Battles & Campaigns · 1904
Battle of Chemulpo Bay
Chemulpo (Incheon), South Korea
What happened
Japanese warships blocked the Russian ships in the harbour of Chemulpo, the main port for Seoul. Outnumbered, the Russians tried to break out to the open sea. After a short fight both ships turned back to the harbour, where their own crews sank them.
Why it matters
It was one of the opening Japanese strikes of the Russo-Japanese War. Chemulpo had also been a key invasion route in the earlier war between Japan and China.
What came next
Ships from neutral countries, including British, French and Italian cruisers, rescued most of the Russian crews and took them home. Japan later raised the Varyag and used her as the training cruiser Soya.
Did you know?
A 1904 song about the Varyag, set to a poem by an Austrian writer, is still popular in Russia today.
Timeline
- 8 Feb 1904Japanese troops begin landing at Chemulpo.
- 9 Feb 1904Battle of Chemulpo Bay.
- 9 Jul 1907The raised Varyag joins Japan's navy as the Soya.
- 5 Apr 1916Russia buys the ship back.