The Day To Remember

Double Whisky

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On board of Knyaz Suvorov
14-th day of May 1905



Your Majesty !



I hereby do have a privilege and honour to inform Your Majesty, that today, on 14-th day of May 1905, the Second Pacific Squadron met the main body of Japanese fleet.
In order to fight out the way to Vladivostok the Second Pacific Squadron accepted the battle and fought it with utmost bravery to the final victory.
It is my duty to inform Your Majesty that the losses of Second Pacific Squadron were outstandingly heavy, but thanks to God supporting our case the Japanese battleline was wiped out of the surface of the ocean and now Russian Imperial Fleet helds strongly the command of the sea.
It is impossible for me to present to Your Majesty the normal and customary commendations for gallantry and bravery in this glorious battle. I can only commend to Your Majesty all the officers and sailors of the fleet, on first place those who lost their lives in the battle on the decks of eighteen sunken ships of the Second Pacific Squadron. All those ships fought with utmost heroism to the very end for God, Tsar and Great Russia.
After reaching Vladivostok and uniting with Independent Cruiser Squadron there I will have the honour to present to Your Majesty plan for further exploiting todays victory.
In order to most completely inform Your Majesty I took the liberty to attach to this report appendixes, containing the description of the battle prepared by the Staff of Second Pacific Squadron, and list of ships detailing the losses and present Ordre de Battle of Second pacific squadron.



Your Majesty’s obedient servant

Zinovi Petrovitch Rozhdestvenski
Vice Admiral
In command of Second Pacific Squadron
of Russian Imperial Fleet






