Chapter 7

"As Togo headed North East, Rhozdventsky was forced around to keep his ship's bearing. You remember he was travelling twice as fast as us? Well that meant that in effect he slowly began to envelop the front of the Russian line."

"Where was the Grozny?"

"We hovered with the rest of our flotilla off the Suvurov's starboard bow. We had lost our correct order but I don't think it bothered anybody. We all were fascinated with what was happening," Admiral Gorshin told the younger Officer.

"So what was happening?"

"Well, to us we thought we were winning! Here the Japanese had hardly fired a shot and our Divisions had kicked the piss out of them, it seemed to us. But then, where we were, we couldn't get a clear picture."

"So what happened next?"

"Togo waited until his rear was out of range of Nebogatov and Enkvist then... He just let us have it. There's no better description... within the space of 18 minutes, he'd won." Admiral Gorshin shook his head sadly, dabbing his eyes. "And a lot of good people didn't make it home."

Togo swung his binoculars towards the rear of his fleet. Apparently satisfied, he turned to his Fleet Gunnery Officer and tipped his head slightly.

The Officer spun round and yelled, "now!"

Above him on the signal platform of the Mikasa, a signalman swung two white flags over his head. This was repeated by a sailor on the after bridge and picked up by Shikishima a moment later. All down the line there was a brief fluttering of white flags that reminded those present of the wings of a dove, a powerful symbol in Japan.

The Japanese had practiced this routine until they could perform it in their sleep. Since the turn, the Battleships had been checking the range with single shots. The data had then been passed to all the turrets by voice pipe. To make sure, teams of messengers had run around all the gun crews to make sure they all had the latest information.

The technique of finding the range in those days was common to all navies. One shot short, one over, then between them must be the correct range. Bearing was a little more difficult because both vessels were moving and you needed to compensate for this. (Known in navy lingo as 'the rate of change.')

Because both fleets were moving roughly parallel to each other at different but constant speeds, Togo's range-takers had ample opportunity to carefully set their bearing and pass this on to the gun crews. The Japanese also had the easier time of it than the Russians because their main guns were all of a uniform calibre and performed similarly.

Togo's Gunnery Officer counted down 5 seconds on his silver chronometer then yelled, "fire!" Instantly his signalman repeated the order into his row of voice tubes just inside the Mikasa's wheelhouse.

Sixteen 12 inch guns, all bearing on the Suvurov, exploded with an enormous crash. The opening broadside was devastatingly accurate. At least seven heavy shells were seen to explode along the Russian flagship's length.

One shell struck the base of the Suvurov's control tower and knocked everyone inside off their feet. One slammed into the port 155mm hull gun and blew it into the sea. The flash then travelled deep into the bowels of the Battleship's midships creating a raging inferno.

The foremast was hit, the shell creating a fireball that incinerated the gun crews in the fighting top. The mast itself spun off into the Sea of Japan complete with Rhozdventsky's pennant.

Dozens of fires were started that soon overwhelmed the fire crews. The hoses, so carefully laid out on the deck, were shredded. In less than 5 minutes, the flagship was heavily on fire and out of control. Everyone on the bridge had been stunned, wounded or killed.

It began a tight turn to starboard, whether of itself or by some heroic hand on the helm. (Actually a shell had disabled the rudder) The Alexander steered to port of her, followed by Borodino and Orel, and started to circle the Suvurov, protectively.

By then a thick blanket of black/brown smoke began to spread out from the burning Suvurov. There was little wind and the toxic cloud drifted slowly a few metres above the sea. It obscured her from Togo's gun-layers so they moved on to the other vessels.

Meanwhile the Oslyabya had been left to port all on its own after the 1st Division's earlier chaotic maneuvre. Two of Togo's Armoured cruisers, the Iwate and Idzumo, had engaged her in a duel and she'd been hit by two or three shells on her armoured side. The Battleship Fuji, however, had run out of targets and swung onto the 2nd Division's flagship. The Fuji's broadside missed except for one 12 inch shell which struck the Oslyabya's ornate prow.

Some accounts differ, however from eyewitness reports this is believed to have been what happened. Fuji's shell struck her 'bow-chaser' 3 pounder gun. The bows of the vessel disappeared in a cloud of brown smoke. For a split second, during which the cloud began to drift away, nothing happened. Then there was a tremendous explosion. The Oslyabya's bows opened out like a clamshell and the ship's momentum began to drive the front of the vessel downwards. After a minute or two, water began lapping at the foreturret. All of a sudden the Oslyabya rolled over and sank in a little under three minutes. There were no survivors. The time was 1450 hours.

