Meanwhile, what had become of the Japanese navy, after the battle of the
Yellow Sea?
So far as the _Yakumo_ was concerned, we were in the very thick of the
fight when it was at its hottest, and when at length the battle came to
an end with the flight of the _Retvisan_ and _Pobieda_, we were one of
the ships which had been so severely mauled that extensive repairs were
necessary before we could undertake further service. Accordingly, we
were ordered to proceed forthwith to Sasebo to refit; and since we were
by no means alone in our plight, we had to await our turn. Hence it was
the middle of January 1905 before the _Yakumo_ was again ready for sea;
and in the meantime I had ample opportunity to cement my friendship with
the members of the Boyd family, who had acted the part of Good Samaritan
to me when I first made acquaintance with Sasebo.
The day before the _Yakumo_ left Sasebo for our rendezvous at the Elliot
Islands, news arrived that the long talked-of Baltic Fleet had reached
Madagascar and was at anchor in Passandava Bay, refitting, provisioning,
and generally enjoying the hospitality of the French nation. This, of
course, was not the first news that we had received of it; we had been
duly apprised of its departure from Libau on 15th October and had also
heard--with surprise on the part of the Japanese, and with bitter
mortification and shame on my own part--of its subsequent unprovoked and
unpunished attack upon the Gamecock fleet of British trawlers; but
nobody was in the least disturbed by the news that this formidable fleet
was at last actually at sea, for as a matter of fact we in Japan
regarded its departure as nothing more than a move on the part of the
Russian Government intended to encourage the garrison of Port Arthur to
continue its resistance. For, to speak the plain truth, nobody
seriously believed that the voyage would ever be continued far beyond
the western extremity of the English Channel, for we could not see how
it was going to be done. But _now_, when it was apparent that France
was openly ignoring and outraging all the laws governing neutral
nations, in favour of Russia, it behoved Japan to take serious notice of
what was happening, and she not only protested vigorously against
France's violation of neutrality, but set to work in earnest to prepare
for the new menace which was gradually creeping closer to her shores.
For a month after the arrival of the _Yakumo_ at the Elliots, I and half
of my crew formed a portion of that busy multitude who toiled in Port
Arthur harbour to raise the sunken ships which cumbered it, and to clear
the entrance channel; but on the 10th of February the naval contingent
rejoined its ships, and on the 14th the Japanese battle fleet
disappeared from human ken, and for three whole months was no more seen,
save by a few who were made clearly to understand the vital necessity to
remain absolutely silent.
Not so, however, the Japanese cruisers. It was our mission to generate
a feeling of uneasiness and anxiety in the mind of Admiral Rojdestvensky
and those of his officers and men; and with that object squadrons and
single ships were directed to show themselves suddenly and mysteriously,
and as suddenly to disappear again, in those waters through which the
Russian fleet would have to pass on its voyage to Vladivostock. And we
did this so effectually and with such excellent judgment that very soon
the various telegraph cables grew hot with the number of messages
transmitted through them, telling the most marvellous stories of
enormous Japanese fleets seen in various parts of the world at the same
moment, and of huge and incredibly strong fortifications erected on the
Formosan coast and elsewhere.
"Bluffing" was not confined to our side, however; French newspapers were
permitted to fall into our hands, in which the news was circumstantially
set forth that, in consequence of the fall of Port Arthur, Admiral
Rojdestvensky had been recalled, and that he was taking his entire fleet
back to Europe by way of the Suez Canal--with the exception of four of
his best battleships, which, it was hinted, had foundered at sea. On
20th March, however, reliable information reached Japan that the 1st and
2nd Divisions of Rojdestvensky's fleet had left Madagascar on the 16th
of the month, steering north-east. Two days later, news reached us that
the Russian fleet had been sighted in the Indian Ocean, still steering
north-east; and a week later the first of our scouts--a smart and fast
steam yacht, flying German colours--apparently bound westward, passed
within four miles of the armada, took careful count of it, and reported
by wireless its exact position and the fact that it consisted of
forty-three ships, seven of which were battleships, while of the rest,
ten were cruisers and seven were destroyers.
From that moment our scouts, under every conceivable guise except that
of warships, never for a moment lost touch with the Russians. We knew
that they passed Singapore on 8th April; we knew that they touched at
the Anamba Islands and coaled there before the Dutch warships could
arrive to prevent them; and we knew that on 14th April the fleet arrived
in Kamranh harbour, in French Indo-China, where, while awaiting the
arrival of Admiral Nebogatoff's squadron,--which was coming out via the
Suez Canal,--the Russians proceeded to make good defects and generally
prepare for the fight which they knew awaited them.
