Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-26
LOSS OF THE NOVIK
THE COMMANDERS REPORT
TRANSMITTED BY ALEXIEFF.
Owing to the Damaged Condition Of the
Vessel He Decided to
Beach Her.

Emperor Nicholas has received from Vice.
roy Alexieff the following report of the
commander OF the cruiser Novik which was
sunk at korsakovsk, Island Of Sakhalin,
after a fight with the japanese protected
cruisers Chitose and Tsushima:
AT the end Of the fight Of August 10, in
which the Novik sustained three holes be-
low the water line, she passed through the
enemy's ships with the cruiser Askold.
lost sight Of the latter owing to fog and to
the delay caused by repairing the engines.
"On August II l entered Kiaochou to coal,
and left there on August H. rounding Japan
for Vladivostok. On August 20 the Novik
reached korsakovsk. At o'clock on the
same day 1 sighted an enemy's cruiser of
the Nitaka type and put to sea and en-
gagged her. After forty-five minutes fight
ing the Novik had three holes below her
water line and two above and the steering
gear was damaged.
The Japanece cruiser ceased fighting
and began telegraphing.
by the end of the engagement only six
of our boilers were in good order and this
fact, added to the damage to our steering
gear, compelled me to return to korsakOvsk
to examine our condition. In doing this l
intended to put to sea again at night but
finding it impossible to repair the rudder
and in view of the approach of several of
the enemys vessels, l decided to sink the
III SHALLOW water. Inc OfncerS and
stores were conveyed on shore. On August
81 a cruiser of the Suma type bombarded
that part of the cruiser showing above the
water. Ny casualties on the 10th were two
sailors killed and doctor wounded, and on
the 10th two sailors killed and fifteen slight
ly wounded"
Sorrow of the Russians.
The full report of the sinking of the gal
liant little Russian cruiser Novik was re-
xryifh tha
sian circles. The cruiser had proved her.
self, despite her size, one OF the ablest
ships of the Port Arthur squadron, but
her small coal supply and short steaming
radius Is held largely responsible for her
the credit Of Commander Schultz that the
Novlk was able to circle Japan and steal
through the kurile Islands to sakhalin.
In the meantime, however, the japanese
were able to take shorter route through
the Sea of Japan and cut her off. 1t seems
the Noyik was the Tsushima, a sister ship
to the Niltaka and larger than the Novik,
but not SO speedy.
ton, as the Japanese vessels lay between
the Novik and tladivostok, making it nee
essary for the Russian ship to cut her way
She might still have got away, but the
japanese, as in the case of the Czarevitch
steering gear OF the Novik and forced hes
to put back to Korsakovsk where there
was no chance for her to make repairs
1t Is claimed that the Tsushima had
enough Of the fight herself. and was badly
damaged. She steamed Off in the direction
Of Japan, leaving the completion of the
battle to the protected cruiser Chitose,
which had come up in response to signals
hope of saving the 1>ovik. sank her in the
harbor and landed her officers and crew
Only the vessels bow remained out of
water when the Chitose arrived The lat
ter vessel fired few shells at the station,
and then steamed out to sea.