Pre-Dreadnought Photos: Part 11

Having recently made some new acquisitions, I'd thought I'd share a final instalment of Pre-Dred views relating to what got me started on those little 1/3000th ships, namely vessels from the Boxer Rebellion Naval Project.

Above you can see a contemporary French postcard that for me, brilliantly encapsulates the rapacious and unbridled expansionist policies of the assembled Powers.

From left to right we see Italy, Britain, Japan, Russia, Germany, France and the U.S.A. dancing around the body politic that was China in 1900.

The caption reads: 'Then, one more vigorous push and the Colossus was in pieces....".

This was produced by the Kunzli Brothers of Paris, and reveals some of the disquiet felt even then at the rather undignified scramble for the remnants of Qing China; of course the depredations of the Boxers, particularly amongst the Chinese Christian communities and latterly the foreign residents had to be answered, but it was the rewards of the potential 'pieces' that were the main motivation for intervention....

I note that one more tiny homuncular figure is holding the hand of Uncle Sam at the end, but is obscured - I suppose the artist couldn't think of a suitable caricature for Austro-Hungary!

Putting the politics aside, then, let's have a look at some lovely ships!

first up, the Italian Cruiser, the Lombardia:

Launched in 1890, she and her sisters provided Italy with a useful class of Protected Cruisers, small but perfectly formed!

The British, of course, went for a rather more full-on approach, here with the Armoured Cruiser the HMS Powerful, who along with her sister ship, Terrible, provided landing parties in China, as well as later and more famously, in the Relief of Ladysmith during the Boer War:

Also from the China Squadron of the RN, we have the Battleship the Barfleur:

Built especially with a shallower draught to be better able to cope with the estuaries of the region.

Moving over the Channel, as it were, we have what I think is the French Cruiser the D'Entrecasteaux, although it is a bit difficult to be sure from this angle:

Finally, we have a view of a participant in the storming of the Taku Forts, the old French gunboat, the Lion:

I particularly like the old Muzzle-Loading gun at the bow, with its funky wrap-around shield:

There'll be some more Pre-Dred stuff to come in the future, as well as some views of a different type of conflict altogether, that I've been gathering as background for yet another project!

Chemulpo: DBA Scenario Ideas.

A look now at some ideas as to how to present Chemulpo 1904 as a 'Damn Battleships Again' Scenario, looking in particular at the various vessels, their classification, and how one might 'level the playing field' somewhat, in order to turn what was always going to be a one-sided encounter into something a little more balanced.

As I'll be using the ships that were present during the Boxer Rebellion from my earlier campaign, I don't have the requisite models to represent every vessel, but given that historically not all the Japanese vessels seem to have engaged fully, (I suppose the Asama alone could have done the job, in reality....) I'm going to work around that.

I think the battle could throw up some interesting outcomes, and depending if you extend into 'what-if' territory, the involvement of the four neutral warships could be crucial.

All the vessels in the photos here are Navwar 1/3000th, and eagle-eyed viewers will note that my Varyag is actually a masquerading French Chateaurenault - I ordered the wrong pack, so had to make do! All ideas relating to the scenario are not official, emanating from myself, rather than such luminaries as Mr Barker et al.

If you don't have an immediate reference like a Naval Annual or All the World's Navies, thankfully there are a number of sites online that have good information available for this period.

The always interesting battleships.ru website has a nice summary of statistics for the various participants here:

http://www.battleships.ru/Chemulpo_action.html

In addition to the major surface vessels, they mention eight separate Japanese Torpedo Boat types, although I have yet to see these particular ships confirmed by other sources; some say three boats, some six, and most have no detail as to which ones; certainly, historically, they seemed to have taken no part in the main action, although that doesn't stop you adding them in for maximum mayhem!

First up then, some basic ship statistics, starting with the Varyag, or 'Viking' herself:

HIRMS Varyag: 1st Class protected Cruiser

Speed: 23 knots

(I hasten to add that this was optimal, sources put her capability at more like 19 kt on the day.)

Armament: twelve 6"QF, twelve 3", eight 47mm QF, six 15" Torpedo Tubes.

Damn Battleships Again Class: 2nd Class Cruiser, 6 Ship Points.

Next, her consort, the sea-going gunboat the HIRMS Korietz or 'The Korean':

Speed: 12 knots (on a good day....)

Armament: two 8" L/35 muzzle-loading guns, one 6" muzzle loader, four 4", six 47mm QF. The website above also gives her a single 15" Torpedo Tube, but I have not seen this mentioned elsewhere.

DBA Class: Obsolete, this seems rather harsh, but in view of her weaponry and size.....2SP? Perhaps for the sake of balance, a 3rd Class Cruiser designation might hold, at 4SP - both these ships punched above their weight in terms of gallantry and bravado!

Now for the rather weightier opposition; first up, the impressive Armoured Cruiser, Asama:

HIJMS Asama

Speed 20.5 knots

Armament: four 8", sixteen 6" QF, twelve 12pdr QF, seven 2.5pdr QF, five 18" Torpedo Tubes

DBA Class: 1st Class Cruiser, 8SP.

HIJMS Takachiho and Naniwa (sister ships):

Speed 18.5 knots

Armament: six 6", two 57mm QF, four 18" Torpedo Tubes

DBA Class: 2nd Class Cruiser, 6SP.

HIJMS Naniwa (Rear Adm. Uriu's flagship):

HIJMS Akashi (Suma Class):

Speed 20 knots

Armament: two 6", six 4.7", four 3", ten 47mm QF, two 15" Torpedo Tubes

DBA Class: 2nd Class Cruiser, 6SP.

HIJMS Niitaka:

Speed 20 knots

Armament: six 6", sixteen 3", four 47mm QF

DBA Class: 3rd Class Cruiser, 4SP.

