The whole enchilada
Admiral's Log, BB Petropavlovsk
February 10, 1904
0621
I receive a report of an enemy battleship, leading three armored cruisers, from two of our patrolling destroyers, which were fired upon, but escaped unharmed.
I am at sea with BB Petropavlovsk, Poltava, Sevastopol, Retvizan and Pobyeda plus AC Bayan and PC Diana. I decide to investigate, and set course 135.
0627
My force plus the patrolling destroyer Stoini encounter the battleship and three armored cruisers, as the day dawns. They are behind us on course 306.
We turn to pursue.
0634
Stoini sights another battleship headed SSE! It is the Mikasa, and the whole enchilada!
Stoini is badly damaged by a 152mm shell, and decides to attempt a desperation torpedo attack.
I turn the battleline to ESE and ring up flank speed! Diana struggles to move through to the unengaged side of the line.
Stoini gets close, but Mikasa turns slightly, spoiling our lauch solution. The torpedo tubes take too long to adjust their aim, and Stoini is lost without launching.
Bayan ventures too close before turning away! I should have signalled her earlier! She flees to the south, but cannot get enough distance as she loses speed. The whole Japanese battle line of six battleships and three armored cruisers pound her mercilessly!
I take advantage of this time to turn my ships north and we have the sun rising behind us, but the range is long, and we do little damage.
As the Japanese finish the Bayan, I turn west, and then turn on a line of bearing with course 315 back to Port Arthur. From west to east I have:
Pobyeda, Retvizan, Petropavlovsk, Poltava and Sevastopol. Diana is north of us, and scouts ahead.
The enemy begins a long stern chase. We are making 16 knots, but they can make 18!
Each time they approach us, they begin to fire at around 7000m. At this point, each time I respond by taking a line of bearing on course 10, which allows at least some of our ships to bring their forward turrets to bear. All fire is directed at their lead ship, the battleship Mikasa! If we can slow her, perhaps we can escape.
The enemy fires only on Sevastopol, but she is a stout ship, and they accomplish little.
Soon after each turn, Mikasa turns away to the south, and the whole dragon curls about firing their broadsides at the apex. As they do this we resume course 315.
Eventually, after many hours, we sight Round Island! Soon, we will be safe under the umbrella of our shore batteries!
But, it is not to be! The batteries do not fire! Why? Heads will roll! Those batteries should be manned and ready!
We need to maintain course 315 to make Port Arthur, so at the end, I break off Sevastopol to run to PA, and turn the others west. By this time, Mikasa has been hit repeatedly, and fires and waterline holes are observed. But, she comes on nonetheless!
Next we break off Poltava who has some fires. The last three turn SW to bring more fire on Mikasa, which has tunred westward.
Finally, Petropavlovsk is hit hard, at closer range, and many fires blaze, we break away, covered by Retvizan and Pobyeda. Sevastopol turns back to help!
The enemy turns away and comes back one last time! Petropavlovsk is a raging inferno, and our propulsion is damaged by the fires! It is a race against time to reach the port!
We arrive in Port Arthur, ablaze and making only 8 knots, but the port ships rush to our aid and we save the Petropavlovsk!
The rest of the ships make their way back, as the light falls and the Japanese withdraw.
We have fought for over 11 hours, and have lost the Bayan!
But the Mikasa, while her fires are extinguished and she never reads more than light damage, has been pounded. And we did lay mines near Weihaiwei...