Part 9

Kuré, in the province of Aki, is the coming dockyard of Japan. Situated on the Inland Sea, it is almost impossible of access by an enemy, while it is far nearer any possible base of operations than Yokosuka. Two large dry docks have been built here, but the larger is not yet complete.

Dimensions—

No. 1. Feet. Length 464 Width 69 High-water depth 29

This dock is able to take the Asama class, but not the battleships.

No. 2 (building). Feet. Length 525 Width 125 High-water depth on sill 33½

This dock is building for the new 16,400-ton battleships, and its dimensions indicate that still larger vessels are expected in the future. It will be the largest dry dock in the world.

SASSEBO.

Sassebo, in Hizen, near Nagasaki, is not of much account as a dockyard. It has neither dry docks nor slips, and is essentially a place for minor repairs. For these it is very fully equipped.

It was found most useful in the Chino-Japanese War, and its utility continued in the war with Russia.

The dockyard lies well inside a deep, sheltered bay. The navigation around it would be very difficult to a hostile fleet, as many shoals exist.

[Illustration]

[Illustration: NAVAL CLUB, SASSEBO.]

MAITZURU.

Maitzuru, in the province of Tango, lies at the end of an inlet which has a uniform depth of seven fathoms at low water. The position is not very unlike that of Kiel, in Germany.

A dockyard is building here, but its resources are _nil_ as yet.

[Illustration]

XI NAVAL HARBOURS

NAGASAKI

Nagasaki is not a dockyard town, though it is generally supposed to be outside Japan, on account of its being a naval harbour.

It is the oldest port in Japan, its history dating from the Dutch trading days. It contains two docks, as follows:—

1. TATEGAMI. Feet. Length on blocks 510 Extreme length 530 Breadth 99 Depth (maximum) 27½

2. MUKAIJIMA. Length on blocks 360 Extreme length 371 Breadth 53 Depth (maximum) 24½

There is also a patent slip, of which the rails are 750 ft. long, the breadth 30 ft., and the lifting power in tons 1200.

It has already been mentioned that Nagasaki was an old Dutch station; but the present Tategami yard was established about the time of the Crimean War, by the Tokugawa Government, with the assistance of Dutch engineers. After the civil war it was taken over by the Imperial Government, who in 1884 sold it to the Mitsu Bishi Company, to which it now belongs.

This company built the present granite dry docks. In 1889 they had begun to build ships—a tug of 206 tons gross being their first effort. Since then quite large vessels have been constructed, not always with success; but, as an invariable rule, the failures on one have led to successes on another, and the yard is now a very going concern, employing about 4000 men.

The harbour and docks are extensively used by men-of-war.

As yet, judged by European standards, no really excellent work has been turned out at Nagasaki. The main trouble has been with riveting; but this is being steadily overcome, and it is purely a question of time before ocean greyhounds will be turned out at this yard.

The work is not entirely Japanese; “stand-by” Westerners still exist. These are kept in the background, in case their services are needed. So far as I can gather, they are not requisitioned unless a difficulty occurs, which is another way of saying that they are less and less in demand. The majority of these stand-by men have Japanese wives, and have adopted Japan as their country; as often as not they are naturalised Japanese subjects.

TAKESHIKI.

Takeshiki, on the island of Tsushima, is the advanced coaling station of Japan. There are two approaches, on the west and on the south-east, but only the first is possible to big ships. In the centre of the western entrance is a large shoal, three and a half fathoms below low-water mark, leaving very deep channels close inshore on either side. As the whole entrance is only some two thousand yards wide, flanked by high hills, it will be seen that it is impregnable. Inside is a large and very deep harbour, where the whole Japanese Fleet could lie.

[Illustration]

The coaling station of Takeshiki lies six miles from the entrance by water, and five as the crow flies. It is, however, only some three thousand five hundred yards from a fourteen-fathom bay on the south-east, and so susceptible to a long-range bombardment from this quarter. It is to be bombarded also from several other east-coast inlets.

The port is very strongly fortified with Canet 9.4’s on disappearing mountings.

OMINATO.

Ominato, on the north coast of the principal island, is a torpedo-boat base. The town lies in a huge bay (Rikuoko Bay) that runs out of the Tsuguru Straits, on the opposite shores of which Hakodate stands.

The country is very mountainous, the highest peak being 3264 feet high, and the lower ones seldom less than a thousand feet.

In the war the Russians once passed through the Tsuguru Straits, but it was a risky proceeding.

KOBÉ.

Kobé, on the Gulf of Osaka, on the Inland Sea, is a fine roadstead, with western and southern entrances twenty miles apart, the island between them being nearly two thousand feet high in places.

