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At 7:30 a.m. on September 9, 1903, the sun rose, and four cruisers, painted in light gray with golden dragon patterns on their bows, sailed into the waters between the Russian Island and the Peter Peninsula in the eastern part of Peter the Great Bay. The port of Vladivostok (Vladivostok), the largest naval base of the Russian Empire in the Far East, was located in the southeast of the Peter Peninsula, and at this time the harbor was full of smoke columns, and several small ships were shuttling back and forth at the exit of the harbor.

Colonel Yang Tianzhi, commander of China's No. 1 Light Cruiser Squadron, stood solemnly on the narrow command platform of the squadron's flagship "Longjian" and held up a black binoculars decorated with gold dragon patterns to carefully observe the situation inside and outside the harbor. Yang Tianzhi's team approached Vladivostok with the sun on its back, so that it had an advantage over the Russian fleet in terms of effective line of sight,—— that is, it could observe the opponent's movements more clearly than the Russians, and thus reduce the risk of being accurately attacked by the Russian fleet's artillery fire.

Yang Tianzhi's team includes four cruisers, "Dragon Sword", "Tiger Sword", "Treasure Sword", and "Wind Sword", all four ships belong to the "Sword" class, which is the latest type of domestic protective cruisers, not equipped with armor belts, but covered with five-inch (127 mm) steel armor outside the boiler and engine room, equipped with four 150 mm main guns and ten 120 mm rapid-fire guns, as well as three twin torpedo tubes, with a speed of 26 knots, which can effectively perform reconnaissance, alert, escort, and break diplomatic missions. But it was far from enough to confront the Russian cruisers of the first rank (i.e., armored cruisers) head-on.

Yang Tianzhi's task was to lead his squadron to reconnoiter the port of Vladivostok before the arrival of the capital ship group, assess the results of the torpedo boat attack last night and report it to the commander of the Combined Fleet, so that the commander could make a decision on further action. If possible, lure the Russian detachment out of the shore artillery cover so that the main forces of the Combined Fleet can meet the Russian fleet in the open sea.

Yang Tianzhi watched for a long time and found that fourteen large and medium-sized Russian warships were heading out of the harbor, and three of them had already rushed towards his side.

"So, I only wounded two ships, no, it's too close, it's better to retreat first."

Yang Tianzhi thought, summoned the adjutant and was about to give an order, but he heard a roar, several snow-white water columns rose in front of the battleship, and the water columns dispersed to form a cloud and mist, and the "Dragon Sword" happened to pass through the fog, and the small water droplets fell on Yang Tianzhi's face.

The observer on the mast reported through a microphone: "Report to the commander, it was the shore artillery, and in the direction of nine o'clock the shore artillery on the Russian island opened fire, there were at least six guns. ”

"Judging from the size of the water column, it should be more than ten inches (twenty-four or five millimeters) of heavy artillery, if you eat one or two rounds, it is terrible, it is important to slip away quickly."

Yang Tianzhi thought about it, and immediately gave an order: "Order, all ships turn one hundred and eighty degrees, move closer to the team at full speed, and pay attention to avoiding shore artillery fire." ”

Yang Tianzhi then ordered a radio message to be sent to the main fleet, which read: "The Russian warships have left the port, and it seems that only two of them have been damaged during the night." ”

Colonel Young's 1st Light Patrol Squadron turned and retreated, and the Russian artillery batteries on the shore fired about thirty shells at them in quick succession, but none of them hit.

The Russian armored cruiser "Askold" and the light cruisers "Novik" and "Pauyalin" were watching from a distance behind the retreating Chinese cruisers, and had no intention of pursuing, and soon the four Chinese cruisers disappeared from the field of view of the officers and men of the Russian cruisers.

At 8:35 a.m., the main force of the Combined Fleet sailed into Peter the Great Bay and was first discovered by the Russian cruiser "Pauillin," who immediately sent a telegram to the "Petropavlovsk," the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, which had already left port, that "a large number of enemy ships are approaching."

At this time, on the side of the combined fleet, six armored battleships and ten armored cruisers were slowly approaching the port of Vladivostok in a single column, and Colonel Yang Tianzhi's first light patrol team had already joined the battle column of armored ships and armored cruisers, closely following the "Izumo" ship of the first Japanese armored patrol team, and four light cruisers on each flank of this long snake-like battle column served as cover - the "spring rain", "autumn rain", "valley rain", and "fog rain" of the third light patrol team were on the left, and the "summer rain", "heavy rain" and "thunderstorm" of the fourth light patrol team were on the left"Mountain Rain" is on the right.

