The Battle of Tsushima

Book excerpt: The author of The First World War in the Air details the gripping 1905 naval battle during the Russo-Japanese War. In 1905 Japan and Russia were at war. With the Russian Far East Fleet destroyed, the Czar sent his Baltic Fleet halfway around the world to exact revenge. This mammoth journey took many months and was an amazing feat of seamanship. But, at the end of this adventure, the Russians were totally overwhelmed, and the majority of the fleet was underwater. There was no alternative for the Czar but to sue for an ignominious peace. The story of the journey and the final battle remain fascinating, the people involved behaving like characters from a novel. Russian Admiral Rozhestvensky was a gunnery expert but had never held active command in a major sea battle. Japanese Admiral Togo had trained in Britain, enlisting as a cadet on the Training Ship Worcester, even though he was far too old and was forced to lie about his age. Inept generalship on the part of the Russians, combined with brilliant seamanship from Togo, saw the complete destruction of the Russian fleet. The naval battle of Tsushima is one of the forgotten actions of the twentieth century, but it has a significance that is immense in world history. “An utterly compelling story, well told by Carradice. We really sympathize with the Russian sailors, trapped on their ironclad warships for months as they battled against the elements, a largely hostile world, and even each other. The result is an excellent book that reminds us of the human cost of these massive naval battles.” —History of War