Bogdanovic Nikolai - Tsushima 1905: Death of a Russian Fleet

The seeds for the Tsushima campaign were planted a decade before the May 1905 battle. By the late 19th century, the Eastern Asia kingdoms, including China, Korea and Siam, were adopting the new sciences and technologies offered by the European nations. No Asian nation pursued westernization more diligently than Japan, however.

More than any other Asian leader, Japans ruler, the Emperor Meiji, realized unless his nation brought itself into the modern age his country would become a colony of a Western power. Between 1867, when he became emperor, and 1894, Meiji united Japan and modernized his nation, creating an industrial state to replace feudal Japan of the 1850s. Japan adopted Western-style legal and governmental systems and sent its brightest young minds to Europe and North America for education. It modelled its navy on that of the Royal Navy and its army on that of Imperial Germany, then the recognized leaders in their respective fields.

By 1894, Japan had enough confidence in its technology and military to fight its former overlord, Chinas Qing Empire. In less than nine months, Japan thrashed China. It wrested Korea from Chinese vassalage, gaining Taiwan, Penghu (the Pescadores Islands) and, temporarily, the Liaodong Peninsula as spoils of war.

Russia was Europes most backward world power, technologically behind Great Britain, Germany and France. Its political and legal systems were even more primitive. Serfdom was abolished only in 1867, and in 1900 it was still a personal autocracy. Russia was large, however, and the easternmost major nation in Europe. Its military technology, primitive compared to that of Western Europe, was far superior to that of its eastern neighbours. As a result, it had swept through Central Asia and Siberia to reach the Pacific.

As Japan was defeating China in the 189495 First Sino-Japanese War, Russia was beginning its move south from Siberia, seeking a warm-water port: Vladivostok, Russias major Pacific port, froze during winter. If Russia absorbed Manchuria, it would gain an excellent harbour at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula for just such a port.

After the unification of Japan, many bright youngsters, including Togo Heihachiro, were sent overseas for training, to bring Japan into the modern world. Among them was Uryu Sotokichi, who commanded the 4th Division at Chemulpo Bay. He is pictured in his US Naval Academy midshipmans uniform in 1881 . (USNHHC)

Japanese annexation of the Liaodong Peninsula threatened that plan. Russia convinced France and Germany, other European powers involved in colonial activities around China, to join forces and compel Japan to disgorge the Liaodong Peninsula. Unwilling to fight three European powers simultaneously, Japan agreed to retrocede the Liaodong Peninsula in exchange for an increased war indemnity.

Two years after the retrocession, Russia occupied the Liaodong Peninsula, transforming the port city of Lushun into a naval base, its coveted ice-free Pacific port. In December 1897, Russias fleet appeared off Lushun (renamed Port Arthur). In 1898, Russia leased the Liaodong Peninsula from China, and in 1899 began fortifying it.

Russia also began absorbing Manchuria into the Russian Empire. While now considered an integral part of China, in the 1890s Manchuria was seen as an obscure and distant Chinese frontier province. In addition to leasing the Liaodong Peninsula, Russia received concessions in other parts of Manchuria, and built railways through Manchuria, including one linking Vladivostok with the Trans-Siberian Railway. Japan wondered if the integration of Manchuria with Russia would lead to annexation.

Japan could endure that, especially as China continued unravelling. Japan and Russia cooperated during the 1900 international intervention triggered by the Boxer Rebellion. Russia contributed the most troops and resources and Japan the second greatest number of troops in putting down the anti-Christian, anti-foreign movement indigenous to China. Both nations consolidated positions in China.

It looked as if Russia did not plan to stop with Manchuria, however. In the late 19th century, Russia occupied Sakhalin Island just north of Japans Hokkaido, despite Japanese claims of sovereignty. Russia also sought control over Korea. The latter emerged from the Sino-Japanese War a Japanese ally, but Russia was pushing in, attempting to implant a pro-Russian leader in Korea.

Japan could accept Russian domination or annexation of Manchuria, but not a Russian-dominated Korea. Korea was too close to the Japanese home islands for a hostile power to control. Starting in 1901, Japan began a series of actions to keep Korea friendly.

In 1902, Japan and Great Britain negotiated the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. Britain viewed Russia as a strategic threat, and wanted Japan as a counterweight. Japan disgorged the Liaodong Peninsula because it lacked the strength to fight multiple European nations simultaneously. A key provision in the alliance was that if either nation went to war, the other nation would join the war if a second nation declared war on the warring partner.

Russia built the 1st Pacific Squadron to powerful levels in the years prior to 1904. Its home port was Port Arthur. This picture shows a September 1903 visit to Vladivostok. From left to right: Sevastopol (battleship), Gromoboi (rear, armoured cruiser), Rossiya (armoured cruiser), Peresvyet (battleship), Bogatyr (protected cruiser), Boyarin (centre, light cruiser), Angara (three funnels, black hull, transport), Poltava (battleship), Petropavlovsk (battleship) . (USNHHC)

The alliance meant Russia could not go to war, even start a war with Japan, without involving Britain. If another nation allied itself with Russia, the latter and its ally faced war with the worlds preeminent naval force the Royal Navy. No European nation wanted a war with Britain unless absolutely necessary. The alliance assured Japan could fight Russia without risking repetition of the 1895 Russian-German-French combination, which forced the retrocession of the Liaodong Peninsula.

Japan still preferred avoiding war with Russia. In August 1903, she opened negotiations with Russia, hoping to set spheres of influence. Japan had no problems with Russian imperialism provided that Russia excluded Japan from this.

The 1902 Anglo-Japanese Alliance was popular in both Britain and Japan. This cartoon celebrating the treaty appeared in Punch , a British humourous magazine of the era. (AC)

Russia saw little reason to negotiate with Japan, despite impressive Japanese victories over China and Japans remarkable technological progress. The Japanese were seen as uncultured barbarians, little different than the Aleuts or Ainu. Such Russian prejudice was fuelled by its leader, Tsar Nicholas II, and his cousin Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. Nicholas was ill-disposed towards Japan after surviving an assassination attempt by a Japanese policeman when visiting Japan as crown prince. Wilhelm, hoping to focus Russias attention away from Europe, egged Nicholas on to eastern adventures. Wilhelm stoked fears of a Yellow Peril, expressing concern that the Chinese and Japanese, though inferior races, could threaten Europe.