HIJMS Chiyoda:

Speed 19 knots

Armament: fourteen 6", ten 4.7", three 15" Torpedo Tubes

DBA Class: 1st Class Cruiser, 8SP.

HIJMS Chihaya:

Speed 18 knots

Armament: two 4.7", four 3"QF, five 18" Torpedo Tubes

DBA Class: 3rd Class Cruiser, 4SP.

So, even discounting the up to eight TBs, Japan seems to have a whacking great advantage, but I think with some special rules, you could engineer in some interesting bonuses to give the Russian pair a chance.

Depending on whether you see Rudnev's mission as to go down in a blaze of glory, or to attempt to break the blockade, then DBA allows for some interesting impacts on play using wind and weather as well as navigation hazards. If you saw the map I linked in my previous post, you will notice not only the Yo-dol-mi island, but also the 5 fathom line across much of the eastern edge; this would play well as a shoal, for instance.

Next of course, we have to factor in the dash and elan of the respective commanders, Uriu certainly seems to have been relatively cautious and methodical, conservative, even, whilst Rudnev allowed himself to be caught in a situation that could only engender rashness - I like the Flag Officer's Classification no4: "He is a gallant officer and/or completely mad" - could have been written for him!

Then, of course, there is the potential involvement of the neutrals; this could take the form of running interference, as it were, with perhaps them behaving as merchant shipping under the rules, and just happening to sally out in line astern and covering the Russian pair in the process (Will Uriiu fire on/through them?), or even something more active.

Historically speaking, the U.S.S. Vicksburg was definitely erring on the Japanese side of things, geopolitically at this period, the two countries were, if not allied as such, benevolently disposed toward each other, and indeed, in terms of trade, the dominance of a victorious Russian Empire would perhaps not have been in America's interests.

Perhaps we could then discount her active participation, but what about the British HMS Talbot? Bayly had made his point as "Yours, disgruntled of Chemulpo....." with his protest letter, but surely, could not have gone further, attacking an ally at the expense of a global competitor?

I think, on balance, he will act as he did historically, although it would be nice to think he would come up with some sort of diversionary wheeze as I mentioned above to allow the Russians to leave without bloodshed....

Turning finally to the other two European nations, this is where I think that the best possibilities for action lie. The French, if anything, were natural allies of the Russians at the time, and how could they resist the romance of that last, gallant sally? In reality, they looked on, a la Charge of the Light Brigade, and shrugged "C'est Magnifique....mais ce n'est pas la Guerre!", but wouldn't it be great, if impassioned by the Russian example, they joined the fray?

Descartes Class Cruiser, Pascal:

Speed 19.5 knots

Armament: four 6.4", ten 4", two 18" Torpedo Tubes

DBA Class: 2nd Class Cruiser, 6SP.

Finally, the Italians; not to stereotype their nation, but could they stand idly by and watch the French go to glory and beyond without them? I say: "Avanti Italia!"

Lombardia Class Cruiser, Elba:

Speed 17 knots

Armament: four 6", six 4.7", eight 57mm QF, seven 47mm QF, two 14" Torpedo Tubes

DBA Class: 2nd Class Cruiser, 6SP.

Plenty to think about, there, I think, I'll be running a refight along these lines in the next few days, so keep a lookout for the After Action Report!

Varyag and Korietz

"From the Ship's Log of the Russian Cruiser Varyag, 9th of February 1904:

11:10 All hands on deck, Varyag

11:20 Cruiser goes to open sea, Korietz in 1 cable length (200m) behind. English and Italian crews cheer Russians, on the Italian Cruiser Elba, the Russian anthem is played.

11:25 Battle alarm on Varyag, Japanese Cruisers Asama, Naniwa, Takachiho, Chiyoda, Akashi, Niitaka bearing line from Richy Island to Northern Passage. Japanese Torpedo Boats behind Cruisers.

11:45 Varyag opens fire with port guns.

11:47 Asama opens fire with 8" gun, all Japanese squadron then opens fire......"

What the Japanese would call the "Jinsen Oki Kaisen" was about to begin. Rear Admiral Uriu's ultimatum was to expire at four o'clock on the 9th, when he threatened to attack the Russian ships in the Port of Chemulpo itself if they had not left the roadstead by midday.

In reality, then, and perhaps in contradiction to the affront felt by the English, Italians and French, Uriu was giving the Russians every chance to clear the neutral port, or even to scuttle their vessels in place, and have four whole hours to evacuate crews to the mainland or neutral shipping before he would pre-emptorily 'invade' the harbour.

http://international.loc.gov/service/mss/mtfms/msm/m1038/0001.jpg

Of course, this was really no choice at all; leaving the harbour meant an engagement that could only end in one way, and scuttling without even testing the enemy was bordering on cowardice; the advice and counsel of the European nations would err on the latter side, and meanwhile, mayhap their fillibuster reply to the Japanese might delay any real action - perhaps even a blockade of sorts might result; but Rudnev was made of sterner stuff - the honour of his naval service was at stake, the pride of his nation, and he would not concede without making some form of defiant gesture.

Whether he truly believed that his Varyag and her consort the Korietz could actually have a chance of breaking the ring of steel laid by the enemy, or whether he intended on going down in a 'blaze of glory', perhaps we shall never know, but clearing for action ten minutes before the midday deadline, both ships weighed anchor and set out for sea.

Within minutes of opening fire, the Japanese were able to bracket the Varyag before her own 6" guns had a hope of reaching the Asama, and tore away the port wing of the forebridge, started a fire in the chart house, and broke the foreshrouds. Casualties resulted at once, crucially amongst the personnel of the range finding equipment (However primitive it may have been in this era), and before midday, both main guns at the bow, and all of the secondary weapons on the port side, including their crews, were put out of action.

Rudenev was severely wounded in the head by shell splinters, the staff bugler and drummer who stood by his side were killed, and there were fires blazing on the bow and quarterdeck. The ship was now being steered from the steering compartment below, although damage to the rudders was making control difficult.

