Chapter XXXV: A Retrospect on the Position at Sea

As soon as the enemy had established themselves on 203 Metre Hill, they began to build an observation station, and connected it to their siege batteries by telephone. December 6 passed in comparative quiet, but towards evening the enemy began to shell our ships. These were lying helplessly under Quail Hill, hoping to get some protection there from the 11-inch shells; but in vain, for from the summit of 203 Metre Hill could be seen the harbour, every ship, and every bursting shell. The huge projectiles could be seen falling one after another, either in the water near the ships, raising great pillars of water, or else striking them. The punishment began. The enemy's siege batteries set to work to destroy the squadron, which perished under the eyes of the whole Fortress, and the sailors now holding the land positions watched, helpless and with sad hearts, as their ships were struck, and one after another our great giants went to the bottom. A column of smoke was seen to shoot up from the _Pallada_, an explosion was heard, and a fire broke out on her. She struggled for life, Admiral Wiren himself superintending the extinguishing of the fire, but efforts were in vain, and she slowly perished. The _Bayan_ was sunk under Golden Hill; close to Quail Hill lay the _Retvisan_ on her side, and beyond, again, were the _Pobieda_ and _Poltava_, turrets half a-wash, guns pointing dumbly to the sky. Along-side stuck out the masts of the _Zabiyak_; the inner harbour was, in fact, a cemetery.

With the loss of 203 Metre Hill, Stössel's determination to surrender the Fortress ripened; in this he was much influenced by ----. The latter, for some incomprehensible reason, did not like the navy; his dislike reached such proportions that, when the sad news of the destruction of the last ship came in, he crossed himself, and, as if greatly relieved, said, 'Thank God--that's the end.' This was said in Stössel's intimate circle, but it soon became known in the garrison. And so Stössel, when the destruction of the ships began on December 7, wrote a letter to Admiral Wiren, in which he categorically insisted on the sunken ships being destroyed, and on those that were able putting out to sea, giving as his reason that with the loss of 203 Metre Hill the defence of Arthur was nearing its end. (The fall of this hill had an enormous significance for the fleet, but was only of secondary importance with regard to the defence of the Fortress.)

To General Stössel's letter Admiral Wiren replied as follows:

'_From the Officer Commanding the Squadron of Battleships and
Cruisers in Port Arthur to the Officer Commanding the Kwantun
Fortified District._

'I have the honour to reply to your letter, No. 2,241 of 7th instant,
as follows:

'The sortie of the fleet on August 10 of this year, in order to force
its way through to Vladivostock, was made in accordance with an order
from the Tsar, communicated in a telegram from the Viceroy, though
the opinion of the majority of Admirals and Captains was against
such an operation, for--taking into consideration the superiority
of the enemy, both in ships, guns, independent cruisers, divisions
of destroyers, and speed, as well as the distance to Vladivostock
without ports _en route_, and the necessity of passing the enemy's
straits near the island of Tsu-shima--they deemed it impossible.

'If everything went well, our ships, having expended their ammunition
in fighting the enemy's battleships and repelling torpedo attacks at
night, or being disabled like the _Cesarevitch_, would have had to
seek the sanctuary of a neutral port, and would have become useless
for the rest of the campaign. It was doubtful if any ship would ever
have reached Vladivostock; the _Novik_, which was the quickest of
them, even though she had great luck, was unable to do so.

'All our ships would have been lost in the middle of August, at a
time when the enemy's fleet would have been able (thanks to its
above-mentioned superiority and to the fact that, while steaming
parallel with us, it was making towards its own ports) to operate
so that none of its ships were rendered _hors de combat_. As the
enemy's ships would not have been seriously injured in these fights,
they could have renewed, refitted, and repaired at ease before the
earliest possible arrival of Admiral Rojdestvensky's squadron in the
beginning of January, and could have met it in as good condition as
now.

'With the return of our fleet to Port Arthur, after the battle
of August 10, with less than half its ammunition, with battered
ships, and many disabled guns, this operation of breaking through
to Vladivostock became still more impossible. A few days after the
squadron's return began the August assaults, in which our naval
detachments played an important part, and in which several officers
and men were killed. At a conference of flag-officers and Captains on
August 19 a minute was drawn up, a copy of which I have the honour to
attach. In accordance with this it was decided to assist the Fortress
in every possible way, and we have most conscientiously endeavoured
so to do. All the guns asked for for the positions have been taken
off the ships and mounted, shells of all calibres have been expended
on the land batteries, all ratings have worked according to their
special calling for the defence of the Fortress, and have taken the
most active part in repulsing the attacks in September, in October
and, finally, in November on Tumulus Hill, B Battery, and 203 Metre
Hill, where many of all ranks were killed.

'Till the capture of the latter the ships were, as far as possible,
kept in repair, but they could only have been of assistance to
Rojdestvensky's fleet _after the relief of Port Arthur by land_,
which would have enabled us to get ammunition and guns and to refit.
Rojdestvensky well knows this.

