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Дата 27.05.2003 16:33:06
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Naval action at Chemulpo

Captain Bayly's report

The following is an extract from a letter by
Captain Lewis Bayly, of his Majesty's cruiser
Talbot, at Chemulpo, dated February 20: -

In connection with the engagement between the Russian
ships Variag and Korietz and the Japanese fleet I beg to
enclose the following remarks: -
Chaplain Roudneff states that carrying away of the
wounded on stretchers became impossible; several men
altogether were brought down to the doctor below the
water-line, while of these five the doctor of the Variag
sats two were practically dead when they arrived. They
have held classes on board the Variag to instruct men
in "first aid"; bags of bandages had been served out, and
the doctor says that some live were thus saved by being
thus treated. The Russian sailors bear their operations
wonderfully well.
There were 150 men employed on the Variag's upper
deck during the action, and nearly all the killed and
wounded were out of this 150, which is - 28 percent
killed, 45 wounded. It must not be forgotten
that, having no gun shields, her guns' crews were practically
unprotected, and that shrapnel shell were largely used,
to judge by the holes in the boats, funnels, &c. All
was quiet in the engine-room, as though they had been
at target practice. in o?u?r? stoke hold (they have five,
with no fore and aft bulkhead) the water came up to
the floor of the furnaces, but did not get into the other
stoke holds. It is believed to have come through a
hole made in the Variag's water-line when she was
inclined and traveling as a reduced speed while turning.
While suffering her severest punishment - i.e., when she
was turning, thus keeping the range constant and her speed
reduced she has only four guns (I am told by her commander
who is living with me) that were not temporarily disabled.
One 12-pounder was knocked clean across the deck from port
to starboard. One set of cartridges caught fire on deck
and burned so rapidly that two men were burnt to death, the body
of one falling down the ammunition hoist with the clothes on fire.
There were five fires altogether, of which four were
successfully combated by the fire mains, and the fifth
(which was caused by a shell bursting in the flour-tank
and which caused such a smoke that the scuttles has to be
opened) would probably have been put out had not the ship sunk.
The range was taken by an officer on the forecastle and
shown to the guns by an instrument in the top, but both
men in the top were seriously wounded, one having his
leg so nipped by a portion of the fractured steel of
which the top is made that they had to cut some of the
flesh of his leg away so as to extract him. The doctor
was below the water-line; the gunner, torpedo, and
navigating lieutenants, together with the helmsman and a
man for working the engine-room telegraphs, were in
the conning-tower, the commander was running from place
to place on the upper and main decks to stop fires,
assist supply ammunitions, &c. The captain stood near
the entrance of the coнning-tower, and during the
actions, when his bugler and orderly who who followed
him about where on either side of him between the
conning-tower and its entrance screed, some pieces of
a bursting shell arrived, killed the bugler and orderly
and bruised the captain on the check.
None in the conning-tower were hurt. Very few signal
haulyards were shot away: her fore topsail yard was shot
in two, and her peak haulyards were cut, bringing down one
of her ensigns. The decks were wetted before going into
action. All communications worked well, but after the
steering gear was damaged the noise on deck was so great
and the officers on deck were so deaf with the noise
that the voice tube to the handweel was of little service
and the ship was steered with the propellers until out of
action. The cause of the accident to the steering gear is
very obscure, but the consensus of opinion is that the
rods leading to the steering engine were shot through,
all the connexions, steam and electric and hydraulic,
being cut through at the same time. Being only one rod
as far as the telemotor, that would easily be the case
were they not duplicated. The boats were riddled with
holes except a steam pinnacle, which was hoisted to davits
on the starboard side forward; she was practically untouched,
and has since been salved by the japanese. A very great deal
of shrapnel must have been fired at the Variag, judging by
the round holes, and nut much lyddite, for there seems to
have been no inconvenience from poisonous gases. Much trouble
has been caused to the wounded on account of the pieces of
cloth that are constantly being extracted. Many men are
wounded with punctures, holes about as large as the top of
the little finger and from ........deep, but with no foreign
substance such as iron, &c, being present in the wound, and
no sign of scorching round the mouth of the wound.