May 27–28, 1905 · Korea Strait Theater
May 27–28, 1905
The most decisive naval battle since Trafalgar, Tsushima was the culmination of Russia's extraordinary 18,000-mile voyage of the Baltic Fleet around the world to relieve the Pacific Squadron — only to find Port Arthur already fallen. Admiral Tōgō intercepted Rozhestvensky's exhausted fleet in the Korea Strait and executed the famous 'crossing of the T,' bringing his full broadside to bear on the Russian line. In two days of fighting, Japan sank or captured virtually the entire Russian fleet. Of 38 Russian warships, 21 were sunk, 7 captured, and 6 interned. Only 3 escaped to Vladivostok. Russian casualties dwarfed Japanese losses by a ratio of nearly 180 to 1.
Commanders