The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-08-18
The Naval Battle.

Details, which are trickling in slow
Iy regarding the great naval battle
of Port Arthur. all tend to show
that the japanese victory was due
largely to superiority of guns and
finer craftsmanship. The japanese
plan OF battle consisted simply in
keeping their foes at a distance and
hammering away at them with big
guns. With their superior ordnance
the Japanese were able to infiict dam
age upon the Russian ships at a dis
tance which rendered the Russian
guns distinctly inferior.
According to an officer of the Japa-
nese squadron, Admiral Togo's idea
was to draw the Russians as far
south as possible in order to pre-
vent them from lodging back into
the harbor in case the prospects of
a fight were not to their liking. The
battle began early in the afternoon,
about thirty miles south of Port Ar
thur, the Russians entering into ac-
CZaTewitch leading.
Admiral Witthoft's main purpose
was to escape to Vladivostok, though
he probably recognized fully that he
would have to fight for it. However,
he plainly did not go out with the
intention of meeting the Japanese in
battle formation. and either settling
them or letting them settle him. His
orders apparently were for a running
fight, from which he hoped that some
of the Russian vessels would escape
TO join the Vladivostok squadron.
Consequently, when the Japanese
attack came the Russian admiral
boldly took the brunt of it on his
flagship, the Czarewitch, endeavoring,
so his officers report, to get near
enough the enemy TO ram But the
superiority of the japanese weapons
and craftsmanship would not permit
this. The battle actually was fought
at a distance of five to ten miles,
never nearer than five miles, while
the shell which finally put the Care
witch practically out of action was
fired at a range of eight miles.
The Russians seem to have main
tanned their formation intact until
this damage came to the flagship
early in the evening. The Care
witch's steering gear was shot away
at the same time, and it was with
difficulty that the rest of the Russian
squadron avoided a collision. At this
point the battleship Retvizan engaged
the Japanese, thereby enabling the
now scattered feet to escape to va
riOus ports under the cover Of dark
ness.
Admiral Togo has been criticised
for not destroying more of the Rus
sian vessels, but the explanation of
this probably is that he recognized
the vital necessity 10 the japanese
cause of all the ships that he had.
He could not afford 10 take chances
which, while they might enable him
to infict a heavy blow on the
enemy, might also lose several Of his
own ships, or at least put them out
Of action for a considerable time.
Japan's resources are limited and she
must husband those that she has.
On the other hand, while the BRAY
cry OF the Russians cannot be uues-
toned, they seem to have been
curiously blind to the necessity OF
sacrificing their vessels at the great
est cost to their foes. Thus Without
was chiefly concerned about getting
away, when it would appear that his
most vital concern should have been
TO damage the enemy. To accomplish
that purpose he should have hurled
his feet at the japanese. That mighc
have meant self-destruction. but it
could scarcely have been more
completely self-destructive than was
actually the case. while it would have
been marvellous indeed if the jana
nese had escaped entirely without
harm.