Japanese battleship Hatsuse

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Career

Ordered:	FY 1897 to Armstrong Whitworth, Great Britain
Laid down:	January 10 1898
Launched:	June 27 1899
Commissioned:	January 18 1901
Fate:	Sunk by mine May 15 1904
Struck:	May 21 1905
General Characteristics (initial – final)
Displacement:	15,255 tons
Length:	126.5 meters at waterline, 134 meters overall
Beam:	23.4 meters
Draught:	8.29 meters
Propulsion:	Two Shaft Reciprocating Vertical Triple Expansion (VTE) Engines; 14,500 shp
Fuel:	Coal, 1900 tons
Speed:	18 knots
Complement:	741
Armament:	4-30 cm gun (2x2), 14-15.2 cm gun (1x14), 20-12 pdr QF gun (1x20), 8-3 pdr gun (1x6), 4-2.5 pdr gun (1x6), 4-45 cm torpedo tubes
Armor:	belt 100-230mm, upper belt 150mm, deck 63-100mm, barbette 200-360mm, casemate 50-150mm, conning tower 75-360mm

Hatsuse (初瀬) was a Shikishima-class pre-dreadnought battleship in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and one of the six battleships (Fuji, Yashima, Shikishima, Hatsuse, Asahi, and Mikasa) that formed the main Japanese battle line in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The Hatsuse had a very brief career.

[edit] History

Following the 1894–1895 Sino-Japanese War, and the forced return of the Liaotung Peninsula to China under Russian pressure, Japan began to build up its military strength in preparation for further confrontations. In particular, Japan embarked on a ten-year naval build-up program, with the construction of six battleships and six armored cruisers at its core.

The Hatsuse was ordered to Armstrong Whitworth at the Elswick Yard in Great Britain in 1897. She was designed by Phillip Watts and was similar to the British Navy's Majestic-class. Laid down on January 10, 1898, she was launched June 27, 1898 and completed on January 18, 1901. Before sailing to Japan, she represented the Meiji Emperor at Queen Victoria's funeral.

When the Japanese fleet was reorganized on December 28 1903, Hatsuse became the flagship of the 1st Squadron, 1st Division, under Rear Admiral Nashiba Tokioki. After the start of the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese had the Russian Far-Eastern squadron bottled up in Port Arthur. On May 14 1904 Admiral Nashiba put to sea with the battleships Hatsuse (flag), Shikishima, and Yashima, the cruiser Kasagi, and the dispatch-vessel Tatsuta to relieve the Japanese blockading force. On the morning of the 15th he reached Encounter Rock and continued N.W., till he was about 15 miles off Port Arthur. Here Nashiba proceeded to patrol to the E. by N. across the mouth of the port. This course brought him into a minefield previously laid by the Russian minelayer Amur.

At 10:50, the Hatsuse struck a mine and began to heel over with her steering engine compartment flooded and her port main engines useless. Only minutes later, the Yashima was also struck (and later sank). By 11:30, the Kasagi came alongside the Hatsuse but the battleship's stern-walk was under water, and she was heeling four degrees. A hawser passed from the Kasagi was just being hauled in when the Hatsuse struck another mine. Her funnels fell; her mainmast broke off; her upper deck flew into the air and in a minute and a half, she had gone down. The Tatsuta and Kasagi managed to save the Admiral and Captain Nakao with 21 other officers and 313 men; however, 38 officers and 458 men went down with the ship　at 38.37N, 121.20E.