Russian Pacific Squadron:
1st Sub-Division, Battle Division (VAdm Skirdlov [Electric Ed]): battleships Tsesarevich (flag), Retvizan, and Pobieda
2nd Sub-Division, Battle Division (RAdm Vitgeft [Sean Campbell]): battleships Peresviet (flag) and Sevastopol, armored cruiser Bayan
Independent Cruiser Squadron (RAdm Baron Shtakelberg [Col Campbell]): armored cruisers Rossiya (flag), Gromoboi, and Rurik, protected cruiser Bogatyr
The Japanese fleet had suffered severe damage to its armored cruiser component (1 sunk and 5 badly damaged, out of 9 total) so their repair work was concentrated on getting the four battleships back into combat condition. Admiral Togo kept his battleships and Vice Admiral Kamimura's remaining armored cruisers together, leaving his protected cruisers to patrol the shipping lanes and the various choke points around the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan.
Japanese Battle Squadron
1st Division (Adm Togo [Jay, Lord Sterling]): battleships Mikasa (flag), Fuji, Skikashima, and Asahi
2nd Division (VAdm Kamimura [Kansas Bill]): armored cruisers Izumo (flag), Azuma, Tokiwa, and Iwate
The Russian and Japanese squadrons sighted each other through the mid-morning sea mists and begin to close into fighting range. Please click on each picture for (hopefully) a larger image.
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| Photo by Col Campbell |
The Russian 1st Battle Sub-Division comes under fire with all Japanese shells falling on the IRN Tsesarevich, the squadron flagship. The lead battleship of the 2nd Battle Sub-Division is just entering the picture.
[For a description of the shell splash markers, see Splash Markers posting on ColCampbell's Shipyard blog.]
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| Photo by Col Campbell |
The Japanese 2nd Battle Division, all armored cruisers, comes under return fire from the Russian battleships, two of whom concentrate in the IJN Izumo, the division flagship.
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| Photo by Col Campbell |
The IJN Izumo is soon set on fire and suffers a bridge hit, forcing her to continue straight ahead for two turns. But the efficient Japanese damage control parties soon have the fires under control.
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| Photo by Electric Ed |
The Russian battleline continues to slowly close with the Japanese; the 1st Sub-Division in the foreground and the 2nd Sub-Division in the background. Note single size of the "splashes". Firing is at long range and being done by only the main guns.
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| Photo by Col Campbell |
Meanwhile, the Russian 2nd Battle Sub-Division turns to port into a line abreast formation. But the Japanese battleships concentrate all their fire on IRN Peresviet, sub-division flagship. Asked after the battle why he made such an unusual maneuver, RAdm Vitgeft said that he was attempting to get around behind the Japanese battleships. The large and small splash markers mean that the range has fallen enough that the secondary batteries can now engage.
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| Photo by Col Campbell |
But soon the IRN Peresviet is set on fire and begins to sink. RAdm Vitgeft transfers to the IRN Sevastopol to continue the fight. Unfortunately, he waited too long and the Japanese battleships sailed away from him.
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| Photo by Col Campbell |
In the distance, the IRN Pobieda receives fire from a Japanese battleship and an armored cruiser and is set afire. In the foreground the IRN Rossiya, flagship of the Vladivostok Independent Cruiser Division receives fire from three (!!) Japanese battleships and is also set afire.
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| Photo by Electric Ed |
The IRN Pobieda suffers 2 fire hits from the Japanese in one turn. The rules state that when the critical hit die is a 1 and is from a Japanese hit, then both a regular fire and a "raging fire" are started. He had been targeted by two different Japanese ships, which both started fires.
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| Photo by Col Campbell |
With the IRN Pobieda aflame and slowly sinking, the Japanese armored cruisers and battleships turn their gunfire against his division mates, IRN Retvizan and IRN Tsesarevich.
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| Photo by Col Campbell |
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| Photo by Col Campbell |
But the Japanese ships aren’t totally immune. The armored cruiser IJN Izumo has turned away from the fight with very heavy damage, drawing long-range fire from the IRN Bayan, which is steaming as fast as he can to overtake the Japanese fleet. The IJN Izumo eventually surrenders due to IRN Bayan's shellfire. The other Japanese three armored cruisers and the four battleships are all under fire from the remaining Russian battleships and cruisers.
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| Photo by Col Campbell |
The IRN Pobieda has turned away from the fight. The fires are too much for him and he sinks, the second Russian ship to be sunk.
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| Photo by Col Campbell |
But not the last. The IRN Rossiya has been set ablaze by shellfire from the Japanese battleships. He has turned away and is endeavoring to reach Vladivostok. But the fires also prove too much for his crew and he sinks, taking many of them to a watery grave.
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| Photo by Col Campbell |
With the IRN Rossiya out of the fight, RAdm Baron Shtakelberg transfers to his next cruiser, IRN Gromoboi, who immediately draws the Japanese battleship fire and is set ablaze. He won’t last long either.
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| Photo by Col Campbell |
Finally the Russian battleships score some telling hits, setting two of the Japanese armored cruisers (background) afire and forcing them to turn away from the fight. But it is too little, too late, as the Japanese battleships (foreground) turn to close the range even though they continue to draw fire from the remaining Russian ships.
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| Photo by Jim Pitts |
A closer look at the Japanese armored cruisers, as the IJN Azuma and Tokiwa have turned away and the IJN Iwate attempts to cover their retreat.
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| Photo by Col Campbell |
As darkness begins to fall, the IRN Tsesarevich is targeted by the IJN Iwate (#8) and the IRN Retvizan by the IJN Mikasa (#1).
So, who won. I think it is fairly obvious with the sinking of two battleships and two armored cruisers that the Russian Pacific Squadron were the losers. Although they forced the surrender of the Japanese armored cruiser Izumo, they couldn't board her. She was later recovered by the Japanese fleet (and her captain committed seppuku). The Russians retreated back to Vladivostok while the Japanese continued their blockade of the Russian port. Can the Baltic Fleet's reinforcements, now called the 2nd Pacific Squadron, turn the tables on the victorious Japanese? Tune in later next year for what may be the final climactic battle.
Note: All ships are from Panzerschiffe Miniatures. The flame markers are from Litko Game Accessories.
3 comments:
Thanks for the report and photos, Jim. it looks like a good time was had (well, at least by the Japanese players).
Your splash markers are quite good, sir.
-- Jeff
Jim,
I notice that your game features many instances of concentrated fire.
In the Pre-Dreadnought era, because of the very primitive range-finding capabilities, it was very difficult to determine which ship had fired which rounds.
Do your rules penalize accuracy for multiple ships firing at the same target?
This coming Sunday, I will be playing my first game of "Naval Thunder: Rise of the Battleship" . . . and I know that they do penalize accuracy for each extra ship firing at a singel target.
-- Jeff
Yes, there was a penalty for multiple ships firing at the same target. The effect was to make concentrating fire at long range rather ineffective, but still useful at closer ranges.
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