Without hesitation the powerful Italian ironclads, several of which were among the finest in the world, opened a terrific fire upon the Russian ships, and as darkness fell the sight was one of appalling grandeur. From all sides flame rushed from turrets and barbettes in vivid flashes, while the Maxims in the tops poured out their deadly showers of bullets. The ponderous 105-ton guns of the _Andrea Doria_, _Francesca Morosini_, and _Ruggiero di Lauria_ crashed and roared time after time, their great shots causing frightful havoc among the Russian ships, the four 100-tonners of the _Lepanto_ and the 67-tonners of the _Re Umberto_, _Sardegna_, and _Sicilia_ simply knocking to pieces the _Petropavlovsk_. The Russian ships were receiving terrible blows on every hand. With their search-lights beaming forth in all directions, the ships were fighting fiercely, pounding away at each other with deafening din. It was not long, however, before this vigorous attack of the Italians began to tell, for within an hour of the first shot from the _Lepanto_ the fine Russian battleship _Gheorghy Pobyednosets_ and the great new cruiser _Minsk_ of 17,000 tons had been rammed and sunk, the former by the _Duilio_, and the latter by the _Re Umberto_, while the _Tchesmé_ and the gunboat _Otvazny_ had been torpedoed, and scarcely a soul saved out of 1500 men who were on board. Explosions were occurring in quick succession, and red glares flashed momentarily over the sea. Hither and thither as the Italian torpedo boats darted they ejected their missiles, and the rapid and terrible fire from the leviathans of Italy, pouring into every one of the remaining ships of the Tsar, killed hundreds who were striving to defend themselves. Suddenly the _Sicilia_, which had been fighting the Russian flagship, the _Tria Sviatitelia_, at close quarters, and had blown away her conning-tower and greater portion of her superstructure, performed a neat evolution, and crashed her ram right into her opponent's broadside, breaking her almost in half. A few moments later there was a terrific explosion on board, and then the doomed vessel sank into the dark rolling sea, carrying with her the Russian Admiral and all hands. Quickly this success was followed by others--the blowing up of the monster new cruiser _Tiumen_, the sinking of the _Adler_ and four other Russian torpedo boats, occurring in rapid succession. Seeing with what rapidity and irresistible force they were being swept from the sea, the remainder of the Tsar's shattered fleet struck their flags and called for quarter, not, however, before the torpedo boat _Kodor_ had been sunk. The Russians thus captured were the battleships _Petropavlovsk_ of 10,960 tons, the _Dvenadsat Apostoloff_ of 8076 tons, the two new barbette-ships, _Kama_ and _Vologda_, both of whose engines had broken down, and fifteen torpedo boats.