Aso
Soya
An item reported that the Japanese cruisers Aso (1) and Soya (2) visited Ambon between 22-26 February, Banda Neira on 27 February and Tandjong Priok, Dutch East Indies between 19-23 May 1910.(3)
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.
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.
3. The Dutch newspaper Nieuws van den dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië dated 27 January 1910 reported an visit by the Japanese training ships Aso and Soya to arive on 26 May. Both ships were active during the war between Russia and Japan, the Soya being the former Russian cruiser Wariag and the armoured cruiser Aso the former Russian armoured cruiser Bajan. Both ships were after the war modernized using the war experiences. De Dutch newspaper De Sumatra Post dated 23 March 1910 reported their arrival at Sydney, Australia where they got an enthusiastic welcome. The intention was to stay a week in Australian waters. The Dutch newspaper Nieuws van den dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië dated 16 March 1910 reported that the ship visited in February Amboina, Dutch East Indies and had 180 midshipmen. Supreme command had vice admiral H. Tjichi.(4) After visiting Thursday Island, Townsville, Sydney, Hobart, Melbourne, Adelaide, Albany and Freemantle, Australia was Surabaya between 19-23 May and Batavia between 26 May-1 June to be visited. From Batavia was the destination Singapore, Hong Kong, Keelung, Wusing, Hiroshima and finally Yokohama. On 1 February was Yokohama left and the expected return was on 23rd July. The edition dated 20 May reported that Surabaya was passed because of the cholera there and while prince Teruhito, the fourth son on prince Yoshihisa or Kitashirakawa served on board as midshipmen.(5) The cruisers anchored outside the jetties en were to stay until Monday. The Dutch newspaper Bataviaasch nieuwsblad dated 24 May 1910 described the ships lying in the outer roads of Tandjong-Priok as black monsters each with 4 funnels. The Soya was flagship of rear admiral Hikoziro Sjichi, commanding officer was captain Kantaro Suzuki and the Aso by captain Tetsutaro Sato. Sjichi spoke French, English and Italian and had been naval attaché at the Japanese embassy at Rome during three years and in the war with Russia commanding officer of the flag ship of admiral Togo [Heihachiro Saneyoshi]. The edition dated 7 July even supplied some remarkable details. During their visit at Tandjong Priok some Japanese officers visited the Dutch protected cruiser Hr.Ms. Noord-Brabant and were especially interested in the transport of ammunition to her guns. The rate of fire depends in how fact/efficient ammunition was supplied for (re)loading the guns. The journalist wrote that while the Royal Netherlands Navy paid a lot of attention in improving the supply of ammunition, the Japanese seemed to encountered problems.
4. Flagship of Togo was the battleship Mikasa, commanding officer was Hikojirō Ijichi (6 January 1860 Satsuma Province-4 January 1912), appointed as vice admiral on 1 December 1910.
5. 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.
Source
Jaarboek van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeemacht 1909-1910.
