Russo-Japanese War, Battle of Port Arthur, 1904

Entitled: Sailors on a Japanese battleship firing on a Russian battleship during the surprise naval assault on the Russian fleet at Port Arthur. The Russo-Japanese War (1904-05) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and Korea. On the night of February 8, 1904, the Japanese fleet under Admiral Togo Heihachiro, opened the war with a surprise torpedo boat destroyer attack on the Russian ships at Port Arthur. The attack heavily damaged the Tsesarevich and Retvizan, the heaviest battleships in Russia's far Eastern theater, and the 6, 600 ton cruiser Pallada. A series of indecisive naval engagements followed. Although the actual Battle of Port Arthur was indecisive, the initial attacks had a devastating psychological effect on Russia, which had been confident about the prospect of war. The Japanese had seized the initiative while the Russians waited in port. These engagements provided cover for a Japanese landing near Incheon in Korea. From Incheon the Japanese occupied Seoul and then the rest of Korea. By the end of April, the Japanese Imperial Army was ready to cross the Yalu River into Russian-occupied Manchuria. Chromolithograph, 1904

Restrictions Only for Ireland and United Kingdom

Destroyer Lithographic Lithography Lushun Manchuria Russo-japanese Ryojun

Features In These Collections

> Contributors > PHR