The Chinese Imperial Battle Flag of the Red Land Golden Dragon and the Red and White Imperial Japanese War Flag of the Rising Sun are on display, the golden dragon pattern and the ju-flower badge are vivid, Vice Admiral Lin Taizeng, the commander of the United Fleet, is wearing a simple general's civilian clothes, standing on the tall command platform of the flagship "Ruixiang", with Major General Sa Zhenbing, chief of staff, and Lieutenant Colonel Ye Fei, adjutant, and other cadres, a herald holding a military horn standing in a corner of the command platform, and another sailor holding a megaphone standing behind the command platform, and there is no means of protection on the command platform. A canvas was propped up just for shade – and of course, on the Russian side of the armoured ships.

Lin Tai once held a telescope and looked at the Russian fleet, then turned back to Sa Zhenbing and smiled bitterly: "You haven't come out too far, are you still circling around the harbor?" ”

Sa Zhenbing smiled and nodded: "Then it depends on how the commander decides." ”

"I can't help it." Lin Tai once put his hands on the railing in front of the command platform, looked at the sky, and then looked at the clouds on the horizon, and the black smoke column under the clouds.

"Anyway, we're going to have a fight. Herald! The whole team turned 45 degrees to the left, and after the turn was completed, the whole team accelerated to 15 knots! ”

Twenty battleships - the armored battleships "Ruixiang", "Ruiji", "Feidian", "Zhendian", "Thunderbolt", "Yundian", armored cruisers "Suzhou", "Hangzhou", "Fuyun", "Baoyun", "Lingyun", "Caiyun", "Baiyun", "Xiangyun", "Fuji", "Izumo", and the protective cruisers "Dragon Sword", "Tiger Sword", "Treasure Sword", "Wind Sword" - began to slowly turn under the leadership of the flagship "Ruixiang", A white trail that gradually spread out over the blue sea and sailed southeast towards the group of Russian warships outside the port of Vladivostok.

As soon as Vice Admiral Makarov on the flagship "Petropavlovsk" received the report of the "Pauillin," he immediately ordered the six armored battleships and four armored cruisers in the detachment that had already left the port to immediately form a single column to meet the enemy, and recalled the "Pauyalin" and four other light cruisers to serve as cover for the two flanks of the group. At 9:15 a.m., the Russian detachment completed the formation, and the battle columns of this team were 10 armored (battleship) ships "Petropavlovsk", "Poltava", "Sevastopol", "Dawn", "Retvizhan", "Victory" and 1st class cruisers (armored cruisers) "Rulik", "Thunderbolt", "Diana", and "Askold". "Knight" and "Hercules" served as cover. Led by the armored ship Petropavlovsk, flying the flag of Vice Admiral Makarov, the commander of the detachment, the Russian fleet flying the blue and white St. Andrei's flag turned to the southwest, clinging to the coastline of the Peter Peninsula and Russky Island, so that it could be supported by shore artillery.

Seeing the Russian ship sailing to the southwest, Vice Admiral Lin Taizeng, commander of the Combined Fleet, ordered: "This team turns 90 degrees to the left and moves closer to the enemy ship battleline!" ”

"There are enemy shore artillery there." The Chief of Staff, Major General Sa Zhenbing, said, but not in a reminding tone.

"I know it." Lin Tai once said that his eyes were only fixed on the gray shadows on the sea antenna.

The main squadron of the Combined Fleet turned again, and gradually pulled into a state of close parallel to the Russian fleet's battle, with both sides driving in the same direction, and the combined fleet was slightly faster.

The huge turrets on both armoured ships have pointed the black holes of the guns at each other, and slowly move with the movement of the opposing ships, the shells in the turret are loaded, the aiming hand tightens the firing rope, and the rangefinder officer constantly reports the distance parameters, just waiting for the commander to give an order.

In order to alleviate the damage caused by the fire, the ships on both sides cleared the wooden equipment on the surface of the ship early and piled up coal bags around the chimneys and ventilation ports.

At 9:30 a.m., when the two sides approached about 35 chains (7,000 yards), Vice Admiral Lin Taizeng, commander of the Combined Fleet, waved his hand and gave a sharp order: "The target enemy armored ship group, this team fires!" ”

The 14,800-ton Combined Fleet's flagship "Zuixiang" turned to the starboard side of the three twin 305-mm guns that first spewed out a glowing red light and gray-white smoke, and then the 305-mm and 40-gauge guns on the five armored battleships and eight armored cruisers also fired one after another, and the two Japanese armored cruisers "Fuji" and "Izumo" were only equipped with two twin 203-mm guns, and they did not immediately open fire because they had not yet entered the effective firing range.