"Togo began a wide sweep over to the East," continued the Admiral. "He swept through 90 degrees, encircling the front of the fleet. The Alexander took up leadership and led the line South for 10 minutes or so. During that time Togo ceased fire having lost sight of us because of the smoke."

"And the Destroyers?"

"We had a quick conference after the Suvurov went up in smoke. The five of us pulled up alongside as if we were anchored in a bay. All the time Togo's 'overs' were whistling overhead or raising huge water spouts nearby. It was surreal, in a way."

"We decided that Buiny and Bedovy should wait by the flagship while the rest should follow the remainder of the fleet. No-one was telling us what to do, you see. Even if they were, I doubt we could have seen any signals through all the smoke."

Enkvist had remembered his orders by this time and had turned back to cover the transports. They had reversed course and were waiting to the South for further instructions. Izumrud and Zhemchug took off by themselves and went to look for the cruisers. At least that's what they claimed later.

All ships of the Battle Divisions had been hit by the time Togo ceased fire. The worst affected still afloat was the Suvurov, which was burning fiercely. Alexander was also on fire, as were the Borodino and Orel, but they were still in some action of sorts.

The Sissoi Veliky had had her main turret disabled by 8 inch shell hits from Iwate and Idzumo. Navarin was relatively unscathed although she had a fire aft.

Further back Nebogatov was unaware he was now in charge, the Suvurov having been disabled. His old ships had done well and were still in working order. He had little idea of the carnage up front and was surprised when he sighted the burning Alexander on a reverse course to his starboard. He quickly made up his mind to cut the corner around the Suvurov. Thus he saved his Division from the full weight of Togo's guns.

The Russians' turn had been tighter than Togo's and opened the distance to the relief of the Squadron. A little after three the Alexander again tried to guide the fleet North. Turning, she broke out of the smoke haze to find the entire Japanese line arrayed across her front. The range had come down to a little over 7000 metres, practically point blank.

That time the hail of shells was brief as Togo, correctly deducing what the Russians were trying to do, reversed course and followed them North. He was herding them like a flock of sheep.

"The Alexander turned the fleet North East to get away from Togo," Gorshin explained, "however Togo was keeping abeam of us, this time to the North West. Whenever there was an opportunity he opened fire. Having run out of his evil 'Shimose' shells he was now using high explosive. We called them then, 'common' rounds."

"The Grozny?"

"I can remember whizzing about dodging shell plumes. We tried to stay out of the smoke, it choked us and stung our eyes. Then we came upon one of those amazing things you sometimes encounter in battle. Two men in a tiny rowboat, rowing as fast as they could go, suddenly appeared out of the gloom."

"Who were they?"

"Two crewmen from the Suvurov, a Petty Officer and Rating. We plucked them out of the sea. They told us that they'd been assisting the wounded near the stern when they were trapped by fire and smoke. Together they lowered the little jolly boat that was swinging on davits from the starboard stern quarter. They told us that they then shimmied down the ropes into the boat."

"The tale they told of conditions on board the flagship horrified us. After the first devastating bombardment the organisation of the ship fell to pieces. Fires broke out all over, the Shimose shells just burst into flames whenever they hit the tiniest obstruction. Crews left their guns and ran for cover. A kind of inertia overcame them and Officers had to kick the men to get them to do even the simplest of tasks."

"The very decks burst into flames. Ladders were warped into grotesque shapes from the heat. It was impossible to move around the ship. And the smoke, it burnt the lungs, sent sailors gasping for breath to the extent that they hurled themselves over the side to get away from it. Others just lapsed into unconciousness at their posts. One of the men described finding a fire crew hiding in a compartment below the mainmast, all quite dead from smoke inhalation."

"Rhozdventsky, wounded in the head and half delirious, with Bogdanovich and Kursel, were the only survivors from the hit on the control tower. They'd taken shelter in the port 155mm gun turret. They had been trying to hail one of the Destroyers to pick them up with hitherto no success."

"Pikalevoi said that we must go and rescue the Admiral. We tried for over an hour to find the Suvurov again but couldn't. It was about 1630 hours then and we suddenly found ourselves all alone."

