Editing Battle of Tsushima (section)

==Battle==
{{See also|Order of battle at the Battle of Tsushima}}
<!--===Japanese plans=== -->

===First contact===
[[File:Japanese Fleet Proceeding Toward The Baltic Fleet.jpg|thumb|Departure of the Japanese Combined Fleet in the morning of 27 May 1905]]

Because the Russians wanted to slip undetected into Vladivostok, they approached Japanese waters in radio silence. They steered outside regular shipping channels to reduce the chance of detection. On the night of 26 May 1905 the Russian fleet approached the [[Tsushima Strait]].{{sfn|Launiainen|2018|p=1}}

In the night, thick fog blanketed the straits, giving the Russians an advantage. At 02:45 on 27 May [[Japan Standard Time]] (JST), the Japanese [[auxiliary cruiser]] {{ship||Shinano Maru|1900|2}} observed three lights on what appeared to be a vessel on the distant horizon and closed to investigate. These lights were from the Russian hospital ship ''Orel'',{{efn|name=Oryol|Battleship ''Oryol'' and the hospital ship ''Orel'' had the same name ''{{Lang|ru|Орёл}}'' in Russian, meaning "Eagle".  As two different spellings have traditionally been used in English for this Russian word, this article uses "''Oryol''" for the battleship and "''Orel''" for the hospital ship for clarity.}} which, in compliance with the [[rules of war]], had continued to burn them.{{sfn|Watts|1990|page=22}} At 04:30, ''Shinano Maru'' approached the vessel, noting that she carried no guns and appeared to be an auxiliary. The ''Orel'' mistook the ''Shinano Maru'' for another Russian vessel and did not attempt to notify the fleet. Instead, she signaled to ''Shinano Maru'' in Russian code, which made no sense to the Japanese ship. The ''Shinano Maru'' then sighted the shapes of ten other Russian ships in the mist.

Wireless telegraphy played an important role from the start. At 04:55, [[:ja:成川揆|Captain Narikawa]] of the ''Shinano Maru'' sent a message to the Combined Fleet command onboard ''Mikasa'' in [[Masampo]] that the "Enemy is in grid 203".  By 05:00, intercepted radio signals informed the Russians that they had been discovered and that Japanese scouting cruisers were shadowing them. Admiral Tōgō received the message at 05:05, and immediately began to prepare his battle fleet for a sortie.{{sfn|Nish|2022|page=107}}

===Beginning of the battle===
[[File:Tsushima battle map-en.svg|thumb|right|Routes of the Russian and Japanese fleets on 27–28 May 1905]]
[[File:Mikasa-Bridge-Painting-by-Tojo-Shotaro.png|thumb|Painting by Tōjō Shōtarō depicting [[Tōgō Heihachirō|Admiral Tōgō]] on the "Compass Deck" above the bridge of {{ship|Japanese battleship|Mikasa||2}} at the start of the battle. The [[International maritime signal flags|signal flag]] being hoisted [[Z flag|represents the letter ''Z'']], a special instruction to his fleet.{{efn|This painting shows Tōgō wearing a sword. In reality, it was prohibited for any officer to wear a sword on this deck for its effect on compass reading. The cushion-like coverings on the naval compass turret{{efn|Replica of this compass can be seen on battleship ''Mikasa'' in Yokosuka. The original is displayed at [[Munakata Taisha]] shrine{{efn|{{coord|33.8307873742222|N|130.5153998022605|E|type:location}}}} in Kyūshū where the compass was dedicated as an oblation for the three daughter goddesses of [[Susanoo-no-Mikoto|god of mariners]] after this battle as the symbol of guiding the Combined Fleet.<ref>{{cite web|last=Otsuka|first=Seiji|date=8 June 2021|title=Battle of the Sea of Japan started off Munakata, Fukuoka: The history evidenced from Okinoshima Island by two men.|url=https://sasatto.jp/article/entry-1178.html|access-date=13 April 2024|language=ja}}</ref>}} and side railings are rolled sailor hammocks (rolled canvas awnings on the mast) as a part of the "prepare for battle" procedure to reduce the risk posed by shrapnel.{{sfn|Tsukamoto|1907|pages=49–51}}}}]]
At 06:34, before departing with the [[Combined Fleet]], [[Tōgō Heihachirō|Admiral Tōgō]] wired a message to the navy minister in [[Tokyo]]:

