The Tsar's Crown Jewels - Russian

[Drauf_Seydlitz!]

Through the Shimonoseki Straights

Admiral's Log, Armored Cruiser Gromoboi
March 7, 1904

0632 We have passed through the narrow straight, but so has the enemy!
However, we have gained some distance in the early morning light. But the straights force us to go east as the enemy closes from the northwest. The angle causes the range to close quickly.

We leave Yenisey behind as we speed away.

0656 Mikasa opens fire on Yenisey at 12663 meters. They fire occasionally for some time, but are unable to close the range much further or to hit at this range.

We pass on either side of a small island off a cape near Nakatsu (Higashikunisaki District on Google Maps today).

0744 Mikasa has turned back! Heading 272, 18 knots. Apparently, passing through that narrow straight (near the island) didn't appeal to them.

0806 The battle ends. We are 26 km SSW of Hofu.

 

[Drauf_Seydlitz!]

Going our separate ways

Admiral's Log, Armored Cruiser Gromoboi
March 7, 1904

0907 We have divided into three task forces:

1) The Armored Cruisers with Diana and Burni.

2) Bogatyr, Varyag and Novik.

3) Yenisey

TF1 will head northeast along the coast of Japan.
TF2 will head south, then west and then northwest to escort more destroyers from Port Arthur.
TF3 Yenisey will sail southeast, then east into the Pacific, and then north toward Tokyo.

The Hei Yen is now ahead of us. It is either face her, or return to face Mikasa...what to do? What to do?

TF1 goes after Hei Yen. The other TFs take advantage of the chance to put some distance between us and the First Squadron.

Hei Yen is old and slow, but she is well armored. She runs into a bay, and a drive-by won't suffice, so we go in after her. She hits Ryurik four times and Rossiya twice with her 6" guns, but leave her burning and sinking. Her big gun isn't a factor as she is running away.

All this time our lookouts scan the west for Mikasa.

1053 Hei Yen sinks 93 km SE of Nakatsu.

 

[Drauf_Seydlitz!]

Commerce Warfare

Naval High Command
Operational Reports
March 7, 1904

1204 Bogatyr, Varyag and Novik capture Cumberland (4500 tons), 139 km SW of Kochi.

1449 ACs and ML capture the 6000 ton Edgar, 137 km SSW of Kochi.

1539 Mandzhur chases a 3000 ton steamer 110 km NNE of Shinminato, but she escapes into the darkness. Mandzhur only manages 12 knots, so she is ordered back to Vladivostok.

1736 Angara sights a 6000 ton steamer, but loses her in the darkness, 76 km east of Ishinomaki.

1845 Angara reaquires the steamer and captures the Edgar, 89 km east of Ishinomaki.

1902 Mandzhur captures the 6000 ton Proteus, 78 km NNW of Shinminato.

2053 Trondheim (4500 tons) and Lindenfels (3000 tons) are seized by our Armored cruisers, 87 km SE of Kochi.

2111 Lyena seizes the Dunolly Castle (3000 tons), 56 km south of Yokosuka.

2357 Lyena captures the 6000 ton Sylvia Grace, 84 km ESE of Yokosuka.

March 8, 1904

0102 Rossiya rams the Menelaus (Eidelborn in the screenshot), a 3000 ton freighter, that appeared suddenly in the midst of our formation! Menelaus wisely surrenders, but Rossiya is left with 1% persistent port flooding, after emergency repairs.
We are 150 km south of Kobe.

Gamer's Note: Never had one dropped in that close before! Also, the game often has two names for Cargo Ships, one that you see and one that ends up in the news. They alternate in the surrender comments. I've been translating to the "news" name as that seems to vary more.

0330 Angara surprises and seizes the 6000 ton Cape Cross, 124 km SE of Ominato.

 

[Drauf_Seydlitz!]

Death of Mandzhur

Captain's Log, Gunboat Mandzhur
March 8, 1904

We have had good hunting off the coast of Japan, but the engines need an overhaul, so we are heading back to Vladivostok for a bit of shore leave!

The day dawns bright and clear, but there is ominous smoke on the horizon to the northwest. Hopefully, it is the Minelaying force on its way home.
We are 200 km NNW of Shinminato.

