Naval battle in front of Korsakov

Naval battle in front of Korsakov

Part of: Russo-Japanese War

The Russian protected cruiser Novik

date	20th August 1904
place	in front of Korsakow , in Aniwa Bay
output	Japanese victory

Parties to the conflict
Russia	Japan
Commander
Michail von Schulz	Sendo TakeHisashi Takagi Sukeichi
Troop strength
1 protected cruiser	2 protected cruisers
losses
1 protected cruiser 2 dead Several wounded	no

The naval battle off Korsakow took place on August 7th ^July. / August 20, 1904 ^greg. between the Russian protected cruiser Nowik and the two Japanese protected cruisers Tsushima and Chitose off Korsakow in Aniwa Bay . The Nowik was grounded by its own crew.

prehistory

In the Battle of the Yellow Sea , the Russian fleet tried to escape the Japanese blockade of Port Arthur. The attempt failed in a battle with the Japanese fleet, in which the Nowik was slightly damaged by three hits and two men of the crew died. Most of the Russian ships turned back to Port Arthur after two hours of fighting and the death of the squadron chief.

The Nowik under its captain Michail von Schulz and several other Russian ships tried to flee to the German base in Kiautschou . All ships except the Nowik were interned. She left Tsingtau and tried to circumnavigate the Japanese islands to the east to reach Vladivostok . She wanted to make a stop before Korsakow to stockpile coal.

Skirmish

Wreck of the Nowik near Korsakow

On August 20, 1904, the Nowik was discovered by a Japanese transporter when it was taking over coal in front of Korsakow. The Nowik was trapped in Aniwa Bay and forced to take on a battle with the artillery superior Tsushima under Captain Sendo TakeHisashi ( Japanese 仙 頭 武 央 ). In battle she received five hits, three of which were below the waterline. Two sailors were killed and several injured. When the cruiser Chitose (Captain Takagi Sukeichi , Japanese 高木 助 一 ) also arrived, the Russian crew sank their ship off Korsakov, seeing no chance of escape.

consequences

General Lyapunov, the military governor of Sakhalin , had included the Novik in his defense strategy for the island. With the loss of the cruiser, the Sakhalin coast was completely unprotected, and on July 7, 1905 , Japanese troops landed at Korsakov and Alexandrowski Post .

literature

• The last Century of Sea Power: From Port Arthur to Chanak, 1894–1922 , English

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Diana in Saigon . (PDF) In: NYT , August 21
2. ^ New York Times, August 22, 1904