There is a yard here, where all the Japanese-built torpedo craft are constructed.

KURÉ.

At Kuré, no great distance away, the Japanese armour-plate plant is being laid down; but at the time of writing things are still in an elementary stage, and it will be some years yet before Japan is able to armour plate her own battleships. Probably, as Russia did, Japan will begin by building her own battleships and importing the armour plates.

[Illustration: KOBÉ HARBOUR.]

XII THE MERCANTILE MARINE

The Japanese mercantile marine is of a steadily increasing character. Quite a few years ago it had no existence, and though in past centuries Japan had a very considerable merchant fleet, few people are aware of it, and fewer still realise that the present fleet of merchant ships, instead of being a wonderful new development, is merely a return to what previously existed. In this matter Japan is rather reasserting herself than striking out a new line.

The principal trade ports are—

Yokohama. Nagasaki. Kobé. Hakodate. Osaka. Ni-igata.

There are twenty other ports which have some export trade.

The principal imports are: cotton and seed, sugar, rice, wines, food, etc., wool, manufactured cotton, drugs, dyes and paints, petroleum, manure, iron and steel manufactures, arms and machinery.

The principal exports are: manufactured silk, copper, food, rice, drugs, and colours, matches, mats for floors, coal.

The principal import trade is from: Great Britain, the United States, British India, Hong Kong, Korea, China, Germany, Russian Asia, France, and Belgium.

The principal export trade is with: United States (72,000,000 yen), China and Hong Kong (about 40,000,000 yen each), France (about 27,000,000 yen), Korea (11,000,000 yen odd), Great Britain (11,000,000 yen), and British India (9,000,000 yen).

The following (from the _Statesman’s Year Book_) are the shipping statistics of the Japanese ports (without Formosa), exclusive of coasting trade, each vessel being counted at every Japanese port it entered:—

+--------------------------+----------------+----------------+ | | Entered. | Cleared. | | +-----+----------+-----+----------+ | | No. | Tonnage. | No. | Tonnage. | +--------------------------+-----+----------+-----+----------+ |Japanese steamships |3,042| 3,861,659|3,064| 3,883,782| | ” sailing ships and| | | | | | junks |1,344| 67,139|1,408| 68,902| |Foreign steamships |2,998| 7,018,077|2,990| 7,016,357| | ” sailing ships | 105| 104,505| 102| 95,910| | +-----+----------+-----+----------+ | Total |7,489|11,051,380|7,564|11,064,951| +--------------------------+-----+----------+-----+----------+

Of the total foreign ships entered, 1644 of 4,080,583 tons were British; 385 of 1,192,153 tons German; 284 of 455,243 tons Russian; 188 of 240,906 tons Norwegian; 175 of 404,724 tons American; 154 of 303,690 tons French. Of the total shipping in 1901, 1094 vessels of 2,050,201 tons entered Nagasaki; 770 of 2,001,233 tons Yokohama; 1446 of 2,998,955 tons Kobé; 207 of 85,952 tons Shimonoseki; 1683 of 2,870,640 tons Moji.

In 1901 the merchant navy of Japan (without Formosa) consisted of 1321 steamers of European type, of 543,258 tons; 3850 sailing vessels of European type, of 320,572 tons; and 911 native craft above 200 “koku,” of 415,260 “koku.”

In 1901 the total ships for foreign trade entered to the ports of Formosa were 2017 of 184,192 tons, of which 140 of 125,222 tons were steamers, 1877 of 58,970 tons were sailing vessels.

The total ships cleared the ports of Formosa were 1946 of 174,814 tons, of which 139 of 118,912 tons were steamers, 1807 of 55,902 were sailing vessels.

The principal steamship line is the Nippon Yusen Kaisha, the ships of which are usually white with black funnels, and a white house-flag carrying two red horizontal lines in the centre. It has a dozen good steamers and many smaller ones. None are very swift, and so there are none of any account as “armed liners,” supposing such craft even to be of value. On the other hand, all are very useful as transports. Both in the Chino-Japanese war and in the war with Russia they proved very valuable.

XIII THE JAPANESE ADMIRALTY

The Japanese Admiralty is modelled closely on the British one.

The supreme command is vested in the Emperor.

The Minister of Marine—the present holder of this office (1904) is Admiral Yamamoto Gombey—is a member of the Cabinet, and superintends administration. He is selected from the admirals on the active list, and responsible under the Emperor for everything.

The coast is divided into four naval districts:—

Yokosuka. Sassebo. Kuré. Maitzuru.