{{blockquote|text=In response to the report that enemy ships have been sighted, the Combined Fleet will immediately commence action and attempt to attack and destroy them. Weather today fine but high waves.{{sfn|Shiba|2014|loc=Volume 4, p. 212}}}}

The final sentence of this telegram has become famous in Japanese military history, and has been quoted by former Japanese Prime Minister [[Shinzō Abe]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/r-japans-abe-poised-to-delay-tax-hike-announce-snap-poll-2014-11|title=After Terrible GDP Report, Japan Is Getting Ready To Calling A Snap Election|work=Business Insider|access-date=5 July 2017|language=en|archive-date=13 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413102633/http://www.businessinsider.com/r-japans-abe-poised-to-delay-tax-hike-announce-snap-poll-2014-11|url-status=live}}</ref>

The entire Japanese fleet was put to sea, with Tōgō in his flagship ''Mikasa'' leading over 40 vessels to meet the Russians. Meanwhile, the shadowing Japanese scouting vessels sent wireless reports every few minutes as to the formation and course of the Russian fleet. There was mist which reduced visibility and the weather was poor. Wireless gave the Japanese an advantage; in his report on the battle, Admiral Tōgō noted the following:

{{blockquote|text=Though a heavy fog covered the sea, making it impossible to observe anything at a distance of over five miles, [through wireless messaging] all the conditions of the enemy were as clear to us, who were 30 or 40 miles distant, as though they had been under our very eyes.<ref name=togoreport>Admiral Tōgō's report on the Battle of Tsushima, as published by the Japanese Imperial Navy General Staff, September 1905; http://www.russojapanesewar.com/togo-aar3.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820070000/http://www.russojapanesewar.com/togo-aar3.html |date=20 August 2010 }}</ref>}}

At 13:40, both fleets sighted each other, ready to engage. At around 13:55, Tōgō ordered the hoisting of the [[Z flag]], issuing a predetermined announcement to the entire fleet:

{{blockquote|text=The Empire's fate depends on the result of this battle, let every man do his utmost duty.{{sfn|Koenig|1977|page=141}}}}

By 14:45, Tōgō had "[[Crossing the T|crossed the Russian T]]",{{sfn|Semenoff|1907|page=70}} enabling him to fire broadsides, while the Russians could reply only with their forward turrets.{{sfn|Mahan|1906|pages=457–458}}{{sfn|Regan|1992|pages=176–177}}

===Daylight action===
[[File:Oslyabya1903Bizerte.jpg|thumb|Russian battleship ''Oslyabya'', the first warship sunk in the battle]]
{{Further|#Timeline}}

The Russians sailed from south-southwest to north-northeast; "continuing to a point of intersection which allowed only their bow guns to bear; enabling him [Tōgō] to throw most of the Russian batteries successively out of bearing."{{sfn|Mahan|1906|page=458}} The Japanese fleet steamed from northeast to southwest, then Tōgō ordered the fleet to turn 180-degrees in sequence, which enabled his ships to take the same course as the Russians. Although Tōgō's U-turn was successful, Russian [[Naval artillery|gunnery]] had proven surprisingly good and the flagship ''Mikasa'' was hit 15 times in five minutes.  Before the end of the engagement, she was struck 15 more times by large calibre shells.{{sfn|Busch|1969|pages=150, 161, 163}} Rozhestvensky had only two alternatives, "a charge direct, in line abreast", or to commence "a formal [[pitched battle]]."{{sfn|Mahan|1906|page=458}} He chose the latter, and at 14:08, the Japanese flagship ''Mikasa'' was hit at about 7,000 metres, with the Japanese replying at 6,400 meters. Superior Japanese gunnery then took its toll,{{sfn|Sondhaus|2001|p=191}} with most of the Russian battleships being crippled.

