvgeny's drinking and carousing, chided him for being late and urged him to move into another room where she could have him all to herself.

On his part, Yvgeny found himself growing attached to her despite his promise to Katka Talsii. She was soft and warm, and had grown experienced in the things that made him excited. Sex between them had become more passionate and intimate. It seems he couldn't get enough of her, nor she of he.

This happy domestic state of affairs came to an abrupt end towards the end of March. Admiral Rhozdventsky finally came out of hibernation. The first thing the Squadron knew was a terse order sent around all the ships; &&& here, and below--colon not semicolon.

'To all ships," it read, 'all animals and unauthorised people aboard His Majesty's ships will vacate them immediately. Any animal or vagabond remaining after 4pm today will be thrown overboard."

Shortly, there followed more orders;

'All crews ashore will return to their ships forthwith, or be treated as deserters and shot.'

'Navarin, Oslyabya, Orel, Borodino, Oleg, Svetlana and Zhemchug, you are a disgrace to the Navy. All ships are to be cleaned and painted by this time tomorrow.'

'Gunnery practice will resume on Friday. Kamchatka will tow the target. If the Kamchatka refuses to follow orders I will fire on it personally with live rounds.'

And lastly;

'The fleet will depart Nossi Be' on Sunday next for Cam Ranh Bay, French Indo-China via Sunda Strait. Boilers will be cleaned, Engines greased and in full working order. Failure to do this will earn the Engineers a court martial.'

There was no doubt that it was the Admiral this time, not Kursel, who was issuing orders. His arrival back caused great consternation. The fleet knew he had been ordered to wait for Nebogatov and the ancient 'self-sinkers' so what was he about?

Rhozdventsky actually had received further orders from St Petersburg. He was now to make his way to Vladivostok and from there harry the Japanese supply lines and, if possible gain control of the Sea of Japan. The orders demonstrated just far out of touch the Russian Admiralty was with things in the Far East.

They suggested that Nebogatov's Squadron be left to defend Vladivostok while Rhozdventsky's was to become, in effect, Commerce Raiders.

Togo clearly wasn't going to allow the Russians to gain Vladivostok. He had two options; either turn them back, thereby forcing the Russian ships into Neutral ports, or bring them to battle. Obviously the second option appealed to Togo rather more.

Admiral Rhozdventsky knew he had to fight Togo and preferred to do it without Nebogatov. If Nebogatov was only going to defend Vladivostok, then it didn't matter whether Rhozdventsky waited for him or not. Feverishly he prepared the fleet for sailing before more specific orders arrived.

To reach Vladivostok you need to go either East or West of Japan. East takes you through either the Tsugaru Straits between Honshu and Hokkaido or around Hokkaido through the La Perouse Channel. Neither of these options was possible for the Russians because they couldn't carry enough coal. The most direct route was West through the Straits of Tsushima between Korea and Japan. This route would take them right past the Japanese Naval bases at Sasebo and Nagasaki.

Rhozdventsky hoped to pass these bases at night and be well into the Tsushima straits by dawn. In this way he hoped the Russian fleet would have a good start on Togo, assuming he was at one of those two bases.

What the Russians didn't know was that Togo wasn't based in Japan at all but near Ulsan, Korea, a place then known as 'Queen Caroline Inlet.'

"I believe Admiral Rhozdventsky worked out his plan at Nossi Be'," Admiral Gorshin told the Ensign, "based on a wrong assumption, yes, but a popular one. We were getting absolutely no intelligence at all about the Japanese battlefleet."

"He knew his ships were in a poor state to fight Togo," Gorshin continued, "The Japanese had all the time in the World to prepare, rest their crews and repair battle damage. The Admiralty listed Rhozdventsky's and Nebogatov's ships as including 11 battleships. 11, I tell you! Against Togo's 6 as we believed at the time. But only 4 of ours could be described as first rate, whereas the Japanese battlefleet were all modern ships with well-trained and motivated crews. It looked like we had overwhelming strength on paper but the reality was very different."

"So, sir, why did Rhozdventsky proceed towards Vladivostok if he believed the advantage lay with the enemy?" the Ensign asked.

"Ah, well, you see he was driven by forces he had no control over, the expectation of the Russian Tsar and people. Pride, patriotism and duty, and maybe with a lot of luck we may have made it."

Yvgeny Gorshin hurried down to the dock with his kit and Yvonne. Already squads of armed Marines were strutting through the town to enforce the Admiral's new orders.

The Grozny's crew were scrambling around the Destroyer with buckets. The new machine guns were having their brass water jackets shined to perfection. Elsewhere the anchorage was alive with boats of every description rushing men and supplies out to the fleet.

"What times eh? What a lark," shouted Pikalevoi from the deck, "you blow soot before you start painting you idiots!" he bellowed at some seamen.

Yvgeny stood on the quay with Yvonne. She held his hand tightly, choking back the tears.

"I won't let you go," she told him, "you'll just get yourself blown up. Promise me you'll duck?"

"I promise."

"Why don't you transfer to Feodor's ship?" she asked, "it's much bigger and has lots of steel..."

"And a bigger target," he answered, "the Japs won't see the Grozny, it's too small."

