May 27-28 1905 The Battle of Tsushima Strait


During the Russo-Japanese War, the Russian Baltic Fleet is nearly destroyed at the Battle of Tsushima Strait. The decisive defeat, in which only 10 of 45 Russian warships escaped to safety, convinced Russian leaders that further resistance against Japan's imperial designs for East Asia was hopeless.

The importance of this battle is that it marks the emergence of the first non-Western world power, Japan.

Also, the battle, in which the heavier guns of the Japanese battleships engaged the Russians at long range, marked the definite transition from intermediate/short range firing, to the all-big gun armed battleship.  Although the Japanese battleships were also armed with smaller 9-inch, etc. guns, the battle was fought largely with the larger guns (11-12 inch).

As an indirect result, the HMS DREADNOUGHT was laid out in October of 1905 with all big guns as armament, "starting" an arms race that culminated in the Battle of Jutland.

  Weren't the ships the Japanese sailed in this battle built by the British?