Captain 2nd Rank Vladimir Semenoff, a Russian staff officer aboard the flagship {{ship|Russian battleship|Knyaz Suvorov||2}}, said "It seemed impossible even to count the number of projectiles striking us. Shells seemed to be pouring upon us incessantly one after another. The steel plates and superstructure on the upper decks were torn to pieces, and the splinters caused many casualties. Iron ladders were crumpled up into rings, guns were literally hurled from their mountings. In addition to this, there was the unusually high temperature and liquid flame of the explosion, which seemed to spread over everything. I actually watched a steel plate catch fire from a burst."{{sfn|Regan|1992|page=177}}{{sfn|Semenoff|1907|pages=62–63}}

Ninety minutes into the battle, the first warship to be sunk was the {{ship|Russian battleship|Oslyabya|up=yes}} from Rozhestvensky's 2nd Battleship division.{{efn|According to Semenoff,{{sfn|Semenoff|1907|page=158}} a rescued officer of ''Oslyabya'' said later on destroyer ''Buyniy'', "it was three Japanese shells accidentally hitting nearly the same spot on the waterline below the forward turret, creating a huge hole that caused the hull to almost heel over on the spot and settled under-water" that sunk ''Oslyabya''.|name=Oslyabya}} This was the first time a modern armoured warship had been sunk by gunfire alone.{{sfn|Busch|1969|pages=159–160}}

A direct hit on the {{ship|Russian battleship|Borodino|up=yes}}'s magazines by the Japanese battleship ''Fuji'' caused her to explode, which sent smoke thousands of metres into the air and trapped all but one{{efn|name=yushchin|Spotter, foreman Semyon Semyonovich Yushchin, who swam out of a casemate, held onto a floating debris, and was picked up by Japanese destroyer ''Oboro'' in the night.<ref>{{cite journal|title=St. Petersburg Gazette|journal=Issue No.55|date=10 March 1906|page=col.23|language=ru}}</ref>}} of her crew onboard as she sank.{{sfn|Regan|1992|page=177}} Rozhestvensky was knocked out of action by a shell fragment that struck his skull. In the evening, Rear Admiral [[Nikolai Nebogatov]] took over command of the Russian fleet. The Russians lost the battleships ''Knyaz Suvorov'', ''Oslyabya'', {{ship|Russian battleship|Imperator Aleksandr III|1901|2}} and ''Borodino''. The Japanese ships suffered only light damage.

===Night attacks===
At night, around 20:00, 21 [[destroyer]]s and 45 Japanese [[torpedo boat]]s{{efn|21 destroyers and 31 torpedo boats of the Combined Fleet, 4 torpedo boats from [[Kure Naval District]], and 10 torpedo boats from [[Takeshiki Guard District]].{{efn|name=order}}}} were thrown against the Russians.{{efn|After the war, Admiral Rozhestvensky was asked in a Russian court martial why he chose day time to pass the most dangerous zone of [[Tsushima Strait]]. His answer was "Because torpedo boats in the night is a greater risk for battleships."}} They were deployed initially from the north, east and west while being slightly visible, forcing the Russians, roughly in the order of cruisers, battleships and auxiliaries groups, to turn west.{{sfn|Semenoff|1907|page=160}} The Japanese were aggressive, continuing their attacks for three hours without a break; as a result, during the night there were a number of collisions between the small craft and Russian warships.{{efn|name=lighthouse}} The Russians were dispersed in small groups. By 23:00, it appeared that the Russians had vanished, but they revealed their positions to their pursuers by switching on their searchlights – ironically, the searchlights had been turned on to spot the attackers. The old battleship {{ship|Russian battleship|Navarin||2}} struck chained floating mines{{efn|name=mines}} laid in front and was forced to stop in order not to push the chain forward, inviting other floating mines on the chain in on herself.  She was consequently torpedoed four times and sunk. Out of a crew of 622, only three survived, one to be rescued by the Japanese and the other two by a British merchant ship.{{sfn|Corbett|2015b|p=304}}

