Themes
Conflict and Change
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Learning
The lessons of the Russo Japanese War 1904 - 1905
The big guns get their first real test
In February 1904 the Japanese Imperial Navy launched a surprise torpedo attack on the Russian Fleet stationed at Port Arthur, an area near northern China. Tensions were running high between the two countries over conflicting interests in northern China.
Below is an extract from the diary of Captain John de Mestre Hutchinson, Extra Naval Attache to the Japanese during their war with Russia. The diagram charts the action at the Battle of the Yellow Sea.
On 27 May 1905 the Japanese Imperial Navy annihilated the Russian Navy in a battle in the Straits of Tsushima. The Japanese Imperial Navy had built up a strong bond with the Royal Navy, who played a large part in training and equipping their force. During the attack the Japanese either sunk or captured every Russian ship.
The battle was the first fleet action to use the armoured ships and the modern heavy guns of the time. Observers from many countries watched keenly to see how the new technologies fared in war. On board the Japanese flagship were naval observers from several other nations including Britain and Germany.
The biggest lesson naval observers learned from the war was that naval supremacy would be decided by the big gun. This conformation of naval tactics ensured that the programme of building for all naval nations would encompass designs around the big, long-range guns of the capital ships.
The Russo Japanese War also highlighted the importance of central fire control to modern battles. British ship designers adopted these principles - the first examples of which were seen in HMS Dreadnought in 1906 and were developed with the designs of subsequent battleships.
Follow the links to find more about...
The Naval Arms Race
The lessons of the Russo Japanese War 1904 - 1905
Jackie Fisher and the Admiralty