Of course the Japanese Government vigorously protested against this
flagrant violation of the law regulating the conduct of neutrals, and
France replied with polite assurances that such violation should not be
repeated. This was followed by an order to the Russians to leave
Kamranh harbour, which they obeyed at their leisure, moving on first to
Port Dayot and then--when ordered from there in response to fresh
Japanese protests--to Hon-koe Bay. Thus, with the connivance of the
French authorities, a very pretty game of hide-and-seek was played by
Rojdestvensky, until 8th May, when Nebogatoff joined with his nine
craft, and the now completed fleet entered Hon-koe Bay and calmly
proceeded to complete the task of refitting, coaling, and provisioning
prior to its great attempt to force its way through to Vladivostock. As
for the Japanese Government, it speedily recognised that France had
quite made up its mind to ignore the laws of neutrality in favour of
Russia, and accordingly ceased to lodge any further useless protests.
A week later--on 14th May, to be exact--the entire Russian fleet left
Hon-koe Bay, steering northward; and although the French authorities
suppressed the news of the departure for two whole days, Togo, who was
now with his fleet in Chin-hai Bay, on the southern coast of Korea,
received the news by wireless the same night. Thenceforward its
progress was carefully watched and reported daily, so that at any moment
Togo could put his finger upon the chart and indicate the position of
the enemy, within a few miles.
Meanwhile, Togo was busily engaged in the preparation of his plans for
the great battle toward which we had all been looking forward for so
long. In this work he was of course hampered by his lack of knowledge
as to the intentions of the Russians. There were two routes by which
they could reach Vladivostock: one--much the shorter of the two--by way
of Korea Strait and up through the Sea of Japan; and the other, via the
east coast of Japan and La Perouse Strait. Also, should Rojdestvensky
choose the shorter route, he could pass either to the east or to the
west of Tsushima Island. Togo solved the problem by preparing a plan of
battle for each of the three alternative routes.
On 26th May the Russian fleet was reported as being south-west of
Quelpart Island, off the entrance of Korea Strait, and its position
rendered it practically certain that it was Rojdestvensky's intention to
take the shorter route up through the Sea of Japan.
It was shortly before sunset, on 26th May, that the fateful wireless
message--"Enemy in sight, fifty miles west of Torishima,"--came in from
one of our scouting cruisers; and two minutes later a signal was flying
from the _Mikasa_, summoning the Japanese admirals to a council of war.
The council was a brief one, lasting barely a quarter of an hour; then
the admirals returned to their respective flagships, and the latter at
once signalled the captains of the several squadrons to meet in the
cabin of the admiral of that squadron. The _Yakumo_ formed part of the
armoured cruiser division, under the command of Admiral Kamimura, and
accordingly it was in the cabin of the _Idzumo_ that the six captains of
that division presently assembled to receive our instructions.
These were concise enough, and of such a character as to indicate that
Togo had given this long-expected battle a tremendous amount of
consideration, and had finally settled all the details with almost
mathematical precision. In the first place, for good and sufficient
reasons, the battle was to be fought in the eastern strait, and, as
nearly as possible, off the northern extremity of the island of
Tsushima. To ensure this, the old _Chin-yen_, the _Itsukushima,
Matsushima_, and _Hashidate_, of the protected cruiser squadron,
accompanied by one division of destroyers, were to act the part of
lures, approaching the Russian fleet on the following morning, as it
neared the Straits, alternately attacking and retiring in the direction
of the eastern strait, thus inveigling Rojdestvensky into a pursuit in
that direction. The ships told off for this duty were to proceed to sea
at once, as the _Chin-yen_--the slowest craft of the quartette--was only
good for thirteen knots at best, and it was not desired that any ship
should be pushed to the limit of her powers until the engagement should
become general. The remainder of the protected cruiser division--
fourteen in number--were to proceed to sea with the main fleet on the
following morning, parting company when all were fairly at sea, and then
find the enemy's rear, closing in upon it and harassing it as much as
possible, acting according to circumstances, quite independently of the
main fleet, and each captain using his own initiative. As for us of the
armoured cruiser division, we were to have the honour of forming part of
the battle-line. This was sufficiently gratifying intelligence, but
that which followed was even more so: the former tactics of engaging the
enemy at extreme range, in order to preserve our precious battleships
from injury, were to be abandoned; this was the battle for which they
had been so carefully hoarded, and in it they must be made the fullest
use of, their utmost value must be exacted; in a word, they were to be
fought for all that they were worth, closing with the enemy to within
effective range, and firing slowly and deliberately, so that every shot
should tell.
