Tsushima, 1905 (2)

As noted, Admiral Togo’s First Battle Division consisted of four battleships (BBs) and two armored cruisers (ACs). At the outbreak of the war (Feb. 8, 1904), the First Battle Division had consisted of six BBs, but the battleships Hatsuse and Yashima had been lost to mines. Togo had disguised this fact by substituting the powerful armored cruisers Kasuga and Nisshin for the lost battleships. These two armored cruisers were referred to as “counterfeit battleships.”

The photos above show my 1:2400 Panzerschiffe models of the Kasuga and Nisshin.

Tsushima, 1905

Above: Portion of a Map Showing the Location of the Battle (Center)

Above: Panzerschiffe 1:2400 Models of the Four Japanese Pre-dreadnought Battleships

Naval Battle of Tsushima (May 27-28, 1905). Decisive defeat and annihilation of the Russian Baltic Fleet (aka Second Pacific Squadron) under Vice-Admiral Rojestvensky by the Japanese Combined Fleet, commanded by Adm. Heihachiro Togo.

Japanese Combined Fleet (Adm. Heihachiro Togo)

First Fleet (Togo)

          First Battle Division (Rear Adm. Sotaro Misu)

          BB Mikasa (FF), BB Shikishima, BB Fuji, BB Asahi, AC Kasuga, AC Nisshin (F), dispatch boat Tatsuta 

(to be continued)