ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN A MERCHANTMAN AND AN IRONCLAD.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 839, 1 November 1877, Page 2

ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN A MERCHANTMAN AND AN IRONCLAD.

That ironclads are not going to have it all their own way m Ntft&l ■ Warfare is evident from the' following narrated by the Prussian Correspondent of the London Times of date August Bth last. The memorable encounter betweeen a Russian merchantman and a Turkish ironclad, related m a lecent letter, is the theme of the following official report of Captain Buranoff, the commander of the. Ve^ta, which accomplished the feat : — , 'On the 23rd of June, 7.30 a. in at. 35 miles from Kustenjde, while sailing W.S.W., I was informed that smoke had been seen south, il ordered the vessel to bo put Oi&a'll spead and stood S. to W. to cut' off the vessel from the shore, should W prove a inerchahtman or a,.lightlyarmed man-of-war. At about 8 a. m. we discerned a strong Turkish'ir'oiiclad, which, hoisting her nW, immediately fire'l on the' V'e&ia, 'ft'om heavy guns. Upon this thd'^esfca raised the iv assian war flag and "a ye a salvo IVoin hvv bows, i thou

veered N. to W., going at full speed, being struck P^^^%*^yPP orfc unity of firing oi rSEnß^^htfie/g. inch mortars and or e^^^T^^B^ "^ e cannon « Iq mi 3K t Mfflf love I took it for g ' a ifi jwjr nosfcile vessel could t ak^us^ c ttaa ten or ele^ ea "^potsJa^Chat my superior speed, WpßHaF^ith the useofDavidofTs firing mathine, would enable me .2^&tos&£2ZJto.i&uolad or to compel suninder. To my surprise, however, though we were going at the rate of 12 knots an hour, the between. m and presently approached so dbse'that my 9-poun-dar gun: ..placed at il2-cable elevation fared pye?-hiai< 'Lieutenant-Colonel ilehe^dfi ;s ,^tmm Artillery, y^Jmr.-Jm* directing the fire of our poop guns wita una bated steadiness, to^e to .me. O n the bridge ana^wnispe|e.| thai; ' the enethy had got too close for us. to make use of the indicator b'f 'the Davidoff firing apparatus. Afc this moment the enemy was coming down upon ua so rapidly -fchat the' distance between us was, sensibly diminished even during jthe' bullet's 'fligh'e. 1 The Turkish jprojecdle containiog shrapnels, our ship was riddled by shot, m conseIquence , ?6f -a fhich I permitted liieutenentrgylpnet Tchnerotf and ■ Lieutenaut Roj lestveiiski to firer 'a .'{fiilliM'ftiilvtt:/. „ -Two , salvos were tired, but the Turkish projectileg^of ill. inch and 7-inch catibre, now hit our stem, struck the upper ;deek,>%n<f 'eVeh entered the body of the vessel. One bomb set the ship on ,%8 .f lo f 9 ty $6 ppwder magazine, and the destruction' wrought on the upper deck was fearful. One bomb deldgdd- ithe ! tieW with blood ; destro/tH. pne of our mortars,' and, striking 1 l tfie ' Bavidofi apparatus, ! knocked down the two artillery !offiottsi.vat-.:i<4!h& gans. Ensign | Jakovleff had his neck and shoulder ! lacerated.. Lieutenant-Colonel Tchernoff, mortally wounded, uttered these last word's - \ Farewell ; fire froiii tHe 1 i'lghtnaTid stern gun ; it is pointed'— apd ; fell dead,: Even before this salvo, seding that our manoeuvring was over and that all thajt, w f e c.qu.l(i ( do was to tarn our stei'ii to the'eue'my, and to reciprocate bullet »ibi' bullet, I determined to go right at the enemy, and either board hicQ or, blow him up by submarine^ minea. Another reason suggesting 1 this resolve was the enemy's evident wish to run his spur into opr tside,. / 1 called Lieutenant Michael Per.elshine, the torpedo officer to the uridge orderiug him to see whether the mines were still fit for -usa and to prepare to place them. Pereleshine, m reply, asked permission for himself and J^ieuljenanc Jerebko-flotnnstreu-ko to launch the two sloops and attack 'theienemy m broad daylight. Notwithstanding 1 the dangerous nature of the enterprise, I should have permitted it had the sea not been so boisterous. Pereleshine had hardly left the bridge when a botaib* tore ' away his leg to the hip. In this condition he still endeavoured to idppeak to, 'me about the use to be made of the steam sloops. ' But Pereleshine's terrible wound, the death of two officers, the deaabling of foijr others, the destruction of the mortar, and the conflagration m the lower deck were powerless to iiitmiidate my gallant crew. From the, oldest to the youngest officer — Cadets Jakovleff, the brother of the killed Ensign— the gentlemen associated 'with me m the command of the ship proved heroes. The place of Jibe Jcilled artillery officers was supplied by Lieutenant Krotkotf. While pointing his guv be received 17 wounds ■■■from tke splinter of a grenade, and, witli his hair entirely singed, off, continued to work at the guns tvitjtiout' tiie Davidoff apparatns, the conducting wiivs of wtiicn were broken. Lieutenant iiojdvenski, who took the' place of Lieu tenant Colonel Tchernoff, . directed ths second mortar, stationei on the plntfdrtn by the side of the DavidoiF indicator. Thanks to him, we lodged, a bomb m the enemy's chimney arid burst m the port-hole of the largest, gun. A terrible confusion followed on the deck of the Turk. Unfortunately, we wero unable to , 5 take advantage of our ancceßS, a bomb splinter striking our steering so that the ladder ceased to act. The Turks, profiting' ; 'by pur mishap, poured their grenades into ns. One of these went right into the'steampipe and, cbverirtg ihe bridge' with fragments, killed two riflemen standing by me, who had been firing at the portholes of th,e hostile vessel. At this moment the last remaining artillery officer, ,.,, lieutenant Krotkof, was wounded m the face ; I received a contusion on the head and left hand ; Cadet -' ' 'Jakovleff likesvise was slightly wounded m the head. Splinters were raining over the engine, which, protected byinattiug and hammocks, was happily kept safe. This" was the last serious salvo of, tlae enemy. His great deck gnn was disabled, and, as he did not succeed m boardiug, he gradually fell back and ceased firing. A dense smoke rpse from the deck, and, after two^or; thi;e.e rounds more, the enemy ;jre^fed'"'Jr.T.^-^%nd then to N.W., stnd finally wen li away. „.;%Jaa<j Jwo.guusdestoyed, wj -holes Htopfe body oi the vessel, two officers killed, four wounded, and the (Jeok strewed with grenades, splin ters. J ari(l "human limbs. The engineers *arid stbk'era, after a five Aw!? ?fi c 9 uute^ cou ld : hardly stand on their legs. Tnis, and th'e circumstance that the enemy waa signalling, ancl the uia&ts of