There was also a general order issued, in the highest degree
illustrative of Japanese thoroughness. It was that every man throughout
the fleet was to wash himself from head to foot most carefully and
thoroughly, and to put on clean clothing, in order to reduce to a
minimum the risk of septic poisoning of wounds, also to don woollen
outer garments, so that their clothing might not be set on fire by
bursting shells.
Nor had the ships themselves been forgotten. In turn each had been
dry-docked, repaired, defects made good, down to the tightening of a
loose screw, machinery overhauled and parts replaced where thought
necessary, bottoms cleared of weed and coated afresh with anti-fouling
composition, and hulls repainted, until each ship looked as though she
had just been taken out of a glass case. And now there they all lay, in
Chin-hai harbour, with boilers chipped clean of deposit and filled with
fresh water, flues, tubes, and furnaces carefully-cleaned, new fire-bars
inserted where needed, fires carefully laid and ready to be lighted at a
moment's notice, and every bunker packed with specially selected Welsh
coal, purchased for this very purpose, long ago.
Furnace fires were at once lighted and steam raised; and before midnight
the old _Chin-yen_--looking very spruce and fit, despite her age--and
her three companion cruisers quietly got their anchors and proceeded to
sea, while aboard the ships still in harbour the crews were busily
engaged in making the preparations referred to in the general order,
before retiring to what was for some of them to be their last night's
sleep on earth. As for me, I sat in my cabin, far into the night,
writing long letters to my friends at home, so that, in the event of
anything untoward happening to me, they might know that loving thoughts
of them were in my heart up to the last.
In Chin-hai harbour the morning of 27th May 1905 dawned bright and
clear, and at five o'clock the crews of the Japanese ships partook of a
substantial meal before proceeding to the task of clearing for action.
They were still partaking of this meal when a marconi-gram arrived from
the _Shinano Maru_, one of our scouts, informing us that the Russian
fleet was in sight, entering the eastern strait; that it was impossible
as yet to say how many ships were present, as the atmosphere was misty;
also that there was a high sea running in which the Russian ships were
rolling heavily.
This was the news that Togo had been anxiously awaiting; and now that he
had it, and knew that the enemy was making for the precise spot where it
had been planned to meet him, the little Admiral gave vent to a great
sigh of relief, and ordered the signal to be made for the protected
cruiser squadron to weigh and lead the rest of the fleet out to sea.
This order was at once carried out, quietly and deliberately--for there
was plenty of time on hand, the _Chitose_, Admiral Kotaoka's flagship,
and her four consorts leading, followed by the _Kasagi_ and her four
consorts, under Admiral Dewa; these being followed in turn by the
_Akitsushima_ and her three consorts, under Admiral Uriu. These three
squadrons, with that which had proceeded to sea some hours previously,
under the leadership of the younger Togo, to draw the Russians into the
eastern strait, constituted the protected cruiser division, to which had
been assigned the duty of attacking and harassing the enemy's rear.
Following these went the main battle squadron, with the _Mikasa_, flying
Togo's flag, proudly leading, followed by the battleships _Shikishima,
Fuji_, and _Asahi_, with the new and powerful cruisers _Kasuga_ and
_Nisshin_ bringing up the rear. Then, at a short interval, followed the
_Idzumo_, flying Admiral Kamimura's flag, and the _Iwate, Yakumo,
Adzuma, Asama_, and _Tokiwa_, in the order named, every ship flaunting
two big battle-flags in the morning breeze. Once clear of the harbour,
we parted company from the protected cruiser division, which headed away
South-South-East, to get in the rear of the enemy, while we of the
battle-line steered a trifle to the south of east for the battleground
which Togo had selected. On the port side of the line steamed a
flotilla of Japan's fastest destroyers, told off by Togo to act as
dispatch boats, in the event of the flagship's wireless apparatus being
put out of action, or her masts shot away.