A useful map of the action:

http://www.russojapanesewar.com/chemulpo-map.html

Having passed Yo-dol-mi island, and with the distance to the enemy coming down to less than 30 cables, the decision was taken to turn about, but the steering was unresponsive with the rudders jammed at 15-20 degrees on the port side, so under fire, a slow turn to port was commenced only for the ship to be hit below the waterline by a large calibre shell which caused water to rush in and threaten the furnaces; desperate repair efforts were required to patch this and remain afloat.

There is some controversy as to whether the Varyag inflicted any damage upon her tormentors in return, the ship's log claims a hit on the bridge of the Asama, engulfing her in smoke and flame, which caused her to cease firing for a time whilst it was put out; the Japanese, for their part, strenuously deny that any such damage took place....

The Korietz had made slow progress on the starboard quarter of the Varyag, and for a time had been shielded from the Japanese, but now she too warranted the attentions of the enemy when Chiyoda, Naniwa and Niitaka entered firing range astern of the Asama.

Her own muzzle loaders were woefully out of range, but not to be outdone, she fired away for all she was worth, and quite possibly with no effect whatsoever, other than to cheer the spirits of her own crew.

Perhaps mercifully, the Japanese fire on her seems to have been largely ineffective, yet she could now do no more than follow her fellow warrior back toward the harbour.

By 12:40, both ships, the Varyag listing 20 degrees to port, and down by the bow, began to approach the harbour, and the Japanese broke off the pursuit, probably in order to prevent any 'overs' falling amongst the neutral shipping, which had stubbornly remained in place. I would guess it is for this reason also that Uriu did not send in his torpedo craft to finish the duel, given the damage an errant torpedo might do in the narrow confines of the port.

The endgame was yet to be played out, but given the international Press presence in the region, the legend of the gallant and defiant actions of the two ships was already being written; astoundingly, that early pioneer of film, Thomas Edison, ever one to grab an opportunity for publicity, made the following 'Short', seen from the Japanese side:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw9lqO0JZ_4

An Austrian poet was soon penning the words of a song that was soon translated into Russian, and became the soundtrack to this film made some years later:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfH1BF9JflM

I suggest you turn the sound up, and sing "Urrah" for the men of the Varyag and Korietz.....

Chemulpo: Last Stand of the Varyag and Korietz

In the annals of Russian Naval history, there is perhaps no greater example of sang-froid in the face of the enemy than that shown by the heroic defiance of the Cruiser Varyag and the Gunboat Korietz, when met by superior Japanese forces in the bay of Chemulpo (Modern-day Inchon) on February 9th 1904.

The opening move of the Russo-Japanese War was the mission by Rear Admiral Uriu's flotilla to land troops for the invasion of Korea at Chemulpo. The Japanese force consisted of the Naniwa Class Cruisers Naniwa and Takachiho, the Suma class Akashi, the Tsushima Class Niitaka, the Asama and Chiyoda (own classes), the armed merchant Chihaya, at least six torpedo boats, and three transports carrying 25oo troops.

Ranged against these powerful vessels, Imperial Russia had the obsolete Gunboat Korietz, (Captained by G.P. Belyaev) whose 8" muzzle loaders were only augmented by the 6" guns of Captain Vselevod Rudnev's Varyag. This was as opposed to the modern 8" guns of the Asama, let alone the combined weight of fire of the whole Japanese force.

The Russian paquet boat steamer Sungari arrived in the roadstead at Chemulpo on February 7th, and reported the presence of the Japanese fleet; the Cruiser Chiyoda had already been in attendance for some months, keeping an eye on Russian activity. Interestingly, the Russians were not the only occupants of the bay, in that there were vessels from four other nations anchored at this port that served as the maritime outlet for the Korean capital of Seoul.

From Britain was the Eclipse Class Cruiser the Talbot, under Captain L. Bayly, from France was the Descartes Class Protected Cruiser Pascal, from Italy the Lombardia Class Protected Cruiser the Elba, and from the United States, the Gunboat Vicksburg under William A. Marshall.

Opinion varies as to exactly what happened next; either the Korietz was despatched on a voyage to Port Arthur to warn the Russian fleet there and engaged the Chiyoda, or she merely blundered out onto the Japanese flotilla, mistook them for friendly ships, yet somehow entered into a fruitless exchange of fire; in any event, the gloves were apparently off - yet how could the two Russian ships prevent the landing of the Japanese invasion force?

To be frank, they could not, would not, and did not, indeed they remained aloof whilst Uriu's troopships landed their charges - at this point the port was still officially neutral, and no offensive action could be taken within the roadstead with the various vessels of the other nations present.

This quaintly Victorian situation of trying not to show either concern or interest at the activities of an enemy under your very nose came to a head when the Japanese Admiral sent a written warning and ultimatum to the captains of the neutral ships.

He stated that he intended to take offensive action against the Russians, giving the exact time he intended to do this, and advising those uninvolved to move their vessels out of harm's way.

Captain Bayly, in rather Colonel Blimpish fashion, took umbrage at the bad form shown by the Japanese Rear Admiral, and no doubt moustaches bristling, sent a strongly worded letter in reply. This was countersigned by the French and Italians, who obviously understood these things, and what constituted a 'good show' or not; the notable absentees here were the representatives of the young nation of America, who refused to join in with this comedy of Manners.

Given that the English had signed the Anglo-Japanese Naval Treaty in 1902, had built most of Japan's Battle Fleet, and had a permanent flotilla based off their islands, Bayly's decision to stick up for the Russians seems incomprehensible, yet entirely explainable in a world dominated by Gentlemen's Clubs rather than strategic think-tanks.....and quite right too...... "It's all very well being an Ally....but that's dashed bad form don't you know, old chap...."