"You're not funny... don't try to make jokes."

"Hey, you coming on board or what?" roared the Commander.

"Just a minute!"

"Take her to a room, Gorshin. Here, I'll give you a pass. Requisition more canned beef while you're at it. Don't take all day, Rhozdventsky's goons are rounding everyone up. Trigger-happy fucks!"

"'Requisitioning canned beef' was a standard joke we had on the Grozny. We'd never seen canned beef since we'd sailed from Libau. If anyone wanted to go ashore to see a girl, they were 'requisitioning canned beef.' All the vessels had things like that," Gorshin explained to the Archivist.

"I threw my kit on board, collected my pass from the Commander, then ran back to the Orientale with Yvonne," he continued. "Feodor had been recalled to the Alexander but they still held the room for him. Although the fleet was going out for gunnery practice, they returned at night. Aristocrats like Khlodovsky were permitted to keep their shore lodgings. Just an example of the gulf between Nobles and us common people, I guess."

The Ensign sneered in disgust.

"And today," the Admiral laughed, "are things any different for senior Party Officials? Just the same today, my friend, except our Aristocrats have a poor taste in suits."

Yvgeny and Yvonne leapt up the grand staircase to suite 26. They made it just inside the door before kissing frantically.

"I may never see you again," she told him breathlessly, "we need to talk..."

"Later," he replied, pulling up her dress. His hands plunged into her underwear probing and feeling for openings, for access.

"Wait, oh, don't tear them," she gasped, "please, let me do it." She pushed her silk panties down her legs while Yvgeny scrambled down his trousers. His cock jutted out urgently, Yvonne grabbed it as he pressed her against the wall. He lifted her small frame as she locked her naked legs around him. Yvonne worked him inside her, pushed forward while squeezing him with her legs. She grunted as Yvgeny pushed himself as far up her as he could reach.

He pounded her against the wall until the ornaments on a nearby shelf threatened to fall to the floor. His legs were giving out so he waddled with her to the sofa, still locked together.

"Crazy Russian," she moaned, "my hard sailor... oh!" Yvgeny dropped her on her back on the sofa and stroked into her slowly and powerfully. He knew she liked it that way, liked to feel his weight on top of her.

Knees bent, her legs were in the air, one shoe still on her foot. Her neck and the exposed area of her chest glistened with perspiration. Escaped locks of her hair formed a halo around her pretty face. She jerked and thrashed her body towards Yvgeny's thrusts.

He grabbed her arse and thrust rapidly into her in the way she loved. He knew it drove her wild as he mashed his pubic bone against her clitoris. She howled in response.

"Uh, uh, yes, oh, so hard..." she babbled.

She came explosively, she always did when taken roughly and urgently. Yvgeny finished himself a few moments later after flipping her over and pushing into her from behind. He loved to watch her in dishevelment, her damp hair clinging to her face, her clothes pulled up around her or scattered on the floor.

She lay on her back, legs spread and pussy glistening with moisture. Her chest was heaving as she sucked in air. A slight smile split across her face, her expression one of surprise and exhaustion in a way that had become familiar to him.

Soon the fleet would be leaving and Yvgeny once again began to think of desertion as he did those months ago in Libau. Again he put those thoughts behind him as he reminded himself of honour and duty to his crewmates, to the service.

"What are you looking at?" she asked him in a small and tired voice.

"You," he breathed, "and thinking how hard this is going to be."

"You won't be coming back, will you?" she asked, partly in hope of a positive answer.

"I don't think so," he admitted.

"I will write," she told him, "promise me you'll write back? I need to know that you're safe. If I don't hear from you I will assume you've drowned somewhere out there," she added, looking out towards the Indian Ocean.

"I promise," he replied, dressing, "first chance I get."

"Good," she said in a dreamy voice.

"So?" asked the Ensign.

"So?" Admiral Gorshin stared back.

"Did you see her again? You promised to write, did you?"

"You're very inquisitive, young man," the Admiral answered. "We kept in touch for a few years. I wrote to her from Vladivostok as I promised to do. She returned to France the next year and we continued to correspond for some time. She eventually married a French Naval Officer, a Commodore I think. We lost touch during the Great War."

"For the rest of the week," the Admiral added, "we remained on our ships. We trained, practiced with the Battleship Divisions, or patrolled around the coast. That Saturday the whole fleet coaled from the German Colliers. We piled the stuff on board, God knows where we stowed it. We washed the ships down with fire hoses then finally left that Sunday after Mass."

The fleet wallowed out into the Indian Ocean in a rough ENE course for the Sunda Strait. Leaving the coast far behind, they disappeared from the World's attention for two weeks.

They left behind disappointed Merchants and Prostitutes who watched their steady income sail out into uncertainty from the timber quays of Nossi Be'.

By the middle of March they'd reached the Sunda between the islands of Java and Sumatra in the Dutch East Indies. A Dutch Colonial gunboat, Prinzess Wilhemina, intercepted them just outside territorial waters and guided them through the channel. The Gunboat, a mere 200 ton schooner with a steam auxiliary engine, looked comical compared to the towering ships of the Russian 1st Division.