On July 25th the Chinese warships Tche Yuen (Tsi Yuen)[17] and
Kwang-Yi (Kuang King), coming from Asan in Korea, with awnings up, and
generally unprepared for action, encountered off the island of Phung-do
a portion of the Japanese flying squadron, consisting of the Naniwa
(Captain Togo),[18] Yoshino (Captain Kawara), and Akitsushima (Captain
Kamimura), the Yoshino flying the flag of Rear-Admiral Tsuboi.
[17] Now the Sai Yen.
[18] Admiral in command of the main fleet in February, 1904.
Many accounts of this action have been written. The one I give here
differs in many details from the narrative currently accepted; however,
it is based on the personal narratives to me of officers of the
Japanese ships engaged, and appears to me to afford by far the most
reasonable explanation as to how the fight came about.
The Tche Yuen was never a good steering ship, and her steering-gear,
which had been for some time in a state of neglect, broke down just
about the time the Japanese ships were sighted.
This caused her to alter her course, and she bore down upon the
Japanese, coming nearer and nearer. The idea went round that she
purposed torpedoing.
Every gun in the Japanese fleet was thereupon laid upon the Tche Yuen’s
conning-tower, red flags hoisted, and the Chinese ships ordered to keep
off. This the leading vessel, Tche Yuen (Captain Fong), was unable to
do, and she pressed so closely on the Naniwa that Captain Togo turned
and headed towards her.
The Tche Yuen hoisted a white flag, but still continued to approach.
Thereupon the Naniwa opened fire, the other ships following suit. The
Japanese version, that the Tche Yuen fired a torpedo first of all,
while under the white flag, generally credited, is, on the evidence of
Japanese officers, quite incorrect. No torpedo was fired; they expected
one—that is all.
The conning-tower of the Tche Yuen was hit five times at the first
discharge, the first lieutenant and a sub-lieutenant, who were inside,
being killed, though the captain, who stood beside them, was unhurt.
He vacated the tower, and gave orders to clear for action. In the
circumstances he made a very passable fight for it, despite the
subsequent Chinese allegations of cowardice. Caught unprepared, his
fighting did not amount to much; but that was a natural sequel to his
unpreparedness.
Long before the Chinese could reply, the Japanese, at 3000 yards,
had practically put the ship _hors de combat_. A large shell hit the
armour-deck, and glancing up, struck the fore-turret, disabling one of
the 8-in. guns. All men on deck were killed, wounded, or driven away,
and in a little while the fore-turret was again hit and the gun’s
crews killed. A shell burst in the funnel base, killing or wounding
men in the stokehold, and all the upper works were riddled.
At about this stage the Tche Yuen did what she should have done long
before, got the hand-steering wheel going, and, this done, she made
off for Wei-hai-wei, keeping up a mild fire on the Japanese ships from
her after 6-in. gun. This retreat was the only thing she could do; to
remain would have been madness.
The Japanese attempted no pursuit, despite Chinese stories to the
contrary. They believed that the Chinese battle-fleet was near by, and
were chary accordingly. The only hit obtained by the Tche Yuen was on
the Yoshino’s bridge, and this did little harm. On the other hand, the
Tche Yuen, though she lost three officers and thirteen men killed, and
twenty-five wounded, was not seriously damaged structurally, for within
a week she was repaired. She, however, looked a fearful wreck; and an
idea obtains that the Japanese thought that the sight of her would have
a strong moral effect on the Chinese, which to some extent it did. If
so, it was no unwise move; the ship, sound or damaged, could never be a
serious enemy to them.
While this was going on the Kuang-Yi, disregarding orders to retire,
attempted to charge and torpedo the enemy.[19] In this, of course, she
failed, and, being on fire, most of her crew killed or wounded, she
ran ashore. What was left of her crew—eighteen men all told—reached
the land. The Naniwa, which had engaged the gunboat, continued to
pound her, till a torpedo in the stern-tube blew up, and practically
destroyed her completely.
[19] See Appendix for Chinese version of this affair.
[Illustration: [_Official photo._