The Fortnightly Review: No. CCCCLXIII, New Series [‎584r] (58/239)

THE BATTLE OF THE SEA OF JAPAN.
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diabolic accuracy upon the leading ships of the Russian Fleet.
Suddenly brought face to face with the enemy in full power,
Admiral Rojdestvensky hesitated, his fleet became confused,
Admiral Kamimura raced to cut off his retreat, and the issue was
decided. “The enemy,” says Admiral Togo, “opened fire at
2 .8,” and later on in his despatch he records that “ the result of
the battle was decided at 2.45 ”—thirty-seven minutes. What
followed was merely a battue.
The fight began at Okinoshima and continued over a width of
seventy miles for a distance of two hundred and thirty miles before
the destruction was complete. The Russian gunners forming the
crews of the 6-inch guns could do nothing at so great a distance,
under the rain of shells which fell upon them, and the
efficiency of the men who manned the 10-, 12-, and 8-inch
weapons of the Russian ships was also unequal to engaging
in battle with rough seas causing their vessels to pitch and roll.
The gunner’s difficulty in a long-range sea fight is not direction,
but elevation, and only those who have watched manoeuvring
fleets firing in a heavy sea-way can fully appreciate the immense
difficulties which naval seamen must combat in their attempts to
fire accurately as well as straight. Not until the Japanese were
satisfied that the long-range fire had reduced the Russian Fleet to
a disordered mass did their men-of-war draw in to a shorter range.
The gateway by which the foe had entered the stage prepared by
Admiral Togo had been sealed owing to the superior speed of
Admiral Kamimura’s armoured cruisers. “ At twilight,”
Admiral Togo states, “ our destroyer and torpedo flotillas gradu
ally closed in upon the enemy from east, north, and south, and
let loose their horde of torpedoes.” Little of the Russian Fleet
survived this terrible night’s work.
Thanks to the better steaming ability of his ships, the
Japanese admiral was able to send forward a strong squadron
to get across the face of the Russian Fleet. The Daily
Telegraph’s correspondent states : “ Now t the superior speed of
the Japanese Fleet proved a tremendous factor. With every
ship doing her best, Admiral Togo went full speed ahead. It was
a short, but exciting race. When the Japanese had obtained a
sufficient lead they turned, and formed a barrier right in front of
Admiral Rojdestvensky, whose position from this moment onwards
was hopeless. This new Japanese formation was like a crescent,
or nearly a half circle, and pressing down from the north it formed
an impassable barrier on the road to Vladivostock.” Admiral
Enquist again records: “The enemy’s tactics were directed to
preventing us from getting through to Vladivostock. Every time
our squadron attempted to steer northwards the Japanese, thanks