joined in the search for the remaining Russian vessels, assisting in the sinking of the armored cruisers Dmitrii Donskoi and . She returned with the captured Russian destroyer to Sasebo on 30 May. After the battle, on 14 June, "Akashi" returned to Takeshiki Guard District to start patrols of the Korea Strait. She was overhauled at Kure Naval Arsenal from 4–29 July. On 10 October, Akashi intercepted the German-flagged steamer, M Struve (1582 tons), which was attempting to smuggle a cargo of rice, salt, bread and flour to Vladivostok. The steamer was sent with a prize crew to Sasebo. Akashi arrived in Yokohama to participate in a naval review celebrating the Japanese victory on 23 October 1905. World War I From 1908–1909, future Prime Minister of Japan Suzuki Kantarō served as captain of Akashi. In 1912, Akashi was re-boilered, with her nine horizontal locomotive-style boilers replaced with nine Niclausse boilers. In World War I, Akashi was part of the IJN 2nd Fleet in combat against the Imperial German Navy at the Battle of Tsingtao. In 1916, she was assigned to patrol the sea lanes from Borneo to the Malacca Straits and eastern Indian Ocean against German commerce raiders, as part of Japan's contribution to the Allied war effort under the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, and was based at Singapore. Rear-Admiral Kōzō Satō commanded the 2nd Special Squadron with Akashi as flagship with the 10th and 11th Destroyer Units (eight destroyers) based at Malta from 13 April 1917. He was reinforced by the 15th Destroyer Unit with four more destroyers from 1 June 1917 to carry out on direct escort duties for Allied troop transports in the Mediterranean. After being relieved by the cruiser , Akashi returned to Japanese home waters, where she spent the remainder of the war. After the end of the war, Akashi was re-designated as a 2nd class coastal defense vessel from 1 September 1921. She was removed from the navy list on 1 April 1928. Deemed obsolete, she was expended as a target for dive bombers south of Izu Ōshima on 3 August 1930. The main mast of Akashi is preserved at the Japan Maritime Self Defense Academy at Etajima, Hiroshima. Notes References External links Suma-class cruisers Ships built by Yokosuka Naval Arsenal 1897 ships Naval ships of Japan Russo-Japanese War cruisers of Japan World War I cruisers of Japan Shipwrecks in the Philippine Sea Cruisers sunk by