Feb-Mar-Apr, May-June-July 1972 - Navy League of Australia

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Page Thirty-rtght THE NAVY May/Jun*/Ji
FAITH WITHOUT
FOUNDATION
tained their Japanese opposite numbers
were not prepared for what hit
them. Togo's ships were firing
direct-action, shimose-filled shells
with extremely sensitive fuses that
exploded on contact with anything
solid: even a funnel-guy. The object
was to sweep the decks clear of personnel
and turn the less-protected
areas into a blazing wasteland,
thereby completely demoralising
the crews to the point where they
could not work their ships effectively.
Captain Vladimir Semenoff had
served under Vice-Admiral Makharoff
in the Far East and was now a
supernumery aboard the Kniaz
Suvaroff under Rozhestvensky. He
left a horribly detailed account of
the hell created by the Japanese
shellfire: "It seemed impossible
even to count the number of projectiles
striking us. I had not only never
witnessed such a fire before, but I
had never imagined anything like it.
Shells seemed to be pouring upon
us incessantly one after another . . .
The steel plates and superstructure
on the upper deck were torn to
pieces and the splinters caused
many casualties. Iron ladders were
crumpled up into rings, and guns
were literally hurled from their
mountings. Such havoc would never
be caused by the simple impact of a
shell, still less by that of its splinters.
It could only be caused by the force
of the explosion ... .In addition to
this there was the unusually high
temperature and liquid flame of the
explosion which seemed to spread
over everything. I actually watched
a steel plate catch fire from a burst.
Of course, the steel did not burn, but
the paint on it did. Such almost incombustible
materials as hammocks
and rows of boxes, drenched
with water, flared up in a moment. At
times it was almost impossible to
see anything with glasses, owing to
everything being so distorted with
the quivering,.heated air. No! It was
different!"
A Japanese officer later stated his
impression was that: "At first the
Russians shot fairly well, causing
some loss of life at the more exposed
stations on board our leading
ships. But after the first twenty
minutes they suddenly seemed to
go all to pieces and their shooting
became wild and almost harmless."
It is no wonder.
At approximately 1420 hours.
Togo's ships changed to armourpiercing
shells and. having closed to
little over a mile, the carnage was
appalling as hit after hit thudded
into the vitals of Rozhestvensky's
demoralised vessels. The
Oslyabaya was the first to go. Her
sheer walls made a perfect target
which the Asahi could hardly miss.
Three 12 inch hits in the bows peeled
off the heavy armour like onion-skin,
admitting the heaving seas which
poured in and finished her in approximately
ten minutes. She drowned in
a forest of shellfire at 1530 hours:
thus becoming the first armoured
battleship ever to be sunk by gunfire
alone. Admiral Felkerzam
accompanied her to the bottom: he
had not died in action, but from a
final massive stroke the previous
evening. For reasons of morals, only
Rozhestvensky. the ship's Captain
and the medical staff knew of the
event.
The Kniaz Suvaroff was slowly
being transformed from a fine
modern vessel into a red-hot ruin.
With most of her topsides virtually
unrecognisable and both funnels
gone, she absorbed a heavy shell in
the steering gear thereby causing
her to swing uncontrollably out of
the line. By now Rozhestvensky had
been seriously wounded and the Captain
killed. She slowly drifted Eastwards
and for about thirty minutes
the shellfire lifted from her.
Japaneee gunners working an eerty pattern six Inch m
The Aleksandr III thus became the
leading ship. Her Captain, with no
orders from his wounded Admiral on
the blazing wreck astern led the
remainder of the First Division in a
great circle (South) and then turned
back North. Togo started to follow
them around, then seeing the Aleksandr
Ill's intention, reversed his
course and again "crossed the 'T'".
As the two battle lines converged on
a collision course, the fire of every
one of the Japanese vessels concentrated
on the Aleksandr III. She
turned East in an attempt to escape
the murderous fire, but soon
dropped out of line leaking like a
sieve and with roaring fires aboard.
Borodino took over the dangerous
role of leader. Togo drew up his
forces again. His clean-bottomed
hulls were able to out-steam and outmanoeuvre
the fouled Russian vessels
which had been in the water over
seven months.
However, his cruisers had
absorbed battle-damage whilst chasing
the smaller units. The old Dmitri
Donskoy carried herself into fame
by beating off and seriously damaging
no less than four light cruisers,
sinking two T.B.D.'s. and damaging
a third before being captured. Noone
left aboard was unwounded. all
guns were shattered and she finally
sank from her injuries. Admiral
Dewa's Flagship Kasafl was holed
below the waterline and headed for
home. The Naniwa was similarly hit
and also dropped out of the fight.
The whole Russian Fleet by late
afternoon was in an almost helpless
huddle under the fire of Togo's
main line to the East and by his
May/June/July THE NAVY Pace Thirty-nine