Between 0722hrs and 0730hrs the 10-inch battery on Moon opened fire on the 8 MSHF, III Minesweeper Division and the sperrbrecher vessels. The barrier breakers were immediately ordered to the rear of the German line as, despite their relative immunity to mine damage, they were quite vulnerable to artillery fire. The 8th Minesweeper Half Flotilla was thereon ordered to leave the mine-clearing work to the III Minesweeper Division and to push into the Kleinen Sound.
After a short time the Woi battery ceased fire. As Bayan reached abeam Cape Paternoster she reduced speed and stopped, whilst the battleships continued a little further to the south to their firing positions. The three Russian ships stretched in a line running north – south and prepared to open fire. The guns of Slava could range to 116 cable-lengths (21,400 metres) and those of Graschdanin 88 cables (16,300 metres). The range of Slava would come as a particular surprise to the Germans.
At 0805hrs Graschdanin opened fire on the approaching German minesweepers of the 8 MSHF, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Erich Koellner. Slava and the Woi battery also opened fire. The shells landed all around the sweeper formation, with the Germans reporting the fire of the Woi battery as being particularly well laid. The minesweeper boats were bound by their sweeper gear and had to maintain a steady course without being able to return the fire. Nevertheless, none of the boats was hit, nor suffered splinter damage. When from time to time their gear slipped owing to the shallow water, the minesweepers covered themselves with a smoke screen and in this they were supported by two torpedoboats which Vizeadmiral Behncke had dispatched forward to them.
Meanwhile, the III Minesweeper Division also lay under continuous fire and they worked laboriously at clearing the located mines. Because of an error in relaying the position of the trapezoidal minefield to the III Battle Squadron chief, the Germans remained unaware that they had entered its southwest corner.
At 0800hrs Vizeadmiral Behncke ordered the cruisers to cease their advance so that they would not lay unnecessarily in the fire of the Russian battleships and coastal artillery. König and Kronprinz turned onto an eastwards course, into the channel swept by 3 MSHF under Kapitänleutnant von der Marwitz, south of the trapezoidal field. Meanwhile, Slava had slowly advanced to the south so that she lay between Cape Paternoster and Werder; at 0812hrs she shifted fire from the minesweepers to the eastward-steering German battleships. The German battleships replied with their heavy artillery at a range of 20,400 meters but, much to their chagrin, their shells fell short. The first salvoes were of three projectiles, but then subsequently of five shells. On the other hand, the fire of Slava, directed by her experienced gunnery officer, Starchi Leitenant Rybaltovski, was good, with some shells impacting just 50 metres distant from König. The Germans now found themselves at a severe tactical disadvantage – the 12-inch pieces of Slava outranged the 30.5cm guns on the German dreadnoughts and, moreover, the German ships were restricted to the narrow swept channel and were unable to manoeuvre. Under these circumstances Vizeadmiral Behncke was forced to reverse his course to a westerly heading and withdraw from Slava’s accurate fire.
Graschdanin meanwhile continued firing on the minesweepers with her 12-inch cannon and, when the range allowed, also opened fire with her 6-inch battery. The Russians were confined in a narrow channel with strong currents and they had to utilize their engines to hold position. At 0830hrs, as the Germans had retired, Vice Admiral Bakhirev ordered the battleships to maintain fire on the nearest enemy, the minesweepers. During this time the 3 MSHF continued its advance and at 0840hrs the minesweepers reached Larina Bank and turned north. With that König and Kronprinz resumed an easterly course at 0840hrs, following at low speed. Slava, meanwhile, repositioned a little more to the north, whilst to the west Kontreadmiral Hopman, on observing the squadron chief’s movements, resumed his advance towards the Kleinen Sound. The Russians had resumed fire on the 3 MSHF at 0830hrs and held them under continuous heavy fire since. The shore batteries at Woi and Werder joined in the practice and it became obvious to the Germans that the Russians intended to stop the minesweepers, therefore stalling the entire attack. The minesweepers continued obstinately, M77 and M67 being slightly damaged by shell splinters in the process. Kapitänleutnant Doflein described the experience thus:
the enemy fire began from the right and from far ahead. We were covered by a crossfire from Slava and Tsarevitch [Graschdanin’s former name], Bayan and the shore batteries at Werder. House-high water spouts climbed amongst the half flotilla so that shrapnel and water rained on the boats. It was a wonder that with this hail of shot the half flotilla remained without heavy damage. My brave 3rd Half Flotilla was indeed courageous.
At about 0940hrs, the III Minesweeper Division was brought over to the eastern side of the Russian minefield to assist the 3 MSHF as they advanced to the north, whilst König and Kronprinz waited between Larina and Awanasewa Banks. It was Vizeadmiral Behncke’s intension to allow the 3 MSHF to push north past the large rectangular field and then he would suddenly advance with his battleships and attempt to come to grips with the Russians.
Just before the cessation of fire the bow turret of Slava suffered multiple breakdowns. A double bronze gear wheel and pinion gave out, the shaft was bent and the gear wheel could not be moved. Both guns were therefore rendered unserviceable after the right gun had fired four shots and the left had fired seven shots. Both guns had been supplied to the ship in November 1916 and had fired a total of thirty-four practice rounds and forty-five battle shots. According to the opinion of specialists aboard Slava, the fault lay with the factory for manufacturing the gear wheel from defective material. Nothing could be done to remove or rectify the damage. There were now twenty 30.5cm cannon ranged against the two remaining 12-inch guns of Slava, the four shorter-ranged 12-inch guns of Graschdanin and the two combat-ready 10-inch guns of the Moon Island battery at Woi, which had a slow rate of fire.
There was now a pause in the battle and Vice Admiral Bakhirev signalled that the crews could go to lunch (Russian time being two hours ahead of German time, which is used here). The Russian units moved a little off to the north, where Bayan and Graschdanin anchored, and Slava held using her engines. The torpedoboat-destroyers Ukraina, Voiskovoi, Donskoi Kazak, Turkmenets-Stravropolski, Sil’nyi and Storozhevoi, together with Del’nyi and Deyatel’nyi, guarded against U-boats.
Meanwhile, the German minesweepers continued their work to the east of the Russian minefields. Slava began to manoeuvre closer to them by going astern, though she could not utilize her 6-inch battery as the guns were loaded with anti-submarine plunging projectiles, even though the chance of a U-boat attack was remote.