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Show C011NDER OF RUSSIAN FLEET A. Yice-Admiral Rojestvensky's Death Announced in St. Petersburg St. Petersburg, Jan. 14. Tho eath of Vice Admiral Rojestvensky Is announced, an-nounced, who was in command of tho Russian fleet in May, 1903. when it was practically annihilated by the Japanese Jap-anese In the battle of tho Sea of Japan. Ja-pan. Slnnl Pctrovlch Rojestvensky, who was about sixty years old, had beon in the Russian naval service tbo greater part of his life. Graduating from the Michael Artillery academy, he rose step by step until ho becauvj thief of tho naval headquarters start and tho head of the Intelligence .department .de-partment of the Russian army. In 1904, after the disasters that had befallen the Russian warships In their conflicts with the Japanese, Rojestvensky Rojest-vensky was given personal command of tho Russian fleet, with orders to lake it to Vladlvostock. The fleet sailed from Libau October AC, 1904. Owing to rumors that the Japanese would attack en route, a careful lookout was kept for the Japanese Jap-anese and when the fleet was off ill? Cogger Banks, In the North So.v It came upon the North Sea British n.sh-flnnt n.sh-flnnt Tho liehts of the trawlers caused alarm among some of tho Rus-f Rus-f an vessels and they fired upon the fishermen. The steam trawler Cran-3 was sunk and two others of the fishing fish-ing fleet were damaged, while ?wo men of the trawlers were killed and n r umber seriously wounded. This action resulted m strained relations re-lations between Great Britain and Russia, and 'although an International commission at Paris technically ex cased Rojestvensky. the Russian gov trnment was assessed $220,000 as damages.. Rojestvensky, with the main division divi-sion of his fleet, sailed round the Cape of Good Hope and was met off Madagascar Mada-gascar by the other vessels, which had proceeded through the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. The Japanese, during Rojestven-fcky's Rojestven-fcky's voyage, had captured Port Ar-I Ar-I thur and sunk or captured most of the Russian warships bottled n there. Advancing Into the China Sea. Rojestvensky, in May, 1905. was joined by Admiral NebogatofT's division, di-vision, and the combined fleets started through, the Strait of Korea on tho way to Vladivostok. I Between Korea and Japan, In tho Straits of Tsu Tshtrma, on May 17, the Russians ran Into Vice Admiral Togo's naval ambuscade and In the conflict Togo captured or disabled eight battleships, nine cruisers, three coast deiense snipq, nmu ueauujc.j, one auxiliary cruiser, six special rcr-vice rcr-vice steamers and two hospital ships. The Russians lost 4,000 men, killed and captured. The Japanese lost three torpedo boats and 116 killed and 538 wounded. Tbe battleship Knlaz Souvaroff, Ro-jestvensky's Ro-jestvensky's flagship, was blown up In the battle and the vice admiral suffered suf-fered severe wounds. He was then conveyed to the destroyer Biedovick, which surrendered to a Japanese battleship. bat-tleship. Rojestvensky wa placed In a ship and held prisoner until the war ended. Returning to Russia after his release, re-lease, Rojestvensky applied for retirement. retire-ment. An Indictment was found against Rojestvensky and the officers of the Biedovick. charging tho admlr.il with surrendering to an enemy, and the ofTlcers with cowardice and demoralization. de-moralization. Rojestvensky pleaded guilty in order to save the officers, j hut he was declared to be not guilty. The officers were condemned to death but their sentences were commuted. |