The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-08-12
The Remarkable Career and
Character of Admiral Togo

difficult subject for newspapermen.
Very few newspapermen can approach
him, let alone elicit any material
statement from him. So it was when
the entire Japanese nation was so
eager to hear just one word from him.
So it was in England when he was
there for the coronation. How the
American reporters will succeed is yet
to be seen. A prominent government
official once, when asked for anec-
dotes of Togo, replied, THE only one
| know is that of the Sea of Japan.
No anecdote, however, is necessary
when the story of the battle of the
Sea of Japan is told. 1t was fought
on May 81 1905, after the fortress of
Port Arthur had surrendered, the Rus
sian fleet there sunk, and General
Kuropatkin's army defeated at Muk-
den. Then the Russian armada came
to fight decisive battle with the Jap
the million men in Manchuria must
be left with Pyrrhic honors. Togo
gave his memorable signal to his fleet
before opening the battle, "The des-
tiny of our Empire depends upon this
single battle. All of you exert your
selves more than ever" There was no
eXaggeration in Togo's measure of the
importance of the battle. He is not
the kind of man who inspires fear in
his men. He is always loved by chill
dren. But when the men of his fleet
saw him standing serene and compos-
ed on the bridge, they were glad to
work; they felt they were a hundred
times more courageous than usual;
they were glad even to face certain
death as in the blocking expedition to
the mouth of the harbor of Port Ar.
thur. The impressive signal coming
from Togo directly, as it flashed from
the top-mast of the Mikasa, his flag
ship, filled every man in the fleet with
determination to either win or die.
Togo is passive man, listening to
others counsel most freely. 1t is diff
ficult to determine how much of the
Japanese victory over the Russian
fleet was due to him personally, and
it is unnecessary. Every man on the
Japanese ships worked hard and all
contributed to the successful issue of
the struggle. But when we study the
history of the battle, we find that
Togo did critical thing at the pre-
else moment when it should nave
been done This was at the beginning
of the battle, on the afternoon of May
p, 1905. The Japanese fleet was pro-
ceeding in a southwesterly direction
and the Russian main fleet in a north
easterly direction at a distance of 5000
meters from each other. The ques-
ton then being discussed by the staff
officers on Togo's flagship was
whether the Japanese fleet should
continue its course in a parallel line
with the Russian, but in an opposite
direction, or turn and take the same
direction with the enemy, Togos eyes
were fixed on the enemy's movements
and his lips were firmly closed. At
2:O5, and when the distance was ap-
preaching 5000 meters, the admiral or
dered the turning about of his ships
to the left. This was an audacious
adventure, for any successive ship
that happens to be at the turning
point must lose it's aim at the hostile
ships, while the latter can easily train
and concentrate their guns upon it. In
naval tactics, such a movement in the
presence Of an enemy is prohibited. 1t
was learned later that one of the Rus
sian officers seeing the Japanese fleet
taking such a risky movement, cried,
"We'ye got them" Another said,
1--WE have won the battle" A third
was heard wondering if Togo had gone