A fifth district, that of Muroran, is in process of formation.

Each district has its headquarters at the arsenal from which it takes its name, and barracks, etc., are at each of these places.

The men belonging to any district wear the name of that on their cap ribbons, not the name of the ship in which they serve.

[Illustration: ADMIRAL GOMBEY.]

INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT

The Japanese Naval Intelligence Department is, in my opinion, the best in the world. In the popular view this is the characteristic of the Russian one; but the Russian Intelligence Department hardly lives up to its reputation. For the collection of immaterial facts it is unrivalled, but the little it really gleaned of Japanese war preparation was amply evidenced in February, 1904.

The Japanese, on the other hand, manage to find out nearly everything. They have to a marked degree men eminently qualified for the task. Where other nations employ agents, Japanese naval officers have always been found ready to serve in the most menial capacities. Both at Port Arthur and Vladivostok officers served as coolies, or as “native servants,” being Japanese, Chinese, or Koreans, as it suited their book. Whether any one man secured really valuable information is doubtful; the benefits were secured rather by the patient sifting of everything at Tokio.

It is said that the Japanese torpedo craft reached the Russian battleships on February 8th by using Russian signals that they had stolen the secret of. Far more probable is it that they had learned them by long and patient observation.

FINANCE

The expenditure upon the Japanese Navy for the years preceding the war with Russia was—

Yen. 1900-1 17,513,354 1901-2 20,161,010 1902-3 28,425,630

In 1903 the new programme was authorised, to spread over a series of years.

The Chinese war indemnity paid for most of the ships of the after-the-war programme. The war with China cost £3,595,400 for the Navy, while the Army part totalled to £16,455,200.

Japan is not a wealthy country, and, but for the probability of war with Russia, it is quite possible that the new naval programme would never have been authorised—at any rate, on so extended a scale as now.

XIV ENTRY AND TRAINING OF OFFICERS

EXECUTIVE.

Theoretically, the Imperial Japanese Navy is a democratic institution; actually, it is no more so than the British Army. All classes are eligible for commissions, but, owing to the low rate of pay, only those with some private means care much to become officers. Eighty-five per cent. or so belong to the old fighting class, the Samaurai.

The regulations as to the entry of cadets are as follows:—

They must be between the ages of 16 and 19. On the day appointed they must present themselves for a physical examination, and about 33 per cent. fail to satisfy the medical board in this respect. The remainder are then entered for a competitive examination in the following subjects:—

Japanese literature. Chinese literature. English grammar. ” dictation. English conversation. ” translation (English to Japanese and Japanese to English). Arithmetic. Algebra. Plain trigonometry. Elementary geometry. History (of the world). Geography. Elementary physics. Very elementary chemistry. Freehand drawing.

Competition is severe; for each vacancy there are about five competitors; consequently, of those that originally enter only about 15 per cent. become _ko-hoshi_ (naval cadets).

The successful competitors are sent to the Naval College at Yetajima, near Kuré (pronounced Kōūrā), where they remain three years, at the entire expense of the Government nominally, but generally costing something to their relatives.

Here they go through a very extensive course, which, in addition to a number of subjects not specified here, includes:—

Seamanship, Gunnery, Torpedo, Navigation, Field drill, Physics, Chemistry, Mechanical engineering (elementary), English, and all the other subjects of the original competitive examination in advanced stages.

There is a feeling in Japan that this curriculum is rather too liberal for the time allowed.

Some gunboats are attached to the college, and in these classes of the cadets go out for a day or two’s practical instruction now and again; speaking generally, however, the three years are shore-service.

After the three years at college a cadet becomes a _sho-i ko-hoshé_ (midshipman), and is sent to sea for one year in a training ship (masted), drawing a trifling pay.

At the expiration of this period, when between the ages of twenty to twenty-three, the midshipmen enter for a technical pass-examination for _sho-i_ (second-class sub-lieutenant). If he fails (as a proportion do) he is put back six months. He then has a second try. If he fails in this attempt his services are dispensed with for good and all.

Passed midshipmen become sub-lieutenants, not by virtue of the examination only, but in order of seniority obtained in the examination, and as vacancies occur.

As sub-lieutenants they leave examinations behind them, but they have to write essays on naval subjects. According to how the _sho-i_ does in these, he passes up through into the higher class of sub-lieutenants. The best take about one year to become a _tchu-i_ (first-class sub-lieutenant), the worst take much longer.

After two years’ service as first-class sub-lieutenant a _tchu-i_ is eligible for promotion to _taï-i_ (lieutenant).

