Qualla: Battle of Tsushima https://qualla.com/battle-of-tsushima en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:39 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/w/y/h/s/battle-of-tsushima-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Battle of Tsushima https://qualla.com/battle-of-tsushima Battle of Tsushima: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-tsushima/ Photo credit Tosaka, CC BY 3.0. The Russian Second Pacific Squadron had been sailing for seven months. It had rounded Africa, crossed the Indian Ocean, and refueled in French Indochina -- 18,000 miles from its home port of Kronstadt in the Baltic Sea. By late May 1905, as the fleet of 38 warships entered the strait between Korea and Japan, their hulls were so fouled with marine growth that even their fastest battleships could barely make 15 knots, while their slowest auxiliaries limited the formation to nine. Waiting for them on the other side of the Tsushima Islands was Admiral Togo Heihachiro, whose ships were clean-hulled, well-drilled, and operating from home waters. What followed, on May 27-28, 1905, was not a battle so much as a demonstration of what happens when exhaustion meets preparation.

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Image: Tosaka | CC BY 3.0

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/y/h/s/battle-of-tsushima-wp/wyhs-battle-of-tsushima-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Tsushima: A Hospital Ship's Burning Lights https://qualla.com/battle-of-tsushima/ Photo credit Shigetada Seki (Tokyo: Hakubunkan), Public domain. The Russians tried to slip through the strait undetected, maintaining radio silence and steering clear of shipping lanes. Thick fog in the early hours of May 27 seemed to favor them. Then, at 2:45 a.m., the Japanese auxiliary cruiser Shinano Maru spotted three lights on the dista...

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Image: Shigetada Seki (Tokyo: Hakubunkan) | Public domain

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/y/h/s/battle-of-tsushima-wp/wyhs-battle-of-tsushima-a-hospital-ships-burning-lights.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Tsushima: The Annihilation https://qualla.com/battle-of-tsushima/ Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. The disparity in the fighting was staggering. Togo held every meaningful advantage -- speed, experience, intelligence of local waters, and battle-hardened crews. Five of the ten admirals in both navies who had combat experience with modern warships served under Togo; the Russian ...

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Image: Unknown author | Public domain

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/y/h/s/battle-of-tsushima-wp/wyhs-battle-of-tsushima-the-annihilation.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Tsushima: A Young Officer Loses Two Fingers https://qualla.com/battle-of-tsushima/ Photo credit Nesnad, CC BY-SA 3.0. Among the junior officers serving aboard a Japanese cruiser during the battle was Takano Isoroku, who would later change his name to Yamamoto Isoroku. An accidental explosion of an eight-inch shell in a forward gun tore away two of his fingers. Had he lost a third, he would have ...

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Image: Nesnad | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/y/h/s/battle-of-tsushima-wp/wyhs-battle-of-tsushima-a-young-officer-loses-two-fingers.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Tsushima: The Dreadnought Cascade https://qualla.com/battle-of-tsushima/ Photo credit Unknown author, Public domain. Tsushima's consequences radiated far beyond the Pacific. The battle proved conclusively that big guns and speed trumped mixed batteries of smaller calibers. Britain's First Sea Lord, Admiral Jackie Fisher, used Captain William Pakenham's firsthand observations from aboard the Jap...

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]]> Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/w/y/h/s/battle-of-tsushima-wp/wyhs-battle-of-tsushima-the-dreadnought-cascade.mp3 0:06 5 full