Once clear of the land, we soon ran into an atmosphere of haze and a
rising sea which set the long line of ships rolling ponderously; and as
the vessels rolled and plunged, flinging heavy showers of spray over
their weather bows, each captain stood in his chart-room, with a chart
of the strait spread open on the table before him, anxiously awaiting
the next news of the enemy. These charts had been, for convenience'
sake, carefully divided up into a series of numbered squares; and about
nine o'clock the expected message arrived. It ran--"The enemy is in two
hundred and three," that being the number of the square on the chart
occupied by the Russian fleet at that moment. No sooner was the message
decoded and its purport made known than mutual congratulations were
exchanged; for even as the fall of 203 Metre Hill into the hands of our
soldiers had been the prelude to the surrender of Port Arthur, so now
the fact of the Russian fleet being in square 203 on the chart was
accepted as an omen of another victory.
The fine weather of the early morning had by this time completely
deserted us; the sky had become overcast, Tsushima's conical summit was
hidden by a great bank of heavy, louring cloud, the grey, dreary-looking
sea was running in confused, turbulent, foam-flecked surges through
which the big ships wallowed heavily, flinging great combers of yeasty
froth from either bow, while the little torpedo craft, smothered in
spray, were tossed about like corks. Yet, despite the gloomy aspect of
the weather, the Japanese fleet presented a magnificent and inspiriting
sight as it ploughed steadily through the leaping, mist-flecked sea,
each ship keeping station with the most perfect accuracy, with her two--
and in some cases three--great battle-flags snapping defiantly in the
freshening breeze.
It was shortly after six bells in the forenoon watch when we at length
received a message which must have removed a load of anxiety from our
little Admiral's mind. It came from the _Izumi_--one of the ships which
had been dispatched on the previous night for the purpose of luring the
enemy into the eastern channel--and reported that at length her captain
had succeeded in ascertaining the full force of the enemy's fleet, and
that it consisted of eleven battleships of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd
classes, nine cruisers, nine auxiliary cruisers, and nine destroyers.
These were heavy odds to face with our four battleships, eight armoured
cruisers, and eighteen protected cruisers; yet never for a moment did we
shrink from the encounter, for we were, one and all, _determined_ to
conquer. Moreover, the weather, gloomy as it was, was in our favour,
for our ships, having been painted the peculiar grey tint that had been
found so effective in the atmosphere of the Sea of Japan, were scarcely
visible at a distance of four miles, while the heavy sea would probably
give our own gunners a great advantage over those of the enemy.
It was about a quarter to two o'clock in the afternoon, and we were
steaming in line ahead, with the _Mikasa_ leading, our course being
about South-South-West, when, the fog thinning somewhat, we suddenly
saw, away on our port bow, a great cloud of black smoke, underneath
which we presently discerned several large ships approaching in two
lines, their black hulls and yellow funnels showing up with remarkable
distinctness against the light grey background of fog. Instantly every
telescope and pair of binoculars in the Japanese fleet was levelled at
them in an endeavour to identify the craft in sight--for we were
intimately acquainted with the characteristics of every ship in the
enemy's fleet--and presently we recognised the big, three-funnelled
craft at the head of the port line as the _Oslabia_, while the
two-funnelled battleship leading the starboard line was undoubtedly the
_Suvaroff_, Admiral Rojdestvensky's flagship. Astern of her followed
the _Alexander Third, Borodino_, and _Orel_; while in the wake of the
_Oslabia_ we were able to identify the _Sissoi Veliki, Navarin_, and
_Admiral Nakhimoff_, with a long string of other craft at that moment
too far distant for identification.
While we were still endeavouring to identify some of the more distant
ships, the _Mikasa_ made the general signal: "The fate of our Empire
depends upon our efforts. Let every man do his utmost!" It was greeted
with a great roar of "Banzai Nippon!" which swept along the line of the
fleet like the rumbling of distant thunder. The crews of the ships had,
of course, been at quarters, and the officers at fire-control stations,
for some time, and now we began to receive from the range-finders the
range of the _Oslabia_, the leading Russian ship. "Fifteen thousand
yards", "Fourteen thousand", "Twelve thousand," came the reports in
rapid succession as the two fleets rushed toward each other.