Tojo had again blocked the Russian fleet from heading North and again the Russians had turned back. This time, however, Togo lost sight of them and went on a wild goose chase to the South. Around 1630 he realised the Russians must be still to the North so he turned to follow.

He'd spotted, however, Enkvist's Division and detached Admiral Kamimura's cruisers to chase them.

Almost all great Commanders have their loyal Lieutenants and Togo had one in Kamimura. He was one of those able, sometimes reckless, charismatic individualists who inspired later generations of Japanese Admirals such as 'Tenacious' Tanaka of World War Two fame. He was a Stonewall Jackson to Togo's Robert E Lee, or maybe a Jeb Stuart.

Enkvist spotted Kamimura around 1500. The Japanese Admiral had with him Idzumo, Iwate, Yakumo, Adzuma and the Tokiwa, having doused her fire. Enkvist left the Almaz, Donskoi and Monomakh with the Transports and made off South with the Oleg, Aurora and Svetlana to draw off the Japanese. Around 1515 there was a brief exchange of gunfire but Enkvist wasn't hanging around. The big, fast Russian cruisers worked up to their full speed of about 24 knots.

However, the last of the line--Svetlana--had taken a hit in a boiler room and was slowing down. According to Enkvist, the Svetlana's Captain, Sergei Shein, decided to take his chances rather than slow down the other two. She therefore turned away West towards Tsushima Island.

Meanwhile Kamimura had been recalled by Togo who was chasing the remnant of the Russian Battleship Divisions. He therefore left Svetlana alone to make her way in a rough North Westerly direction.

On the way Shein picked up the fleeing Zhemchug and Izumrud. The Zhemchug decided to follow Enkvist South while Izumrud kept company with the Svetlana.

Enkvist with the Oleg, Aurora and Zhemchug kept going until they reached Manila. That decision cost him his reputation and career.

Meanwhile the cruisers left behind with the transports decided to scatter and make their own way to Vladivostok. The Almaz worked up to her full speed of 26 knots and followed after the Battleships. The Monomakh followed on a more westerly course while the Donskoi headed for Tsushima Island to wait for nightfall. The transports were left behind to fend for themselves.

"Enkvist, I believe, had little choice at that stage," commented Gorshin. "Kamimura was between him and Vladivostok and if he'd done what the rest of the Scouting Division did he would most certainly have shared their fate. Honourable? Perhaps not, but he preserved those ships and crews. Aurora, of course, started the October Revolution when she fired in support of the Petrograd Soviet. Zhemchug got herself blown up in Penang by the German Cruiser Emden in 1915."

The Grozny and Bravy didn't stay alone for long. Around 1515 they spotted the Battle Squadron once again, this time on a Northerly bearing. Joining the Battleships, they had not gone far before they came across the smoking Suvurov. The Buiny had just taken off Rhozdventsky. Kursel and Bogdanovich remained aboard.

A mist was beginning to gather and, combined with the smoke, reduced visibility still further. The Japanese had lost them in the gloom and many began to believe that their ordeal was over. The crews gradually stirred themselves from the debilitating shock that characterised them following Togo's initial assault. Optimism increased that the fleet would make Vladivostok, wounded but alive.

Alexander the Third still led the fleet although Rhozdventsky was moving once more on the Destroyer Buiny. The Admiral himself lapsed repeatedly into a coma and was probably heavily concussed. His pennant was lost with the Suvurov's foremast so none of the remaining warships knew that the Commander in Chief was nearby.

Togo himself was pounding after the Russians to the South at his best speed of around 16/17 knots. Kamimura and his cruisers were racing after him on a NNE bearing. Either he or his Chief called in the Japanese Destroyers and Torpedo boats from their positions to the West.

The Japanese were beginning to grow concerned that the Russians might get away with the advent of dusk. Togo signalled all his ships that they were to pursue the enemy, 'with courage, tenacity and ruthlessness. None of their warships must survive, ' it continued, 'to wound the interests of the Emperor and people.' This was an extraordinary appeal from a Commander whose orders were generally terse and businesslike.

The Japanese destroyers were organised in 2 flotillas of 16 boats. This organisation was copied from British practice of the time. It wasn't until after the Battle of Jutland 1915 that the Royal Navy concluded that the 16 boat flotilla was too unhandy in operations. Togo also had 13 of the older and smaller Torpedo boats, a class of vessel that was going out of favour at the time.