Battle of Miyako Bay
Battle of Miyako Bay | |||||||
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Part of the Boshin War | |||||||
The ironclad Kōtetsu | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Empire of Japan | Ezo Republic | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Masuda Toranosuke Shirō Nakajima |
Arai Ikunosuke Eugène Collache Kōga Gengo † | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1 steam ironclad 7 steam warships 2,500 sailors & officers |
3 steam warships 500 samurai | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
4 killed 3 steam warships damaged |
15 killed 1 steam warship scuttled | ||||||
The Battle of Miyako Bay (宮古湾海戦, Miyako-wan Kaisen) was a naval action on 6 May 1869, in which samurai loyalists of the former
Preparations
Despite the surrender of
The newly created Imperial Japanese Navy departed Tokyo Bay on 9 March 1869 and reached Miyako Bay in what is now the city of Miyako in central Iwate Prefecture, on 20 March. The Imperial fleet had been rapidly formed around the French-built ironclad warship Kōtetsu, which had been purchased from the United States. Other ships included Kasuga, Hiryū, Dai Ichi Teibō, Yōshun, and Mōshun, which had been supplied by the domains of Saga, Chōshū and Satsuma to the new central government in 1868. There were altogether eight Imperial ships: Kōtetsu, Kasuga, three small corvettes and three transport ships. Future commander-in-chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy, Tōgō Heihachirō was an officer on Kasuga at this time.
Anticipating that the Imperial fleet was en route to invade Ezo, Enomoto Takeaki decided to dispatch his three warships under the command of Kaigun bugyo Arai Ikunosuke in a boarding operation to seize the revolutionary new warship Kōtetsu, which would severely cripple the Imperial forces and would buy time for the Republic of Ezo to prepare for invasion or to negotiate more favourable terms with the Satchō Alliance.
Action
The Ezo forces were led by Kaiten (flagship of the Republic of Ezo Navy) under the command of Arai Ikunosuke, and with the elite Shinsengumi, their leader Hijikata Toshizō, as well as the former French Navy military advisor Henri Nicol. Nicol had been selected for the attack since he was a native of Bordeaux, and knew the characteristics and construction of the warship Kōtetsu, built in the same city. The overall strategy itself had been planned by another French advisor, Eugène Collache, who also accompanied the mission aboard the Takao (former Ashuelot) with the elite Shinbokutai (神木隊). The third ship in the Ezo squadron was the Banryū, with the elite Yūgekitai (遊撃隊) and former French Navy quartermaster Clateau, in charge of the cannons.
To create surprise, the squadron planned use a false flag operation, with Kaiten entering Miyako Bay under an American flag. However, the operation was plagued with problems before reaching its destination. En route, the squadron encountered bad weather, in which Takao had engine trouble, and Banryū became separated. Banryū eventually returned to Hokkaidō without participating in the battle. Unable to achieve more than 3 knots (5.6 km/h) due to its engine trouble, Takao trailed far behind when Kaiten began its attack.
Kaiten approached the anchored Imperial Navy ships and raised the Republic of Ezo flag seconds before boarding Kōtetsu. She rammed her prow into the side of Kōtetsu, and started firing her guns. However, her deck was higher than that of Kōtetsu by close to three meters, forcing boarding
Kaiten steamed out of Miyako Bay, pursued by the Imperial fleet (which had been warming up their engines even before the attack began), just as Takao was entering. Kaiten eventually escaped to Hokkaidō, but Takao was too slow to outdistance its pursuers and was beached at little distance from Miyako Bay, so that her crew could escape inland, and was scuttled by explosion. The 40 crewmen (including 30 samurai and the ex-French officer Eugène Collache) managed to flee for a few days, but finally surrendered to government forces. They were brought to Tokyo for trial. Although the fate of the Japanese rebels is unknown, Collache was eventually pardoned and deported to France.
Conclusion
The Naval Battle of Miyako was a daring, but desperate attempt by the Republic of Ezo forces to neutralize the powerful Kōtetsu. It was the first case of an abordage (
References
- Collache, Eugène. "Une aventure au Japon" Le Tour du Monde, No. 77, 1874
- Evans, David; ISBN 0-87021-192-7.
- Gordon, Andrew (2003). A Modern History of Japan. New York: Oxford. ISBN 0-19-511060-9.
Notes
- ISBN 0-8048-3627-2.