The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-06-05
.DEWEY'S VIEW OF IT.
Says TOgo's Complete Victory Was Due
Largely to ROjesWenslKy's BIunders.

Washington, June 5.-No American
naval officer has studied the battle of
the Korean straits with such broad
understanding Of its difficulty and per
plexities as has Admiral Dewey, nor
with deeper interest With the more
complete accounts of the engagement
which followed the first terse bulletins,
Admiral Dewey has become convinced
that the chief factor in the oVerwhelrn-
ing japanese victory was the incOmpe-
tence Of Vice Admiral RojestVensky
rather than the strategy of Admiral
Togo.
He accords to Admiral Togo full cred
1t for his patience in waiting for the
Russians until he could attack them
just where he wanted to; for the per-
feet preparedness Of his fleet, the SUI
perb gunnery Of his men, and for the
cOnspicuousIy brave and brilliant man
ner in which the attack was directed
and executed, but he is firm in the be-
lief that had it not been for the mex
cusable bIunders of the Russian COM
mander his ships would have inflicted
far heavier damage to the japanese.
Even had Rojestvenslky shown mas
terry Of the situation approaching that
OF Togo the Japanese probably would
have been the victOrs on account Of
their superior craftsmanship, but some
of the fast Russian ships would have
escaped to menace Japan's cOmmunica-
Japanese commerce.
Discarding entirely the apparent IN
preparedness of the Russian fleet,
which may have been due in part at
least to conditions which it's commander
could not control, Admiral Dewey be-
lieves that the first serious mistake of
Admiral RO5estVenslIy was in failing to
inform himself through lis scout ships
of the exact whereabouts Of the OppOs-
ing fleet
Togo Well Hidden.
Togo evidently was we'll hidden, but
this it not accepted as a valid excuse
for the failure to locate him. It is
the business of the fleet scout ships to
develop the presence of the enemy,
no matter where he may be concealed,
as it is the business of the slower go
ing battleships to stand up and fight.
But ROjestvensky made his great
and fatal blunder when he continued
on his course in double line after the
japanese feet had been sighted, with
the lighter ships between his battle
ships and the enemy.
According to modern tactics, the
cruisers should have been we'll be-
hind, leaving the battleships to bear
the brunt of the attack in single line
with the cruisers held in readiness to
take an active part in the battle when
the opportunity was presented to use
them to the best advantage.
If ROJestvensky was determined, for
some reason that Admiral Dewey can
not understand, to have his light ships
on one flank of his battleships, they
should at least have been on the side
opposite the one from which the at
tack came.
1t evidently was Admiral ToEo's
plan of battle to envelop the Rus
slams, and their formation contributed
more largely to his magnificent sue
cess in practically annihilating their
feet than any other cause. AS the
japanese battleships approached the
opposing feet in perfect order and cir
cled around in front Of 1t, they had
only the fire of the lighter ships to
meet until the enveloping movement
was almost complete.
Then. when the Russian ships were
surrounded, they BANKED half of their
own fire with their double line, while
the japanese rained shells on them
from both sides, The Russians could
not use the port batteries of their
battleships nor the starboard guns OF
their cruisers without great danger OF
hitting each other, while the surround
ing japanese were well within the
range OF both the Russian lines
though out of range Of each other al
the angle at which the guns were
trained.
Therefore a Russian ship was sub
jected to a IRE from both sides. tC
which it could reply only with half OF
its guns and in but one direction. Il
was this fact which started the Rus
sian confusion that ended ih destFuc-
ton
Result Might Have Been Reversed.
Had Rojestvensky dropped hi
cruisers behind when Togo was sight
ed which he had plenty Of time to do
he might still have been surrounded
but he would have been able to Civ
back shot for shot The Russian ship
then would have used all Of thei
GUNS. while the japanese could onf
have used only half of their, and tn,
result might have been quite different
Then, too. Rojestvenslxy would hav
taen IN a position where, il he say