At a distance of twelve thousand yards the _Mikasa's_ helm was shifted
and the course of the Japanese line altered four points to the eastward,
as though our purpose was to pass along the Russian line to port,
exchanging broadsides as we passed; and so the enemy evidently
understood, for he came steadily on. But we knew differently. Already
every forward gun in the fleet was bearing steadily upon the _Oslabia_,
and when, in obedience to a signal from the flagship, the speed of the
Japanese fleet quickened up to fifteen knots, we knew that the great
battle was about to begin.
It began a few minutes earlier than we anticipated, for our
range-finders had just given the distance of the head of the Russian
column as nine thousand yards, when two bright flashes, followed by a
great cloud of white smoke, broke from the _Oslabia's_ fore-turret, and
presently we saw two great fountains of foam leap into the air some
distance beyond the _Mikasa_. As though this had been a signal, the
_Suvaroff, Alexander Third_, and _Sissoi Veliki_ instantly followed
suit, and a second or two later we heard the loud, angry muttering of
12-inch shells hurtling toward us. But some flew over, and others fell
short; not one touched us; and as the heavy, rumbling _boom_ of the
reports reached our ears, the _Mikasa_ signalled another shift of helm a
further four points east, and before the Russians fully realised what we
were about, the Japanese fleet was "crossing the T,"--that is to say,
passing athwart the enemy's course.
Every gun which the Russians could bring to bear upon us was now being
loaded and fired as rapidly as possible, so that in a very short time
the enemy's ships were enveloped in whirling wreaths of powder smoke,
yet not a single Japanese gun had thus far spoken.
"Six thousand yards" was presently signalled by the range-finders; and
at the same moment three shots roared forth from the turrets of the
_Mikasa, Shikishima_, and _Fuji_. We knew at what target they were
aimed, and those of us who happened to have our glasses at our eyes saw
a bright flash and a cloud of smoke suddenly burst into view on the
_Oslabia's_ conning tower. One of our 12-inch shells had found its
mark, and--as we subsequently learned--instantly killed Admiral
Folkersam! This instant success told us that we might unhesitatingly
rely upon the accuracy of our range-finders, and at once every ship in
the Japanese battle-line opened fire, first upon the _Oslabia_ and then
upon the _Suvaroff_, our manoeuvre of "crossing the T" enabling us to
bring every one of our broadside guns upon the enemy, while he, in turn,
could only fire a few of his fore-turret guns, the rest being blanketed
by the ships leading the line.
The careful, deliberate fire of twelve ships upon two could have but one
result; the _Oslabia_ and _Suvaroff_ both received a most fearful
punishing; the unprotected portions of their hulk were blown to ribbons,
dense columns of dark smoke poured from the _Oslabia_, and presently it
was seen that she and the _Suvaroff_ were on fire and burning furiously.
Both ships, as though instinctively, swerved away to the eastward,
anxious not to shorten the distance any farther between themselves and
the Japanese, and presently both the _Oslabia_ and the _Suvaroff_ fell
out of their respective lines and dropped to the rear, with both their
own lines between them and the enemy.
Then came the turn of the _Alexander Third_, which was now leading the
Russian starboard line; and she got even more severely peppered than her
battered sisters in misfortune, for the range had now dwindled to four
thousand yards, and every shot of ours was telling with terrible effect.
It must not be supposed, however, that while the enemy was being
punished so severely, we were going scatheless. We were not; very far
from it, although we were giving a good deal better than we received.
Shells were by this time falling pretty thickly all around us, while
hits were becoming steadily less infrequent. The first to come aboard
the _Yakumo_ was a 12-inch shell which struck our fore barbette on the
starboard side, glanced upward, striking the conning tower and
exploding, the fragments wrecking a couple of ventilators, a boat, and
freely puncturing our fore funnel, while one piece swept my cap off my
head and overboard. The _Asama_, however, next but one astern of the
_Yakumo_, suffered very much more severely than we did, three heavy
shells hitting her abaft in quick succession, throwing her steering gear
out of action, and causing her to leak so badly that she had to drop out
of the line and be left astern, executing temporary repairs.
By this time--that is to say, shortly before six bells in the afternoon
watch--the two fleets were heading about East-South-East, running in
parallel lines, our own line leading that of the enemy by about a mile,
while the _Alexander Third_ was, like the _Oslabia_ and _Suvaroff_, in
flames and blazing furiously. A few minutes later it was seen that the
_Sissoi Veliki_ was also on fire, she being now the leading ship of the
Russian port line of battle, and, in accordance with Togo's tactics, the
object, with the _Navarin_ and _Admiral Nakhimoff_, of the concentrated
fire of our battle-line. Meanwhile, our protected cruiser squadrons had
come upon the scene and were harassing the Russian rear so effectively
that, aided by the vigorous attack of our battle-line upon the Russian
van, the enemy's line was breaking up in confusion.
