On 27-28 May 1905, the Battle of Tsushima was fought in the strait between Japan and Korea between the Japanese under Togo Heihachiro and the Russians under Zinovi Rozhdestvenski and Nikolai Nebogatov during the Russo-Japanese War.
Why did it happen?
Following the restoration of the Meiji Emperor in 1868, Japan underwent a period of modernisation and expansion with its army and navy being reformed along western lines. In 1898, Russia sought a warm-water port with access to the Pacific for both its navy and maritime trade as its port at Vladivostok on the Sea of Japan was frozen during the winter. During that year, the Russians secured a lease from China to build a naval base at Port Arthur on the Liaotung Peninsula in Manchuria. Two years later, Russia built a railroad connecting Port Arthur to Siberia which heightened tensions with Japan, which sought to exert its influence over Korea. In 1903, armed conflict became inevitable when Russia refused to withdraw from Manchuria after undertaking an agreement during the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1900) to do so. On 8 February 1904, Japan declared war by launching a surprise attack on the Russian fleet stationed at Port Arthur. After numerous battles, on 15 October, it was decided to send the Russian fleet stationed in the Baltic Sea under Admiral Rozhdestvenski 30,000 miles around the world to relieve the siege of Port Arthur. After seven months, Rozhdestvenski arrived in French Indochina reinforced by warships under Admiral Nebogatov, but by this time, Port Arthur had already fallen to the Japanese and it was decided to sail to Vladivostok instead. On 26 May 1905, running short of coal, Rozhdestvenski decided to take the shortest route to Vladivostok through the Tsushima Strait between Korea and Japan where a Japanese fleet under Admiral Togo lay in wait.
Who was involved?
The Russian fleet at Tsushima consisted of 28 warships: 8 battleships, 8 cruisers, 9 destroyers and 3 smaller boats. Despite this formidable array of warships, its actual combat prowess was low with many of the ship’s crew being inexperienced and exhausted after a seven-month journey at sea. To make matters worse, the Russian fleet was of dubious quality with many vessels obsolete in design and suffering from poor leadership and gunnery. In contrast, the Japanese fleet at Tsushima numbered 64 warships: 4 battleships, 24 cruisers, 20 destroyers and 16 torpedo boats. Under the superior leadership of Admiral Togo, the Japanese fleet was fast and manoeuvrable with its crew highly trained and experienced in naval combat. Togo’s plan was to manoeuvre his warships into a line before using their better speed, training, and range-finding technology to deadly effect. In addition, Togo hoped to achieve a classic naval manoeuvre known as “Crossing the T.” This manoeuvre involves battleships crossing in front of the enemy line and bringing all their naval guns to bear in an enfilading fire while the enemy vessels can only reply with their forward guns.
What happened?
At 5.05 am on 27 May, a Japanese auxiliary cruiser spotted a Russian hospital ship with its navigation lights on sailing through the Tsushima Strait. Upon informing him via radio, Admiral Togo ordered his fleet into a line to engage the Russian navy. At the outset of the engagement at 2.45 pm, the Japanese warships opened fire on the Russian fleet, sinking the battleship Oslyabya and setting on fire Rozhdestvenski’s flagship, Knyaz Suvorov. During the attack, Rozhdestvenki was seriously wounded and yielded command to Admiral Nebogatov. When Nebogatov fired torpedoes towards the Japanese fleet, Togo turned his fleet northward where both sides lost sight of each other in the dense fog and smoke. Upon sighting each other again, the Japanese opened fire and sunk the Russian battleship Ural and the flagship Knyaz Suvorov. The Russian navy subsequently reformed and headed north under Japanese pursuit, losing a further two battleships (Alexander III and Borodino) during the night. At 10.30 am on 28 May, Admiral Nebogatov surrendered his remaining warships to Togo. In all, the Russians suffered 4,380 killed and 22 warships sunk or captured, while the Japanese lost only 117 killed and 3 warships sunk.
What changed as a result?
The Battle of Tsushima was a decisive victory for the Japanese. It marked the first time in modern history that an East Asian power had defeated a European power. In September 1905, Russia signed the Treaty of Portsmouth whereby it handed over the Liaotung Peninsula and the southern half of Sakhalin Island to Japan, while both sides agreed to withdraw from Manchuria. The war left Japan as the dominant power in East Asia by which it used its influence to annex Korea in 1910. In contrast, the Russian defeat caused revolt at home with increasing distress among industrial workers and an over-taxed peasantry due to Tsar Nicholas II’s refusal to allow reforms. Although the tsar made some concessions after a general strike, the revolt lasted until 1906.
Bibliography
David, Saul. War: The Definitive Visual History. New York, Dorling Kindersley, 2009.
Grant, R.G. Battle At Sea: 3,000 Years of Naval Warfare. New York, Dorling Kindersley, 2008.
Regan, Geoffrey. Battles That Changed History: Fifty Decisive Battles Spanning Over 2,500 Years of Warfare. London, Andre Deutsch, 2002.