LATEST WAR NEWS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8101, 3 October 1904, Page 3

LATEST WAR NEWS.

THE NAVAL FIGHT

WHEN THE RURIC WAS LOSL'.

GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF THE bATTLS

BY THE RURIC'S CHAPL,fl_\\

[frjbm association.] (Received October 3, 10.2 a.m.) Thursday; island, Oct. 2.

Father Alexis, chaplain of the Ruric, Sives a graphic account of the naval fyjht uring which the Ruric was sunk at 4.45 on the morning of August 14. The battle commenced in beautiful weather, with a smooth sea and bright sunshine.

The opposing vessels were in nearly two parallel lines, distant three or four miles, when the Japanese opened fire. , The battle proceeded steadily, with perfect order on both sides, till 9 o'clock. Each ship in each squadron came into tho best position to fire the port and starboard guns at the enemy, and went • through the evolutions as steadily as if > engaged in a sham tight, the vessels going up and down the lines like partners in a quadrille. During the four hours of terrific fighting the Ruric received many shells, her own projectiles striking the Japanese many times.

At the beginning of tho fight Lieutenant Stackelburg was killed while working a gun. He was the first officer to be killed, immediately after the first lieutenant was struck by a shell while navigating, and was instantly killed. At 7 oxlock Commander Orussoff was struck in the face by several splinters and terribly wounded. Father Alexis ran down to get somp bandages, and on his return found only a portion of the captain's remains, the unfortunate officer having meanwhile been struck by a second shell, which blew him literally to fragments and destroyed the bridge. The captain and first lieutenant being dead, the command of the Rurik devolved on Lieutenant Zeniloff, the torpedo instructor. A shell destroyed the rudder of the Ruric, and she became a target for the Japanese vessels, 'lhe Rossia and the Gromoboi came to their companion's rescue, and for half an hour the two sound Russian ships fought the whole Japanese squadron shot for shot and shell for shell. Then two more Japanese ships, the Naniwa and Takicho came up, and seeing heavy reinforcements, and recognising the helplessness of the Ruric. which no devotion of the two sister ships could save, the Russian Admiral signalled "Full speed." and turned tne Hossia's head north, both vessels going over twenty knots.

More than half the Ruric's guns were out of action and destroyed by the concentrated tire of the Japanese. Zemiloff being killed, the command devolved on Junior-Lieutenant Jvanoff, who, seeing he could not manoeuvre the ships, attempted to ram a Japanese, who, steering perfectly, kept out of line and got behind the Ruric's stern, where slue kept up a constant lire to prevent the possibility of repairing the rudder. At last all the puns but one were thrown out of action. Ivanoff bravely ordered them to keep up the fire as long as the gunners had a shell to fit it. When further opposition was useless Ivanoff gave the order to blow up the ship, but this command could not well hd carried out, as all the fuses aboard had been destroyed in the many terrific explosions during the battle. He then ordered the seacocks to be opened. At the s»m« tim« the wounded were attended to by tying them to cork mattresses (which surve the Russian navy as lifebelts), and throwing them overboard on the chance of the Japanese saving them. The Ruric, which was going down steadily at the stern, by the time the water reached the encino rooms suddenly gave a lurch to port, turned clean over w the whole length of her bottom showing for two or three seconds before she finally sank. The swill of the backwash was terrible.