Promotion is entirely by selection in this and all senior ranks. The very youngest age at which an officer can become a _taï-i_ is twenty-three. Twenty-four to twenty-five is nearer the average. A non-promoted _tchu-i_ is compulsorily retired at the age of forty-two; but there are none so old as that.

After eight years’ service a _taï-i_ is eligible for promotion (by selection entirely) to lieutenant-commander. Thirty-one is the youngest age for this. Lieutenant-commander is a distinct rank, intermediate between lieutenant and commander. Its holder is entitled to the courtesy rank of “captain,” and officially so addressed. In command of a small ship he is a _scho-sa_; serving in a big ship he is a _hojutsho_ (gunnery lieutenant), _suirisho_ (torpedo lieutenant) or a _kokisho_ (navigator).

A lieutenant-commander is selected for _tchu-sa_ (commander) without any definite service time.

Thence, still entirely by selection he can pass on upwards through the usual higher grades of captain, rear-admiral, and vice-admiral (_kan-cho_, _scho-sho_, and _tucho_). The average age at which an officer becomes a _scho-cho_ (rear-admiral) is forty-five. The retiring age is sixty-five, but comparatively few live so long.

To be selected for _taï-sho_ (admiral), a _tucho_ must have been in command of a fleet two years, and, further, have been so in actual war.

A higher nominal rank still exists of admiral of the fleet—destined for a full admiral who has had meritorious war service in that rank; but there are none at present.

ENGINEERS.

An officer enters for a _kika-no_ (engineer) by competitive examination identical with that for those of military rank already described.

Those who pass are sent to Yokosuka, where they spend four years training in the technique of their profession. After that they join ships, having equivalent rank with, but after, the military branch, according to the table on a later page.

Engineers in the Japanese Navy have power to punish their own men, being executive in their own department. They are not, however, granted military titles.

DOCTORS.

A doctor (_quini_) is now a civilian who has a fancy for the sea-service. Like engineers, doctors have equivalent rank with, but after, the corresponding military branch, and are eligible for pensions after twenty years’ service.

PAYMASTERS.

A paymaster (_shukei_) is also a civilian, entered as doctors are, and serving under the same conditions.

CONSTRUCTORS.

The constructor (_losin-sokun_) enters by competitive examination much as executive and engineers do. After passing he is attached to a dockyard, and then sent abroad, usually to England, to learn more than he can acquire in Japanese dockyards, where only small ships are built as yet. A constructor has equivalent rank with the executive, just like the other non-military branches. All these branches at times use for themselves a military title; thus, _taï-i-kikano_ (lieutenant-engineer) or _taï-i-losin-sokun_ (lieutenant-constructor); but the military branch being, naturally enough, jealous of their titles, the prefix is non-official, and never applied to civil branches by the executive. Of the civil branches, constructors most often get the military title, and in the dockyards are always addressed by the employés as _taï-i_, _houk-cho_, or _kan-cho_, without the word constructor at all. In the British Navy, of course, constructors are almost as entirely civil a profession as Admiralty clerks, and are absolutely unknown to naval officers afloat; but in the Japanese Navy the tie is closer, and every officer knows them.

JAPANESE NAVAL TITLES WITH ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS

=Note.=— _a_ is pronounced as _a_ in f_a_ther. _ai_ “ _i_ in _i_dle. _i_ “ _e_ in f_ee_t, _u_ “ _ou_, or as _ue_ in cl_ue_. _ei_ or _e_ “ _a_ in f_a_te. Example: _taï-i_ is pronounced “_ti-ēē_.”

To follow French pronunciation is a tolerably safe guide.

The system under which the Japanese name their deck officers is extremely simple. They are divided into three groups—big, medium, and little. For each of the three grades in these groups there are three similar prefixes—_taï_-, _tchū_-,[29] and _shŏ_-. The affix is the same for all grades in each group, -_shō_ for the big, -_sá_ for the medium, and -_i_ for the lowest.

[29] Might also be transliterated “su,” “s” having the pronunciation of “tch” here.

Thus they get:—

PREFIX. AFFIX. 1. _taï_- } Big. Medium. Little. 2. _tchū_- } -_shŏ_ -_sá_ -_i_ 3. _shŏ_- }

The various ranks, with the corresponding English equivalents, are as follows, working upwards:—

Sho-i (Ko-hoshei) = midshipman. Sho-i = 2nd class sub-lieutenant. Tchu-i = 1st class sub-lieutenant. Taï-i = lieutenant. Sho-sá = lieutenant-commander. Tchu-sá = commander. Taï-sá = captain. Sho-sho = rear-admiral. Tchu-sho = vice-admiral. Taï-sho = admiral.

