Battle of Tsushima: Difference between revisions

 

===Routes===

The [[Draft (hull)|draught]] of the newer battleships, which had proven to be considerably greater than designed,{{sfn|Imperial Defence|1920|pp=27–31}} preventing their passage through the [[Suez Canal]]{{efn|Two hours after the initial departure still under tow, battleship ''Oryol'', having a designed normal-load draught of 26ft,{{sfn|Grove|1995|p=13}} got stuck aground on the fairway at the mouth of Kronstadt port, which had 27ft depth, requiring dredgers to dig extra one and a half feet.{{sfn|Novikov-Priboy|1937|loc=Book 1, Chapter 1}} Suez Canal had a draught limit of 22 feet until 1956.<ref>{{cite web|title=Canal Characteristics|url=https://www.suezcanal.gov.eg/English/About/SuezCanal/Pages/CanalCharacteristics.aspx|author=Suez Canal Authority}}</ref>}} caused the fleet to separate after leaving Tangier on 3 November 1904. The newer battleships, cruisers, fast auxiliaries and the destroyers for protection, proceeded around the [[Cape of Good Hope]] under the command of Admiral Rozhestvensky while the older battleships and cruisers made their way through the Suez Canal under the command of Admiral von Fölkersahm. They planned to rendezvous in Madagascar, and both sections of the fleet successfully completed this part of the voyage.{{sfn|Imperial Defence|1920|pp=27–31}} The longer journey around Africa took a toll on the Russian crews under Rozhestvensky, "who had never experienced such a different climate or such a long time at sea" as "conditions on the ships deteriorated, and disease and respiratory issues killed a number of sailors".<ref name="businessinsider.com"/> The voyage took half a year in rough seas, with difficulty obtaining coal for refueling – as the warships could not legally enter the ports of neutral nations – and the [[morale]] of the crews plummeted. The Russians needed {{convert|500000|ST}} of coal and 30 to 40 re-coaling sessions to reach French Indochina (now Vietnam), and coal was provided by 60 colliers from the [[Hamburg-Amerika Line]].{{efn|400,000 to 500,000 tons of coal was purchased by Russia at [[Cardiff]] in the UK after the beginning of this war,{{sfn|British Assistance|1980|p=46}} and was described by [[George Clarke, 1st Baron Sydenham of Combe|Sir George Clarke]]{{efn|name=Clarke|One of the premier military planners of the UK at the time, having served on the [[Victor Bruce, 9th Earl of Elgin#Elgin Commission|Elgin Commission]] and being one of the primary members of [[Esher Report|Esher Committee]] together with [[Lord Esher]] and [[John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher|Admiral Sir John (Jacky) Fisher]].}} as "if the Russian fleet goes to the Far East (with) its motive power will be derived from British coal, mainly bought after the beginning of the war by a belligerent, which has made (the) coal absolute contraband".<ref>Balfour papers (British Museum, London, Add. Mss. 49700). Sir George Clarke to Arthur Balfour, 30 September 1904.</ref> This explains why the Hamburg Amerika Line refused to provide coaling beyond French Indochina, as the Japanese would be legally entitled to capture the German colliers carrying contraband for the Russians.}} By April and May 1905 the reunited fleet had anchored at [[Cam Ranh Bay]] in French Indochina.{{efn|name=refusal}}{{sfn|Willmott|2009|p=112}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Battle of Tsushima {{!}} Russo-Japanese war|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Tsushima|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|date=20 May 2023|language=en}}</ref>