Kamchatka (ship)

SS Kamchatka was a Russian armed auxiliary vessel. Originally built as a collier, she was converted while still under construction to a repair ship. The Kamchatka entered service in the Russian Baltic Fleet in 1903. Her main features were a large hold and large cranes that made her ideal for the role as a repair ship. The ship was infamous for its actions during the voyage of the Second Pacific Squadron, where it precipitated the Dogger Bank incident, as well as numerous other incidents including misidentification of neutral vessels as torpedo boats, and mistakenly firing at the Russian cruiser Aurora. While stopping in Madagascar several ships in the fleet acquired several local predatory animals, Kamchatka being no exception. The ship was lost with all hands when it was sunk in 1905 during the Battle of Tsushima to Japanese shell fire.

The Kamchatka between 1903 and 1905

The ship is also known in popular media for its habit of transmitting the query "Do you see torpedo boats?" in situations where enemy torpedo boats could not possibly have been present, nevertheless causing panic aboard other ships of her squadron