A Russo-Japanese Naval Campaign
A potted history by a partial, prejudiced, & ignorant wargamer.
PART TWO – A Japanese Narrow Escape and a Russian Gamble, in two more battles off Wei Hai Wei.
March 1904 opened quietly as the Japanese concentrated on minelaying and troop convoys while the Russians frantically repaired their damaged ships. As a result, several Japanese minefields were laid and the delayed Pitzuwo convoy sailed (see previous post); all without incident.
As March wore on the Japanese, noting the growing confidence of the Vladivostok squadron, sent their armoured cruisers to take them down a peg or two. This did not take long as the Russians were still dispersing their ships in penny-packets. Thus, on the 22nd the Diana (PC), sent on a lone minelaying mission, found herself trapped off Wonsan by the armoured cruisers Idzumo, Adzuma and Yakumo. With damage mounting and little hope of escape the captain of the Diana sought to save face by attempting to close and ram the enemy. This simply resulted in the Diana being overwhelmed by the superior Japanese firepower and going down with all hands before she could close with her enemies.
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| Death Ride of the Diana (22-Mar-1904): D = Diana. |
Unmanned by the fate of the Diana, the Bogatyr (PC) and Goromoboi (AC) immediately fled back to port before completing their minelaying missions. This collapse in Russian morale was widespread, and a minelaying mission by 3 TBDs refused to sail although some claim this was due to faulty staff work and confused sailing orders [1]. In contrast the Japanese minelaying missions were uniformly successful.
In early April, the Russian Vladivostok squadron again sortied to drive off Japanese patrols. So, with squalls from the south-east and 7 hours to sun-set, the opposing forces encountered each other while both steering to investigate merchant shipping. Losing their nerve on sighting the enemy the Rossiya, Goromboi (ACs) and Bogatyr (PC) turned tail and fled. The Japanese pursued and, confident in their superiority, detached the Takachiho (PC) to investigate the suspicious merchant vessel. The remaining Japanese ships, Iwate, Nisshin, Kasuga (ACs) and Naniwa (PC) rapidly closed and started to register repeated hits on the Russians who in reply could only manage a single hit on the Kasuga.
The Russians, outmatched and with all three vessels crippled, fled in disorder with the Japanese in hot pursuit.
Once again nightfall was the Russian saviour with the Rossiya and Goromboi disappearing into the gloom as the Bogatyr slid beneath the waves.
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Sea of Japan Fight (7-Apr-1904): broken tracks = merchant ships, B = Bogatyr. (smoke plumes indicate crippled ships). |
As
April dragged on the Russian armoured cruiser Rurik (AC) snuck out of
Vladivostok, but on sighting smoke she fled
ceding control of the harbour approaches.
While this trivial skirmish was taking place around Vladivostok the Russian
battle-fleet sortied from Port Arthur to challenge the Japanese battleships
cruising off Wei Hai Wei.
The 2nd Battle of Wei Hai Wei: on the 23rd of April the 6 Japanese battleships were patrolling off Wei Hai Wei in appalling weather conditions (heavy seas with a strong wind from the south-east).
So, when, 8 hours before sun-set, the entire Port Arthur fleet (5 BBs, 1 AC, 2 PCs, 2 LCs and 9 TBDs) was spotted sailing over the horizon they were somewhat taken aback.
Clearly the Russians had at last found sufficient courage (or vodka!) to seek battle outside the security blanket of their shore batteries. Although outnumbered, Admiral Togo was not dismayed as he realised the Russian fleet was poorly arrayed and would be forced to split either side of an intervening island. This, together with the bad weather, would allow him to concentrate on part of the enemy fleet while keeping his distance to allow him to escape into the night should things go awry.
The battle unfolded as Togo foresaw with the Russian fleet, in a shameful display of poor seamanship, struggling to form up while the battleships traded blows.
This allowed Togo, as anticipated, to ‘cross the T’ of the Russian battleships as they sought to get into line. However, the Gods of War [2] do not always side with better tactician and Russian gunnery proved exceptionally lucky, crippling two of Togo’s battleships, while the Japanese suffered the agony of repeated near misses.
Togo recognising the need to preserve his fleet ordered a general withdrawal with all ships making best speed to escape. As the exultant Russians closed in to press home their advantage, Togo in the Mikasa, aided by the Fuji and Yashima, placed himself between the pursuing Russians and the crippled Shikishima and Asahi.
As if recognising this brave and selfless act, Fortune now switched her favour to the Japanese and the Russian battleships had to take what, up to now, they had been content to give and the Petropavlovsk and Poltava were crippled by repeated hits.
Rattled by this turn of events the Russians fled allowing the Japanese to continue on their way home for urgent repairs.
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| Second Battle of Wei Hai Wei (23-Apr-1904): Togo crosses the Russian ‘T’. |
In retrospect, the Japanese were lucky to encounter the enemy fleet in heavy seas that prevented the Russian cruisers, and especially the TBDs from being able to make enough headway to get into the action.
With the Russian fleet back in port and licking its wounds after the Battle of Wei Hai Wei, the latest Japanese troop convoy sailed into Chinampo without incident, its escort wishing it had been assigned duties with a greater chance to prove their metal. Japanese minelaying missions also benefited from the absence of the Russian fleet and, with exception of another abortive attempt against Port Arthur, laid mines off Chinampo, Vladivostok and Wei Hai Wei. The failure at Port Arthur saw the Chiyoda (PC) fleeing from a TBD patrol; her captain’s claim that the TBDs could have presaged the arrival of the Russian fleet was widely ridiculed and with his career in tatters he terminated his service in the time-honoured fashion.
In early May with the battleships of both sides under repair the Japanese navy saw the addition of a brand-new protected cruiser, the Tsushima. While the Russians possessed the only undamaged battleship, the Pobyeda, their limited repair capacity meant that the Japanese fleet would be battle ready first. Seeking to exploit their temporary advantage the Russians sortied the Pobyeda accompanied by several cruisers and TBDs to chase off any Japanese cruiser patrols and disrupt the minelaying off Wei Hai Wei. The Russian willingness to gamble on entering a mined area was driven by their desperation to seize the initiative. Desperate gambles are of course a poor tactic, and this one rebounded on the Russians with armoured cruiser Bayan striking a mine and sinking with all hands. The Russians, disheartened, pressed on only to encounter the patrolling Japanese armoured cruisers; the Idzumo, Adzuma, Tokiwa and Iwate.
The 3rd Battle of Wei Hai Wei: on the 14th of Map, in calm seas with 4 hours to sun-set, both squadrons sighted each other separated by two small unnamed islands which constrained their shooting.
The Japanese concentrated their fire on the Russian protected cruisers and TBDs which, less the ill-fated Bayan (AC), they comfortably overmatched. The Japanese intent was to inflict sufficient damage on the enemy cruisers to shatter Russian morale before battleship Pobyeda could land a fatal blow on them.
These tactics soon paid dividends with the cruiser Askold being crippled and falling out of the line to independently return to Port Arthur. To draw fire away from their cruisers the Russian TBDs boldly advanced between the islands to launch a torpedo attack.
Once again Russian tactical ineptitude was exposed and the Japanese armoured cruisers unleashed a deluge of fire on the TBDs forcing them to withdraw with four of the six vessels crippled.
This clear display of Japanese superiority sapped the Russian will to fight and they fled, successfully evading their pursuers.
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| Third Battle of Wei Hai Wei (14-May-1904): A = Askold. |
Having thwarted every Russian attempt to seize the initiative and with the imminent completion of repairs to their battleships the Japanese had every reason to look forward to the future with confidence.
The Third and Final Part to Follow Soon.
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