The battleship {{ship|Russian battleship|Sissoi Veliky||2}} was badly damaged by a torpedo in the stern and was scuttled the next day. Two old [[armoured cruiser]]s – {{ship|Russian cruiser|Admiral Nakhimov|1885|2}} and {{ship|Russian cruiser|Vladimir Monomakh||2}} – were badly damaged, the former by a torpedo hit to the bow, the latter by colliding with a Japanese destroyer. They were both [[scuttled]] by their crews the next morning off [[Tsushima Island]], where they headed while taking on water.{{sfn|Wright|1976|pages=123–147}} The night attacks placed a great strain on the Russians, as they lost two battleships and two armoured cruisers, while the Japanese lost only three torpedo boats.{{sfn|Hutchinson|2018}}

===''XGE'' signal and Russian surrender===
At 05:23 on 28 May, what remained of the Russian fleet was sighted heading northeast. Tōgō's battleships proceeded to surround Nebogatov's remaining squadron south of the island of [[Takeshima]] and commenced main battery fire at 12,000 meters.{{sfn|Busch|1969|page=179}} The {{ship|Russian cruiser|Izumrud}} then turned southeast and started to flee.{{sfn|Tsukamoto|1907|p=116}} Realising that his guns were outranged by at least one thousand metres,{{efn|{{ship|Russian battleship|Oryol||2}} had lost its front left main gun, and the rear left gun could no longer be raised to extended-range elevations,{{efn|See [[Russian battleship Oryol#Construction and career]]}} meaning that only four 12-inch guns were left in the fleet: two older black-powder firing (shorter range) guns on {{ship|Russian battleship|Imperator Nikolai I||2}}, and two longer-range guns on the damaged ''Oryol'' that had however lost both of its rangefinders.}} and the Japanese battleships had proven on the day before to be faster than his own so that he could not close the distance if he tried, Nebogatov ordered the four battleships remaining under his command to surrender.{{efn|During Nebogatov's court martial, his defense for surrendering his battle fleet was because his guns were outranged by the Japanese guns.}}{{efn|In retrospect, the Japanese main 12" guns outranged his shorter-range 12" Krupp guns by 8000 metres and the longer-range 1895-issue 12" guns by about 3000 metres. See the [[#Gun range and rate of fire|Gun range and rate of fire]] section for details. The Japanese fleet had 14 (out of 16) of the 12" Armstrong guns operational on the four main battleships at the time.}} ''XGE'', an international signal of surrender, was hoisted; however, the Japanese navy continued to fire as they did not have "surrender" in their code books and had to hastily find one that did.{{sfn|Lardas|2018|page=99}} Still under heavy fire, Nebogatov then ordered a white tablecloth sent up the masthead, but Tōgō, having faced the difficult decision to sink a British transport ship full of Chinese soldiers during the [[First Sino-Japanese War]] as the commander of IJN cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Naniwa||2}},{{efn|See [[Battle of Pungdo#Kowshing Incident]] for details of this incident on 25 July 1894. He had suffered pneumonia and was taken off duty for 3 years from 1887 before the Sino-Japanese war. He utilised the time to research and became an expert in international law. Japan had just signed the [[Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Commerce and Navigation]] with the UK on 16 July 1894, and his decision to sink the British ship (carrying [[contraband]], flying the [[Red Ensign|British civilian ensign]]) after a boarding inspection, maritime capture, and demanding to abandon ship, was later cleared by British jurists to be in compliance with [[Admiralty law]]. He also experienced Chinese cruiser {{ship|Chinese cruiser|Jiyuan||2}} fleeing from the [[Battle of Pungdo]] after raising a white flag and the [[Rising Sun Flag|Japanese naval ensign]].}} knew the signal meant a request for a truce or parley, not 'surrender' in the legal definition, and that either meaning contradicted not stopping the ships.