Columns of water rose around the Russian columns, but the first salvo of the Combined Fleet array failed to hit the target because of the distance.

"Fire on the enemy armored ship group!"

At the command of Vice Admiral Makarov, commander of the Russian detachment, the two twin 305-mm guns of the 11,300-ton flagship of the detachment "Petropavlovsk" fired 337 kg of armor-piercing shells, followed by the "Poltava", "Sevastopol" and "Letvizhan", which were equipped with 305-mm guns, also opened fire one after another, and the first half of the combined fleet also experienced a series of huge water columns.

The two sides continued to move in the same direction, the Russian warships kept getting closer to the coast, the Chinese and Japanese warships kept moving closer to the Russian ships, the heavy artillery on the 10,000-ton giant ship made an earth-shattering sound, the steel warship was shrouded in thick smoke and water mist all around, and the water column on the sea surface like a forest continued to appear and disappear. Soon, the Russian side was the first to be hit by a battleship, and the armored ship "Petropavlovsk" was hit by a 400-kilogram 305-mm armor-piercing projectile on the bow side wall, which damaged the first anchor, but caused no casualties. Subsequently, the armored ship "Sevastopol" was also hit by large-caliber shells, and one 152-mm secondary gun and several rapid-fire guns were damaged. Then, the armored ship "Poltava" was hit twice in a row, and a fire began in the middle of the superstructure. The armored ship "Dawn" was hit several times, the front main turret was ineffective, the mast was damaged, the flag was shot down, the radio room was destroyed, and several secondary guns were damaged.

Ten minutes after the artillery battle between the two fleets, the distance was reduced to thirty chains (six thousand yards), at which point the five Russian shore artillery batteries on the Peter Peninsula and Russky Island opened fire, each armed with six Type 1895 254 mm coastal guns and Type 1899 305 mm coastal guns, with their support to compensate for the weakness of the main gun fire of the Russian fleet.

In the battle that day, the armored ships of the Russian detachment participating in the battle were equipped with a total of 16 305-mm guns and 8 254-mm guns, and its armored cruisers were equipped with eight 203-mm guns, while the armored battleships of the combined fleet participating in the East Asian coalition were equipped with a total of 28 305-mm guns, and its armored cruisers were equipped with 32 305-mm guns and 8 203-mm guns. The armor covered little and could not withstand even a continuous hit from a one-fifty-two-mm gun.

At this time, 30 large-caliber coastal guns of the Russian army joined the battle, so that the situation on the battlefield suddenly became balanced again, and the warships of the combined fleet began to be shot frequently.

At 9:50 a.m., the flagship of the Combined Fleet, the Ruixiang, was hit by a 305-mm shell on the A turret, causing damage to the turret's electrical drive and rendering the A turret ineffective. Two minutes later, another shell pierced the front chimney of the "Ruixiang", and soot gushed out from the breach, enveloping most of the hull behind the front chimney, making it impossible for the C turret and most of the secondary guns to be viewed normally. Then, the armored battleships "Rigi" and "Feidian" were also shot one after another, the rear chimney of the "Rigi" was completely destroyed, the radio equipment was damaged, the "Feidian" was hit three times in succession, the middle of the auxiliary gun deck was damaged, part of the command station was cut off, and a fire broke out in the middle of the superstructure, and gray-black smoke came out.

At about 9:55 p.m., the armored cruiser "Lingyun" was hit by a heavy artillery shell on the command platform, and the captain of the ship, Colonel Wang Da, was killed instantly, and then another heavy artillery shell penetrated the weak armor of the "Lingyun" and went straight to the right ammunition compartment of the secondary gun, triggering a violent explosion.

Under the reminder of the staff officers, Vice Admiral Lin Taizeng on the "Ruixiang" noticed the tragic situation on the "Lingyun", and found that many destroyers were approaching quickly in the direction of Vladivostok, he sighed lowly, glanced at the A turret in front of the bridge that could no longer be turned, shook his head and said to Sa Zhenbing: "We can only end here first." ”

Sa Zhenbing nodded: "No way, the other party has a good location, and it is better to make long-term plans." ”

At about 10 o'clock, the command flag was hung on the mast of the "Ruixiang": "All turn left 90 degrees and withdraw from the battle." ”

As the Combined Fleet began to turn south, a surprising event occurred when the Russian cruiser Novik, which had been providing cover, left its cover position and sped away at a high speed of more than twenty knots towards the Combined Fleet battleship, which was maneuvering at high speed and unable to shoot accurately—the ships in the queue could have been wiped out in an instant.