APPENDIX I


BATTLE OF FOURTEENTH OF MAY 1905

IN THE STRAIT OF TSU-SHIMA

FIRST SUMMARY​


At the sunrise the fleet was steaming 8 knots on general course 60 in normal night convoy formation, with battleline in van, accompanied by scouts and auxiliaries in rear, accompanied by cruisers.
At first daylight some ten Japanese cruisers were spotted. As the fleet was at the moment in the very central point of Tsushima Strait the Commanding Admiral realized that the general fleet action is imminent and unavoidable. The order were passed by flags to reform the fleet accordingly to the plan presented to all admirals and captains of the Second Pacific Squadron on last general meeting.
Separate signals were made to all auxiliary ships, confirming that they are to disperse immediately, and to try the chance of sailing to Vladivostok independently, via La Perouse Strait.
The fleet itself formed three columns on general course 50:
The portside column: three battleships of third class: Admiral Ushakov, Admiral Senyavin and General Admiral Apraksin as a van and four destroyers as a rear.
The central column: three battleships of first and second class: Sisoi Vyeliki, Navarin and Imperator Nikolai I as a van and five destroyers as a rear.
The starboard (main) column: one armoured cruiser of the first class Admiral Nakhimow and five battleships of the first class: Knyaz Suvorov, Impierator Aleksandr III, Borodino, Oriol and Oslablya as a van and a cruisers: Avrora, Svietlana, Dimitri Donskoj and Vladimir Monomakh as a rear. Other five cruisers were in loose formation to the starboard of the main body, fighting the enemy scouts and sinking early enemy cruiser Idzumi as first ship sunken this day.
In the meantime battleships of portside column put Japanese scouts on this side into flight.
Shortly after the columns of smoke from 25 announced the appearance of the main body of Japanese fleet. They were steaming very fast, and Commanding Admiral ordered the speed of 11 knots for all three columns.
The plan of Commanding Admiral was to form the new line from the battleships of port and central columns in the very last moment and so to be able to cross the Japanese T at any situation, hiding the destroyers ready to attack behind. But now the Japanese ships were advancing so straight, like they intended to pass between the battleships of port and central column. Passing this way with twelve ships they could deliver the tremendous blow to both columns, maybe for some price, but leaving our starboard column someway apart of the main action, for a time at least. It was the last time to give the order to battleships of port and central column to turn 90 left and form new line, crossing the Japanese T. But Commanding Admiral told in this very moment: „They don’t see destroyers in this haze, and are going into the trap. Signal: Port and central column. Independent action. Each ship for itself. Give them all.”
The distance was about 2.000 fathoms and Knyaz Suvorov and after the whole fleet opened fire concentrating on Japanese First Squadron.
Japanese battleships entered the patch of water between our port and central columns, battered from both sides, but battering our ships in return. The old battleships of both columns went quickly ablaze, but were fighting to their utmost according to the First Battle Standing Order of Commanding Admiral: „Any ship damaged or because of any other reason unable to keep pace with the main body of the fleet is to close and engage the nearest capital ship of enemy. No such a ship is allowed to withdraw before the battle ended.”
The people on the six battleships were doomed, but they fought with absolute bravery, and fires started on all Japanese battleships, and also on armoured cruisers shadowing them.
At the moment Commanding Admiral ordered: „Main body: utmost speed. Cruisers: follow the line. Main body: target Japanese Second Squadron. Cruisers: target rear of Japanese First Squadron.”
Not only six battleships of our fleet were doomed. The whole Japanese First Squadron was doomed also. From the haze, funnelsmoke, gunsmoke and firesmoke nine destroyers appeared steaming full speed. The Japanese probably didn’t saw them at all before the torpedoes started to hitting their ships. The smoke covered completely the melee in which our portside and central column and Japanese First Squadron disappeared.
To the port of our main column was the Japanese Second Squadron, desorganised partly, battered by the salvoes of our main body. Japanese were turning to the east, out of melee, firing to our battleships of central column, which were completely ablaze, but still steaming north and fighting. We saw the Navarin, covered by flames and fumes closing the enemy and ramming the Yakumo. To the northwest the Japanese cruisers were grouping. Commanding Admiral led his column to the west spreading the fire over the groups of Japanese cruisers hitting heavily two of Chitose class, then to the south. The smokes from the melee went up somewhat and it was possible to see Russian and Japanese battleships in fires, listing and sinking, as well as few drifting wrecks of destroyers. From the melee armoured cruisers Nisshin and Kasuga were creeping out, but concentrated fire of our fleet put them completely ablaze very quickly. To the northeast the cruisers Dimitri Donskoj and Vladimir Monomakh, separated of the Commanding Admiral column because of inferior speed were engaged by Japanese Second Squadron, reformed and returning to the fight. The fight of two old cruisers against six modern, even if already bettered somewhat, counterparts was totally hopeless but gave the main body a precious time to turn northwest, reform and then cross the T of Japanese Second Squadron. The group of cruisers under Rear Admiral Enquist joined the fight and main body manouevred very effectively crossing the Japanese T not less than six times. Battering in the first phase of the battle shown the effect here, because the Japanese cruisers were apparently unable to outsteam our battleships.
Cruisers Dimitri Donskoj and Vladimir Monomakh, largely damaged still fought bravely to their end against Japanese light forces, such preventing encirclement of our fleet.
Unhappily in the very last hour of the battle cruiser Admiral Nakhimov suffered a propulsion breakdown, and was sunk by Japanese Second Squadron. This was, however the last Japanese success in the battle, as one by one, their heavily battered ships felt out of the line, Yakumo sinking the last. Half an hour earlier our remaining cruisers withdrew from the action because of shortage of ammunition. Without them to engage Japanese light forces was not reasonable, with low ammo and short time to sunset.
The whole Japanese battleline – four battleships and eight armoured cruisers – was destroyed, and Commanding Admiral ordered the course to Vladivostok, to regroup the fleet and prepare it for further actions.


K.K. Clapiers de Collongues
Captain
Chief of Staff
of Commanding Admiral
Second Pacific Squadron
Of Russian Imperial Fleet









APPENDIX II

I. YOUR MAJESTY’S SHIPS STEAMING NOW TO VLADIVOSTOK

1. KNYAZ SUVOROV – BATTLESHIP OF FIRST CLASS
2. IMPIERATOR ALEKSANDR III – BATTLESHIP OF FIRST CLASS
3. ORIOL – BATTLESHIP OF FIRST CLASS
4. BORODINO – BATTLESHIP OF FIRST CLASS
5. OSLABLYA – BATTLESHIP OF FIRST CLASS
6. OLEG – CRUISER OF FIRST CLASS
7. AVRORA – CRUISER OF FIRST CLASS
8. SVIETLANA – CRUISER OF SECOND CLASS
9. IZUMRUD – CRUISER OF SECOND CLASS
10. ZHYEMCHUG – CRUISER OF SECOND CLASS
11. ALMAZ – CRUISER OF THIRD CLASS
12. URAL – CRUISER OF THIRD CLASS



