battle behind the cruiser and assisting in the sinking of the Russian cruiser and the gunboat . During the battle, a shell from Varyag passed in between her funnels. In April and May, Akashi escorted transports conveying the Japanese Second Army to Manchuria, and escorted destroyer squadrons from Japan to the front-lines. On 15 May, she assisted in the rescue of survivors from the crew of the ill-fated battleships and after those ships struck naval mines off the coast of Port Arthur. She then joined the list of Japanese ships blockading the Russian naval base in the Battle of Port Arthur. On 16 May, Akashi, with the cruiser and , bombarded Russian troops and buildings from the Bohai Gulf. The operation was cancelled due to dense fog on 17 May, in which the gunboats and collided, causing Ōshima to sink. On 7 June, Akashi, together with Suma and the gunboats , and a detachment of destroyers entered the Gulf of Bohai to support the landings of elements of the Japanese Second Army, and later bombarded Russian shore installations and a railway line along the coast of Manchuria. On 10 August, during the Battle of the Yellow Sea, Akashi did not participate in the first phase of the battle as she arrived too late. However, she did participate in the pursuit of the fleeing Russian cruisers and , but was unable to prevent the escape of the Russian ships. On 10 December, Akashi struck a naval mine while patrolling off of Port Arthur. The explosion blew a large hole in her bow, flooding several compartments, and creating a strong list to starboard. Because of the ice on the upper deck and darkness at night, the rescue attempt was difficult, but the crew was able to stabilize the ship, and accompanied by the cruisers and , reached Dalian for repairs. During the Battle of Tsushima on 27 May 1905, Akashi was under the 4th Combat Detachment headed by Rear Admiral Uryu Sotokichi and consisting of the Akashi, , Takachiho, and Suma. On the discovery of the Russian fleet, the 4th Detachment attacked Russian transports and the cruisers , , and , and sinking the already damaged battleship and repair ship Kamchatka. During the battle, Akashi took five rounds, which knocked her smokestack overboard, killed three crewmen and injured seven more. The following morning, Akashi was initially delayed due to repair work, but