Part 13

At half-past four a.m. the first flotilla encountered six Russian destroyers at the south of Liaotishan, and a hot action took place for twenty minutes. In its course three of our destroyers—Asashio, Kasumi, and Akatsuki—fought very closely against the enemy’s destroyers, almost touching each other, and delivered a hot fire.

The enemy’s destroyers were severely injured, either being damaged in engines or suffering from the outbreak of fire, and fled away in great confusion. Our ships also sustained some damage. Casualties on our side are seven petty officers killed and nine men wounded.

The Akatsuki’s auxiliary steampipe was destroyed, but all the destroyers of the first flotilla have no difficulty for further fighting or navigation.

The second flotilla, when it was leaving the outside of the harbour at 7 a.m., found two Russian destroyers just coming back into the harbour, and attacked them, intercepting their return course. One of the two escaped, but the other—namely, the Steregutchy—was destroyed and captured by our destroyer Sazanami, which tried to tow it back. However, the leakage was great and the sea very rough, and the towing-rope was broken. Therefore, after the prisoners, four in all, were taken up, the captured ship was left, and she sank at ten minutes past ten a.m.

The damage in the second flotilla is insignificant. Casualties: Two men killed and one officer and three men wounded.

Although the Novik and Bayan came out from the harbour towards the second flotilla, they soon retired into the harbour upon seeing that our cruisers were approaching.

As to the movements of our main squadron and the cruiser squadron, they arrived off Port Arthur at eight a.m. The cruiser squadron at once proceeded towards the front of the mouth of the harbour and supported our destroyer flotilla, as above stated.

The main squadron also approached Liaotishan, from ten a.m. until twenty minutes to two p.m., and made an indirect bombardment against the harbour. The enemy’s forts intermittently returned the fire, but no damage was inflicted upon our ships. A detached squadron of cruisers went to Dalny, and destroyed the enemy’s buildings on the San Shan Islands.

The Takasago and Chihaya scouted the western coast of the entrance of Port Arthur, but no enemy was seen.

A Russian destroyer, which had been sunk in Pigeon Bay in the last battle, is found to be the Vnushitelni, of which now the upper parts of the masts and funnels are seen on the surface. All our ships discontinued the battle at two p.m., and retired.

Subsequently an attempt was made to block Port Arthur harbour with sunken ships. It was also hoped to destroy the Retvizan by exploding ships near her, but the attack was completely foiled by the defence.

There was a second bottling expedition of March 27th, which again failed. It led to the death of a valuable officer, Commander Hirose. The official report ran as follows:—

The united squadron again left for Port Arthur on Saturday.

On Sunday morning at half-past three it commenced blockading the harbour entrance. The four steamers to be sunk, escorted by a flotilla of destroyers, advanced to the entrance, facing the enemy’s searchlights.

At about two miles from the entrance they were discovered by the enemy, and exposed to fire from the fortress on either shore, and also from the enemy’s ships on guard.

Braving these dangers, the four steamers ran into the waterway at the mouth of the harbour. The Chiyo-maru anchored at about half a chain from the shore, to the west of Golden Hill, and blew up. The Fukui-maru, passing to the left of Chiyo-maru, advanced a short distance, and was about to anchor, when she was struck by a torpedo from the enemy’s destroyers, and sank. The Yahiko-maru went to the left of the Fukui-maru, and blew up herself.

The Yoneyama-maru reached the harbour entrance, and colliding against the stern of an enemy’s destroyer, managed to reach the middle passage by passing between the Chiyo-maru and Fukui-maru. Just at that moment an enemy’s torpedo struck and sunk her. The momentum brought her forward to the left shore, and with her bows towards the left side sank sideways.

To have accomplished the work so far under such great disadvantages and dangers must be considered a success and command admiration. It is regrettable, however, that, owing to some space being still left between the Yahiko-maru and Yoneyama-maru, a complete blocking has not been effected.

Those who were engaged in this work are those who had been engaged in the same work before. It was by their special request that only the petty officers and crews were supplanted by new men.

The casualties were as follows:—Commander Hirose and three petty officers killed; Lieut. Shimada mortally wounded; Lieut. Masuki, Engineer Kura, and six petty officers and men slightly wounded. All the rest of the crews were safely picked up by our destroyers.

