RN cruiser sunk at Dogger Bank, Oct 1904

In 1904 the RN was equipped with the dotter as standard and the quality of gunnery had gone up,
Here is the dotter system installed on the top of the gun mount.

Dotter_from_above.jpg


Here's the same system on the 6" mount on the Apollo class HMCS Rainbow.

e-19890167-004.jpg


rainbow_1910_1055.JPG


However the 4.7" and 6pdr secondaries to not appear to have dotters, so all but two of Retribution's guns will be trained by looking down the barrel.

rainbow_1910_1054.JPG


Some interesting reading on the dotter system here https://wargamingmiscellanybackup.wordpress.com/category/miscellaneous-musings/page/8/
 
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With their ROF the 6lber's almost certinally would not need a dotter, they were a point and hose weapon, I guess the same mindset was applied to the 4.7's. they make up for any lack of accuracy with their rate of fire. But perhaps later mounts had dotter fittings?
 
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And when the saw the Japanese fleet they took a sort of" oh Sh*t! Everyship for itself! Openfire! Charge!
Meanwhile the Japanese fleet formed a battle line and unleashed hell for the Russians
Rozhdestvenski tried to form a battle line but missed signal, the general mist of battle and poor seamanship threw the ships into disarray.
By the time Togo crossed the Russians T, the fleet was all over the place.
In this video, the Russians appear to keep their formation, but just can't get any good hits.

 
Assuming war isn't declared I suspect Britain to back Japan to the hilt and bat harder for them at the peace table. A bigger indemnity and maybe all of Sakhalin is all I can see Britain can push for.

If war is declared, and it could very well be, I think the Russians roll over and play dead rather than try and fight Britain. If this is the case, Japan probably picks up Sakhalin and maybe a free hand in Manchuria. Japanese finances are going to be way better off than OTL without the hideously expensive land campaign (both cash and lives) and with additional Manchurian resources I think they'll be even more wealthy. Russia probably comes out ahead too without the twin losses of Tsushima and Port Arthur its prestige is somewhat more intact even with the humiliating defeat (though they won't know the alternative). The1905 revolution probably takes a far different shape than OTL. I'd be curious to see what becomes of the Entente in TTL. Does Britain's fear of German naval expansion override her natural Russophobia (which just got a huge shot in the arm)? And can Germany fully utilize the Russian diplomatic blunder and keeping Britain separate from France and Russia (I would think not but you never know)?
Hmm, the influence on the revolution would be significant, certainly the Potemkin mutiny was partially down to the heavy losses in the pacific.
 
The fleet was at sea, flanked by a swarm of destroyers and cruisers the nine Majestic class battleships made a great impression as they had sailed from Portsmouth. Other commands were already at sea and with the Russian forces coming down from the North the plan was to engage them within sight of land to allow cripples to withdraw to safety.

Sailing from the North was Rear Admiral Burham's 6th battlesquadron, another four battleships of the Formidable class as well as six armoured cruisers and their attendant destroyers who would engage the Russians if they turned and tried to go home. Of course the fleet was in constant communication with the Admiralty, kept abreast of the still ongoing diplomatic talks. The Government had demanded the Russian Admiral be arrested along with his staff, that repatriations be made and the fleet either stopping in an English port under the guns of the navy or to turn for home.

The Russians had refused to allow blame to be pinned on their Admiral, and instead blamed the British for provoking the encounter whilst Russian newspapers spun the story that the Retribution was crewed by Japanese sailors who had undergone training in England and had attacked with a false flag flying. The British press had thundered back that the Russians were incompetent, poorly trained and little more than Pirates who had brazenly attacked British shipping going about its peaceful buisness.

No one knew if war could be averted, no one knew if it should for national honour had been slighted in the most bold and brazen of fashion. The Meditteranian fleet was at sea whilst the reserve fleet was also being activated with the older Royal Soverigns being manned and coaled up even as the Majestic and her sisters had set sail.
 
So they could have, possibly, in the general confusion, ended up firing on one of their own cruisers...
Well they did historically...
The Aurora and the Donskoi were both hit by 6" shells from the battleships' secondary guns.


BTW I dug out Pleshakov's The Tsar's Last Armada and Hough's The Fleet That Had to Die for more research. Some fascinating stuff about the voyage.
 
Well they did historically...
The Aurora and the Donskoi were both hit by 6" shells from the battleships' secondary guns.


BTW I dug out Pleshakov's The Tsar's Last Armada and Hough's The Fleet That Had to Die for more research. Some fascinating stuff about the voyage.
I mean mistaking one of their own for Ret, and then concentrating fire on her
 
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