“The Russians refuse to heave to, Captain,” the signalman second class said.
“Just what I thought they’d do. Mr. Gorin, put a shot across their bow.”
“Of which ship, Captain Llerena? There’s ten of them out there.”
“The one in front.”
Commander Gorin spoke into the microphone on his headset and one of the five-inch 38s immediately fired. The shell splash in front of the leading Russian destroyer was easily seen by all on the bridge of the Eureka.
Three Russian destroyers immediately opened up on the Eureka’s task force. One shell whistled past the Eureka’ s bridge and landed in the water.
“All ships,” Captain Llerena barked, “fire at will!”
The Eureka rocked to starboard as all twelve sixteen-inch guns on the four mounts fired simultaneously. The heavy cruisers Sacramento and Los Angeles and destroyers Hemme, Hepner, Bear, and Mitchell all fired their main batteries within seconds of the task force commander’s order.
Battleship Gorki and destroyer Severin of the Imperial fleet both disappeared in a stunning blast of explosives and flying metal as the salvos hit them with more shells than the rest of the Russian fleet combined, setting off their magazines. Gorki had flown the flag of Admiral Buldakov, commander of the Russian Pacific Fleet and chief tactician.
The surviving Russian ships, nearly in a straight line, steamed at flank speed toward the California fleet, which had formed a great C shape and was able to bring nearly every gun to bear on the hapless, enraged Russians.
The entire Battle of the North Pacific took less than an hour before the Russian destroyer Tolstoi, crippled and taking on water, lowered the remains of her flag.
“My God,” Commander Gorin said. “It was like ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ in reverse!”
“And just as stupid,” Captain Llerena said in a tone of disgust. “I almost wanted to give them another chance after the fifth ship went down. Did we lose anyone?”
“The Hemme took three hits but is still moving under her own power, and the Mitchell is dead in the water. The Los Angeles is preparing a tow for her. Between the two ships we lost about ninety men, including the skipper of the Hemme.”
“Gary Cole was a good sailor and a fine skipper,” Captain Llerena said.
“Those ninety men gave their lives for a great victory. The Russians can’t even protect their own coast now.”
“Captain, do you think we just won the war?”
“Perhaps, Mr. Gorin, perhaps.”