Japanese battleship Hatsuse
Encyclopedia
was a Shikishima-class
pre-dreadnought
battleship
in the Imperial Japanese Navy
, and one of the six battleships (Fuji
, Yashima
, Shikishima
, Hatsuse, Asahi
, and Mikasa
) that formed the main Japanese battle line
in the Russo-Japanese War
of 1904-1905. The Hatsuse had a very brief career.
under Russia
n pressure, Japan
began to build up its military strength in preparation for further confrontations. In particular, Japan embarked on a ten-year naval build-up program, with the construction of six battleship
s and six armored cruiser
s at its core.
The Hatsuse was ordered to Armstrong Whitworth
at the Elswick
Yard in Great Britain
in 1897. She was designed by Phillip Watts and was similar to the British Navy
's Majestic-class
. Laid down on 10 January 1898, she was launched on 27 June 1898 and completed on 18 January 1901. Before sailing to Japan, she represented the Meiji Emperor at Queen Victoria's funeral.
When the Japanese fleet was reorganized on 28 December 1903 Hatsuse became the flagship
of the 1st Squadron, 1st Division of the IJN 1st Fleet
, under Rear Admiral
Nashiba Tokioki
. After the start of the Russo-Japanese War
, the Japanese had the Russian Far-Eastern squadron bottled up in Port Arthur
. On 14 May 1904 Admiral Nashiba put to sea with the battleships Hatsuse (flag), Shikishima, and Yashima, the cruiser Kasagi
, and the dispatch-vessel Tatsuta to relieve the Japanese blockading force. On the morning of 15 May he reached Encounter Rock and continued northwest until he was about 15 miles off Port Arthur. Here Nashiba proceeded to patrol east by north across the mouth of the port. This course brought the fleet into a minefield
previously laid by the Russian minelayer
Amur
.
At 10:50, Hatsuse struck a mine and began to heel over with her steering engine compartment flooded and her port main engines useless. Only minutes later, Yashima was also struck (and later sank). By 11:30, Kasagi came alongside Hatsuse but the battleship's stern-walk was under water, and she was heeling four degrees. A hawser passed from Kasagi was just being hauled in when Hatsuse struck another mine. Her funnels fell; her mainmast broke off; her upper deck flew into the air and within a minute and a half, she had gone down. Tatsuta and Kasagi managed to save the Admiral and Captain Nakao with 21 other officers and 313 men; however, 38 officers and 458 men went down with the ship at 38°37′N 121°20′E.
Shikishima class battleship
-External links:**...
pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought battleship is the general term for all of the types of sea-going battleships built between the mid-1890s and 1905. Pre-dreadnoughts replaced the ironclad warships of the 1870s and 1880s...
battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
in the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
, and one of the six battleships (Fuji
Japanese battleship Fuji
-External links:*...
, Yashima
Japanese battleship Yashima
|-External links:** The New York Times, June 2, 1905....
, Shikishima
Japanese battleship Shikishima
|-External links:**...
, Hatsuse, Asahi
Japanese battleship Asahi
|-External links:***...
, and Mikasa
Japanese battleship Mikasa
is a pre-Dreadnought battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy, launched in Britain in 1900. She served as the flagship of Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō during the Battle of the Yellow Sea on 10 August 1904, and the Battle of Tsushima on 27 May 1905 during the Russo-Japanese War. The ship is preserved as...
) that formed the main Japanese battle line
Line of battle
In naval warfare, the line of battle is a tactic in which the ships of the fleet form a line end to end. A primitive form had been used by the Portuguese under Vasco Da Gama in 1502 near Malabar against a Muslim fleet.,Maarten Tromp used it in the Action of 18 September 1639 while its first use in...
in the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
of 1904-1905. The Hatsuse had a very brief career.
History
Following the 1894–1895 Sino-Japanese War, and the forced return of the Liaotung Peninsula to ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
under Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n pressure, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
began to build up its military strength in preparation for further confrontations. In particular, Japan embarked on a ten-year naval build-up program, with the construction of six battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s and six armored cruiser
Armored cruiser
The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like other types of cruiser, the armored cruiser was a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship, and fast enough to outrun any battleships it encountered.The first...
s at its core.
Armstrong Whitworth
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...
at the Elswick
Elswick, Tyne and Wear
Elswick is a ward of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, in the western part of the city, bordering the river Tyne. One of the earliest references to the coal mining industry of the north east occurs in 1330, when it was recorded that the Prior of Tynemouth let a colliery, called Heygrove, at...
Yard in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in 1897. She was designed by Phillip Watts and was similar to the British Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's Majestic-class
Majestic class battleship
The Majestic class was a class of pre-dreadnought battleships, built under the Spencer Programme of 8 December 1893, that sought to counter the growing naval strength of France and the Russian Empire...
. Laid down on 10 January 1898, she was launched on 27 June 1898 and completed on 18 January 1901. Before sailing to Japan, she represented the Meiji Emperor at Queen Victoria's funeral.
When the Japanese fleet was reorganized on 28 December 1903 Hatsuse became the flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of the 1st Squadron, 1st Division of the IJN 1st Fleet
IJN 1st Fleet
The was the main battleship fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy.-History:First established on 28 December 1903, the IJN 1st Fleet was created during the Russo-Japanese War when the Imperial General Headquarters divided the Readiness Fleet into a mobile strike force of cruisers and destroyers to...
, under Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Nashiba Tokioki
Nashiba Tokioki
- Notes :...
. After the start of the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
, the Japanese had the Russian Far-Eastern squadron bottled up in Port Arthur
Lüshunkou
Lüshunkou is a district in the municipality of Dalian, Liaoning province, China. Also called Lüshun City or Lüshun Port, it was formerly known as both Port Arthur and Ryojun....
. On 14 May 1904 Admiral Nashiba put to sea with the battleships Hatsuse (flag), Shikishima, and Yashima, the cruiser Kasagi
Japanese cruiser Kasagi
was the lead ship in the protected cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was the sister ship to the . It should not be confused with the later uncompleted of the same name, or the Pacific War-era transport Kasuga-maru...
, and the dispatch-vessel Tatsuta to relieve the Japanese blockading force. On the morning of 15 May he reached Encounter Rock and continued northwest until he was about 15 miles off Port Arthur. Here Nashiba proceeded to patrol east by north across the mouth of the port. This course brought the fleet into a minefield
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
previously laid by the Russian minelayer
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
Amur
Amur class minelayer (1898)
The Amur-class minelayers were the first purpose-built, ocean-going minelayers in the world. Both ships were constructed for the Imperial Russian Navy in the late 1890s. During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05 they were assigned to the Pacific Fleet. Yenisei struck one of her own mines two days...
.
At 10:50, Hatsuse struck a mine and began to heel over with her steering engine compartment flooded and her port main engines useless. Only minutes later, Yashima was also struck (and later sank). By 11:30, Kasagi came alongside Hatsuse but the battleship's stern-walk was under water, and she was heeling four degrees. A hawser passed from Kasagi was just being hauled in when Hatsuse struck another mine. Her funnels fell; her mainmast broke off; her upper deck flew into the air and within a minute and a half, she had gone down. Tatsuta and Kasagi managed to save the Admiral and Captain Nakao with 21 other officers and 313 men; however, 38 officers and 458 men went down with the ship at 38°37′N 121°20′E.