On the command platform of the "Petropavlovsk", Vice Admiral Makarov, commander of the Russian detachment, witnessed the reckless behavior of the "Novik", was anxious, and shouted at the throat: "What is that guy doing!" Quick, signal to Lieutenant Colonel Essen and get him back! We don't need to pursue! ”

Lieutenant Colonel Essen was the captain of the cruiser "Novik".

On the command platform of the "St. Regis," Vice Admiral Lin Taizeng, commander of the Combined Fleet, saw the cruiser that had left the team in pursuit, let out a long sigh, and turned to Vice Admiral Sa Zhenbing, chief of staff, and said: "What a commendable courage. ”

Sa Zhenbing was not so relaxed, he carefully observed the course of the Russian cruiser, frowned, and said to Lin Taizeng: "It's not that simple, it has already rushed to within twenty chains (four thousand yards), our artillery can't hit it, where is the cruiser responsible for covering over there?" ”

Before the words fell, the sight of the four warships of the Light Patrol Fourth Squadron, "Summer Rain", "Heavy Rain", "Thunderstorm", and "Mountain Rain", had already appeared in their sights, and the four ships intercepted the lone "Novik" at a high speed of more than 20 knots, and met with a burst of intensive artillery fire, beating it into flames and fleeing back in embarrassment.

Lin Taizeng and Sa Zhenbing both breathed a sigh of relief, and Sa Zhenbing saw that the main force of the Russian ship had no intention of pursuing, so he made a suggestion: "Commander, whether to send destroyers over, maybe you can achieve some results." ”

Lin Taizeng waved his hand slightly: "No need, sending destroyers now can only add unnecessary losses, the days are still long, we must keep what we can keep as much as possible, today's losses are enough, of course, the goal has also been achieved, the Russians have also tasted our strength, and they will not be able to challenge us for a while." Next, it's up to the Army to spend a little more on it......"

At about 10:20 a.m., the main squadron of the Combined Fleet completed its turn and broke away from the fire contact with the Russian ships, and the damaged armored cruiser "Lingyun" had already controlled the fire under the command of Deputy Commander Yang Ming, and barely followed the detachment at a speed of 15 knots.

At about eleven o'clock, the commander of the Russian detachment, Vice Admiral Makarov, led the whole fleet back to the mooring ground in the port of Vladivostok, and then reported to the Governor-General Alekseev: "...... The enemy fleet was repulsed, at least one armored ship was heavily damaged, many armored ships were wounded, our fleet suffered minor losses, 56 killed and 128 wounded, all the officers and men of the armored ship 'Petropavlovsk' and the cruiser 'Askold' were the most prominent in this battle, and the captain of the cruiser 'Novik', Lieutenant Commander Essen, acted without authorization, almost causing serious losses to the fleet, and he was removed from his post and reported to the ......"

As for the Combined Fleet, because the "Lingyun" was seriously damaged, Vice Admiral Hayashi Taizeng, the commander-in-chief, ordered the cruiser "Heavy Rain" to escort it back to Dalian Port for docking and repairs, and he led the rest of the warships to the Sasebo Military Port in the northwest of Japan's Kyushu Island to rest and recuperate, where he reported to the imperial base camp: "Our fleet ...... Brought more than 2 Russian warships into combat capacity, but lost three torpedo boats...... In the early morning of September 9, the fleet launched an attack on the Russian fleet under the protection of coastal batteries, inflicting heavy damage on 1 or 2 Russian armored ships, damaging many Russian ships, and seriously damaging 1 of our armored cruisers, killing a total of 41 people and wounding 83 people in the artillery battle...... The port blockade operation will be carried out in accordance with the predetermined plan......"

The battle between the ironclad ships outside the port of Vladivostok came to an end, and more than 20 giant ships of 10,000 tons on both sides bombarded each other with hundreds of kilograms of heavy artillery shells, a magnificent picture that had never appeared before in human history...... It is clear to both sides that a more brutal battle is yet to come......

However, on September 9, the smoke of gunfire did not only permeate Peter the Great Bay, but also in the other corner of the Sea of Japan, another splendid drama was staged that made the sea boil......

Concentrate:

1 chain (Royal Navy) = 608 feet = 185.31 meters

1 inch = 25.4 mm