Zinovy Rozhestvensky
Zinovy Petrovich Rozhestvensky | |
---|---|
Birth name | Zinovy Petrovich Rozhestvensky |
Nickname(s) | Mad Dog [1] |
Born | November 11, 1848 |
Died | January 14, 1909 Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire | (aged 60)
Allegiance | Russian Empire |
Service/ | Imperial Russian Navy |
Years of service | 1868–1906 |
Rank | Vice Admiral |
Commands held | Baltic Fleet |
Battles/wars | Russo-Turkish War Russo-Japanese War |
Awards | Order of St. Vladimir |
Zinovy Petrovich Rozhestvensky
Under Admiral Rozhestvensky's command, the Russian navy holds the record of steaming an all-steel, coal-powered battleship fleet over 18,000 miles (29,000 km) one way to engage an enemy in decisive battle (Battle of Tsushima), selecting Knyaz Suvorov, one of four brand-new battleships of the French-designed Borodino class, as his flagship for the voyage to the Pacific.
Rozhestvensky was the son of a physician from
During the
Rozhestvensky returned to Russian service and was senior officer on the battery ship Kreml and the
Russo-Japanese War
Prior to the war against Japan starting in 1904, Rozhestvensky was commander of the
Rozhestvensky was fully aware that he had a new untrained fleet under his command and that re-coaling stations would not be available during the journey, due to Britain's alliance with Japan; and that both the shakedown testing of the new battleships and the gunnery practice/training would have to occur during the voyage. Also, re-coaling would have to be done at sea, instead of in port as with most other navies. As a consequence of these circumstances, the mission-minded commander would sometimes fire service ammunition (live gunfire) across the bows of an errant warship, and in a fiery moment fling his binoculars from the bridge into the sea.[10] When his battleship fleet set sail in 1904, Rozhestvensky's staff ensured that his flagship, Knyaz Suvorov, had a good supply of binoculars on board.[11]
Nevertheless, the inexperience of the
The Russian government agreed to investigate the incident following a great deal of international diplomatic pressure. Rozhestvensky was ordered to dock in Vigo, Spain, while battleships of the Royal Navy from the British Home Fleet were prepared for war. Several British cruiser squadrons shadowed Rozhestvensky's fleet as it made its way through the Bay of Biscay. On arrival in Spain, Rozhestvensky left behind those officers he considered responsible for the incident (as well as at least one officer who had been critical of him).[14] On November 25, 1904, the British and the Russian governments signed a joint agreement in which they agreed to submit the issue to an International Commission of Inquiry at The Hague.[15] On February 26, 1905, the commission published its report. It criticized Rozhestvensky for allowing his ships to fire upon the British ships, but noted that "as each [Russian] vessel swept the horizon in every direction with her searchlights to avoid being taken by surprise, it was difficult to prevent confusion". The report also concluded that once the mistake was known "Admiral Rozhestvensky personally did everything he could, from beginning to end of the incident, to prevent [the trawlers] from being fired upon by the squadron".[16] Russia eventually paid £66,000 (£5.8m today) in compensation.[17]
Rozhestvensky believed from the start that the plan to send the Baltic Fleet to Port Arthur was ill-conceived, and vehemently opposed plans to include a motley collection of obsolete vessels, the Third Pacific Squadron to his fleet (referred to by the Admiral and his staff as the 'self-sinkers'), to the extent of refusing to reveal to the Admiralty his exact routing from Madagascar and to share his battle plan with Third Pacific Squadron commander Nikolai Nebogatov.[3] Remote and distrustful of his staff, Rozhestvensky grew increasingly bitter and pessimistic as he approached Asia.[3] Almost as soon as the Baltic Fleet arrived in the Far East in May 1905, it was engaged by the Japanese Navy at the decisive Battle of Tsushima (27–28 May 1905).
Battle of Tsushima
Japanese Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō drew upon his experiences from the battles of Port Arthur and the Yellow Sea, and this time would not split his fires nor engage Rozhestvensky at excessive ranges, as he had done with Admiral Vitgeft at the Battle of the Yellow Sea the year previously.[18] He would instead, with the proper use of reconnaissance vessels and wireless communications[19] position his battle fleet in such a way as to "preserve his interior lines of movement", which would allow him to have shorter distances to cover while causing Rozhestvensky to have longer distances to travel, regardless of battleship speeds.[20]
Naval intelligence had already informed Togo of Rozhestvensky's mission, that of reaching Vladivostok, and avoiding contact with the Japanese navy if at all possible, and fighting as little as possible, if forced into it. Rozhestvensky's objective was to reinforce the Vladivostok Squadron, and then, when the Russian navy felt sufficiently prepared, they would engage the Japanese navy in a decisive action.[21]
With this knowledge in possession, Togo planned on preempting the Russian plan, by positioning his battle fleet to "bring the Russian fleet to battle, regardless of the speed of either battlefleet." Admiral Togo was able to appear directly across Rozhestvensky's line of advance (Rozhestvensky's
During the battle, Rozhestvensky was wounded in the head by a shell fragment. The unconscious admiral was transferred to the destroyer Buinii and subsequently to the destroyer Bedovii. He was taken prisoner when the ship was later captured by the Imperial Japanese Navy. After the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth he returned to St Petersburg via the Trans-Siberian Railway.[3] The victorious Admiral Tōgō would later visit him (while being treated for his injuries in a Japanese hospital), comforting him with kind words:
Defeat is a common fate of a soldier. There is nothing to be ashamed of in it. The great point is whether we have performed our duty.[24][full citation needed]
Aftermath
In 1906, Rozhestvensky faced court-martial for the disaster, along with each of his surviving battleship commanders. Some were sentenced to prison and some to firing squad for either losing the battle or surrendering on the high seas. The Tsar's court was fully aware that Admiral Nikolai Nebogatov had surrendered the Russian fleet, as Rozhestvensky had been wounded and unconscious for most of the battle, and was very reluctant to accept his statements of responsibility. Nonetheless, Rozhestvensky was adamant in his defense of his subordinate commanders and maintained total responsibility, pleading guilty to losing the battle. As was expected (and hoped) by the courts, the Tsar commuted the death-sentenced captains to short prison terms and pardons for the remaining officers.