In any event, the Russians themselves would save the blushes of the other nations when they did what was perhaps the 'honourable' thing, and decided to fight - a glamorous, romantic act, given the odds ranged against them, yet really the only thing they could have done. At least that was what their hearts told them, but in cold reality, it would be a fruitless and downright suicidal run out to sea, where the Japanese were awaiting them....

I'll be looking in detail at what happened next in coming posts, and hopefully having a run-through of the action using Damn Battleships Again, and some of the minis I gathered for the Boxer Rebellion Naval Project, so keep a good lookout!

For those of you who might be interested, there is a good overview of things here:

http://www.russojapanesewar.com/chemulpo.html

and also a fascinating account of the background to the action, and the events themselves from a more neutral perspective, including astonishing original photographs taken at the time here:

http://populargusts.blogspot.com/2008/10/foreign-correspondents-in-korea-during.html

The postcard view at the top of the post is from my personal collection, the title reads: "French sailors from the Cruiser Pascal rescue Russian sailors at the Battle of Chemulpo". Interestingly, the artist also depicts an Italian flagged whaleboat helping out in the left middle distance, and has the neutral shipping ranged beyond.

Pre-Dreadnought Photos: Part 6

A quick trawl through the photo archive has come up with a few more interesting shots of various vessels. Above we see the Russian Gun Boat the Sivutch, whose sister ship, the Bobr, was present at the assault on the Taku Forts in 1900. She was a little smaller in displacement to the latter ship, but had a similar armament of one 9" gun in the forward barbette, four 4.2"and a number of 1pdr Pom-Pom types.

The assault on the forts at Taku was ostensibly under the command of the senior Captain present, namely Dobrovolsky of the Bobr, although to be fair, it seems that others had a more active role on the day; the ship itself engaged the forts in partnership with the other older boats the Russian Korietz and the French Lion, and was lucky to receive no casualties, in spite of facing down some of the Krupp 12cm guns the Chinese had bearing on the Pei-Ho river to the landward side.

Next a view of an unknown Torpedo Boat, a very tidy looking one, the only clue to its origins being the single word 'Schichau' on the back of the photo; this probably explains her clean look - perhaps a photo just after she was built at these German naval yards at Elbing.

Producing ships not only for the Imperial German Navy, but also for export to various countries, torpedo craft were apparently a speciality, notably including the four Hai-Hola class ships that were captured by the allies at the Taku Dockyard, and later taken into service by the respective victors.

Staying in the Orient, a view of the Chinese Unprotected Cruiser Huan Tai, of the Kai Che class completed 1886:

The only obvious clue, perhaps, to her origin, is the pennant at her main masthead; there are some excellent details on Chinese flags of the era to be found here:

http://www.fotw.us/Flags/cn-imp.html

She was unfortunately lost in 1902 when she collided with the Canadian Pacific Liner Empress of India off Hong Kong.

Moving on to another Chinese vessel, we have the Armoured Cruiser King Yuen or Jingyuan, built 1887 by the Vucan shipyards at Stettin, she was armed with two 8.3", two 5.9" as well as four 18" torpedo tubes:

I particularly like the beautiful Dragon symbol visible on her stern:

She took part in the Battle of the Yalu River against the Japanese on 17th September 1894, as part of the Beiyang fleet under Admiral Ting, and was one of five vessels sunk that day; an excellent account of the action can be found here:

http://www.russojapanesewar.com/yalu1894.html

Finally we have an intriguing original photograph of a twin-funneled torpedo boat, which I came across amongst an E-Bay (Other auction sites are available...) lot of mostly Italian ships, and I have been at a loss as to how to identify it:

You will notice that low amidships there are the Sino-Japanese characters for 'Number One', so I guess that is her nomenclature, but I haven't as yet been able to find a corresponding type. The background scenery is interesting in that the brick architecture and rather rough tile roofing is reminiscent of photos of buildings taken in China during the Boxer Rebellion, although these of course might also resemble Japanese construction at a similar period.

The uniforms of the crewmen visible appear fairly generic for the period, although there is a slight hint of the Chinese about the sash and collar of the man with his back to the camera. So, Chinese or Japanese? I'm erring on the side of the latter for now, be glad to hear from anyone who knows which it is!

Pre-Dreadnought Photos: Part 3

Some more entries now, from the SteelonSand Photographic Archive :-).

First off, we have above a postcard image of what I presume is a French Torpedo Boat, No 82, in that the photo was taken by a M. Laurent-Nel of Rennes, and the background is formed by the rather nice-looking Citadel at Pourt Louis, Morbihan, which is in southern Brittany between Brest and St. Nazaire.

http://www.blavet.co.uk/port%20louis%20citadel.htm

The boat itself, according to the battleships-cruisers website, must lie somewhere between Nos 75 to 125, and there is a small image there that matches the one in the photo above. These seem to be boats built between 1888 and 1895 or so, no idea of capabilities though, I'm afraid.

(Scroll down about half way, beyond the Mistral Class, to image of Boat 84)

http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/torpedo_boats3.htm

Following on with the TB theme, we have an excellent image from Japan of a flotilla of five of their boats, during the Russo-Japanese War. Can't be exactly sure about the provenance, as to whether this image was actually taken at the time the caption states, but it no doubt shows contemporary craft. Interesting to see apparently a number of different colour schemes, and judging by the thickness of the funnels, a number of different types.

Could these be the 16th Torpedo Boat Division of Wakabayashi, that featured a mix of a single Shirataka class, HIJMS Shirataka, and type 67 Class and 39 Class boats, that were present at Tsushima and the Yellow Sea?

In any event, it's a nice grouping, but I think you'd need to be quite an expert to get to the bottom of which is actually which. (So not me then...!)

