Intimations of the extent of the disaster first reached Russia through foreign telegrams. The emperor and naval officials hoped against hope that their own advices would bring some ray of comfort. It was hoped that a portion of the fleet might reach Vladivostok strong enough to aid in protecting the fortress against attack from the sea.
One unprotected cruiser and three torpedo boat destroyers were all of the splendid fleet that ever were to reach Vladivostok. The cruiser Almaz, which by reason of her lack of protective sheathing had been ordered by Rozhdestvensky to flee in event of battle, got through the Japanese lines with a minimum of damage, though well scarred by shots that had reached her by chance. Captain Chagir, her commander, speedily communicated with the emperor at St. Petersburg through Lieutenant General Linevitch, commander-in-chief in the Far East. This was the message:
"The cruiser Almaz has arrived at Vladivostok. Her commander reports as follows:
"'On May 27, Vice Admiral Rozhdestvensky's fleet in the Tsu Strait engaged the Japanese in battle. During the day we lost the battleships Kniaz Souvaroff, Borodino, Osliabya, and the cruiser Ural. The battleship Alexander III was seriously damaged at the start of the battle.
"'After the separation of the cruiser Almaz from the fleet the battle was renewed in the darkness. The result of the night battle is not known.'"
The Almaz was cut off from the fleet and reached Vladivostok.
"Supplementary reports of the commander of the Almaz, forwarded by the post commandant at Vladivostok, state that the transport Kamtchatka was seriously damaged."
"The Almaz had Lieutenant Mochalin and four sailors killed and ten sailors wounded. There is no news as to those who were saved or those who perished on the sunken warships."
The arrival of the Almaz has thus been described by an eye witness at Vladivostok:
The Almaz, which arrived at her anchorage here Monday evening, May 29, bore scars of the battle. Her mizzen mast was shot away, and one of her smokestacks was pierced by a cannon shot. But the Grozny, though engaged for several hours in a running fight at short range with a large Japanese destroyer, showed no signs of the fray. After her commander, Captain Andriffski, had been wounded, and an officer and three men had been killed, the Grozny succeeded in sinking her opponent with a luckily placed shot, and reached Vladivostok without further adventure.