The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-02-12
JAPANESE TORPEDO WARFARE.

Those who watched the naval under
takings OF Japan in the war of ten
years ago were prepared for the news
from Port Arthur that the Japanese
had attacked and disabled Russian bat
tleships with their torpedo boats. For
torpedo warfare the little brown men
have shown a special aptitude. At the
Yalu, Chinese vessels were sunk by
the mosquito fleet and at Wei hal Wei
| the Chinese surrender was compelled
| by the desperate adventure of fiotilla
OF torpedo boats which entered the for
titled harbor on two successive nights
and blew up Chinese ships of-war at
their anchorage behind the forts. 1t
was a coup which Admiral Sampson
might well have emulated at Santiago
instead of waiting for Cervera's squad
ron to come out.
The affair at Wei hal Wei showed
consummate pluck and skill on the part
of Japan's naval seamen. China held a
fortified island commanding the two
entrances to Wei hal Wei bay, en-
frances which were crossed by boom
of logs, protected by submarine mines,
patrolled at night by armed vessels and
under the eye of search light placed
high on an island promentory. The
weather was stormy and very cold, the
thermometer at times going to thirty
degrees below zero. For three weeks
the Chinese stronghold had been block
AIDED by Admiral Itos fleet. with which
strong and confident naval force the
Chinese fleet, hiding safely behind the
island, refused to come out and fight.
on the mainland shores of the bay
Marshal Oyama's army kent watch and
ward. lest the Chinese should abandon
their ships and try to escape overland
to Chefoo. Cornered and trapped the
Chinese were desperate and fought so
well that Admiral 1tos fleet, in attack
ing the fortifications, was conpelled to
retire for repairs: while Marshal Oya-
mas army, deficient in siege artillery
and with no boats to ferry men across
a wide bay was unable to take the
offensive,
A deadlock was reached which the
torpedo fotilla broke. Admiral Ito hesi-
tated to order his brave men to what
he thought would be certain death, but
the torpedo boat captains clamored for
the service and were allowed to go. AT
four o'clock one blizzard morning in
".
gone down. eight torpedo boats crept
from their station with the bockading
fleet and were soon i'm shallow water
where the western boom touched the
mainland "heads." 1t did not take long
to set some of the logs afloat and
through a narrow passage thus created
the Japanese destroyers made their
way. Like shadows they passed the
Chinese patrol boats. which were neg
ligently served and then slipped off into
the darkness over a four-mile course
until the ochered bulk of the Chinese
fleet Law before them. Then an inferno
broke loose. Sleepers in the walled city
near bv were brought to their feet be-
fore their eyes were fairly opened: and
from the parapets TO which they hur-
ried they saw sight never to be for
gotten-a tangle of ships breathing fire
AT every porthole and the air almost
incandescent with the blaze of guns,
while over the dreadful scene the
searchlights plaved with fitting raw.
The next morning a battleship was
ashore with its back broken a great
cruiser foated bottom M. another was
sunk at n wharf. and on the rocks of
the island Law two Japanese torpedo
boats with their crews frozen~to death
at their posts.
Its work for the night done the tor
redo fotilla. less two of it's craft and
fifty of its officers and men, steamed