A Fleet Sent Around the World
The Battle of Tsushima was fought on 27 and 28 May 1905 in the Tsushima Strait, between Korea and Japan. It was the climax of the Russo-Japanese War, which had begun in February 1904 with a Japanese attack on the Russian squadron at Port Arthur. The Russian Pacific squadron was largely destroyed or bottled up in the months that followed, and the Russian government decided to send its Baltic Fleet to the Far East to change the balance.
That decision led to one of the longest voyages ever made by a battle fleet at that time. Under Vice-Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky, the ships left the Baltic in October 1904, sailed around Africa, and crossed the Indian Ocean. The fleet was a mix of modern and outdated ships, with crews of uneven training, and it had few friendly ports in which to refuel. Coal was a constant problem, since neutral countries were reluctant to be seen helping. By the time the fleet reached East Asian waters, Port Arthur had already fallen to Japanese forces, and the objective had shifted to reaching Vladivostok.
The Opposing Fleets
The Japanese Combined Fleet was commanded by Admiral Togo Heihachiro. It had been in constant action for over a year, had been trained hard in gunnery, and could operate from nearby bases. Its ships were mostly modern and, in important respects, better matched to one another in speed than the Russians’. The Russians had more battleships on paper, but several were old and slow, and the fleet was held to the speed of its weakest members. Both fleets were the late products of the shift from wooden hulls to ironclad warships.
Both sides used wireless telegraphy, though the Japanese gained the advantage of scouting. Armed auxiliary cruisers spotted the Russian fleet early and reported its course, allowing Togo to meet it where he wished.
The Fighting
The Russians chose the direct route to Vladivostok through the Tsushima Strait. On the afternoon of 27 May, Togo’s fleet crossed in front of the Russian column and turned in a manoeuvre that allowed his ships to concentrate their fire on the leading Russian battleships while the Russians had difficulty replying. Within a short time the Russian flagship was disabled and Rozhestvensky wounded. Several other battleships were sunk or crippled during the afternoon.
During the night, Japanese torpedo craft attacked the disorganised Russian ships. Small torpedo craft, of the kind that had led to the building of torpedo boat destroyers, had become a real threat to big ships. The next morning, remaining Russian ships were surrounded and some surrendered, while others were sunk. Only a handful of Russian vessels reached Vladivostok. The Russians lost the majority of their fleet and thousands of men were killed or captured, while Japanese losses were comparatively small, consisting mainly of a few torpedo boats. Exact casualty figures differ between sources.
The Consequences
The Russian defeat, coming after the fall of Port Arthur and a series of land defeats in Manchuria, made it clear that the war could not be won. Peace talks, mediated by the United States, led to the Treaty of Portsmouth in September 1905. Japan gained influence in Korea and southern Manchuria, as well as the southern half of Sakhalin island. Russia was also shaken by political unrest at home, in the revolution of 1905.
For the world’s navies, Tsushima was a powerful demonstration of the value of long-range gunnery, training, and good scouting. Naval planners studied it closely. It formed part of the thinking that led to the all-big-gun battleship, and the launch of HMS Dreadnought in 1906 opened the era of dreadnought battleships. It also marked the arrival of a non-European power as a serious naval force, which had wide effects on how the great powers saw Asia.
Why It Is Remembered
Tsushima is often called the last great battle between fleets of armoured battleships before the new era. It was also one of the most one-sided. It shows how a fleet worn out by distance, poor supply and unequal quality can be beaten even when it has numbers. The result owed much to preparation and to Togo’s judgment, rather than to any single technical edge.