May 27 - The Battle of Tsushima

This Day in History: 27 May 2020

 

27 May 1905

 

115 years ago, today, the Battle of Tsushima began, which was part of the Russo-Japanese War and was the only decisive clash between modern steel battleships in history. The year before, the Russians had rejected a Japanese plan to divide Manchuria and Korea into spheres of influence, causing Japan to launch a surprise naval attack on a Russian naval base in China, the Port Arthur. This was the first major battle of the 20^th century and saw the near decimation of the Russian fleet. The Tsushima confrontation was also the last time a defeated nation's ships surrendered on the seas and was the first time where wireless telegraphy played a significant role.

 

In the battle, Russia faced almost 4,400 deaths, and 6,000 were captured. 21 ships were sunk, 7 were captured and 6 disarmed. In comparison, Japan suffered a loss of only 117 lives and 3 sunk torpedo boats. For Russia, the aftermath of the battle was also severely negative, and ended up contributing to the 1905 Russian Revolution. The Romanov monarchy was weakened and had its prestige damaged, which was not helped by the ignorance of Tsar Nicholas II. Supposedly, when he was told about the loss during a tennis match, he continued playing. A few months later, the Russo-Japanese War ended with no further confrontations.

 

Want to find out more about the Russo-Japanese War and the Battle of Tsushima? Click here for more on the war, or here for more on Tsushima. Click here for a video that outlines the events of Tsushima.