Editing Battle of Tsushima (section)

==Prelude==
[[File:TsuShima Strait.png|thumb|right|Map of the [[Korea Strait]] and [[Tsushima Strait]], either side of the [[Tsushima Islands]].]]

The Russians had three possible routes to enter the Sea of Japan and reach [[Vladivostok]]: the longer were the [[La Pérouse Strait]] and [[Tsugaru Strait]], on either side of Hokkaido. Admiral Rozhestvensky did not reveal his choice even to his subordinates until 25 May, when it became apparent he chose Tsushima by ordering the fleet to head northeast after detaching transports ''Yaroslavl'', ''Vladimir'', ''Kuronia'', ''Voronezh'', ''Livonia'' and ''Meteor'' as well as auxiliary cruisers ''[[Smolensk (1901 ship)|Rion]]'' and ''Dniepr'' with the instruction to go to the near-by neutral port of Shanghai.{{sfn|Novikov-Priboy|1937|loc=Book 1, Chapter 4}}  The Tsushima Strait is the body of water eastward of the [[Tsushima Island]], located midway between the Japanese island of Kyushu and the Korean Peninsula, the shortest and most direct route from Indochina. The other routes would have required the fleet to sail east around Japan.{{efn|Auxiliary cruisers [[Spanish cruiser Rapido|''Terek'']] and [[SS Augusta Victoria (1888)|''Kuban'']] with a captured British transport ''Oldhamire'' (with Russian officers and some Russian crew) were sent East on 22 May as a diversion ploy to head for La Pérouse.{{sfn|Semenoff|1907|page=16}}{{sfn|Novikov-Priboy|1937|loc=Book 1, Chapter 4}}|name=terek}} The Japanese Combined Fleet and the Russian Second and Third Pacific Squadrons, sent from the Baltic Sea now numbering 38, would fight in the strait between Korea and Japan on the East side of Tsushima Island.{{sfn|Novikov-Priboy|1937|loc=Book 1, Chapter 4}}

Because of the {{convert|18000|mi|adj=on}} journey, the Russian fleet was in a poor condition for battle. Apart from the four newest {{sclass|Borodino|battleship}}s, Admiral Nebogatov's 3rd Pacific Fleet consisted of older and poorly maintained warships.{{sfn|Forczyk|2009|p=66}} Overall, the Japanese side had a manoeuvrability advantage. The long voyage, combined with a lack of opportunity for maintenance, meant the Russian ships were heavily [[biofouling|fouled]], significantly reducing their speed.{{sfn|Forczyk|2009|page=33}} The Japanese 1st Battle Division could exceed {{convert|18|kn|km/h|lk=in}} and regularly manoeuvred at 15&nbsp;knots, but the Russian fleet included warships with the maximum speed of 14 to 15&nbsp;knots (with new engines/boilers, normal load, and clean hull) and the auxiliaries of 10–12&nbsp;knots, that limited the fleet speed to 9&nbsp;knots.{{sfn|Novikov-Priboy|1937|loc=Book 2, Chapter 1}}

Tōgō's greatest advantage was that of experience, having five of the ten fleet commanders in the history of the Russian and Japanese navy with combat experience aboard modern warships on his side,{{efn|Admirals Dewa ([[Battle of Port Arthur]] and [[Battle of the Yellow Sea]]), Kataoka ([[Battle of the Yellow Sea]]), Uryū ([[Battle of Chemulpo Bay]]), Kamimura ([[Battle of Port Arthur]] and [[Battle off Ulsan]]) and himself.}} while Rozhestvensky had none.  The other five were all Russian admirals whom Tōgō had defeated and not present for this battle, including [[Oskar Starck]], who had been relieved of his command following his humiliating defeat in the [[Battle of Port Arthur]]; Admiral [[Stepan Makarov]], killed by a mine off Port Arthur; [[Wilgelm Vitgeft]], who had been killed in the [[Battle of the Yellow Sea]]; and Admiral [[Pavel Petrovich Ukhtomsky|(Prince) Pavel Ukhtomsky]] who was relieved and recalled to Mukden by Viceroy [[Yevgeni Ivanovich Alekseyev|Yevgeni Alekseyev]]{{efn|Commander in Chief of Imperial Russian Army '''and Navy''' in the Far East, Tsar Nikolas II's uncle. His headquarters was located in [[Mukden]] before the Russian defeat in [[Battle of Mukden]] in February 1905.  Alekseyev himself commanded Port Arthur after the dismissal of Starck until the arrival of Makarov (24 February – 8 March 1904), then again after the death of Makarov (13 April 1904) until the assignment of [[Nikolai Skrydlov]] who could not reach Port Arthur due to the siege. He left Port Arthur on 5 May 1904 just before the Japanese army cut off the railroad between Port Arthur and Mukden.}} after six battleships of the Pacific Squadron failed to reach [[Vladivostok]] as a result of the [[Battle of the Yellow Sea]].{{sfn|Forczyk|2009|pages=8, 43, 73 & back cover}} Admiral [[Karl Jessen]], who experienced the [[Battle off Ulsan]], remained in [[Vladivostok]].

Additionally, there were significant deficiencies in the Russian naval fleet's equipment and training. Russian naval tests with their torpedoes exposed major technological failings.{{efn|In one such trial, of the seven torpedoes fired, one jammed in the tube, two veered ninety degrees to port, one went ninety degrees to starboard, two kept a steady course but went wide of the mark, and the last went round in circles 'popping up and down like a porpoise', causing panic throughout the fleet."{{Sfn|Regan|1992|page=176}}}}<br />
[[File:Baltic Fleet Passing Singapore.png|thumb|center|upright=4.5|View of the Russian Second Pacific Fleet passing Singapore strait on 8 April 1905.]]