Commander Hirose and Boatswain Sugino, who were killed, displayed admirable courage. Sugino was just going down to light the magazine on the Fukui-maru, when the ship was struck by the enemy’s torpedo, killing him. Commander Hirose, after causing his men to take to the boats, and not finding Sugino, searched through the ship three times. Finding his ship gradually going down, he was compelled to leave her and enter the boat. As the boat was rowing away under the enemy’s fire, a shell struck him on the head, and the greater part of his body was blown away, the only remaining part of this brave officer’s body being a piece of flesh in the boat.

Commander Hirose was always a model officer, and he leaves a meritorious example and memory which will be everlasting.

For the protection of the steamers and the rescue of their crews, all our flotilla of destroyers did their utmost, in the face of the enemy’s severe cannonade. Above all, the destroyers Kotaka and Tsubame penetrated to within a mile of the harbour entrance, where they encountered and engaged an enemy’s destroyer, to which they did considerable damage. The Russian destroyer seemed to have had her boiler hit, and sent up a volume of steam, and retreated.

As the officers and men were leaving the harbour after their work was done, they observed one of the enemy’s ships below Golden Hill. She seemed completely disabled.

In spite of the enemy’s very hot fire, to which our flotilla was exposed until dawn, no damage whatever was sustained.

The crews on board the Chiyo-maru and Yahi-maru were taken on board the destroyer Tsubame. The crew of the Yoneyama-maru escaped in three boats, and were rescued by the destroyers Misasagi and Karigane. The crew of the Fukui-maru was taken on board the Kasumi.

The following torpedo boats and destroyers took part in the engagement:—

Destroyers.—Shirakumo, Kasumi, Asashio, Akatsuki, Akebono, Oboro, Inazumi, Ikadzuchi, Usugumo, Sazanami, and Shimonome.

Torpedo boats.—Karigane, Kotaka, Misasagi, Tsubame, Managure, and Hato.

TOGO.

The concluding operation of the first stage of the war was reported as follows by Admiral Togo:—

On the 11th our combined fleet commenced, as previously planned, the eighth attack upon Port Arthur. The fourth and the fifth destroyer flotillas, the fourteenth torpedo flotilla, and the Koryo-maru reached the mouth of Port Arthur at midnight of the 12th, and effected the laying of mines at several points outside the port, defying the enemy’s searchlight.

The second destroyer flotilla discovered, at dawn of the 13th, one Russian destroyer trying to enter the harbour, and, after ten minutes’ attack, sank her.

Another Russian destroyer was discovered coming from the direction of Liau-tie-shan. We attacked her, but she managed to flee into the harbour.

There were no casualties on our side, except two seamen in the Ikazuchi slightly wounded. There was no time to rescue the enemy’s drowning crew, as the Bayan approached.

The third fleet reached outside of Port Arthur at 8 a.m., when the Bayan came out and opened fire. Immediately the Novik, Askold, Diana, Petropavlovsk, Pobieda, and Poltava came out and made offensive attack upon us.

Our third fleet, tardily answering and gradually retiring, enticed the enemy fifteen miles south-east of the port, when our first fleet, being informed through wireless telegraphy from the third fleet, suddenly appeared before the enemy and attacked them.

While the enemy was trying to regain the port, a battleship of the Petropavlovsk type struck mines laid by us in the previous evening, and sank at 10.32 a.m.

Another ship was observed to have lost freedom of movement, but the confusion of enemy’s ships prevented us from identifying her. They finally managed to regain the port.

Our third fleet suffered no damage. The enemy’s damage was, besides the above-mentioned, probably slight also.

Our first fleet did not reach firing distance. Our fleets retired at 1 p.m., prepared for another attack

On the 14th our fleet resailed towards Port Arthur. The second, the fourth, and the fifth destroyer flotillas and the ninth torpedo flotilla joined at 3 a.m., and the third fleet at 7 a.m. No enemy’s ship was seen outside the port.

Our first fleet arrived there at 9 a.m., and, discovering three mines laid by the enemy, destroyed them all.

