Kamchatka (ship)

Kamchatka was an armed auxiliary vessel of the Russian Navy. The ship was launched in 1903. Its short career during the Russo-Japanese War was plagued with unfortunate incidents, which ended in its sinking at the Battle of Tsushima.

Service history
Originally built as a collier, Kamchatka was converted to a repair ship while still under construction. Kamchatka entered service in the Russian Baltic Fleet in 1903. Its main features were a large hold and large cranes that made it ideal for the role as a repair ship.

Role in the Dogger Bank incident
Kamchatka played a role in causing the Dogger Bank incident, where the Second Pacific Squadron opened fire on unarmed British fishing trawlers. At about 21:00 on the night of October 21, 1903, Kamchatka radioed that it was being attacked by eight Japanese destroyers or torpedo boats. Not long after, small vessels without lights were spotted, which were crossing the Russian fleet's course. Deciding that the vessels were Japanese, the battleships opened fire.

Other actions
Kamchatka also was involved in numerous other incidents including misidentifications of neutral vessels as Japanese torpedo boats and mistakenly firing at the Russian cruiser Aurora. While stopping in Madagascar, several ships in the fleet acquired several local predatory animals, Kamchatka being no exception.

There are many apocryphal legends associated with Kamchatka, such as:


 * It falsely claimed to be sinking, when the only damage to it was a cracked steam pipe
 * It falsely claimed to be attacked by eight torpedo boats from all sides
 * It became separated from the fleet, fired 300 shells at German, Swedish and French ships before rejoining the squadron
 * It fired a live shell during a salute for a funeral, which hit the Aurora

However, these legends often have few primary sources. Many of these events never happened, while others may have been exaggerated for comedic effect.

Sinking
The Kamchatka was (position) during the Battle of Tsushima. Eventually, it was hit by Japanese shellfire, which disabled its rudder, forcing it to turn. Soon, its engines would be disabled.

The ship was lost with all hands when it was sunk in 1905 during the Battle of Tsushima to Japanese shell fire.