other ships ;aight^. m jthfi , induced me to allow typ euecny to make off without ipftvw^ 'Finding the Ironclad) took^to flight, I ordered 'the 'cofi'bSeS"^^ removed. As the water N WSH'gainihg m the hold, : ,ian^ yl.idi* |y^ ; kgew how long the ship could be regu* lany moved, I f^ly .expe^teft.aftjpp attack from some more. TarkiSß ironolads,* and prdpar«i"th6tfghip*riß well as 'I could t|6i< ; a Secttiddienttotfnl. ter. then, prderedjth^'^e^ib sing a hymn of thanks .fop ( ourjyicr tory, after ■, which > i we > gave, three | cheers for the; itetreMn'^ w ehemy, j ] ,'jl najme |3>if ( .tne ship with with which I had tpideal. It was an ironclad with ; a 10idch.6rainrich l gubto|? turret, and another gun of the same calibre, m, theflter^ xy^th&cantae was a block-house containing fonr 7-ineb. cann'on^ in ;< addition to some others o^ sttaiterl /caUW:e;tpm)ably four ahd-nitte^oun'de'r'si «JS»«Arkish rifles our own, and at ,a distance from 600 to 800 sajen < poured! ttilve ' af tet 'saft vd up\sff JK, traces of i hi6h l/ aart)e t) now visißje. No , damage, .being, jdqn^ a,t;^|» tance by the rifle fire; t ordered ourj riflomen/ to j a^e^the^ w^aflWS only! when the ships were about 400 sajen . a^ai't.i ! iAt/tha^t/ime fly clearly iHafwi tje hi fez 'm the port-holes, biae 1 fez on the brMg^ b^^wiijt f atf^ptM insbiuimentjian^^giyi^glqivgctions to; several .perpJDiw^Eurapeaii^ats of dark blue; .J^.^ish^^t^h^ pte ' instrument- and, the j European uni-j forms i and i caps^ and^- ' pr^nxikd^ «a ! reward- to three'ot the' bes't^iots and ; the 1 co;mraaildeii f ;of; i 'tiie gun if they knocked off tljq§e. ttjfni -They gave aisalvO^twb 1 of.ithelblnecoats fellj the 7 fe^disappeir^d^toufc the instrument remained" 'tn'"'"^ • place." t; ' --'"viHtf .'i/ja/.l!> 'Jtil: Tee rest 'df^e recouftts the. bravery ,of t mdiy.iduaj. o^er^ and meja,, and/.of itW oaibiabQysi»«p4 ( a Greek/interpfr'eteri ' who |toDk/f>arl) m the expedition asi volunteers id «><. ' ■■■■ """ v^*>vO