Next we have a view of the Japanese Cruiser Asama, completed 1899, which had been part of the Allied Power's fleet during the Boxer Rebellion, and of course later had a role at Tsushima. Interesting here is the dark colour scheme with the double bands on the funnels, battleships- cruisers has a similar photo which is dated to circa 1911.

http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/asama_class.htm#Asama

EDIT: Actually, on reflection, I think that this is not the Asama after all, having been looking at my Navwar model of this ship recently - she's far too sleek for an armoured cruiser.....that and the fact that I just realised it says 'Takasago' in Japanese on her stern! (Albeit in reverse - the negative must have been back to front.)

See Takasago here:

http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/takasago.htm

That's more like it:

Now for a look on the other side of the fence, as it were, with some vessels of the Tsar. These appear in contemporary stereoview photograph cards, which were so popular in the late Victorian and Edwardian Eras, viewed through a pair of lenses attached to a frame holder for the image, to give a form of 3D perspective. That's right, forget Cameron's Avatar - these are the real deal- this is Stereography!

Below we have, from Underwood and Underwood, a view entitled "War Dogs of the Far East-Russian fighting ships in the fortified harbour of Port Arthur". This image was taken just prior to the conflict in 1904/05, and was released as part of a series of 'reportage' style views with details of the conflict on the reverse - no Sky News or CNN in those days.....

A close up of one half of the image; the back of the card identifies the Cruiser Pallada, with three funnels to the left of the frame, the Peresvyet, again three funnelled to the right of frame, and next to her, with the indented topped four funnels, the Varyag.

I can't hazard an identification of the single funnel vessel immediately behind the dark Torpedo Boat in the left foreground, or the two-funnelled ship beyond. Take your pick, I guess from the following list (Scroll Down about half way- be aware, this downloads as a PDF file):

http://www.russojapanesewar.com/1904-Fleets.pdf

EDIT: Having taken a good close up look at the photo again, I'm going to vote for the two funnelled ship in the centre rear to be the Rurik; twin row of portholes, triangular looking visible ratlines from the masts, and bowsprit removed as per fifth photo down in left hand column on this page:

http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/rurik.htm

Things are a lot clearer in this next one, issued by the Keystone View Company, U.S.A.

It is entitled "Russian Pacific Fleet", and is again a photograph contemporary to the Russo-Japanese War, although the card itself seems to have been issued during WWI.

Here we can again see the characteristic indented funnel tops of the Varyag, accompanied by a Petropavlosk class Battleship. I'm going to stick my neck out here and identify her as the Sevastopol, based upon the heights of the three heavy steam pipes, the central one of which appears higher than the funnels either side; lovely view of the pair of midship turrets, anyway:

Hope you've enjoyed looking at these, next time will be some postcard views of French heavyweights, and an intriguing mystery......

Pre-Dreadnought Photos: Part 2

Some more Pre-Dreadnought photographs, now, with more of a Boxer Rebellion era flavour.

Above we have a slightly grubby view of the Japanese battleship Shikishima, which was completed in January 1900 and was present throughout all the major engagements of the Russo-Japanese War - Port Arthur,Yellow Sea, and of course Tsushima. Apparently, she soldiered on in various guises right up until 1947, when she suffered the final ignominy of being scrapped after WWII.

She was armed with four 12" guns in twin turrets fore and aft, had fourteen 6", and thirty-odd guns of smaller calibre, also five 18" torpedo tubes.

The photo itself is interesting, in that it is from a Trade Card issued by the 'Art Pavements and Decorations Ltd', of Holborn and Camden Town, London, who specialised in Marble Masonry and Tiling.

They make the proud boast on the card that the Shikishima had "800 yards of Terrazzo Marble Mosaic laid"!

Now that's what I call class, no nasty corticene linoleum on our Battleship! I suppose having been built at the Thames Ironworks, the Japanese took advantage of local craftsmanship to decorate the Officers' Mess deck - those were the days......

Next up, we have a view of the cruiser HMS Eclipse, of whose class, sister ships HMS Dido and Isis where present off the Taku Bar during 1900. These were in effect enlarged Astraea Class protected cruisers, and had a mixed armament of 6 and 4.7" guns.

Next we have a view of a class of ship sadly lacking in the Navwar and other 1/3000th catalogues, the tidy looking sloop, represented here by HMS Alacrity, which was captained by Christopher Craddock (of Battle of the Coronel fame) during the Boxer Rebellion, and saw action at the Taku Forts, and of course provided shore parties that fought throughout the campaign.

Moving on to another veteran of the Taku Forts assault, as well as famously a participant in the Battle of Chemulpo four years later, we have the Russian Mandjur class gunboat Korietz.

She was armed with two obsolete 8" muzzle loading guns, in barbette bulges forward, one of which can plainly be seen here, and is that a Nordenfeldt QF atop the bow?

Interesting as well, in this view, is the puff of smoke at the stern - firing a signal gun or salute, perhaps?

Finally we have a shot of HMS Orlando, a 1st class Cruiser with a partial 10" armour belt, two 9.2", and ten 6" guns, also a handy brace of six 18" torpedo tubes, including two submerged, at bow and stern. This view is from an Ogden's Guinea Gold Cigarette Card, and is subtitled "Now in Chinese Waters" - so there!

Next time on this subject, there'll be some torpedo boats, and some stereo-views of Russo-Japanese vessels, so stay tuned....

55 Days at Sea: 1st Scenario: Ship Stats and OOB

Ship statistics and order of battle now, for the first scenario in the 55 Days at Sea Campaign: "Surprise Attack", using Mr Barker's 'Damn Battleships Again' rules.

I thought I would lay out the details of the various contenders here, as well as make some notes on certain points specific to this scenario; I've provided some general statistics that might be useful, and included the ship classification in line with my interpretation of the definitions according to the rules.