II. YOUR MAJESTY’S AUXILIARY SHIPS ORDERED TO DISPERSE AND PROCEED TO VLADIVOSTOK INDEPENDENTLY

1. KAMCHATKA – REPAIR SHIP
2. ORYEL – HOSPITAL SHIP
3. KOSTROMA – MEDICAL SUPPORT AND TRANSPORT SHIP
4. ANADYR – TRANSPORT SHIP
5. IRTYSH – TRANSPORT SHIP
6. KOREYA – TRANSPORT SHIP
7. SWIR – SALVAGE SHIP
8. RUS – SALVAGE SHIP



III. SHIPS WHICH SANK IN THE BATTLE SERVING TO THE END YOUR MAJESTY

1. SISOI VYELIKI – BATTLESHIP OF FIRST CLASS
2. NAVARIN – BATTLESHIP OF FIRST CLASS
3. IMPERATOR NIKOLAI I – BATTLESHIP OF SECOND CLASS
4. ADMIRAL USHAKOV – BATTLESHIP OF THIRD CLASS
5. ADMIRAL SENYAVIN – BATTLESHIP OF THIRD CLASS
6. GENERAL ADMIRAL APRAKSIN – BATTLESHIP OF THIRD CLASS
7. ADMIRAL NAKHIMOV – ARMOURED CRUISER OF FIRST CLASS
8. DMITRI DONSKOJ – ARMOURED CRUISER OF SECOND CLASS
9. VLADIMIR MONOMAKH – ARMOURED CRUISER OF SECOND CLASS
10. BYEDOVI – DESTROYER
11. BODRI – DESTROYER
12. BISTRI – DESTROYER
13. BUINI – DESTROYER
14. BRAVI – DESTROYER
15. GROMKI – DESTROYER
16. GROZNI – DESTROYER
17. BLESTYASHCHI – DESTROYER
18. BEZUPRYEDNI - DESTROYER





APPENDIX III

ENEMY SHIPS WITH THE HELP OF GOD SUNKEN IN THE BATTLE

1. MIKASA – BATTLESHIP
2. SHIKISHIMA – BATTLESHIP
3. ASASHI – BATTLESHIP
4. FUJI – BATTLESHIP
5. NISSHIN – ARMOURED CRUISER
6. KASUGA – ARMOURED CRUISER
7. IWATE – ARMOURED CRUISER
8. AZUMA – ARMOURED CRUISER
9. IZUMO – ARMOURED CRUISER
10. ASAMA – ARMOURED CRUISER
11. YAKUMO – ARMOURED CRUISER
12. TOKIWA – ARMOURED CRUISER
13. IDZUMI – PROTECTED CRUISER
14. CHITOSE CLASS PROTECTED CRUISER
15. TATSUTA – UNPROTECTED CRUISER
16. UNRECOGNIZED DESTROYER






View attachment 22910

STEAMING TO THE BATTLE

View attachment 22911

TOGO ADVANCING

View attachment 22912

TOGO ENTERING THE TRAP

View attachment 22913

TOWARDS VLADIVOSTOK

View attachment 22914

VICTORY !
 
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Zakalwe

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Jolly good show!

THX

Z.

PS.:

I just played the canned break out from PA, at least I saved 2 BBs, all three PCs and the DDs minus one. (But only because Togo was so stupid not to draw his badly mauled Flagship out of the line, she could only do 11 knots at the end and was burning heavily. Had the other BBs given chase to my last two BBs Peresvyet and Poltava with their max. speed of 16 knots, they would have been doomed too).

Japan lost 1 AC, 3 PCs and 4 DDs.
 

Double Whisky

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I just played the canned break out from PA, at least I saved 2 BBs, all three PCs and the DDs minus one. (But only because Togo was so stupid not to draw his badly mauled Flagship out of the line, she could only do 11 knots at the end and was burning heavily. Had the other BBs given chase to my last two BBs Peresvyet and Poltava with their max. speed of 16 knots, they would have been doomed too).
To break out from Port Artur in the canned scenario is easy as far You are careful enough not to exchange shots with Japanese.
You can get out off the rear of Deva's group and then steer in general direction of Weihaiwei with maximum speed. Be careful not to close Togo and You are out :)
 
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