The naval Battle off Ulsan (Japanese: 蔚山沖海戦 Urusan'oki kaisen; Russian: Бой в Корейском проливе, Boi v Koreiskom prolive), also known as the Battle of the Japanese Sea or Battle of the Korean Strait, took place on 14 August 1904 during the Russo-Japanese War, four days after the naval Battle of the Yellow Sea.

Background

The Vladivostok Cruiser Unit of the Russian fleet made up of the armoured cruisers Rossia, Gromoboi and Rurik raided against Japanese sea commerce in the first stage of the war.

News that the First Pacific Squadron from Port Arthur had sailed reached Vladivostok in the afternoon of 11 August 1904. But the Vladivostok cruisers were not ready for action, since as late as 5 August 1904, a telegram had been received from Admiral Wilgelm Vitgeft stating that he had decided to perish with Port Arthur. Owing to the delay in sailing, there was little hope of being able to assist the First Pacific Squadron at the critical passage of the Tsushima Straits. However, the Russian command assumed that Admiral Vitgeft would be successful in breaking through the Japanese blockade, and therefore ordered Rear Admiral Jessen to sortie the Vladivostok Cruiser Squadron to rendezvous with the fleet in the Sea of Japan. The Russian fleet formed in a line abreast at intervals of four nautical miles (7 km) and headed southward at , in hourly expectation of sighting the Port Arthur Squadron.

However, the fleet had not been sighted by the following morning. As the Russian squadron approached Pusan, Admiral Jessen advised his captains that he had no intention of attempting to pass Tsushima Straits, and ordered the squadron back to Vladivostok. It was a fateful decision.

The Japanese fleet made up of more modern armored cruisers Izumo, Azuma, Tokiwa, Iwate, and two protected cruisers Naniwa and Takachiho under the command of Vice Admiral Hikonojo Kamimura, had passed very close to the Russian squadron in the dark on opposite courses but neither was aware of the other.

Ever since 0130 on 14 August 1904, Vice Admiral Kamimura had been heading back from his night patrol area on a course that took him directly to the Russian squadron. No sooner had Admiral Yessen started to turn back to Vladivostock, than he sighted the four Japanese armored cruisers.

The situation was ideal for the Japanese. It was dawn on a fine summer day, and the enemy was as far from Vladivostok as it was possible to be in the Sea of Japan, with the Japanese between themselves and their distant base.

The Battle

At 0520 on 14 August 1904 the fleets had closed to , and the Japanese ships fired first. For some reason, Kamimura, in assigning targets, concentrated fire on the Rurik, the last and weakest in the Russian column. Subjected to twice the bombardment administered to her stronger comrades. Rurik lost most of her officers in a short time, and although extremely damaged, remained afloat, the diminishing number of survivors continuing to fire the few remaining guns until the very last, in a gallant display of classic heroism that won the admiration of the Japanese.

On the easterly run the Japanese ships took some hits, but nothing comparable to what they inflicted. It would be assumed that when the Russians sheered away, Admiral Kamimura would have pressed his advantage closer. Inexplicably, this did not happen. Kamimura oddly held his course during the Russian turn, and when the Japanese turned a few minutes later, it was to a new tack that actually lengthened rather than narrowed the range.

The remaining Russian cruisers tried to cover the Rurik, but with increasing damage, Admiral Jessen decided at 0830 to scuttle the Rurik, and save his other ships by heading back towards Vladivostok. Japanese cruisers chased them for some time, and firing continued, with more damage to the Russian cruisers and slight damage to the Iwate and the Azuma. The Russians were in far worse condition than the Japanese, but Admiral Kamimura then made another inexplicable decision: after pursuit of only three hours, while still on the high seas, and with long daylight steaming hours between the Russian cruisers and Vladivostok, at 1115 hours the Japanese ceased the chase, and turned back towards Pusan.

Despite Kamimura’s failure to destroy the two remaining Russian cruisers, he was hailed as a hero in Japan, and the Vladivostok Cruiser Squadron never threatened Japanese shipping again.

Russian Point of View

From Russian point of view, the Rurik was scuttled by her own crew, not by Admiral Jessen's decision. The Rurik caught a shell into her unarmoured stern and the steering mechanism was destroyed and her rudder was immobilized in elevated position. So the maximal speed of Rurik greatly reduced and she could go straight only by reducing the revolutions of one of her propellers. Admiral Jessen successfully diverted all four Japanese armoured cruisers and hoped that Rurik could withstand against the Naniwa and Takachiho. However, the condition of Rurik was rather bad. First Rank Captain Trusov, her commander, and all senior officers were killed. Finally, Lieutenant Ivanov (the thirteenth in command) ordered the Rurik to be scuttled.

The Russia and Gromoboi successfully repelled the attack of Kamimura's cruisers at the price of sustaining heavy damage, but Russian sailors under fire were able to repair the main eight-inch (203 mm) guns and reopen fire from them. Facing the increasing rate of fire from the Russian cruisers and with his ammunition supplies nearly depleted, Admiral Kamimura decided to stop pursuit.

Source: Мельников Р. М. «Рюрик» был первым. — Л.: Судостроение, 1989. (Melnikov R. M. The Rurik was first // Leningrad, Sudostroenie Publishing Company, 1989)

Order of Battle

Ship order is according to their position in line

† - sunk

#, ## - damaged

Russia

Vladivostok cruiser force - Rear Admiral Karl Jessen:

• Armoured cruisers:
  • Rossia ## (flag) (48 KIA, 165 WIA)
  • Gromoboi ## (91 KIA, 182 WIA)
  • Rurik† (204 KIA, 305 WIA)

Japan

2nd Squadron - Vice Admiral Hikonojo Kamimura

• 2nd Unit: armoured cruisers:
  • Izumo # (flag) (20 hits, 2 KIA, 17 WIA)
  • Azuma # (10 hits, 8 WIA)
  • Tokiwa # (few hits, 3 WIA)
  • Iwate # (over 10 hits, 40 KIA, 47 WIA)
• 4th Unit: protected cruisers:
  • Naniwa (? hits)
  • Takachiho (? hits)

References

• Brook, Peter, Armoured Cruiser versus Armoured Cruiser, Ulsan, 14 August 1904, in Warship 2000-2001, Conway's Maritime Press , ISBN 0-85177-791-0
• Kowner, Rotem (2006). Historical Dictionary of the Russo-Japanese War. Scarecrow. ISBN 0-8108-4927-5
• Repington, Charles (1905). The War in the Far East, 1904-1905. London, 1905.
• Warner, Denis and Peggy (1974). The Tide at Sunrise: A History of the Russo-Japanese War', 1904-1905. New York.

External links

• Russo-Japanese War Research Society
• New York Times article 19 August 1905

References

1. S.Suliga (С. Сулига): Korabli Russko-Yaponskoy voyny. Chast 1. Rossiyskiy flot (Корабли Русско – Японской войны. Часть 1. Российский флот), Arsenal
2. S.Suliga (С. Сулига): Korabli Russko-Yaponskoy voyny. Chast 2. Yaponskiy flot (Корабли Русско – Японской войны. Часть 2. Японский флот), Arsenal