First off, the Fleet of the Great Powers, gathered at anchor off the Taku Bar:

Great Britain:

HMS Centurion and Barfleur (Centurion Class)

10,500 tons, Weapons: 4 x 10", 10 x 4.7", 8 x 6pdr, 12 x 3 pdr, Torpedo Tubes: 7 x 18"

Armour: 12' Belt, 2.5" Deck

Speed: 17 knots

Damn Battleships Again Ship Classification: Battleship

Endymion (Edgar Class)

7,700t, 2 x 9.2", 10 x 6", 12 x 6pdr, TT: 2 x 18"

5" Deck

19kt

DBSA Class: 1st Class Cruiser

Aurora and Orlando (Orlando Class)

5,600t, 2 x 9.2", 10 x 6", 10 x 3pdr

10' Compound Belt, 3" Deck

16kt

DBSA Class: 1st Class Cruiser

Austro-Hungary:

Zenta (Zenta Class)

2,300 tons, 8 x 4.7", 10 x 3pdr, TT: 2 x 17.7"

2" Deck

20kt

DBSA Class: 2nd Class Cruiser

United States of America:

Newark (own class)

4, 083t, 12 x 6", 4 x 6pdr

3" Deck

18kt

DBSA Class: 2nd Class Cruiser

Italy:

Calabria (own class)

2,453t, 4 x 6", 4 x 4.7", 8x 57mm, TT: 2 x 17.7"

2" Deck

17kt

DBSA Class: 2nd Class Cruiser

Elba (Lombardia or Regions Class)

2,245t, 4 x 6", 6 x 4.7', 10 x 57mm, TT: 2 x 17.7"

2" Deck

18kt

DBSA Class: 2nd Class Cruiser

Japan:

Kasagi (Chitose Class)

4,760t, 2 x 8", 10 x 4.7", 12 x 12pdr, TT: 4 x 18"

2.5" Deck

22kt

DBSA Class: 1st Class Cruiser

Suma (own class)

2,657t, 2 x 6", 6 x 4.7", 10 x 3pdr, TT: 2 x 15"

2" Deck

20kt

DBSA Class: 2nd Class Cruiser

Germany:

Kaiserin Augusta (own class)

6,218t, 12 x 5.9", 8 x 3.4", TT: 5 x 13.8"

2.75" Deck

21kt

DBSA Class: 2nd Class Cruiser

Hansa and Hertha (Victoria Luise Class)

5,660t, 2 x 8.2", 8 x 5.9", 10 x 12pdr, TT: 3 x 17.7"

4" Deck

19kt

DBSA Class: 1st Class Cruiser

Gefion (own class)

4,275t, 10 x 6", 6 x 4.8", TT: 2 x 17.7"

Armour: unknown

20kt

DBSA Class: 3rd Class Cruiser

Russia:

Rossiya (own class)

12,500t, 4 x 8", 16 x 5.5", 12 x 3pdr, TT: 6 x 18"

10" Belt, 2.5" Deck

19kt

DBSA Class: Battleship

(Given her size, weapon complement, and armour, this seems the best designation under the DBA rules, although she was actually a large armoured cruiser.)

Sissoi Veliki (own class)

9,000t, 4 x 12", 6 x 6", 12 x 57mm, 24 x 37mm, TT: 6 x 18:

16" Belt, 3" Deck

16kt

DBSA Class: Battleship

Gaidamak (Kazarski Class)

400t approx, 6 x 3pdr, 3 x 1pdr, TT: 2 x 15"

Unarmoured

17kt

DBSA Class: Torpedo Boat Destroyer

(DBSA actually calls for TBDs to operate/be depicted in pairs, but as these are historical, named ships, I'm foregoing this rule)

France:

D'Entrecasteaux (own class)

8,114t, 2 x 9.4", 12 x 5.5", 12 x 3pdr, TT: 6 x 18"

2.2" Deck

19kt

DBSA Class: 1st Class Cruiser

Descartes, Pascal (Descartes Class)

4,000t, 4 x 6.4", 10 x 4", 8 x 3pdr, TT: 2 x 18"

2" Deck

19kt

DBSA Class: 2nd Class Cruiser

Now for the Chinese Navy:

Anchored at the rear of the Great Power's Fleet:

Hai Yung (own class)

2,680t, 3 x 5.9", 8 x 4", TT: 3 x 14"

Armour unknown

19kt

DBSA Class: 3rd Class Cruiser

Flotilla approaching from the South:

Hai Tien (own class, based on Elswick built Argentinian Buenos Aires Class Cruiser)

4,500t, 2 x 8", 10 x 4.7", 16 x 2", TT: 5 x 18"

Armour unknown

24kt

DBSA Class: 1st Class Cruiser

Fei Ting (own class, officially a 'torpedo cruiser')

400t, 2 x 4", 4 x 2", TT: 5 x 18"

Armour unknown

20kt

DBSA Class: 3rd Class Cruiser

Fei Ying (own class)

Tonnage unknown, 2 x 47mm, TT: 3 x 13.7"

Armour unknown

25kt

DBSA Class: Torpedo Boat Destroyer

Kuang Ting (own class, 'torpedo gunboat')

Tonnage unknown, 3 x 5.9", 4 x 47mm, TT: 4 x 18"

Armour unknown

16kt

DBSA Class: 3rd Class Cruiser

The 'surprise package' emerging from the mouth of the Pei Ho river, obscured by the two Kwantung Junks:

Hai Hola, Hai Lung, Hai Nju, Hai Ying (Hai Hola Class)

Tonnage unknown, 6 x 47mm, TT: 2 x 18"

Unarmoured

30kt

DBSA Class: Torpedo Boat Destroyer

The two Kwantung Junks themselves are of course classed as Merchant shipping, although they could reveal themselves as 'Raiders / Armed Merchant Cruisers' in the sense that they mount 6 obsolete muzzle-loading 24pdr guns, and are crewed by fanatical Boxers. An attempt to board and inspect these ships by one of the Great Powers could result in a nasty surprise!

The Time of Day for the start of the scenario is decided at 6 spells before sunrise, therefore dawn.