His lieutenants found the codebook that included XGE signal and reported that stopping engines is a requirement for the signal and all the Russian ships were still moving, so he continued firing while the response flag signal "STOP" hoisted.{{sfn|Tsukamoto|1907|pages=119–120}} Nebogatov then ordered [[Ensign of the Russian Navy|St. Andrew's Cross]] lowered and the [[Hinomaru|Japanese national flag]] raised on the [[gaff rig|gaff]] and all engines stopped.<ref name=rngs>{{cite book|editor=Russian Naval General Staff|title=Russo-Japanese Naval War Record, 1904–1905|date=1 November 2004|publisher=芙蓉書房出版 |isbn=4829503505|language=ja|translator=Hirama Yōichi}}</ref>  Seeing the requirement for the signal met, Tōgō gave the cease-fire and accepted Nebogatov's surrender. Nebogatov surrendered knowing that he could be shot for doing so.{{sfn|Regan|1992|page=177}} He said to his men:

{{blockquote|text=You are young, and it is you who will one day retrieve the honour and glory of the Russian Navy. The lives of the two thousand four hundred men in these ships are more important than mine.{{sfn|Regan|1992|page=177}}}}

[[File:Orel1905Maizuru.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right|Damaged {{ship|Russian battleship|Oryol||2}}{{efn|name=Oryol}} at [[Maizuru Naval Arsenal]]{{efn|{{coord|35.480815|N|135.374341|E}}}}]]

As an example of the level of damage inflicted on a Russian battleship, {{ship|Russian battleship|Oryol||2}}{{efn|name=Oryol}} was hit by five 12-inch, nine 8-inch, 39 six-inch and 21 smaller or unidentified shells.{{efn|See [[Russian battleship Oryol#Construction and career]] for details. Due to her position in the Russian formation being the last in line of four ''Borodino''-class battleships, {{ship|Russian battleship|Oryol||2}} probably received the least number of large calibre shells and possibly the most number of small calibre hits among the four.}} This damage caused her to list, and the engine ceased to operate when she was being taken by the Japanese navy to First Battle Division home port of [[Sasebo Naval District|Sasebo]] in [[Nagasaki Prefecture|Nagasaki]] after Tōgō accepted the surrender.  Cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Asama||2}} and then battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Asahi||2}} had to tow ''Oryol'', and their destination was changed to the closer [[Maizuru Naval Arsenal]] to avoid losing the prize of war.  Her commander Captain [[Nikolay Yung|Yung]], who was seriously injured on 27 May, died in the night of the 29th onboard battleship ''Asahi'' en route.{{efn|name=Yung}}{{sfn|Tsukamoto|1907|pp=122,136–141}}

