Expenditures of the Russo-Japanese war / by Gotaro Ogawa.

I8 EXPENDITURES OF THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR

ing up several of the enemy batteries. On March 27, a second
program was carried out to block the entrance of Port Arthur.
At three o'clock, A.M., of the same day, four steamers were
driven into the channel in the face of enemy fire and were
sunk in their designated positions. While rescuing the crews
of these steamers, our torpedo flotilla encountered and sank
a Russian destroyer. On April 12, the Japanese fleet again
made an attack on Port Arthur. The destroyer squadron
advanced first and laid mines at points of importance. Then
the fleet pressed forward to positions directly under the Russian batteries, and, after cannonading them and inflicting
heavy damage upon the enemy, returned without sustaining
any injury. Early in the morning of the following day, after
a Russian destroyer was sunk, the enemy squadron consisting
of seven ships came out to fight. The main force of the
Japanese fleet proceeded to encounter them, steaming in
regular lines. The Russians saw the attacking force and were
making for the harbor when their flagship struck a mine laid
by the Japanese and sank in a few minutes, carrying the
Russian admiral, Makaroff, together with many sailors, to the
bottom. Another battleship of the enemy struck a mine and
was disabled. The rest retreated into the port. On April 15,
our Navy repeated an attack on Port Arthur and greatly
damaged the enemy forts, silencing part of the batteries.
However, with the break-up of ice, the Russian squadron
at Vladivostok made frequent excursions into the Sea of
Japan and watched our operations. The second squadron
steamed northward on April 23 to search for the enemy; but
a dense fog hampering its movement, the squadron returned
to Wonsan on April 26. On the previous day the Russians
had sunk one Japanese military transport and two merchant
vessels. The second fleet again started on a cruise to search
for the enemy and approaching Vladivostok on April 30
bombarded its batteries.
Although the Japanese Navy had twice repeated its blockading operations at Port Arthur, the main force of the enemy
could still make an egress. When the Japanese saw this,