You might like to depict the Taku Bar itself as a shoal under the rules, this is a hazard to navigation and blocks line of sight for Torpedo Boat Destroyers.

The Russian Rossiya is the Flagship of the Fleet.

The positions of the various ships are as depicted in the Russian diagram on the Taku Bombardment Webpage: (Scroll down...)

http://www.fortunecity.com/olympia/ince/698/rurik/taku.html

The Chinese TBDs and junks approach from the top of the diagram, the Hai Yung is at position in the rear, and she will be joined by the flotilla moving from Wu-Sung after the first few spells of play.

As this is a surprise attack, I would award by default the initiative to the Chinese, and might hamper the Great Powers further by imposing a spell limit before they could either return fire or begin to move; this would obviously depict their unpreparedness and time needed to get up a head of steam.

Furthermore, it would give some advantage to the Chinese, who are, after all, outnumbered 2:1 by more capable ships!

Victory conditions should also reflect the strategic impact of interdicting the landing of troops by the Great Powers, and each loss to them, whether damaged or sunk, should be judged greater than one on the Chinese side, their likely losses being relatively immaterial in the sense of achieving the aim of closing the mouth of the Pei Ho to Western ships.

A further bit of fun might be to introduce a 'Confusion' dice roll, whereby if a ship of a certain nation receives fire from the Chinese in the near vicinity of another, competing nation, then they may mistakenly assume they are under attack by their rival power, and react accordingly.

Candidates for this that spring to mind would be mutually the Russians and Japanese, the Austro-Hungarians and Italians, and the British and the French; if the HMS Centurion receives fire within 5 cable lengths of the D'Entrcasteaux, she might think that it came from the French!

Phew!, quite an exhaustive list of things there, but should shape up into an interesting game....

55 Days at Sea: First Scenario: Surprise Attack

It is the 9th of June 1900. The upsurge in violence associated with the rise of the Boxer Movement in China has meant a gradual build up of forces by the various Powers who wish to gain influence at the expense of the ailing Manchu Regime.

At the point of entry at the mouth of the Pei Ho River, it has been a tense standoff; gunboats, transports and shallow draught vessels have gingerly threaded their way under the guns of the Taku Forts, wary of the private sympathies of the Chinese Imperial Troops who man them.

Luckily, in line with the public stance of their government, they have remained aloof, and the landing of troops bound for Tientsin and beyond, has so far gone on unhindered. The Boxers are to all intents and purposes still regarded as 'rebels'.

However, the tide may very well be turning against the Allied Powers, with the notoriously anti-foreign Prince Tuan having replaced the moderate Prince Chi'ing as Foreign Secretary, the noose has been tightening around the Foreign Legations at Peking.

300 or so reinforcements, both marines and sailors, have arrived there by rail on the 31st may, bolstering any likely defence, but perhaps this show of strength has done as much to heighten the tension as to calm it:

"The arrogance of these barbarians, trying to threaten the Imperial Court itself!".

Insistent messages, sent by the local Commander at Taku to the Imperial government, stating that he could prevent further Foreign intrusions by closing the mouth of the Pei-Ho, have finally received the following enigmatic reply:

"The Fox, when barred from the Hen House, is no longer a Fox...."

The Commander knows that the large ships of the Fleet cannot pass the barrier of the sandbank formed by the Taku Bar, and although the foreign navies posses some heavy calibre guns, if he can dissuade them from closing with the Forts, then landings up the Pei-Ho at Tangku will become impossible, and Tientsin and the Legations will be effectively cut off.

A strike force is assembled, made up of the four modern Torpedo Boat Destroyers, so kindly provided by the shipyards of Germany, of the Hai-Hola class, in addition to two Kwantung Junks to act as a deceptive screen on the approach:

From Wu Sung, to the South, a further group, led by the Protected Cruiser the Hai Tien, will be in position by dawn:

Finally, already a wolf amongst the flock, the Hai Yung lays at anchor a few cable lengths to the rear of the Allied Fleet, ostensibly to protect the interests of the central government, she will lead the surprise attack on the unsuspecting Foreign Devils:

At 05:00 hours, HMS Aurora, an Orlando Class Cruiser, reports the approach of two apparently friendly Junks, traders perhaps? The surprise attack has begun!

So that is the set up for the first part for the 55 Days at Sea campaign, a 'what if' scenario to mirror the actual historical combats that took place on land, with a spotlight on the naval elements that were in place in 1900. As you can see in the photos, the trusty old blue nylon tarpaulin is yet to be replaced by a nice sea scape mat, but once its replacement has arrived, I intend to do a run through using the Damn Battleships Again! ruleset. So stay tuned for an After Action Report in the near future.

Now just a quick look at some of the WTJ Naval ships seen in their unpainted state in my last post on this subject: The German Gefion:

The Russian Bobre:

And just for fun, the Spanish WTJ Lepanto in the company of Navwar's battleship Pelayo:

55 Days at Sea: War Times Journal Ships

Yes, I finally gave in, having more or less topped off the collection of Navwar ships for the 55 Days project, I couldn't shake the feeling of being bereft of certain key ships. I'd originally sworn off buying vessels from the excellent War Times Journal Miniatures due to the exchange rate between the £ and the $, but just a handful of ships wouldn't hurt - would it?

I can therefore, having received a large box from the good ole US of A the other day, wax lyrical for the first time about a comparison between the two manufacturers, and detail the ships that will be filling the gaps in my collection so far.

http://www.wtj.com/store/gameshop/shop1/

My order from the U.S. arrived promptly, around ten days or so after despatch, and came in a large box with plenty of cushioning material inside; in fact this more or less filled the whole box, given that I had only ordered eight ships! Each vessel was individually placed in a small plastic baggie, although with none of the information/specs that you receive with a Navwar purchase. On first examination, the casts were extremely clean, and flash was minimal to non-existent, unlike the models of some other manufacturers!