In addition, there are the following branches of lieutenant-commanders:—

Ho-jūt-sho = gunnery lieutenant, Sui-ri-sho = torpedo lieutenant, Ko-ki-sho = navigating lieutenant,

which means principal officer connected with guns, torpedo, or navigation, as the case may be.

As for the other branches:—

Kika-no = engineer. Gui-ni = doctor. Shukei = paymaster. Zosin = constructor.

The affix _kwan_ (pronounced “kuàrn”) denotes junior rank, and is equivalent to our “assistant.” _Tdi-kikansh_ is also “assistant-engineer,” while the chief of any ship is _kikan-sho_.

The ordinary warrant officer is known as a _juin’shi-kwan_ (“jivēntsh kuàrn”).

XV ENTRY OF MEN

BLUEJACKETS

By the law of Japan, every male of the age of twenty has to draw lots for the conscription, unless he is already serving. As a matter of fact, however, there are comparatively few conscript sailors in the Imperial Navy, as young Japanese volunteer for service in large numbers.

All candidates undergo a physical examination; and also a literary examination in elementary writing, reading, and arithmetic.

Volunteers are accepted between the ages of seventeen and twenty-one years, and sign on for six years’ service.

Conscripts are compelled to serve four years.

Both classes may volunteer to continue serving up to the following ages, when they are pensioned off:—

Seamen 40 years. Petty officers 45 ” Warrant officers 50 ” Chief warrant officers 55 ”

Warrant and chief warrant officers in the Japanese Navy never undertake watch-keeping as in the British Navy. In no cases do they mess with the commissioned officers, as in our destroyers, torpedo boats, and torpedo gunboats, but, even in destroyers, have always their own mess.

They are not eligible for promotion to commissioned rank.

XVI PAY

Pay in the Japanese Navy is, save in one important particular (mess allowance), very much on all-fours as to system with pay in the Russian Navy. There is, in all ranks, the same distinction between shore pay and sea pay, only, unlike the Russian, the Jap is not confined inside his harbours by Nature for two-thirds of the year.

Like Russian pay, too, it varies according to the station and varying living expenses. The distinctly Japanese element—and a very democratic one to boot—is that mess allowance is the same for all ranks: an ordinary seaman, a lieutenant, and a vice-admiral all draw exactly the same sum for messing, and that the modest one of 4_s_. 7_d_. and a fraction per week—a pound a month. The idea of the Japanese Government appears to be admirable enough in theory; it has certainly the merit of simplicity.

It must be borne in mind that the cost of living in Japan is about one-third the cost of living in the same style in England, about half the cost of living in Russia, and one-fifth the cost in the United States.

Details of pay for the various ranks are as follows:—

OFFICERS.

Naval cadets and engineer students, while at college, are allowed £5 (50 yen) a month to cover all expenses.

Midshipmen, during their year at sea, receive £3 a month.

Sub-lieutenants get from £3 5_s_. to £4 a month, plus a sea allowance of £1 a month and the £1 mess allowance. Altogether they draw about £70 a year, the equivalent of £200 a year in England; while, if serving abroad, their sea allowance is nearly trebled. It is said to be practically impossible for sub-lieutenants to live on their pay. A first-class sub-lieutenant draws £5 a month as ordinary pay.

_Lieutenants and Equivalent Ranks._

Lieutenants draw £8 a month, plus a sea allowance of from £1 to £8 per month, according to the station. Exclusive of mess allowance, a Japanese lieutenant in England gets a little under £200 a year—more or less the same as a British naval lieutenant.

Flag, gunnery, and torpedo lieutenants draw some additional pay for these duties. Unlike British specialists, all specialist lieutenants are watch-keepers in the Japanese service.

_Lieutenant-Commanders._

A lieutenant-commander is paid £10 a month, while his sea allowance varies from £2 to £12, according to the service on which he is engaged. Destroyers are lieutenant-commanders commands, and those who are captains of destroyers draw more accordingly than those serving in big ships as senior lieutenants.

_Commanders._

Commanders are paid £15 a month. Sea pay ranges from £2 10_s_. to £10—the maximum in a big ship; but if captain of a gunboat, a commander’s sea pay may rise to £15.

_Captains._

The pay of a captain is £22 a month. Sea pay runs from £3 to £16. He may also draw additions for entertaining expenses.

_Rear-Admirals._

Rear-Admirals draw £29 a month, and the extra sea pay may run to £23, plus entertaining allowances.

_Vice-Admirals._