The Kasuga and the Nisshin were despatched to the west of Liau-tie-shan. They made an indirect bombardment for two hours, this being their first action. The new forts at Liau-tie-shan were finally silenced.

Our forces retired at 1.30 p.m.

TOGO.

The Russian ship destroyed was Admiral Makaroff’s flagship, the Petropavlovsk; the second ship injured was the battleship Pobieda. In the action in which she engaged the third squadron, the Bayan also was damaged, and the effective Russian fleet for the moment reduced to the Peresviet, Sevastopol, Askold, Diana, Novik, and some five destroyers.

Another attempt to block the harbour followed, no less than ten ships being employed. In Japan this attempt was accepted as completely successful; but there are few grounds for believing that it was more than temporarily so.

Too little is yet known of the real facts of the war for many conclusions of value to be drawn; indeed, only one thing is as yet fully clear, and that is the importance of battleships. Russia’s failure lay here. Lacking a battleship superiority, she was unable to support her cruisers, and these consequently unable to support the destroyers. As a result, despite the extraordinary activity of the Russian cruiser Bayan, the naval war followed the exact course that any one cognizant of naval affairs could have predicted on February 10, 1904. Only the battleship can confer command of the sea.

Later events to the end of May included the loss of the battleship Hatsuse, by contact with a Russian mine, and the sinking of the cruiser Yoshino, after collision with the Kasuga in a fog.

APPENDICES

THE SINKING OF THE KOW-SHING

OFFICIAL REPORT OF CAPTAIN TOGO OF THE NANIWA

“At 9.15 a.m., coming close to the Kow-shing, I signalled J. W. (to stop immediately) and twice fired blank shot. The next signal was L. P. (to anchor), which she obeyed. I was at that time very anxious to catch the flying Chinese warship, and I turned a little while in that direction. At that time the Kow-shing signalled D. N. W. R. (may I proceed), which I answered by the signal J. W.

“At 10.40, I sent Lieutenant Hitomi and others as prize officers to her. On seeing all the papers and other things, they found that she was carrying contraband persons. So I ordered her to follow me, which her captain consented to do. When I hoisted the signal L. R. (slip or weigh anchor immediately), she asked me by signal to send a boat for communication. I thought that the captain wished to tell me that he was prevented by the Chinese soldiers from obeying my order. So I ordered Lieutenant Hitomi to go again to her, giving him instructions to bring the Europeans on board the Naniwa, if the Chinese generals were resisting the carrying out of my order. When the lieutenant came alongside, the captain came to the gangway and said that the Chinese generals asked to be allowed to return to Taku, as they did not know that war had broken out. The lieutenant informed me that, when he went there, the Chinese soldiers were in a condition of the greatest confusion and excitement, so that the captain intentionally came down to the gangway and would not let him go on deck. Four hours had been consumed in these fruitless negotiations, and there was no longer room for hesitation, so I signalled M. L. (quit the ship immediately). To this the captain again answered by the signal demanding a boat. At that time I thought it would be rather foolish to send our officers, as the Chinese were in such an excited state. Accordingly I signalled H. J. (boat cannot come). It seemed to me that she was awaiting the arrival of the Chinese fleet; moreover, it was very dangerous to hesitate any longer, so I again hoisted the signal M. L., and at the same time a red flag on the foremast. At 1.10 p.m. I ordered one torpedo and shells to be discharged. The latter hit the engine-room.

“At 1.15 the Kow-shing began to sink from her stern.

“At 1.37 I sent two cutters to rescue the captain, the officers and the rest.

“At 1.46 she sank.

“The spot where she sank is two miles south of the island of Sho-pai-oul.”

CAPTAIN GALSWORTHY’S REPORT.

