Attack on Vladivostok

Admiral Kamimura's official report of the attack on Vladivostok which took place on 6 March 1904:-

As pre-arranged, the squadron reached the eastern entrance of Vladivostok on the morning of March 6, after passing through the frozen sea. The enemy's ships were not seen in the outside harbor, and the Japanese vessels approached the batteries on the north-east coast from a point beyond the range of the batteries of the Balzan Promontory and the Bosphorous Strait.

After bombarding the inner harbor for forty minutes from ten minutes to two, the Japanese squadron retired. It is believed that the bombardment effected considerable damage. Soldiers were seen on land, but the Russian batteries did not reply to the Japanese fire.

Black smoke was observed in the eastern entrance about five in the afternoon, and was thought to be from the enemy's ships, but the smoke gradually disappeared. On the morning of the 7th inst. the Japanese squadron reconnoitred America Bay and Strelok Bay, but nothing unusual was seen. The warships again approached the eastern entrance of Vladivostok at noon, but the enemy's ships were not visible, and the batteries did not fire.

The squadron then turned towards Possiet Bay, but seeing nothing of the enemy, retired.

  Kamimura