===Capture of Rozhestvensky===

[[File:Japanese destroyer Satsuki in 1905.jpg|thumb|right|Captured Russian destroyer ''Byedoviy'' at [[Sasebo Naval District|Sasebo]] on 3 June 1905{{Efn|{{coord|33.161794|N|129.700501|E}}}} before she became [[:ja:皐月 (戦利駆逐艦)|IJN ''Satsuki'']].]]
Russian destroyer [[Russian destroyer Buinyi|''Buyniy'']], after rescuing the squadron command including Admiral Rozhestvensky from the burning {{ship|Russian battleship|Knyaz Suvorov||2}} at 17:30 during the day battle on the 27th, found cruiser [[Russian cruiser Dmitrii Donskoi|''Donskoi'']], destroyers [[List of destroyers of the Imperial Russian Navy#Buinyi class (350/450 tons), 10 ships|''Byedoviy'']] and [[List of destroyers of the Imperial Russian Navy#Groznyi class / Project of 1903 (420 tons), 3 ships|''Grozniy'']] in convoy on the morning of 28 May.  Rozhestvensky chose ''Byedoviy'' to move the fleet command officers and himself as ''Buyniy'' had serious damages and ''Donskoi'', being an old ship, was very slow. (Later in the afternoon, ''Buyniy'' was sunk by gunfire from ''Donskoi'' after taking the crew aboard.) Leaving the struggling ''Buyniy'' and the slow ''Donskoi''{{efn|''Buiniy'' had boiler and screw propeller troubles, 20-years-old sail-rig-equipped ''Donskoi'' could not exceed 13&nbsp;knots.{{sfn|Novikov-Priboy|1937|loc=Book 2, Chapter 3}}}} behind, ''Byedoviy'' and ''Grozniy'' headed for Vladivostok.{{sfn|Semenoff|1907}}

Japanese destroyers {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Sazanami|1899|2}} and {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Kagerō|1899|2}} had mechanical issues during the night battle on the 27th and had to fix the problems at the [[Port of Ulsan]].{{efn|where [[destroyer tender]] / [[depot ship#Motor torpedo boat depot ships|torpedo boat depot ship]] with repair equipment/personnel [[Order of battle at the Battle of Tsushima#Special Duty Squadron|''Kasuga Maru'']] was.<ref>{{cite web|title=Battle of Sea of Japan|url=https://www.weblio.jp/wkpja/content/日本海海戦_戦闘|language=ja}}</ref>}} Both destroyers finished their temporary repair work by the morning of the 28th and left the port together. They spotted the two Russian destroyers on the way to join the rest of the Combined Fleet and engaged at 15:25.{{sfn|Novikov-Priboy|1937|loc=Book 2, Chapter 3}}{{efn|Lieutenant Tsukamoto Katsukuma onboard ''Sazanami'', who spotted the Russian destroyers at 14:15, used to be assigned to ''Mikasa''. He had seen Admiral Tōgō many times and admired the state of the art binoculars{{efn|[[Carl Zeiss AG|Carl Zeiss]] 1904 Marine-Glas m.Revolver zwei vergrößerungen x5 und x10 {{cite web|title=Battleship Mikasa and Zeiss Binoculars|url=http://tohmegane.g2.xrea.com/oldbino7.html|language=ja}}}} used by the admiral. He spent 350 Yen (equivalent to one year's Lieutenant salary) of personal funds to purchase the same model, and the binoculars had reached him stationed at [[Takeshiki Guard District|Tsushima]] from the agent in Tōkyō before this battle.{{sfn|Shiba|2014}}}}

Destroyer ''Grozniy'' increased speed being chased by ''Kagerō'', but ''Byedoviy'' slowed down and stopped in the face of firing and approaching ''Sazanami'' while raising a white flag.{{sfn|Corbett|2015b|pp=328-329}}{{efn|According to Novikov-Priboy,{{sfn|Novikov-Priboy|1937|loc=Book 2, Chapter 3}} ''Byedoviy'' raised a white table cloth on the foremast, Red Cross flag on the rear mast, and had lowered the [[Ensign of the Russian Navy|Saint Andrew's Cross]] from the stern flag pole, by the instruction of the Flag Captain Clapier de Colongue (the most senior officer onboard the destroyer after the injured admiral, outranking the ship commander Captain 2nd rank Nikolai Baranov), who reasoned ''Byedoviy'' had become a hospital ship.}} ''Grozniy'' was able to keep sufficient distance from ''Kagerō'', exchanging just a few long-distance shots at about 18:30, before nightfall.{{sfn|Imperial Defence|1920|p=785}} She became one of the three warships reaching Vladivostok after surviving the battle.

