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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Commodore George Dewey, Commander, Asiatic Station, to Secretary of the Navy John D. Long

United States Naval Force on Asiatic Station.

FLAGSHIP OLYMPIA,                 

HONGKONG,              

MARCH 1, 1898.    

Sir:

     1.   I have the honor to report the following movements of foreign war vessels on this station during the month of February, 1898.

     2.   BRITISH:  This fleet with the exception of one vessel, left Chemulpo1 on February 10th for Nagasaki, and is now believed to be at Tinghai, in the ChusanIslands.2 off the mouth of the Yang-tse River.  The new Commander-in-Chief, Vice Admiral Sir E.H. Seymour,3 was there on the 21st in the CENTURION.   The torpedo boat destroyers HART and HANDY are used to carry mail between Shanghai and Tinghai.  The following vessels are at Hong Kong: POWERFUL, EDGAR, and PHOENIX. The POWERFUL will leave for the north in a few days.  It is believed that a vessel remains at Port Arthur.

     3.   RUSSIAN:  The Commander-in-Chief, in the PAMIAT AZOVA, was, on the 25th instant at Port Arthur.  The Rear Admiral, Second-in-Command,4 in the DMITRI DORSKOI, was on the 20th instant at Nagasaki. The ADMIRAL NACHIMOFF and the ROBBIA arrived here on the 22d, and the NACHIMOFF left on the 27th, homeward bound.  It is reported from Chemulpo that the Russian fleet is expected there shortly.

     4.   FRENCH:   None of the vessels of this squadron are at Hong Kong or to the northward.

     5.   GERMAN:   The Squadron under Vice Admiral von Diedrichs5 remains at Kiau Chou Bay.  The squadron under Prince Henry of Prussia6 has arrived at Singapore and it expected here shortly.

     6.   JAPANESE: This fleet is reported to be at Shimidzu,7 in the inland sea,8 for target practice manouvres.

              Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

                        George Dewey.

                   Commodore, U.S. Navy,

              Commanding U.S. Naval Force on Asiatic Station.

Source Note: CyS, DNA, AFNRC, M625, roll 362. Address below close: ”The Secretary of the Navy,/Washington, D.C./[Bureau of Navigation]” Copy was sent to the Bureau of Navigation. Document reference: “No.79-D.” Document on “United States Naval Force on Asiatic Station,” stationary.

Footnote 1: Chemulpo and Port Arthur were renamed Incheon, Korea.

Footnote 2: Vice-Adm. Edward H. Seymour.

Footnote 3: Chusan Islands were renamed the Zhoushan Islands, China.

Footnote 4: Vice-Adm. Fyodor Vasilyevich Dubasov.

Footnote 5: Vice-Adm. Otto von Deidrichs.

Footnote 6: Prince Wilhelm Heinrich of Prussia.

Footnote 7: Shimizu Island.

Footnote 8: The inland sea referred to is the Seto Inland Sea that separates the three main Japanese Islands.

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