The Battle of Tsu-shima / between the Japanese and Russian fleets, fought on 27th May 1905

THE BATTLE OF TSU-SHIMA BETWEEN THE JAPANESE AND RUSSIAN FLEETS, FOUGHT ON 27TH MAY 1905
BY CAPTAIN VLADIMIR SEMENOFF (ONE OF THE SURVIVORS)
TRANSLATED BY
CAPTAIN A. B. LINDSAY 2ND KING EDWARD’S OWN GURKHA RIFLES
WITH A PREFACE BY
SIR GEORGE SYDENHAM CLARKE G.C.M.G., F.R.S.
NEW YORK E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY 1913
“Captain Semenoff’s little volume, which would well repay translation, is a remarkably graphic and luminous account of Admiral Togo’s great victory, compiled from notes taken by the author during the engagement. His account is all the more interesting as he was also on the Cesarevitch when Admiral Vitoft made his unsuccessful attempt to escape from Port Arthur on 10th August 1904.... Every word of this little volume bears the impress of reality, and enables the reader to form a vivid picture of the various phases of the battle. There is a plan showing the positions of the contending fleets from 1.20 till 7 P.M.”
— Times Literary Supplement , 17th August 1906.
The paucity of war experience since the introduction of the steam-driven armoured ship invests the battle of Tsu-shima with supreme importance. Between Trafalgar and the 27th May 1905, there had been only two fleet actions on a large scale—those of Lissa and of the Yalu—and the first was fought before the wooden vessel had disappeared and the rifled gun had become universal. The various minor engagements which occurred during this long period were either destitute of teaching, or failed to provide an adequate basis for conclusions capable of serving as guides to a rational system of tactics or to a scientific shipbuilding policy.
It has, therefore, followed, in this country especially, that the evolution of the warship has been frequently capricious, indicating the absence of any clear principles, and entailing an immense total expenditure upon vessels unsuited to our national requirements, but happily not forced to demonstrate their inutility.
In all wars, whether by sea or land, some few general lessons stand out unmistakably; but the difficulty of arriving at a just estimate of the relative significance of the causes which have led to victory or to defeat is always extreme. Genius, which may be defined as an unerring sense of proportion, is necessarily rare, and the person with an idée fixe in favour of some particular method or weapon will generally discover, in every conflict, evidence in support of his faith. This tendency will be most marked when national experience of war is lacking, and we are, therefore, compelled to draw our inspirations from fighting carried on by other peoples.