Later life
Rozhestvensky lived out the last years of his life in St Petersburg as a recluse. He died of a heart attack in 1909 and was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
Awards
- Order of St. George, 4th class
- Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class and 4th class with ribbon
- Order of St. Anna, 2nd and 3rd classes
- Order of St. Stanislav, 1st, 2nd and 3rd classes
See also
Notes
- ^ Pleshakov, photo caption, page not numbered
- ^ Рожественский. Several other transliterations are also known in English texts.
- ^ a b c d e f g Kowner, Historical Dictionary of the Russo-Japanese War, pp. 326–27, 340.
- ^ Pleshakov p. 40
- ^ Watts p. 16
- ^ Pleshakov p. 37
- ^ Pleshakov p. 59
- ^ Pleshakov pp. 153, 322
- ^ Pleshakov p. 38
- ^ Pleshakov p. 53
- ^ Pleshakov p. 123
- ^
The Russian Outrage (Chapter XXII) – Wood Walter, North Sea Fishers And Fighters, K. Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co, London, 1911
- ISBN 978-0-415-07143-7.
- ^ Dogger Bank – Voyage of the Damned ('Hullwebs – History of Hull' website. Retrieved 2007-09-08.)
- ^ Joint British-Russian declaration Archived October 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Dogger Bank Incident Final Report Archived October 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ International Dispute Settlement – Merills, J. G., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge University, 1999
- ^ Forczyk pp. 41–54
- ^ a b Mahan p. 456
- ^ Mahan p. 450
- ^ Mahan, p. 458
- ^ a b Mahan p. 458
- ^ "Slashdoc - Russo-Japanese War". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2006.
- ^ Regan, p.178
References
- Busch, Noel F. The Emperor's Sword. (1969) Funk & Wagnalls, New York.
- Corbett, Sir Julian. Maritime Operations In The Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905. (1994) Originally classified (unavailable to the public), and in two volumes. ISBN 1-55750-129-7.
- Corbett, Sir Julian. "Maritime Operations In The Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905." Volume I (2015) Originally published January 1914. ISBN 978-1-59114-197-6
- Corbett, Sir Julian. "Maritime Operations In The Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905." Volume II (2015) Originally published October 1915. ISBN 978-1-59114-198-3
- Forczyk, Robert. Russian Battleship vs Japanese Battleship, Yellow Sea 1904–05. (2009), Osprey; ISBN 978-1-84603-330-8.
- Friedman, Norman. Naval Firepower, Battleship Guns and Gunnery in the Dreadnaught Era. (2013) Seaforth Publishing; ISBN 978 1 84832 185 4
- Grant, R., Captain, D.S.O. Before Port Arthur in a Destroyer; The Personal Diary of a Japanese Naval Officer. (1907). London, John Murray, Albemarle St. W.
- Hough, Richard, A. The Fleet That Had To Die. New York, Ballantine Books. (1960).
- ISBN 0-8108-4927-5.
- US Naval Institute.
- George Allen & Unwin Ltd
- Pleshakov, Constantine. The Tsar's Last Armada: Epic Voyage to the Battle of Tsushima Archived 2016-03-04 at the ISBN 0-465-05792-6.
- Seager, Robert. Alfred Thayer Mahan: The Man And His Letters. (1977) ISBN 0-87021-359-8.
- Semenoff, Vladimir, Capt. Rasplata (The Reckoning). (1910). London: John Murray.
- Semenoff, Vladimir, Capt. The Battle of Tsushima. (1912). NY E.P. Dutton & Co.
- Staff, Gary. Skagerrak, The Battle of Jutland Through German Eyes." (2016) ISBN 978 1 78383 123 4
- Tomitch, V. M. "Warships of the Imperial Russian Navy." Volume 1, Battleships. (1968).
- Warner, Denis and Peggy. "The Tide at Sunrise, A History of the Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905." (1975). ISBN 0-7146-5256-3
- Watts, Anthony J. The Imperial Russian Navy. Arms and Armour, Villiers House, 41–47 Strand, London; 1990. ISBN 0-85368-912-1.