Togo now gave the order for us to close in upon the enemy's van, himself
leading the way in the _Mikasa_, with the result that the leading
Russian ships, in order to avoid being crossed and raked, were compelled
to continually bear ever more and more away to the southward, until
finally they swept right round and were all heading north once more,
with the _Alexander Third, Suvaroff_, and _Oslabia_ all out of the line
and practically out of action.
It is difficult, nay more it is impossible, for the captain of a ship
taking part in a general action to note and remember every phase and
detail of such action; he is so intensely preoccupied in the task of
fighting and manoeuvring his own ship that only certain detached
incidents of the engagements impress themselves upon his memory strongly
enough to be permanently remembered; thus I am able to recall that about
this period of the battle I came to the definite conclusion that we had
won, notwithstanding the fact that several of our ships, including the
_Yakumo_, had suffered severely. The _Asama_, for example, was at least
temporarily out of action, while the _Kasuga_--one of the two new
cruisers purchased from the Argentine just before the outbreak of the
war--had all three of her heavy guns rendered useless.
By this time our protected cruiser division had crept up on the
starboard quarter of the Russian line, and was vigorously attacking in
that direction, while our battle-line, to port of the Russians, was as
vigorously pounding the enemy's front, thus bringing the Russian line
between two fires. It was about this time that one of those brief
interludes of comparative inaction which occur in most battles afforded
me an opportunity to look round a bit and obtain my first comprehensive
view of the battle since its commencement.
The wind, which had been blowing fresh during the earlier part of the
day, had been gradually dropping, and was now little more than a mere
breathing, but the sky still continued overcast and gloomy, its shadow,
falling upon the sullenly heaving but no longer breaking seas, causing
the tumbling waters to look almost black where they were not veiled by
the drifting smoke wreaths or slowly moving patches of fog. It was the
obscuration caused by this combination of smoke and fog that had
produced the interval of comparative inaction of which I have spoken,
for it rendered accurate firing difficult, and our ships, in accordance
with Togo's determination not to waste ammunition, were only firing
occasional single shots, when the hull of an opponent became distinctly
visible, although the Russians were blazing away at us as recklessly as
ever, thus enveloping themselves in an almost continuous veil of smoke,
which was renewed as quickly as it drifted away.
It was now that the _Asama_, having effected temporary repairs, came up
and resumed her place in our line of battle, which was thus once more
intact, our ships keeping station with the most perfect regularity with
the Russian line, such as it was, some four thousand yards distant about
a point abaft our starboard beam. The roar of the enemy's artillery was
incessant, the continuous crashing _boom_ of the guns reminding one, as
much as anything, of a tremendous thunderstorm, while the flash of their
guns, seen through the gloom of the louring afternoon, not altogether
inadequately represented the accompanying lightning.
I looked round to see if I could discover either of the silenced Russian
battleships. Yes, there they were, all three of them: the _Oslabia_
about three miles away, broad on our starboard quarter; the _Suvaroff_
about half a mile astern of her; and the _Alexander Third_ about a mile
astern of the _Suvaroff_, all astern of their own line, and all being
vigorously attacked by our protected cruisers. The _Oslabia_ was low in
the water and had a heavy list to port; the _Suvaroff_, still apparently
on fire, had lost both her funnels and her foremast; and the _Alexander
Third_, from which clouds of smoke, were still rising, also had a heavy
list and was steaming ahead very slowly, although she, like her sisters
in misfortune, still replied with the utmost gallantry to our fire.
But, so far as the _Oslabia_ was concerned, her race was evidently run,
for even as I watched her it became apparent that she was fast settling
in the water, while with every roll her list to port became stronger,
until at last I found myself holding my breath in momentary expectation
to see her roll right over. The catastrophe was not long delayed.
There came a moment when, having rolled heavily to port, she failed to
lift again, but heeled steadily more and more until, watching her
through my powerful glasses, I saw a number of objects go sliding away
off her decks into the water with a heavy splash; over she went until
her masts and funnels lay along on the water, her two after-turret guns
spoke out defiantly for the last time; and down she went in a great
swirl of foam, while the Russian destroyers closed in upon the spot to
save such of her crew as might contrive to remain afloat.
