Latest / The Romanov Dynasty: Rise, Power, and Bloody End — Fexingo History / The Romanovs and the Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Tsushima
Transcript
- Lucas: Alright, so for episode 100 of our Romanov journey, I want to talk about a moment that really exposed the cracks in the empire. We've covered the siege of Port Arthur, but there's another event from the Russo-Japanese War that's almost unbelievable — the Battle of Tsushima. Luna: Tsushima — that's the naval battle, right? Where the Russian fleet got destroyed? Lucas: Exactly. It's May 1905. The Russian Second Pacific Squadron — sometimes called the Baltic Fleet — has sailed over 18,000 miles from the Baltic Sea to the Sea of Japan. And in a single day, the Japanese navy under Admiral Togo annihilates them. Only a handful of Russian ships escape. It's one of the most decisive naval battles in history. Luna: 18,000 miles — that's incredible. Why did they send them all that way? Lucas: Well, by early 1905, Port Arthur — Russia's main naval base in the Pacific — was under siege by the Japanese army. The Russian First Pacific Squadron was trapped in the harbor. So the Tsar's government decided to send the Baltic Fleet to relieve Port Arthur and challenge Japanese control of the sea. But it was a logistical nightmare from the start. The fleet was a mix of old and new ships, poorly trained crews, and they had to coal up at sea because neutral ports refused to help. Lucas: And then there was the Dogger Bank incident in October 1904. The fleet was crossing the North Sea near England, and in the fog, they mistook British fishing trawlers for Japanese torpedo boats. They opened fire, sank one trawler, killed three fishermen, and nearly started a war with Britain. The whole world laughed at them. Luna: Wait, they thought Japanese torpedo boats were in the North Sea? That's insane. Lucas: It was pure paranoia. Admiral Rozhestvensky, the fleet commander, was under immense pressure. The voyage took seven months. They went around Africa because the Suez Canal was closed to them — the British controlled Egypt and didn't want to help. They had to coal at sea from German colliers, and conditions on the ships were awful. By the time they reached the South China Sea, the crews were exhausted and the ships were in bad shape. Lucas: Meanwhile, Admiral Togo was waiting. He knew the Russians had to pass through the Tsushima Strait between Korea and Japan. He had his fleet — modern battleships like the Mikasa — well-prepared and well-trained. On the morning of May 27, the Russian fleet entered the strait. Togo caught them by surprise, crossing their T — a classic naval maneuver where you bring your broadside across the enemy's line of advance. Luna: So it was a total mismatch. Lucas: Completely. The Japanese had faster speeds, better gunnery, and more modern tactics. They pounded the Russian ships all day. The Russian flagship, the Knyaz Suvorov, was hit repeatedly and Rozhestvensky was wounded. By nightfall, most of the Russian fleet was sunk or captured. Destroyers and torpedo boats finished off the survivors. Out of 38 Russian ships, 21 were sunk, 7 captured, and only a handful escaped to Vladivostok. Over 5,000 Russian sailors died; the Japanese lost about 600. Luna: That's devastating. And what did this mean for the Romanovs back home? Lucas: It was a catastrophe. The war was already unpopular — now Russia had lost its entire Baltic Fleet. The defeat triggered massive unrest, contributing directly to the 1905 Revolution. Tsar Nicholas II was humiliated. The Treaty of Portsmouth, brokered by Theodore Roosevelt, ended the war later that year, but Russia lost Port Arthur, the southern half of Sakhalin Island, and its influence in Korea and Manchuria. Japan emerged as a major world power, and the Romanov regime looked weak and incompetent. Luna: It's like the whole voyage was doomed from the start. Lucas: Absolutely. And you know, the irony is that the fleet was named the Second Pacific Squadron, but there never was a real First Pacific Squadron — the one at Port Arthur was already crippled. This was a desperate gamble, and it failed spectacularly. It's one of those moments where you can see the cracks in the empire widening. Lucas: If today was actually useful to you, the way these stay ad-free is listener support — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to keep these deep dives coming. And we appreciate it. Lucas: So anyway, back to Tsushima. One of the most haunting details is that the Russian sailors didn't even know why they were fighting. Many thought they were going to fight the British or the Germans. The whole thing was a tragic farce orchestrated by a crumbling autocracy. Luna: That's heartbreaking. Were there any survivors who wrote about it? Lucas: Yes, a few. Rozhestvensky himself survived — he was wounded and taken prisoner by the Japanese. After the war, he returned to Russia and faced a court-martial, but was acquitted. He died in 1909. Some lower-ranking officers wrote memoirs describing the chaos and fear. One of the most famous accounts is by a Russian naval officer named Vladimir Semenov, who was on the Suvorov and survived. He described the relentless shelling and the fires that swept through the ships. Lucas: And then there's the cultural impact. The battle inspired songs, poems, and even a famous Russian film, 'The New Adventures of the Elusive Avengers', which includes a scene set during the voyage. But more importantly, it shattered the myth of Russian naval power. Before Tsushima, Russia was seen as a major naval force. Afterward, it was clear that Japan had surpassed them in the Pacific. Luna: It's like a turning point — not just for the war, but for the whole Romanov era. Lucas: Exactly. The war and the revolution that followed pushed Russia toward collapse. Tsushima was a symbol of everything wrong with the regime: poor planning, arrogance, and a disconnect from reality. And it's a story that doesn't get as much attention as it should, especially compared to the World Wars. But for anyone interested in the decline of the Romanovs, it's essential. Luna: I agree. Thanks for covering it. Lucas: Thanks for listening. Next time, we'll look at another overlooked moment — the Russian occupation of Manchuria and how it set the stage for later conflicts.