Battle of the Yellow Sea 1904

My game this weeks at the SESWC was a naval game - the Battle of the Yellow Sea in the Russo-Japanese War 1904. Colin Jack supplied the 1/3000 models for the game and we used Angus Konstams 8ft by 6ft sea mat.

Bart and I commanded the Russian fleet of 6 battleships and 4 protected cruisers. Colin Jack, Mr Ray and Campbell commanded the larger Japanese fleet of 4 battleships, 2 armoured and 8 protected cruisers. We used the simple Perfidious Albion rules.

Russian Fleet

The action started with the Russian fleet engaging the Japanese battleships and the 2 armoured cruisers. The 8 Japanese protected cruisers arrived on the table later. Our early battleship advantage proved illusory as only 3 of our battleships had first class guns compared with all 4 of the Japanese - our other 3 battleships with their second class guns proved ineffective. The Japanese battleships generally also had heavier armour than the Russians.

Japanese fleet

In the long battleship action my flagship the Pobieda suffered most damage - losing a turret, suffered 2 engine hits, multiple fires and the conning tower with the squadron commander was destroyed. Our cruiser squadron steamed to delay the arriving Japanese protected cruisers but 2 of them succumbed to the heavier guns of the Japanese cruisers.

My squadron led by Pobieda....