You can see all the vessels in their natural, untouched state here. Of course, WTJ has done the wargamer/collector the great service of having some close up, detailed photos of their products on their website, so I don't intend to duplicate their efforts here, rather merely relate what I bought to the 55 Days project.

First up we have a view of the Chinese Torpedo Gunboat Fei Ting, (WTJ 0012302) a very nice sculpt with her unusual twin-funneled layout; what is immediately apparent is the clean detailed lines of the model, and the detail visible on the ship's boats, a feature of all of WTJ's products.

I simply couldn't resist augmenting my Chinese Navy, and as I discussed in a previous post, short of buying the special, large scale packs from Navwar, I couldn't source these vessels from anywhere else. Only the funnels themselves might need a bit of shaping up with a small file; significantly, the base is entirely clear of flash, and has a deeply inscribed and therefore easily legible code number on the bottom.

Next we see the Torpedo Boat Destroyer Fei Ying, (WTJ 0012304) which was present in the Pei-Ho river during the capture of the Taku Forts. Another nice model with good details; the indented funnel tops are a nice touch, and the forward gun is clearly visible, if a little slight.

Moving over to the Russians, we have the Grozyashchi Class Gunboat, (WTJ 0022602) a number of which were present in 1900; beautiful detail on the ship's boats here, and great proportions overall; I'm actually going to use this as the Bobre, which took part in the assault on the Taku Forts. She was of a different class, but the Navwar version from the Khabry/Abrek pack has an unhistorical bow section, and is better suited as a model of the Mandjur class, so this model will be used to take advantage of the better depiction of the instantly recognisable revetted gun above the bow, a characteristic of many of these Russian boats.

The Chinese riposte with a contender of their own, augmenting the various TBDs with an actual Protected Cruiser, the Hai Yung (WTJ 0012211), which was recorded as being in attendance on the Allied Flotilla off the Taku Bar in 1900. No belligerent action on her part was historically recorded, but her anchor point, at the sternmost area of the fleet there, suggests intriguing possibilities for any surprise attack!

I must now confess that we are suffering from 'mission creep' somewhat on this project, in that having picked up the Don Juan de Austria to use in her American re-incarnation, I was attracted by the Reina Regente Class of Protected Cruiser (WTJ 0033230), with a view to allying her, in the form of the Lepanto, to Navwar's version of the Battleship Pelayo as a mini-squadron that might represent the fictional interests of Spain in the Far East.

With the Philippines lost after the Span-Am War, I was 'imagineering' that a good scenario would see the Spanish try to take advantage of the focus on China, and independence agitations in the Philippines themselves, to retake a measure of control: the Battle of Manila Bay Part II perhaps?

I had been disciplined in not widening the net too much with my Navwar purchases, but couldn't resist the detail and proportion of this excellent sculpt:

Next we visit Germany, and the sleekly designed Protected Cruiser the Gefion, (WTJ 0077215),

a notable absence from the Navwar catalogue, especially given her unique nature and long service in the Far Eastern theatre:

Hopping back to the Chinese once more, we introduce the 'big guns', which will make their fleet more competitive in any scenarios involving conflict with Allied Powers. Below we see the Protected Cruiser Hai Tien (WTJ 0012210), a sculpt noticeable for the visible deck planking, a characteristic of the WTJ minis, and the lack of any casting line, which can often disfigure the foredecks of some Navwar ships:

Sailing under the U.S. stars and bars, we have the war prize Don Juan de Austria (WTJ 0033231) an Unarmoured Cruiser that has a likeable 'tubby' look to her amidships:

Finally, a group of comparison shots that will go some way to represent the differences between the two manufacturers; overall, the WTJ examples are crisper and cleaner than Navwar, if perhaps a bit more delicate looking, the actual castings are definitely lighter.

The Grozyyashchi up against Navwar's U.S. 'Gunboat' Helena; note the casting/mould line so visible on the latter:

Navwar's Cissoi Veliki dwarfs the greyhound-like proportions of the Hai Yung, are perhaps WTJ's minis, although looking a nicely accurate and balanced 1/3000th scale, a tad larger than similar ones from Navwar? the Battleship was historically 106 metres overall in length, with the Chinese cruiser at 99 metres, so perhaps it is just to my eyes; certainly, on the tabletop, there will be no trouble mixing the two manufacturer's output.

Navwar's Navarin next to WTJ's Reina Regente class; although the former has great character, the mould line along her length is immediately apparent, and the detailing on the latter is obviously much clearer:

Finally, we see the Navarin straddled by the Chinese Cruisers; the detailed deck planking on WTJ's vessels jumps right out at you here, and of note are the dimples or nipples which the sculptor has added to indicate the proper position for masts, should you wish to scratch-build and include them.

Overall, I was very impressed with the WTJ ships, a lot of care and attention to detail has gone into their manufacture, although it might be said that in their unpainted state, they look perhaps a little to clean and sterile, lacking the gusto of some of Navwar's 'broad brush' approach. Being UK based, cost is a factor in deciding to invest in these ships, and of course no-one can yet compete with the sheer width and breadth of the British company's catalogue.

Yet if you are looking for those hard to get ships, or want a particular, special model, then I cannot recommend them highly enough; efficient, internet based purchasing, and quick service coupled with excellent little models is a hard to beat combination.

Certainly, I was very glad to have had the choice available to augment my variety of vessels for this somewhat under-exposed historical period (at least in Naval terms), and I understand that WTJ are looking to expand and update their ranges in the near future, alongside the "Battlefleet 1900" rules system that they have developed; furthermore, their website is a mine of useful information, research, tips and advice, which therefore offers you the whole package.

I'm looking forward to painting up these new additions, and adding them to my 'characterful' Navwar flotillas, and then finally getting down to the serious business of playing out my 'What-If?' campaigns, so stay tuned!