'The ships of the fleet are now sunk. Save for a small quantity of
47-millimetre and 12-inch ammunition, all the rest has been put on
shore. The officers and crews have been sent ashore. The torpedo
officers and men are employed making hand grenades and small shells,
and many of the engineers are making ammunition; the remainder of
the crews, numbering about 500, form the last reserve, and so the
squadron to the very end of all its _matériel_ and _personnel_ is
helping the Fortress to defend itself. With regard to the sinking
of the ships, steps have been taken that uninjured guns should not
fall as trophies into the enemy's hands if the Fortress falls. The
_Sevastopol_, which is the only uninjured battleship, I will try to
anchor near White Wolf's Hill, where, however, she will, of course,
be subject to torpedo attacks and risk being sunk. It is naturally
sad to have to lose the fleet thus, but if God enables us to hold
out in the Fortress till relieved from the land side, I am sure that
impartial men in Port Arthur will say that without the assistance
rendered by the fleet it would long ago have fallen into the enemy's
hands.'

To show clearly the state the fleet was in in the middle of the strict blockade, when the Viceroy ordered it to break through to Vladivostock after the unlucky attempt on August 10, I will quote an extract from a report of Admiral Wiren's, which fully illustrates its pitiful condition, and clearly shows that it had not a chance of getting through. The report was written after the fight of August 10:

'I have the honour to report that at present the ships of the
squadron under my command are in the following state:

'(_a_) _Hulls._

'The repairs to the _Peresvet_, _Pobieda_, _Retvisan_, and _Pallada_
are finished, and to the _Poltava_ and _Bayan_ are being finished.
The _Sevastopol_ is being repaired with the aid of caissons, and will
be ready in six to seven weeks. External damage to the sides has been
covered with sheets, and her interior has, as far as possible, been
repaired.

'(_b_) _Guns._

'Since the commencement of the operations two guns have been
absolutely disabled.

'After the conference on August 19, the following were put ashore
for the land defences: One 6-inch, ten 75-millimetre, nineteen
47-millimetre, eight 37-millimetre, and three searchlights.

'(_c_) _Personnel._

'Captain Boysman of the _Peresvet_ is recovering from wounds, and
is on the _Mongolia_. In the fight of August 10 two officers were
killed; in the assaults two more were killed; eleven are wounded and
sick.

'In reporting the above-mentioned state of the fleet, and in stating
that all my thoughts and desires are aimed towards carrying out the
Tsar's orders and your wishes, I consider it my duty to represent the
following facts:

'Our fleet, and particularly my squadron, not being able to steam
faster than thirteen knots (_Sevastopol_ and _Poltava_), cannot
possibly get through to Vladivostock without a fight, and the result
of a fight is not hard to foresee, even if the ships were better than
the enemy's in point of fighting--_i.e._, straight shooting. Even
supposing that the fleet steams out of Port Arthur without accident
through the mine-fields, which have become more dangerous during
the last month, as the enemy have constantly been laying mines (our
dredging flotilla, though it has daily trawled, is very weak, has few
pinnaces, and what with the destruction of a dredger, a port barge,
and two destroyers, has not been able to do much), it is impossible
for it to escape notice. Our greatest speed is only thirteen knots.

'The enemy would meet us in three or four divisions:

1. Division of battleships and armoured
cruisers 6 ships
2. Division of fast second-class cruisers
and one first-class cruiser (_Yakuma_) 5 ships
3. Coast-defence battleships and one
armoured cruiser (_Tokiwa_) 7 ships
4. Several divisions of destroyers and
small torpedo craft.

'We cannot take the initiative in action, as the enemy, having
superior speed, can steam away if they do not wish to fight, and can
accompany us until it suits them to engage in battle--_i. e_:

'(_a_) When our fleet is some seventy miles from Arthur.

'(_b_) When they can concentrate all their force.

'(_c_) When they are occupying a favourable position with regard to
the sun and the sea.

'As on August 10, the real fighting would again probably commence in
the afternoon; and each of the enemy's ships which were seriously
injured would be able to fall out for repairs or to make the land
without risk, at a time when each of our ships falling out of action,
though only temporarily damaged, might become a prize to two, three,
or four of their vessels, or at best might run on to a neutral coast,
or steam into a neutral port, and be interned for the rest of the
campaign.

'Thus they can easily beat us without losing a single big ship, and
all damage to ships or guns could be quickly made good in port, after
replacing the disabled guns and supplementing the crew. At sunset the
big ships would cease fighting, to rest, while two, three, or four
destroyer divisions would attack or menace us all night, so that the
crews would get no sleep, and we should be forced to waste ammunition
till morning. The speed of our fleet would in all probability
diminish, as the battered funnels (one of the principal destructions
on August 10) increase the expenditure of coal and prevent proper
pressure being maintained. If steaming thirteen knots, the voyage
to Vladivostock takes four days: it will take longer at less
speed--_i.e._, at eight knots the passage would take six days. On the
morning of the second day the enemy's battleships, having repaired
and rested, would again, whenever it suited them, fall on our tired
fleet, and so on repeat their tactics till the island of Tsu-shima,
where a fresh division of four armoured cruisers and destroyers would
be waiting for us; and there, close to their shores, their fortresses
and ports, the enemy would try and bring on a decisive action. We
could not ram, as this operation requires superior speed. Indeed, it
would be a miracle if we got to Vladivostock, and, having lost the
remainder of our Pacific Ocean Fleet, we would be giving the enemy
a fresh victory, and, what is more important, depriving the Baltic
Fleet of the possibility of destroying them, since it is weaker than
the enemy, both in numbers of ships and of guns, in its many types of
vessels, in speed, and in the fact that it will have to force its way
through to a base--Vladivostock--without which no fleet can operate.'