0633 Our lookouts identify the Armored Cruisers Yakumo and Adzuma! Our heading is 315 at 11 knots, theirs is 345 at 18 knots. We come about and turn south, but they have seen us.

We turn back towards the enemy, in order to bring our own guns into range.

0648 Range 9566, we turn to port to bring our starboard guns to bear.

0649 We are hit by a 152 mm shell. Steering is damaged, and one of the 107s is out of action. Our rudder is jammed to the right.

0656 We take more 152s; losing the stern gun and starboard 203.

0657 Fire is 41%, hit by a 152 and a 203, fire is 64%!

0659 Hit by 203, fires out of control, torpedo mount destroyed, heavily damaged.

We are pounded by 152 and 203 shells. The port 107 mm magazine explodes!

0704 We abandon ship, Mandzhur sinks.

Gamer's Note: Mandzhur didn't manage any noticeable hits in this battle. By the time the enemy was close enough, she was a blazing wreck.

 

[Drauf_Seydlitz!]

Of Marus and Merchants

Naval High Command
Operations Report
March 8, 1904

0848 Angara encounters the Jinsen Maru, 51 km NNE of Ominato. She pursues.

1047 Angara sights a freighter running to the southwest, south of Hakodate, WSW of Ominato. We open fire on Jinsen Maru at 3 km.

1057 Jinsen Maru is sinking. We pursue the merchant.

1115 Jinsen Maru sinks.

1224 Angara seizes Cape Cross (6000 tons) 8 km north of Aomori.

1404 Bogatyr and Varyag sink Nikko Maru, 104 km WSW of the Tsushima Straights.

1538 Lyena captures Neptune (6000 tons) 65 km SW of Ishinomaki.

2125 Retvizan, Pobyeda and Peresvyet sink an A class Maru, 36 km SW of Chemulpo, while escorting ML Amur.

2234 Armored Cruisers seize the 6000 ton Neptune, 85 km ESE of Yokosuka.

 

[Drauf_Seydlitz!]

A fresh batch of destroyers for Mikasa

Commodore's Log, Protected Cruiser Bogatyr
March 9, 1904

We met the crusier Pallada off the west coast of Korea. She delivered six destroyers and two Torpedo Gunboats to act as screening vessels (sailing on one of them is kind of like being issued a red shirt on Star Trek :upset.

Pallada returns northwest towards Port Arthur.

0653 Sailing southeast down the primary shipping lane, and who do we sight?

The battleship Mikasa and her nine best friends! They are on an opposite heading, 208 km WNW of the Tsushima Straights, between a large island and the mainland. The range is about 23 km from TGB Vsadnik to Mikasa.

We set course 270, at 22 knots.

0725 We escape them without coming under fire. We need to lose them before nightfall. Fortunately, we all can sustain 17 knots, and the enemy seems loathe to divide this powerful squadron.

After the action, we plot a course to the south, to circle around and head back to Vladivostok.

0826 We sight the enemy to the NE on a heading of 316, towards Port Arthur. We are sailing SE, and adjust our heading to 165.

0913 We lose contact with Mikasa & friends.

0940 The enemy resumes its NW course. I guess we aren't so interesting without the ACs or a Minelayer! Or else the enemy can calculate sustained speed differentials too!

1201 We sight a B class Maru, so I send Varyag after her, since she has more ammunition.

1321 Varyag sinks the Maru, 152 km west of the Tsushima Straights.

 

[Drauf_Seydlitz!]

Our forces grow close south of Yokosuka

Naval High Command
Operations Reports
March 9, 1904

1406 Armored Cruisers catch a 6000 ton freighter, the Sylvia Grace, 70 km SW of Yokosuka.

1640 The Minelayer Yenisey sights a vessel half again her size! It is a B class Maru. But Yenisey is far better armed and faster. The enemy almost escapes as the light dies, but Yenisey keeps contact!

1817 Yenisey opens fire at 1469 m. She catches the Maru and circles her firing. The 75 mm shells take their toll and the Maru is left burning and listing.

1833 The Maru sinks less than a mile from shore, 81 km SE of Yokosuka.

Afterward, Yenisey rejoins the Armored Cruisers, south of Yokosuka.