The Combined Fleet command could not believe the news when cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Akashi||2}}, which rendezvoused ''Sazanami'' on the morning of the next day, sent a radio telegraph message about the capture of Admiral Rozhestvensky, as they were certain to have sunk ''Knyaz Suvorov'' and assumed the squadron commander went down with the flagship.{{sfn|Shiba|2014}} But cruiser ''Akashi'', accompanied by ''Sazanami'' and ''Kagerō'', arrived at Sasebo port in the morning of 30 May with ''Byedoviy'' in tow, with not only the injured admiral but also the surviving members of the Russian fleet command onboard.{{efn|name=Suvorov}}{{sfn|Shiba|2014}}{{sfn|Novikov-Priboy|1937|loc=Book 2, Chapter 3}}

===Conclusion===
[[File:Петропавловская крепость. Санкт-Петербург 2H1A3346WI.jpg|thumb|right|Walls outside the Trubetskoy Bastion Prison{{efn|{{coord|59.948492|N|30.313317|E}}}} of [[Peter and Paul fortress]] in Saint Petersburg for high-value political criminals where Admiral Nebogatov was kept. Tsar [[Nicholas II]], who was executed on 17 July 1918 and the remains found near [[Yekaterinburg]] in 1979, was interred in the white cathedral shown behind in 1998.<ref>{{cite web|title=St Catherine's Chapel: the final resting place of Nicholas II and his family|last=Gilbert|first=Paul|date=6 March 2023|url=https://tsarnicholas.org/2023/03/06/st-catherines-chapel-the-final-resting-place-of-nicholas-ii-and-his-family/}}</ref> {{ship|Russian cruiser|Aurora||}} is displayed 1km away{{efn|{{coord|59.955432|N|30.337789|E}}|name=aurora}} from this fortress.]]
Until the evening of 28 May, isolated Russian ships were pursued by the Japanese until almost all were destroyed or captured. The cruiser {{ship|Russian cruiser|Izumrud||2}}, which escaped from the Japanese despite being present at Nebogatov's surrender, was destroyed by her crew after running aground on the Siberian coast.{{sfn|Corbett|2015b|p=445}}

[[File:Senior admirals with their staffs, taken on admiral Togo's Triumphal Return LS75Z1.jpg|thumb|left|Imperial Japanese Navy admirals and staff on 22 October 1905 at the Navy victory celebration ceremony after the war.{{efn|On the front row, 3rd from the left to right; Chief medical officer (M.D., Admiral) [[Saneyoshi Yasuzumi]], Admirals [[Ijuin Gorō]], [[Kamimura Hikonojō]], [[Tōgō Heihachirō]], Navy Minister (Admiral) [[Yamamoto Gonnohyōe]], Head of [[Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff|Navy General Staff]] (Admiral) [[Itō Sukeyuki]], Admirals [[Kataoka Shichirō]], [[Dewa Shigetō]], Under Secretary of Navy (Admiral) [[Saitō Makoto]], Head of Planning Dept. of Navy Ministry (Admiral) [[Yamashita Gentarō]].<br><br> Admirals [[Uryū Sotokichi]], [[Misu Sōtarō]] (who lost an eye in the battle), [[Taketomi Kunikane]], [[Tōgō Masamichi]], [[Hikohachi Yamada|Yamada Hikohachi]], [[Shimamura Hayao]] and [[Ogura Byōichirō]] also participated in the battle. See [[Order of battle at the Battle of Tsushima]] for the responsibilities of the admirals during this battle.}} A [[naval review]] was carried out for Emperor Meiji on 23 October 1905 in Tokyo Bay.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fleet Placement Chart for the Naval Review|author=Navy General Staff, Waterway Dept.|date=1905|url=https://shoryobu.kunaicho.go.jp/Kobunsho/Viewer/4000540270000/c40b4ad997764b2bb8238f9572fd7569}}</ref><ref>[[:ja:観艦式#大日本帝国海軍]]</ref>]]

