Post by cwemyss on Apr 26, 2019 7:45:13 GMT -6
5 September 1904
15N41E – Southern Red Sea
1630 Local, Overcast, Dead Calm
1630 Local, Overcast, Dead Calm
Capitaine de Vaisseau Christy Palliere watched the smoke from the armored cruiser Kleber, five hundred meteres ahead, drift lazily across the glassy evening sea. Kleber and his ship, the Montcalm, had been shepherding a sextet of transports south through the Red Sea for four days and in thirty hours they expected to reach Djibouti. The convoy carried the 113th Infantry Regiment, destined to bolster the Army’s strength in Indochina. Apart from the ever-present fishing dhows there had been little to break the tedium. Even the weather had been monotonous, an unchanging humid haze through the daylight hours, and an inky blackness at night.
Kleber hoisted a signal flag and turned to starboard, settling on a course two points north of west. Palliere noted with satisfaction that his helmsman brought Montcalm about at the exact point where Kleber’s turn had rippled the still waters, and followed precisely in the lead ship’s wake. Such was the excitement of escort duty. The flotilla’s destroyers, three of them, cruised about a kilometer to starboard, and the troop ships continued plodding to the southeast.
A few minutes later Kleber hoisted another signal flag, at the same time Montcalm’s own lookouts called out an unknown ship to the northwest. The Kleber’s stacks started spewing more smoke, and Palliere ordered, “Two-thirds ahead, maintain course.”
The French cruisers closed on the unidentified interloper and a second ship appeared in formation with the first. Montcalm’s lookouts struggled to identify the ships through the haze, but it was becoming apparent that they were large warships. The intelligence service had reported Japanese cruisers deployed to the Indian Ocean but no one had really expected them here, well inside the Red Sea.
“Sir,” called one of the lookouts, “The lead ship is a Furataka-class!” Kleber’s lookouts had apparently reached the same conclusion and the French formation’s leader turned due west to cut the Japanese ships off from the convoy.
Fifteen minutes after initial contact the French cruisers opened fire, their ten-inch guns allowing an opening salvo while still well outside the range of the Japanese ships six-inch battery. The second Japanese ship was identified as a smaller Yakumo class armored cruiser, and with clear superiority the French squadron leader ordered an aggressive pursuit.
The Japanese ships wheeled about to the east and the French squadron followed suit, narrowing the range between the units. French fire became more accurate in spite of the sporadic return fire, large shell splashes appearing around the opposing ships. Montcalm rang with an impact, an errant but lucky Japanese shell striking home.
“Damage report,” called Palliere.
“Sir, rudder is not responding,” responded the helmsman.
The executive officer stepped to a voice tube, and a few minutes later turned to report. “Commandante, the steering gear was knocked off track, but they got it repaired in short order. No casualties and minimal flooding. We should be fine.”
“Very good,” answered Palliere. “Carry on.”
Both sides were firing for effect and the Japanese appeared to be taking the worse of it. There seemed little danger to the convoy, with the French squadron firmly interposed between the Japanese cruisers and their quarry. The transports continued on, now a dozen miles to the south and the sky beginning to darken in the east.
Kleber hoisted another signal flag and the destroyers swung out of line and poured on the coal. Perhaps a little early, thought Palliere, and he watched as the lead destroyer took multiple hits from the two cruisers’ secondary batteries. The Sagaie fell out of line and slowed, turning to the south in the face of the withering Japanese fire.
Over the next twenty minutes the fight turned into an eastbound running battle, both sides taking damage and neither willing to give quarter. The return fire from the Japanese cruisers picked up greatly and Kleber took the worst of it. If Palliere wasn’t mistaken Kleber was riding a little lower in the water, and she had definitely slowed. Montcalm’s helmsman slowed to match, maintaining formation at 18 knots.
The remaining pair of French destroyers bored in on their quarry without the advantages of a superior position, overwhelming numbers, or poor visibility. The results were predictable, with Sarbacane’s superstructure disappearing in a flash as one of her deck torpedo tubes was penetrated by a Japanese shell. She also retired to the south, and joined her sister ship in a race to reach Djibouti before fire or flooding doomed her.
Palliere could see the Japanese cruisers starting to lose formation, and watched the smaller Yakumo-class ship miss a turn to the north. The two French cruisers, slowed but still determined, closed on the wounded Yakumo, setting her on fire. Somehow the destroyer Carquois had gotten so out of position that she was now in serious danger, isolated on the far side of the Japanese ships.
Carquois fought around the east side of the Japanese ships, who at this point had more interest in escape than battle, and finally responded to signals from the Kleber. She was ordered to close on and finish the burning Yakumo while the two French cruisers pursued the larger Furataka.
“We’re not going to catch her at this speed,” complained the executive officer.
Palliere sighed in deep frustration, recognizing that the wounded Kleber wasn’t fast enough, and realizing as well that the flagship was not going to turn Montcalm loose with darkness falling. After several minutes the squadron commander fully grasped the situation too, and the formation turned around join Carquois in pummeling the Yakumo.
A few minutes later the burning Yakumo’s bow rose from the water, her aft end fully submerging. She slid backwards under the oily water as the last of the hazy daylight disappeared from the sky. The formation turned to rejoin the convoy and Palliere saw a flare rise miles to the south. One of the wounded destroyers had succumbed to battle damage, and while both Carquois and Montcalm searched for several hours, no survivors were found.