Ron van Maanen
The Japanese Aso, former Russian Bajan
The Japanese Soya, former Russian Varyag
During the war with Russia (8 February 1904-5 September 1905) captured Japan several Russian warships which were renamed and commissioned in the Japanese Imperial navy. In 1910 visited two of these former Russian warships the Dutch East Indies. The newspaper was informed that on 26 May the Japanese training ships Aso and Soya were to visit the Dutch colony and supplied some more details about their origin.
The Soya (1) was the former Wariag [the Varyag] and attacked by a Japanese squadron off Chemulpo and sunk by the Asama which was the first act in the war between both countries. She was described as a fast not armoured cruiser with a displacement of 6.570 tons and armed with 12-15cm guns and 20 smaller guns. During the attack was she capsized and sunk in quite deep water but later salvaged by the Japanese. The Aso was the former Russian Bajan(2) , an armoured cruiser with a displacement of 7.850 tons and armed with 2-20,3cm guns, 8-15cm guns and 28 smaller guns was part as part of the Port Arthur squadron after the surrender of this port heavily damaged captured by the Japanese. Both ships were by the Japanese after the war completely rebuilt and to be considered as being valuable fighting units.
The edition dated 22 March published an item dated Sydney 21 March according to which both ships arrived at Sydney where they were to stay a whole week. The Japanese officers were that evening invited for a dinner with the governor general count Dudley.
The edition of the same newspaper dated Friday 20 May reported that both ships arrived on 19 May at Tandjong Priok. Soon after the arrival was commanding officer Idjidsji visited by the Japanese consul Someya who was joined by representatives of the Dutch Governor General, the Dutch Naval Commander and clubs. Both ships came from Fremantle with as original destination Surabaya which harbour was visited caused by the cholera there afraid for the health of midshipmen prince Teruhito (3) better known as Kitashirakawa, 4th sun of prince Yoshihisa, who was adopted as a son by the former Japanese emperor. Both ships anchored outside the jetties and intended to leave next Monday. The Dutch governor visited the Japanese admiral for a dinner on 21 May.
Notes
1. Ordered to be built in 1898, Laid down at the yard of William Cramp&Sons, Philadelphia, USA on 31 October 1899, launched on 2 January 1900 and commissioned on 14 January 1901 as the Russian Varyag. Her own crew scuttled her on 9 February 1904 caused by her heavily being damaged during the battle of the Chemulpo Bay. She was commissioned as the 3rd class cruiser Soya and used as training ship and visited in 1909 Hawaii and North America and made annual training voyages until 1913. She was handed over to Russia on 5 April 1916 at Vladivostok and got her original name back. From there she was send to the United Kingdom to be refitted again as part of the Russian Arctic Squadron. When the revolution on 7 November 1917 broke out in Russia was she seized by the British government and sold three years to be broken up in Germany. While being towed in the Firth of Clyde she grounded near Lendalfoot where they started to break her up and finally in 1925 her remains sunk on the position 55°11'03” North and 04°56'30” West. This protected cruiser had a displacement of 6,500 long tons or 6,640 tons with as dimensions 126.8 x 15.8 x 6.1 metres or 416’0 x 51’10” x 20’0”. The four reciprocating vertical triple expansion engines and 30 [Niclausse] boilers provided 20,000 shp allowing a speed of 23 knots and with a speed of 10 knots a range of 4,200 nautical miles. Her crew numbered 571 men. The armament consisted of12-6” guns, 10-3.1” guns, 2-1.9” guns and 4-18” torpedo tubes. Her armour consisted of a 50-75mm thick deck while the conning tower was protected by 150mm armour. Jane’s Fighting 1906-1907 supplied even more details. According to this source were her dimensions 416’(waterline) x 52 x 21’ (maximum). During the first trials was her maximum speed 23 knots with 53 revolutions, during the 12 hours with 149 revolutions, was 16,270 delivered allowing a speed of 23,25 knots and during the 8 hours trial was even 24,6 knots reached with 160 revolutions and 20,000 ihp. The coal bunker capacity was normally 770 tons but could be exceeded to maximal 1250 tons. While steaming at full power she had a coal consumption of 31 tons per hour allowing a range of around 950 miles while with a speed of 10 knots the range was 4500 miles. Jane’s wrote that she was fitted out with 12x1-6” guns. The torpedo tubes were 2 submerged around 20 degrees abaft from the beam and 2 were surfaced. Another Dutch newspaper Het nieuws van den dag dated 6 June 1905 published a small item using a tiding from Tokyo that she was yet salvaged and added to the Japanese navy.
2. This armoured cruiser of the Bayan-class was mend to be an answer to the Japanese armoured cruisers of the Asama-class. She was laid down at the yard of the Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, France in 1899, launched in May 1900 and commissioned in December 1902. She was commissioned as the Aso in Japanese service on 22 August 1905, stricken on 1 April 1931 and sunk as a target ship on 4 August 1932 off the Izu Oshima Island. In 1909 travelled she with the Soya to Hawaii and North America and visited in 1910 Australia and the Philippines. During this last voyage she visited the Dutch East Indies as the articles in the Dutch newspaper proved. With a displacement of 7,800 long tons or 7,925 tons were her dimensions 137 x 17,53 x 6,7 metres or 449’ x”56’6” x 22’. Her two shaft vertical triple expansion engines and 26 Belleville boilers supplied 16,500 shp allowing a speed of 21 knots or with a speed of 10 knots a range of 3,900 nautical miles. Her crew numbered 573 men. The armament consisted of 2-8” guns, 8-6” guns, 20-3” guns and 2-18” torpedo tubes submerged around 20 degrees abaft from the beam . The Harvey armour consisted of a 7.9” belt, a 1.2” deck, a 2.4” casemate, a 6’7” barbette while the turrets were protected by 5’9”. Jane’s Fighting 1906-1907 supplied even more details. She was designed by M. Lagana of the French yard. When new she performed excellently when during her trial her engines provided 17,400 ihp while using 14lb coals for each ihp during one hour and a speed of 22 knots one knot more as contracted. When commissioned her coal consumption while full power was around 14 tons per hour. The coal bunker capacity was 750 tons and could be exceeded to 1100 tons maximal. The grate area was 1378 square feet and the heating surface 43,050 square feet. The 2x1-8” guns, one turret forward and one aft, could be electrically and or by hand me handled with shooting one round per minute and for each gun were 100 round carried with her. The turret forward was 28’above the water and the one aft 24¾’and with fire angles of 270 degrees.. The 8x1-6” guns were placed in a complete round shields aft the battery wall with a fire angle of around 110 degrees from the axial line. According to Janes’s was she fitted out with 2 armoured decks.
3. This must be prince Kitashirakawa Naruhisa )18 April 1887-1 April 1924) son of prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa and princess Tomiko although he was finally ranked as colonel of the Japanese Imperial navy in which he served between 1908 and 1923.
