Chapter 184: A War That Drew Global Attention
For warships, there is nothing more cumbersome than turning around.
Though these colossal machines—each weighing thousands or even tens of thousands of tons—can sail the seas, their maneuverability is quite clumsy, especially when turning.
During wartime, such a maneuver by an entire fleet could easily shift the tide of battle.
That's because most of a warship's guns are installed along the sides. The bow and stern generally house fewer guns and thus offer weaker firepower.
So, while turning, a fleet must also guard against the possibility of the island nation's navy returning to attack. If contact occurs mid-turn, even a smaller enemy force could gain the upper hand.
Vice Admiral Witgeft ordered the two battleships to turn first, while the six accompanying cruisers provided cover.
Once the battleships had turned, they would protect the remaining cruisers in return.
This approach had another benefit: in extreme danger, the cruisers could be abandoned to save the battleships—which were crucial to the outcome of any naval engagement.
Battleships, being the most powerful vessels in the modern navy, were far more valuable. Losing six cruisers didn't hurt as much as losing even one battleship.
And just as Witgeft had anticipated, the moment the fleet was halfway through its turn, ships from the island nation began to appear, one after another, forming a semi-circle that gradually surrounded the Pacific Fleet's vanguard.
"Oh, shit!" Witgeft cursed under his breath. He immediately ordered his men to send urgent signals to the main force and Admiral Makarov, while forming the fleet into combat formation to brace for battle.
With no speed advantage, escape was unlikely.
In such a case, it was better to hold out until the Pacific Fleet's main force arrived. Witgeft wasn't too worried about a decisive battle between both sides' full forces.
He was also familiar with Admiral Makarov's recent strategies, which was why—though both held the rank of Vice Admiral—Witgeft followed Makarov's orders without hesitation.
As Witgeft prepared to fight back in desperation, Makarov's main fleet outside Port Arthur was also being intercepted.
When Admiral Makarov saw two battleships and more than ten cruisers blocking their path, he immediately realized that Witgeft's situation was critical.
This force represented nearly a third of the island nation's entire fleet. In terms of cruisers, it amounted to nearly half.
In a major confrontation, the island nation would never commit only a fraction of its forces like this. Clearly, their goal was to delay the Pacific Fleet's main force while striking the vanguard hard.
It was a troubling realization for Makarov. The Pacific Fleet had four battleships, but two of them were outdated Petropavlovsk-class ships.
The Oslyabya battleship had decent speed and armor but sacrificed firepower to achieve it.
Its main guns were only four 254mm cannons—barely superior to those of a cruiser, and certainly underwhelming for a battleship.
Only the Victory-class battleship was respectable enough to compete with the main warships of Western powers.
By contrast, the two battleships blocking their way were newly purchased from Britain and state-of-the-art.
Both were on par with, if not slightly superior to, the Oslyabya—and potentially even matched the Victory.
Breaking through this blockade of two battleships and more than ten cruisers would take significant effort.
A simple skirmish wouldn't drive them off—it would require a full naval engagement.
Realizing this, Makarov expertly ordered his ships into battle formation, while quietly praying that Witgeft could hold out just a little longer—ideally, until the main fleet could arrive.
Along the stretch from Port Arthur to the Korean Peninsula, two naval battles broke out that could determine the balance of power between the Russian Empire and the island nation.
These two battles bore similarities. Both sides' main forces ran into powerful enemy detachments, and each detachment now faced overwhelming enemy strength.
However, there was one advantage for Russia. The island nation had committed nearly all of its new cruisers to blocking the Pacific Fleet's main force.
This meant Witgeft now faced only four enemy battleships and six cruisers.
Among these, the greatest threat to Witgeft's fleet were the four battleships. The six cruisers were either outdated or smaller-class ships, posing minimal danger to battleships.
Additionally, because Admiral Makarov had not recalled the fleet stationed at Vladivostok, the island nation had to divert another battleship and several cruisers to contain it—preventing those forces from participating in the larger battle.
The naval engagements began around 3 p.m. and continued until past 6 p.m.
Interest in the battle extended far beyond the Russian Far East and the island nation. Observers from the German Empire, British Empire, the United States, and France had all sent delegations to monitor the conflict.
Though this war appeared to be a local contest between the Russian Empire and the island nation for dominance in the Far East, the involvement of global powers like Britain, the U.S., and Germany revealed the true stakes.
Britain and the United States hoped the island nation would defeat Russia—or at least inflict serious damage.
Such an outcome would allow them to insert themselves more easily into Asian affairs and carve out more advantages for their own countries.
Germany, on the other hand, simply wanted to court Russia as a valuable ally. Despite its flaws, the Russian Empire remained a significant military power in Europe and was thus worth aligning with.
Faced with this "rival suitor," France reluctantly supported Russia as well—hoping to keep its own ally loyal.
By the evening of April 13, shortly after 6 p.m., the sounds of gunfire outside Port Arthur finally ceased, and the two battles concluded with clear outcomes.
(End of Chapter)
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