Battle of Tsushima
Tsushima Strait
What happened
Japanese Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō led the Japanese fleet against the Russian fleet of Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky. Russia sent its Baltic Fleet about 18,000 nautical miles around the world to fight Japan, and on the way it mistakenly fired on British fishing boats. In the strait of Tsushima, between Japan and Korea, Tōgō's ships crossed in front of the Russian line so they could fire all their guns while the Russians could only use their forward guns. Japanese torpedo boats attacked during the night, and the Russian fleet was almost completely destroyed.
Why it matters
Result: Japanese victory. Leaders: Tōgō Heihachirō / Kamimura Hikonojō against Zinovy Rozhestvensky / Nikolai Nebogatov. Why it matters: It was the only decisive engagement ever fought between modern steel battleship fleets. Russia asked for peace soon after.
What came next
The war ended with the Treaty of Portsmouth in September 1905. Tōgō's flagship, the Mikasa, is preserved today as a memorial ship in Yokosuka.
Did you know?
After the battle, Tōgō visited the wounded Russian admiral in hospital in plain clothes and told him that defeat is a common fate of a soldier.
Timeline
- 27 May 1905Tōgō's fleet attacks the Russian fleet in the Tsushima Strait.
- 28 May 1905The Russian fleet is destroyed or surrenders.
- September 1905The Treaty of Portsmouth ends the war.