I now turned my attention to the _Suvaroff_, and was just in time to
witness a very plucky attack upon her by a squadron of our destroyers,
which, notwithstanding her disabled condition, she beat off in most
gallant fashion.
Next, I turned to have a look at the _Alexander Third_. Her crew
appeared to have extinguished the fire aboard her and got her back into
something like her former trim. She was now heading to rejoin the
Russian line--which was re-forming after a fashion, and presently I saw
her drop into third place in the line, between the _Orel_ and the
_Sissoi Veliki_, which latter also seemed to have extinguished her fire.
Meanwhile the mist had thickened into fog, which rapidly became so
dense that we presently lost sight of the enemy altogether.
Shrewdly suspecting that the Russians would seize this opportunity to
effect their escape, Togo now led his battle-line round in a sweep from
North-East to South-West, and then to south for a distance of some eight
miles, during which we sighted and shelled the enemy's cruiser squadron
and some of his auxiliary ships heading to the south-west. At this
point Togo decided to turn northward again, but before doing so he
detached the six armoured cruisers--of which the _Yakumo_ was one--under
Admiral Kamimura, with orders to pursue and destroy the ships of which
we had just lost sight.
This was about four o'clock in the afternoon. By this time the wind had
dwindled away to a mere nothing, and the sea had so far gone down that
our torpedo craft could keep pace with the larger craft without being
swept by seas from stem to stern; still, the weather continued to be
very dismal and dreary, the sky still lowering and overcast, not a
solitary gleam of sunshine, and the fog gathering so thickly that it was
difficult to see anything beyond a two-mile radius. The heavy
gun-firing had by this time died down to nothing; but a pretty lively
cannonade of lighter weapons down in the south-western quarter told us
that the engagement between our cruisers and those of the enemy was
still proceeding briskly although nothing could be seen. Accordingly,
the _Idzumo_ led her five armoured sisters in that direction, at a speed
of fifteen knots.
Suddenly, as we pushed along, guided on our course by the sounds of the
firing, the thunder of heavy guns, easily distinguishable from the
sharper report of the lighter weapons, burst forth ahead, to our
amazement, for we fully believed that the whole of the enemy's
battleships had fled northward. Clearly, however, we were mistaken in
so believing, and Kamimura at once recognised that capricious fortune
was unexpectedly holding out to him the opportunity to wipe off some of
the utterly undeserved opprobrium that had attached to him earlier in
the war, because of his failure to bring the Vladivostock squadron to
book, and which his later success had by no means effaced; accordingly,
he signalled the squadron to increase speed to eighteen knots, which was
supposed to be the maximum attainable by the _Asama_ and ourselves,
although the others were capable of an extra knot. This inferiority of
speed on our part had always been rather a sore point with me, and I had
had many a talk with Carmichael, the _Yakumo's_ Engineer Commander,
about it, who had felt the reproach as keenly as I did, and had assured
me that if ever the worse came to the worst, he would undertake to get
the extra knot out of the ship, although it would be at the peril of
what he elegantly termed "a general bust-up in the engine-room." So now
I called to him down the voice-tube, begging him to speed her up as far
as he dared; and a few minutes later I noticed that we were gaining upon
the _Iwate_, our next ahead, while the _Asama_, our second astern, was
also stoking up. Thereupon I signalled the flagship that we had speed
in hand, if required, and the order was at once given to increase speed
by half a knot.
It was not very long afterward that we had ocular demonstration of the
value that extra spurt of speed might prove to be; for while we were
still plugging along in the direction of the firing, we suddenly sighted
two craft coming slowly in our direction. They proved to be the
_Kasagi_ escorted by the _Chitose_, making for the Japanese coast, the
former being holed below the waterline and making so much water that it
was doubtful whether it would be possible to save her. She signalled
that matters were going badly with the protected cruisers, eleven of
them being then hotly engaged by twelve of the enemy, one of which was a
second-class battleship, while three others were battleships of the
third class! Admiral Dewa, who was on board, concluded his
communication by urging us to hasten to the rescue.