 

[Drauf_Seydlitz!]

Japan's third most powerful task force

Commodore's Log, Protected Cruiser Bogatyr
March 9, 1904

Certainly, Japan's First Squadron, with six battleships and four armored cruisers is her most powerful by far.

And their Second Squadron with Yakumo and Adzuma is the second most powerful.

But, now that most of their other cruisers and the old Chinese Chin Yen and Hei Yen are gone, what is Japan's third most powerful task force?

Think about it, for tonight we shall destroy that force!

2200 We sight a B class Maru. I detach Novik which circles it twice and leaves it burning and listing under the watchful eye of one of the destroyers.

It sinks.

March 10, 1904

0105 We capture the 6000 ton freighter Proteus.

0220 We meet Japan's third most powerful task force in the darkness.

We are 36 km east of Ulsan.

Did you guess?

It is the old German built Chinese cruiser Jiyuan, a prize of war to Japan, now known as the Sai Yen.

She is armored, and has two 210 mm guns in her forward turret and a 150 mm gun in her stern turret. She can make 15 knots.

However, those 210s will avail her little, as they reload very slowly, and she is running!

She immediately hits the TGB Gaidamak with a 150 mm, setting her ablaze.

I order our screen to continue on heading 26, while the cruisers pursue.

Novik is first and hits Sai Yen repeatedly with 120 mm shells. Bogatyr and Varyag follow and begin landing 152 mm shells.

Sai Yen's 6" belt, 3" deck and 2" turret armor are largely proof against our fire, but she is soon ablaze with large fires fore and aft!

Her turrets continue to fire however, though the forward turret only manages to bear twice and fails to hit with any of the four rounds fired.

Her stern gun hits Novik twice, along with a dozen 47 mm hits, so Novik retires.

It hits Bogatyr once, along with twenty 47 mm hits (one friendly) and Varyag is only hit by ten 47 mm.

We leave her as she begins to list, and is fully ablaze.

She sinks at 0255.

So, now, what is Japan's third most powerful task force?

Perhaps Tsukushi? Kaimon? Miyako? The remaining Marus combined?

We proceed north to Vladivostok, wary lest we meet Japan's second most powerful task force!

 

[Drauf_Seydlitz!]

Continuing Operations

Naval High Command
Operations Report
March 10, 1904

1345 Armored Cruisers capture Pegasus (3000 tons), 87 km east of Ishinomaki.

1345 Angara is repaired.

March 11, 1904

The Protected Cruisers return with 8 new screening vessels.

1032 Burni with the Armored Cruisers, catches Proteus (6000 tons), 6 km NNW of Aomori.

1356 Varyag repaired.

1440 Gaidamak repaired.

March 12

0406 Bogatyr repaired.

March 13

0039 Burni repaired.

0654 Novik repaired.

1340 Angara captures Pegasus (3000 tons), 25 km of south of Matsumai.

1907 Angara seizes the 4500 ton freighter Trondheim, 55 km east of Hakodate.

March 14

0725 Angara captures the 4500 ton Hellenes, 163 km of NE of Ishinomaki.

2213 Rossiya repaired.

March 16

0323 Angara seizes the 6000 ton Neptune, 144 km SSE of Osaka.

1221 Angara captures 6000 ton Proteus, 91 km south of Kochi.

The Armored Cruisers escort Yenisey to mine Matsumai.

The Protected Cruisers sail along as a separate task force.

 

[Drauf_Seydlitz!]

Mikasa's visit to Port Arthur

Harbor Master, Port Arthur
March 16, 1904

Six of our destroyers left before dawn to mine Weihaiwei.

0624 They encounter six battleships and four armored cruisers just past Round Island. Mikasa was leading them directly toward a minefield.

Our destroyers turned 180 degrees together, but as they turned, Mikasa turned to port and the battleships fired broadsides in succession. While none of our ships were hit, there were some very near misses by 305 mm shells!

Mikasa then retired to the southeast. We haven't seen Mikasa here in a long time. Perhaps our battleships' visit to Chemulpo got their attention.

Besides, they haven't so many other ships to visit here now.

We will keep Port Arthur, Weihaiwei and the Elliot Islands heavily mined in case of future visits. We'll just have to do it cautiously.