Naval Battle of Miyako Bay

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Naval Battle of Miyako Bay
Part of Boshin War
The Imperial navy's revolutionary ironclad Kōtetsu was the main target of the Naval Battle of Miyako Bay
Date March 1869 Location Miyako Bay Result Imperial victory
Combatants
Empire of Japan: Kōtetsu Kasuga Hiryū Teibo Yoshun Moshun Chōyō	Ezo Republic: Kaiten Banryū Takao
Commanders
	Arai Ikunosuke
Strength
8 steam warships	3 steam warships
Casualties
3 ships damaged	1 ship scuttled

Boshin War
Toba-Fushimi – Awa – Kōshū-Katsunuma – Utsunomiya Castle – Ueno – Hokuetsu - Bonari Pass – Aizu – Miyako Bay – Hakodate – Hakodate Bay

The Naval Battle of Miyako Bay (宮古湾海戦) was a naval action during the Boshin War in March 1869.

Contents 1 Preparations 2 Action 3 Conclusion 4 See also 5 References 6 Bibliography 7 External links

[edit] Preparations

The navy of the Imperial forces were progressing north to fight the Bakufu army in Hokkaidō, after having left Tokyo on March 9th, 1869. The Imperial navy reached the harbour of Miyako, north of Sendai, on March 20th. The Imperial fleet had been rapidly constituted around the French-built ironclad Kōtetsu, which had been purchased from the United States. Other Imperial ships were Kasuga, Hiryū, Teibo, Yoshun, Moshun, which had been supplied by the fiefs of Saga, Chōshū and Satsuma to the newly formed government in 1868. There were altogether 8 Imperial ships: the Kōtetsu, the Kasuga, 3 small corvettes and 3 transport ships.

Anticipating the arrival of the Imperial ships, the rebels organized a plan to seize the revolutionary new warship Kōtetsu.

Three warships were dispatched for a surprise attack:

• the Kaiten, flagship of the Bakufu Navy, on which were riding Arai Ikunosuke, the elite Shinsengumi and their leader Hijikata Toshizo, as well as the French Navy officer Henri Nicol. Nicol had been selected for the main attack on the Kaiten because he was a native of Bordeaux, and happened to know well about the characteristics and construction of the revolutionary warship Kōtetsu, built in the same city.
• the warship Banryu, with the elite Yugekitai (遊撃隊) and the French Navy quartermaster Clateau, in charge of cannonry.
• the warship Takao (former Aschwelotte), with the elite Shinkitai (伸木隊) and the French Navy officer Eugène Collache as commander.

The ships encountered bad weather, in which the Takao suffered from engine trouble, and the Banryu was separated. The Baryu eventually returned to Hokkaidō, without joining the battle.

[edit] Action

To create surprise, the Kaiten planned to enter Miyako harbour with an American flag. Unable to achieve more than 3 knots due to engine trouble, the Takao trailed behind, and the Kaiten first joined battle.

The Kaiten approached the enemy ships and raised the Bakufu flag seconds before boarding the Kōtetsu. She rammed her prow into the side of the Kōtetsu, and started firing her guns. Her deck however proved higher than that of the Kōtetsu by close to three meters, forcing the samurais to jump one by one in a trickle. The first surprise passed, the Kōtetsu managed to repel the attack with a Gatling gun, with huge loss on the attacking side. Most of the attacking samurais perished, Nicol was hit by two bullets, and the Japanese commander was killed and his position taken over by Admiral Arai Ikunosuke. In the action, Kaiten damaged three enemy warships, but finally chose to disengage.

The Kaiten steamed out of Miyako Bay pursued by the Imperial fleet (which unfortunately had been warming up the machines even before the attack started), just as the Takao was entering it. The Kaiten eventually escaped to Hokkaidō, but the Takao was too slow to distance the pursuers. She was beached at little distance from Miyako Bay, so that her crew could escape inland, and was scuttled by explosion. The 40 crew, 30 samurai, and the French officer Eugène Collache managed to flee for a few days, but decided finally to surrender. They were brought to Tokyo for imprisonment and trial. Although the fate of the Japanese rebels is unknown, Collache was finally pardoned and was put on a ship back to France.

[edit] Conclusion

This battle was a desperate attempt by the Bakufu armies to neutralize the powerful Kōtetsu. It was the first case of an "abordage" (boarding) maneuver in Japan. The attempt ended in failure, but was probably worthwhile, as the loss of the Takao was rather marginal. The Imperial Navy continued north unimpeded, where she supported the landing and combat of thousands of pro-Imperial troops in the Battle of Hakodate.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] External links