The wounded Admiral Rozhestvensky went to the Imperial Japanese Naval Hospital in [[Sasebo Naval District|Sasebo]] to recover from a head injury caused by shrapnel; there, the victorious Admiral Tōgō visited him personally in plain clothes, comforting him with kind words: "Defeat is a common fate of a soldier. There is nothing to be ashamed of in it. The great point is whether we have performed our duty."{{sfn|Regan|1992|p=178}}  Rozhestvensky was allowed to send a telegram to the Tsar at [[Tsarskoye Selo]].{{sfn|Busch|1969}}

On 10 June 1905, Tsar Nicholas II responded with a telegram:
 "Tokyo. Adjutant General Rozhdestvensky. From the bottom of my heart I thank you and all the ranks of the squadron who honestly fulfilled their duty in battle, for their selfless service to Russia. Your feat was destined to be crowned with success, but your fatherland will always be proud of your selfless courage. I wish you a speedy recovery, and may God console you all.&nbsp; Nikolai"{{sfn|Novikov-Priboy|1937|loc=Book 2, Chapter3 in footnote}}
Rozhestvensky and other officers were placed on trial in August 1905 after returning to Russia. Rozhestvensky claimed full responsibility for the fiasco and was sentenced to death, but the Tsar commuted his death sentence. Flag captains Clapier de Colongue (Second Pacific Squadron) and Cross (Third Pacific Squadron), Staff officers Filippinovsky, Leontieff, together with the commanders of the surrendered battleships, Captains Vladimir Smirnov (''Nikolai I''), [[Nikolai Lishin]]{{efn|Lishin, who had earned [[Cross of St. George|St.George's Cross]] for bravery four times, volunteered and served in the Army after his release as a low-rank soldier during [[World War I]] and was noticed by Nicholas II during an inspection. The Tsar reinstated his Navy rank, and Lishin was assigned to The Second Baltic Fleet as a Captain in August 1915.}} (''Apraksin''), [[:ru:Григорьев, Сергей Иванович (участник Цусимского сражения)|Sergei Grogoryev]] (''Senyavin''),{{sfn|Novikov-Priboy|1937|loc=Book 2, Chapter 2}} and the ''Byedoviy'' commander Nikolai Baranov were sentenced to 10 years in prison and dismissed from service (Nicholas II pardoned them on 1 May 1909).{{sfn|Ugryumov|2022}} The executive officer of ''Oryol'' (who was in charge of the ship at the surrender) Captain 2nd rank K.L.Schwede and other officers were acquitted.{{sfn|Novikov-Priboy|1937|loc=Book 2, Chapter3 in footnote}}

Admiral Nebogatov, who surrendered the fleet, was also sentenced to death, which was commuted to 10 years imprisonment and eventually pardoned by the Tsar. He was released from the Trubetskoy Bastion prison in [[Peter and Paul Fortress]] in May 1909.

Following this battle, the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] grew to the third largest in the world after [[World War I]].{{efn|behind the Royal Navy and the US Navy. See [[Imperial Japanese Navy#Towards an autonomous national navy (1905–1914)]].}}  [[Tōgō Heihachirō]] was appointed to [[Order of Merit]] by King [[Edward VII]] on 21 February 1906, as one of the three first non-[[Dominion]]<!-- Please be careful [[Commonwealth realm]] and [[Commonwealth of nations]] are not appropriate here as this appointment occurred before [[Versailles Conference]] and [[Balfour Declaration of 1926]].  Also, the concept of an "Honorary" appointment to this order did not exist in 1906. March 1, 2025 [[User:Yiba]] --> members,{{efn|See [[List of members of the Order of Merit]].}} before he was enobled as [[Earl]] (Count) by [[Emperor Meiji]] in 1907.  Later, he became the first Japanese cover person of [[Time magazine]] on 8 November 1926 issue.