Prelude
Because of the 18,000-mile journey, the Russian fleet was in relatively poor condition for battle. Apart from the four newest Borodino class battleships, Admiral Nebogatov's 3rd Division consisted of older and poorly-maintained warships. Overall neither side had a significant maneuverability advantage. The long voyage, combined with a lack of opportunity for maintenance, meant Russian ships were heavily fouled, significantly reducing their speed. The Japanese ships could reach 15 knots (28 km/h), but the Russian fleet could reach just 14 knots (26 km/h), only in short bursts.
Tōgō was able to use the superior maneuverability of his fleet to advantage, "crossing the T" twice. Additionally, there were significant deficiencies in the Russian naval fleet's equipment and training. Russian naval tests with their torpedoes exposed major technological failings. Tōgō's greatest advantage was that of experience, being the only active admiral in any navy with combat experience aboard battleships. (The others were Russian Admirals Oskar Victorovich Stark, who had been relieved of command following his humiliating loss in the Battle of Port Arthur, and Wilgelm Vitgeft, who had been killed in the Battle of the Yellow Sea.)
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Tsushima
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