Battle of Tsushima
1905 CE · Tsushima Strait, Japan/Korea
The Battle of Tsushima was fought in 1905 CE in Tsushima Strait, Japan/Korea between Empire of Japan vs the Russian Empire; decisive Japanese victory; most of the Russian Baltic Fleet was sunk or captured.
Battle of Tsushima: quick facts
- Date
- 1905 CE
- Location
- Tsushima Strait, Japan/Korea
- Belligerents
- Empire of Japan vs the Russian Empire
- Commanders
- Tōgō Heihachirō vs Zinovy Rozhestvensky
- Result
- decisive Japanese victory; most of the Russian Baltic Fleet was sunk or captured.
- Era
- ⛵ Colonial & Napoleonic Era
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Tsushima?
Admiral Togo's Japanese fleet annihilated the Russian Baltic Fleet, which had sailed 18,000 miles over seven months to reach the Pacific. In one of the most lopsided naval battles in history, Japan sank 21 Russian ships while losing only 3 torpedo boats. The stunning victory marked Japan's emergence as a world power, ended the Russo-Japanese War, and signaled the decline of European dominance in Asia.
Did you know?
The Russian Baltic Fleet took seven months to sail 18,000 miles to reach Tsushima, and many crewmen had never fired their guns in practice before the battle began.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Tsushima on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.