The Russo-Japanese War on the Sea began on the night of January 27 (February 9), 1904, when Japanese destroyers attacked Russian ships on the open road of Port Arthur. Squadron armored carriers "Caesarevich" and "Retvisan", cruiser "Pallada" were severely damaged by explosions of Japanese torpedoes. At about 12 o'clock that same day, Japanese ships attacked the cruiser Varyag and the cancer boat Koreyets in the Korean port of Chemulpo. After the unequal battle with the Japanese squadron Russian sailors, not wanting to surrender to the enemy, sunk the cruiser "Varyag" and blew up the cancer boat "Koreans".
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With the beginning of the war, the 1st Pacific Squadron, based in Port Arthur, was blocked by the Japanese Navy. Attempts to break through to Vladivostok ended in failure. Only the battleship "Caesarevich", three cruisers and several destroyers managed to overcome the ring of the enemy blockade.
- To strengthen the 1st Pacific Squadron to the Far East was sent the 2nd Pacific Squadron under the command of Vice-Admiral 3. P. Rozhestvensky, which came out of Lnbava in October 1904 at Gibraltar, the squadron split up: the main part of the ships, including the battleships "Prince Suvorov", "Emperor Alexander III", "Borodino", "Eagle" and "Oslyabya", under the command of Vice-Admiral 3. P. Rozhestvensky went around Africa, and the other, which included the battleships "Navarin" and "Soya the Great", which had a smaller draft, led by Rear Admiral ND Felkerzam went to the rendezvous point through the Suez Canal.
Japanese fleet.
Initially, the 2nd Pacific Squadron was tasked with unblocking the Port Arthur Squadron and joining forces to establish the domination of the sea. This would have cut off the Japanese army on the mainland from the metropolitan islands. At the end of December 1904 Squadron 3. Rozhestvensky arrived at the island of Madagascar, where she joined the detachment of ND Felkerzama.
- December 20, 1904, after an eight-month siege of Port Arthur, fell. The fortress was sunk on the inner roadstead of the fortress and SS ships. So, the squadrons, the connection with which went 3. P. Rogest - Vienna, no longer existed, so the further movement to the East became an adventure. The tsarist strategists faced the question of whether to return to Vladivostok or breakthrough. Breakthrough to Vladivostok and connection with the ships of the Siberian Flotilla, in their opinion, would create a constant threat to the enemy's communications. But there was not enough strength for a breakthrough. Then Squadron 3. Rozhestvensky decided to strengthen the old ships: the battleship Emperor Nicholas I (1891), armored cruiser Admiral Nakhimov (1887), as well as three battleships of coastal defense of the construction of 1896-1899 years, bringing the total number of armored ships to 12, as in the Japanese. For this purpose, the 3rd Pacific Rear Admiral N.I. Nebogatov's Squadron was formed, which left Libava in February 1905 T. After a heavy exhausting campaign, which in itself can be considered a feat of Russian sailors, both squadrons safely connected off the coast of the French Indochina, and in mid-May 1905 under the overall command of 3. In the middle of May 1905, under the general command of 3, the P. Rozhestvensky family approached the Strait of Korea. The main forces of the Japanese fleet, waiting for the Russian squadron, consisted of three battleships of the "Mikasa" type, one battleship of the "Fuji" type, six armored cruisers of the "Asama" type, as well as two cruisers of the newest construction "Kasuga" and "Nissin". \ The main task set by the command of the Japanese Navy was to destroy the Russian squadron while trying to break through to Vladivostok.
Russian squadrons of armageddons were following in the parallel kilvaternyh columns by three detachments. The first group consisted of the newest battleships "Prince Suvorov", "Emperor Alexander III", "Borodino" and "Eagle". The second detachment included the battleships "Oslyabya", "Sisoy the Great" and "Navarin", as well as the armored cruiser "Admiral Nakhimov". In the third column of Nebogatov's detachment went battleship "Emperor Nicholas I" and the battleships of coastal defense "General Admiral Apraksin", "Admiral Ushakov", "Admiral Senya-wine".
The old ships that were part of the Russian squadron had low speed. Because of this, as well as due to the intensive growth of the underwater part of the hull in the southern latitudes during the many syačnogo campaign, wear and tear of boilers and mechanisms that required repair and overload of ships, the flagship was forced to reduce the squadron stroke to 9 knots and thus abandon the use of the property in the speed of the newest battleships such as "Borodino". Believing that maneuvering the ships that did not stretch for one mile, at such a speed makes no sense, he appointed a general course 23 . Considering the main task to be a breakthrough to Vladivostok, not the destruction of Japanese ships, 3. P. Rozhestvensky did not even develop a battle plan but decided to lead it depending on the enemy's actions, thus giving the initiative into the hands of the Japanese.
On May 14 at 13:30 on the right at the rate of 13:30 the main forces of the Japanese Navy seemed to be going to the intersection of the course of the Russian squadron, which tried to cover the head of the keel column. However, the admiral of Togo did not calculate the maneuver and passed in 70 km from the head Russian battleship "Prince Suvorov". The commander of the Japanese Navy did not give up the planned maneuver and, wishing to correct the mistake, began a consecutive turn to the left by 16 rhumbas. The turn, which lasted 15 minutes, was made at a distance of 38 km from the head Russian ship and put the Japanese ships in an extremely dangerous position, as they could not open fire on the circulation.
But the Russian squadron at this time was still being rebuilt into a single keel column and could not take advantage of the favorable situation, the fire was opened with a great delay, only at 13 hours 49 minutes. Thanks to their superior speed, Japanese ships were able to set their own distance and combat position. As the turn and restructuring they opened fire on the Russian squadron, concentrating fire on the flagships of the first and second detachments - battleships "Prince Suvorov" and "Oslyabya". Each of these ships was simultaneously fired at least four to six Japanese squadrons of armored battleships and armored cruisers, maneuvering separately.