The British steamer Kow-shing, owned by the Indo-China Co., left Shang-hai on July 17th, bound to Taku, under charter to carry Chinese troops from that port to Asan, on the coast of Korea. Arriving at Taku on the 20th, arrangements were made to ship the troops, and on the 23rd 1100 came on board, including two generals, a number of other officers of various ranks, and a German ex-army officer named Hanneken, who came as an ordinary passenger. At 9.50 p.m. on the 23rd the ship proceeded on her voyage to Asan. All went well until the morning of the 25th, when off Shopeiul Island, we passed a man-of-war flying the Japanese naval ensign, with a white flag above it. This vessel proved to be the Chinese warship Tei-yuen. Shortly afterwards we sighted three Japanese men-of-war, the Naniwa, Yoshino, and another (probably the Akitsushiu). The Naniwa at once steamed towards us, flying a signal ordering us to stop. She also fired two blank charges, and signalled us to anchor, which we did at once. The Naniwa then steamed away, apparently to communicate with the other ships. I at once enquired by signal if I might proceed, to which the Naniwa replied, “Heave-to or take the consequences.” A boat then came from the Naniwa and an officer came on board. He was received at the gangway, and he asked to see the ship’s papers. They were shown him, and his attention particularly called to the fact that she was a British ship. Numerous other questions were asked and answered, the most important one being, “Would the Kow-shing follow the Naniwa?” Being utterly helpless against a man-of-war, I replied that there would be no alternative but to do so, under protest, if ordered. The officer then left the ship, and proceeded to the Naniwa. Shortly after, being still at anchor, I was ordered by signal to cut, slip, or weigh immediately. The Chinese generals learning the meaning of the signals, and finding preparations were being made to follow the Naniwa, objected most emphatically. They were told how useless it would be to resist, as one shot would sink them in a short time. The generals then said they would rather die than obey Japanese orders, and, as they had 1100 men against about 400 on the Naniwa, they would fight sooner than surrender. They were told that if they decided to fight, the foreign officers would leave the ship. The generals then gave orders to the troops on deck to kill us if we obeyed the orders of the Japanese or attempted to leave the ship. With gestures they threatened to cut off our heads, to stab or shoot us; and a lot of men were selected to watch us and carry out the order. A signal was then made requesting the Naniwa to send a boat, in order to communicate the state of affairs. A boat was at once sent, but a crowd of armed Chinese took possession of the gangway, until I prevailed on the generals to send them away. Eventually the officers came alongside, and a message for the commander of the Naniwa was sent, stating that the Chinese refused to allow the Kow-shing to be taken, and insisting upon returning to Taku. It was again pointed out that she was a British ship, and that she had left port before war had been declared. The boat then returned to the Naniwa, and on her arrival a signal was hoisted ordering the Europeans to leave the ship at once. A reply was given that they were not allowed to leave the ship, and asking for a boat to be sent. Notice was sent to the engineers to be handy on deck in case the Japanese fired. The Naniwa shortly afterwards replied that a boat could not be sent. The Naniwa then hoisted a red flag at the fore, which was apparently a signal for discharging a torpedo, as one was fired at the Kow-shing, but missed her. A broadside of five guns was then fired. At the time I was on the bridge, my officers having left it, and seeing that the soldiers set to watch me had left their station at the foot of the ladder, I rushed to the wheelhouse, and, after obtaining a lifebelt (the last one remaining), I jumped over the ship’s side. In doing so I heard a terrific explosion, and upon returning to the surface of the sea I found the atmosphere was thick with smoke and fine coal-powder. I at once struck out for the shore, distant about 1¼ miles. There were many Chinese in the water, but I only saw one European, Mr. von Hanneken. As the air cleared, a bullet struck the water close to my ear, and was followed by a shower of bullets. Knowing that shot from the Naniwa could not strike near me, owing to being sheltered by the hull of the Kow-shing, I turned on my back, and saw the Chinese soldiers firing at me from the deck and the ’tween deck ports. As far as possible I protected the back of my head with the lifebelt, and swam as low in the water as I could. Shortly after the Kow-shing went down, stern first. After being in the water some time, I was picked up by the Naniwa’s cutter, in a very exhausted condition. The same boat had already rescued one of the quartermasters, who had been wounded in the neck by a rifle bullet. On arriving at the Naniwa we found that the chief officer was the only other person saved by the Japanese, leaving five Europeans connected with the ship, and the passenger, missing. We anchored off Shopeiul about 9 a.m. The firing commenced about 1 p.m., and we were taken aboard the Naniwa about 2.30 p.m. During the evening the Naniwa steamed away, arriving the next morning at the rendezvous of the Japanese Fleet in Korea. We were then transferred to the Yayeyama, together with a Danish electrician, named Muhlenstedt, and about sixty Chinese, who were taken prisoners from the Chinese steamer Tso-kiang, the same clay. The Yayeyama then proceeded to Sasebo, arriving on the morning of the 28th. From Sasebo I and Mr. Tamplin, the chief officer, came here in a small tender at noon on Sunday last, having in the mean time been interviewed by Mr. Suyematsu Kencho, President of the Imperial Board of Legislature, who came down from Tokyo for that purpose. The quartermaster remained behind owing to his wound not having properly healed up, whilst Mr. Muhlenstedt is being further detained. During our detention we received every care and attention necessary for our comfort. After arriving here we proceeded to H.M.’s Consulate, and made an affidavit of the entire circumstances. The Naniwa, I may mention, had been damaged on the port quarter from a shot fired from the Tche-yuen in the morning. I can positively say I did not see the Japanese fire on the Chinese in the water. The Chinese killed many of their own people.