The steadily increasing distinctness with which the sound of the firing
reached us, proved that we were rapidly overhauling the contending
squadrons, and some twenty minutes later we sighted the rearmost ships
on both sides, blazing away at each other "hammer and tongs." Our own
cruisers were to the southward of the Russian line, therefore Kamimura
led his force to the northward of the enemy, thus placing the latter
between two fires, at the same time signalling us to concentrate our
fire upon the four Russian battleships, which we did with a vengeance,
and within five minutes we were all enveloped in a roaring tempest of
flame, smoke, and bursting shells.
But the precision of our fire was infinitely superior to that of the
Russians. They fired at least three times as rapidly as we did, but
whereas every one of our shells reached its mark, the bulk of theirs
flew wide. They were rapidly growing demoralised, and when the fight
had been in progress some twenty minutes, their line suddenly broke up
into little groups of twos and threes and made off to the northward at
top speed, those of us whose speed permitted, following them and keeping
up a brisk fire with our forward guns.
Suddenly, as we pursued, two ships were sighted ahead, evidently in
difficulties, and a few minutes later we identified them as the Russian
battleship _Suvaroff_ and the repair ship _Kamschatka_. Immediately,
Kamimura signalled, ordering their destruction. Then, while we were in
the very act of training our guns upon them, another battleship was
sighted in the distance. She, too, was evidently in a parlous state, so
much so, indeed, that we scarcely had time to identify her as the
_Alexander Third_ when she capsized and sank!
Then we opened fire vigorously upon the other two ships, while our
destroyers closed in upon the _Suvaroff_, now listing so heavily that
she was almost on her beam-ends. But although she was in such a sorry
plight her crew displayed the utmost gallantry, defending themselves
from the torpedo craft with the only gun which they could bring to bear.
It was a hopeless fight, however; our boats dashed in, time after time,
discharging torpedoes at her, and at length two of the missiles got
home, one under her stern, and the other in the wake of her engine-room,
blowing a great hole in her side. This last finished her; the water
poured into her in torrents, and a few minutes later she rolled right
over and disappeared. The _Kamschatka_ followed a few minutes later.
Meanwhile, the ships which we had been pursuing had disappeared in the
fog, heading northward, _in which direction we knew our battleships had
preceded them_. Therefore, since the hour had now arrived when,
according to arrangements, our torpedo flotillas were to take up the
game, Kamimura signalled us to reduce speed to ten knots and to shape a
course for our appointed rendezvous near Matsushima Island.
The night which followed was an anxious one for all hands, for we were
steaming through a dark and foggy night, with all lights out. Nothing
untoward happened, however, and with the appearance of dawn on the
following morning a little air of wind sprang up and swept the fog away.
It was shortly before three bells in the morning watch (half-past five
o'clock a.m.) of 28th May, and the six ships of the Japanese armoured
cruiser division were steaming northward in line abreast, when the
_Tokiwa_, which was the easternmost ship, reported smoke low down on the
eastern horizon. At once the course was altered eight points to the
eastward, and the ships proceeded in line ahead, closing in upon the
_Tokiwa_--the leading ship--as they did so, while Kamimura reported the
circumstance by wireless to Togo, who, with his battle squadron, was
some sixty miles away to the northward of us. Some twenty minutes
later, after a lively bout of signalling by the wireless operators
aboard the Japanese ships, it became certain that the smoke seen must
proceed from enemy ships, and all our dispositions were made for dealing
with them, the instructions of the armoured division being to close
slowly in upon the enemy from the westward, while the battleships rushed
down at full speed from the north, and the protected cruisers did the
same from the south.
The result was that, a few hours later, four Russian battleships,
namely, the _Orel, Apraxin, Nicolai First_, and _Seniavin_ found
themselves completely hemmed in by our ships, while the light cruiser
_Izumrud_, availing herself of her superior speed, just managed to
escape by the skin of her teeth.
I will say this for them: outnumbered though they were, and hopeless as
was their situation, with their ammunition running short, and their
crews almost in a state of collapse from nerve strain, those four ships
made a gallant defence, and it was not until they were reduced to the
very last extremity that Admiral Nebogatoff ordered the white flag to be
hoisted over his squadron in token of surrender. Prize crews were at
once put aboard the prizes, and they were ordered south to Sasebo under
an escort of cruisers, of which the _Yakumo_ was one. The _Orel_ was
such a wreck that she was incapable of steaming more than eight knots,
consequently we did not arrive in harbour until the afternoon of the
following day, when, our wireless messages having prepared the
inhabitants for our arrival, we received such an ovation as it thrills
me yet to remember.