Japanese battleship Yashima
Encyclopedia
was the second ship of the Fuji-class
of early pre-dreadnought
battleship
s of the Imperial Japanese Navy
, and one of the six battleships (Shikishima
, Fuji
, Hatsuse
, Yashima, Asahi
, and Mikasa
) that formed the main Japanese battle line
in the Russo-Japanese War
of 1904–1905. The Yashima had a very brief career. The name "Yashima" is from an ancient poetic name for "Japan".
. As the Japanese were still incapable of building modern steel warships themselves, Yashima was ordered from Armstrong Whitworth
, at the Elswick
Yard, Great Britain
in 1894.
To help sell their products before the days of computer graphics
, manufacturers would commission highly detailed scale model
s of the proposed ship. The model of Yashima still survives and is currently on display at the RHS (Royal Hospital School
) Holbrook
in Suffolk
, England
. The plaque reads 'Japanese Armourclad "Yashima" 19 3/4 knots speed, built by Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ld. Elswick Shipyard 1897 Newcastle on Tyne. Designed by Sir Philip Watts, KCB, FRS etc.
Yashima arrived at Yokosuka
on 1897-11-30, too late for combat in the First Sino-Japanese War
, and was designated as a 1st class battleship.
After the start of the Russo-Japanese War
, Yashima was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 1st Division of the IJN 1st Fleet
, under Rear Admiral
Nashiba Tokioki
. On 1904-05-14 Admiral Nashiba put to sea with the battleships Hatsuse
(flag), Shikishima, and Yashima, cruiser Kasagi
, and dispatch-vessel Tatsuta to relieve the Japanese blockading force off Port Arthur
. On the morning of 1904-05-15, the squadron proceeded to patrol to east by north across the mouth of the port. This course brought the Japanese fleet into a minefield
previously laid by the Russian minelayer Amur
. Both Hatsuse and Yashima struck two mines each and were lost in one of the greatest Japanese naval disasters during the Russo-Japanese War.
Few hours after being mined Yashima sank while under tow to Korea for repairs. Her loss was concealed by the Japanese for the duration of the war as not to discourage its public with news of the loss of the irreplaceable battleship and nearly 200 of its crew with it.
Yashima sinking in a Russian minefield; May 15, 1904
Fuji class battleship
-External links:**...
of early 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...
s of 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 (Shikishima
Japanese battleship Shikishima
|-External links:**...
, Fuji
Japanese battleship Fuji
-External links:*...
, Hatsuse
Japanese battleship Hatsuse
|-External links:**...
, Yashima, 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 Yashima had a very brief career. The name "Yashima" is from an ancient poetic name for "Japan".
History
Yashima and her sister-ship Fuji were the first two battleships built for JapanJapan
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...
. As the Japanese were still incapable of building modern steel warships themselves, Yashima was ordered from Armstrong Whitworth
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, 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 1894.
To help sell their products before the days of computer graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
, manufacturers would commission highly detailed scale model
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
s of the proposed ship. The model of Yashima still survives and is currently on display at the RHS (Royal Hospital School
Royal Hospital School
The Royal Hospital School, , is a British co-educational independent boarding school with naval traditions. It admits pupils from age 11 to 18 through Common Entrance or the school's own exam...
) Holbrook
Holbrook, Suffolk
Holbrook is a village situated close to the northern shore of the Stour estuary in Suffolk, England. It is located on the Shotley peninsula in Babergh district, around 8⅓ km south of Ipswich....
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The plaque reads 'Japanese Armourclad "Yashima" 19 3/4 knots speed, built by Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ld. Elswick Shipyard 1897 Newcastle on Tyne. Designed by Sir Philip Watts, KCB, FRS etc.
Yashima arrived at Yokosuka
Yokosuka, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 419,067 and a population density of 4,160 people per km². It covered an area of 100.62 km²...
on 1897-11-30, too late for combat in the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
, and was designated as a 1st class battleship.
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...
, Yashima was assigned to 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 :...
. On 1904-05-14 Admiral Nashiba put to sea with the battleships Hatsuse
Japanese battleship Hatsuse
|-External links:**...
(flag), Shikishima, and Yashima, 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 dispatch-vessel Tatsuta to relieve the Japanese blockading force off 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 the morning of 1904-05-15, the squadron proceeded to patrol to east by north across the mouth of the port. This course brought the Japanese 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 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...
. Both Hatsuse and Yashima struck two mines each and were lost in one of the greatest Japanese naval disasters during the Russo-Japanese War.
Few hours after being mined Yashima sank while under tow to Korea for repairs. Her loss was concealed by the Japanese for the duration of the war as not to discourage its public with news of the loss of the irreplaceable battleship and nearly 200 of its crew with it.
Yashima sinking in a Russian minefield; May 15, 1904
External links
- Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy
- "LOSS OF YASHIMA ADMITTED.; Japan Announces That Battleship Struck a Mine a Year Ago." The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, June 2, 1905.