LOSS OF THE KOW-SHING

Finding and Order of a Naval Court, held at H.B.M. Consulate, Nagasaki, on August 7, 1894.

The S.S. Kow-shing was an iron vessel, schooner rigged, of 1355 tons registered tonnage, official number 87000, built at Barrow-in-Furness, and belonging to the port of London. It appears from evidence given before this court that she sailed from Taku on or about the 23rd day of July, 1894, bound for Gasan, in Korea, with no cargo but 1100 Chinese troops on board, that everything went well until the morning of the 25th July, when about 9 a.m. the Naniwa-kan, a Japanese man-of-war, signalled to her to stop and to anchor, with the island of Sho-pei-oul bearing about N. by E., distant 1¼ miles. That after communicating with the Kow-shing twice by boat, and ordering the officers to quit the vessel, which they were prevented doing by the Chinese troops, the Naniwa-kan, about 1 p.m., discharged a torpedo at the Kow-shing, and this not striking her the Naniwa-kan fired a broadside of five heavy guns at her and continued firing both heavy and machine guns from deck and tops until she sank, about an hour later. That when firing commenced a number of the crew and Chinese troops jumped overboard, amongst them the master, Thomas Ryder Galsworthy, the first mate, Lewis Henry Tamplin, and a quartermaster, Lucas Evangelista (a Manilla man), who are the only members of the crew at present known to be saved. The court, having regard to the circumstances above stated, find as follows:—

1. That the ship was sufficiently seaworthy and found well in all necessary respects.

2. That the conduct of the officers and crew before and up to the time of the sinking of the vessel was satisfactory and free from blame.

3. That the cause of the sinking was due to her having been repeatedly struck by heavy cannon shots from the Naniwa-kan, a Japanese man-of-war.

4. That no efforts on the part of the master or crew would have availed to avert the catastrophe.

5. That the court attaches no blame whatever to the master, Thomas Ryder Galsworthy, or any of the officers or crew.

6. The expenses of the Court are merely approved.

Dated at Nagasaki, the 7th day of August, 1894.

JOHN J. QUIN, H.B.M. Consul, president.

THE ARMISTICE

His Majesty the Emperor of Japan having in view of the untoward event which temporarily interrupted the depending negotiations for peace commanded his plenipotentiaries to consent to a temporary armistice,

The undersigned Count Ito Hirobumi, Junii, grand cross of the imperial order of Paullownia, minister president of state, and Viscount Mutsu Munemitsu, Junii, first class of the imperial order of the Sacred Treasure, minister of state for foreign affairs, the plenipotentiaries of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan; and Li Hung-Chang, plenipotentiary of His Majesty the Emperor of China, senior tutor to the Heir Apparent, senior grand secretary of state, minister superintendent of trade for the northern ports of China, viceroy of the province of Chihli and earl of the first rank, have concluded the following treaty of armistice:—

Art. 1. The Imperial governments of Japan and China agree to enforce an armistice between their respective military and naval forces in the provinces of Fêng-tien, Chihli and Shan-tung subject to the provisions contained in the following articles:—