Battle of Port Arthur

Battle of Port Arthur (naval)
Part of the Russo-Japanese War
Japanese print displaying the destruction of a Russian ship
Date 8–9 February 1904 Location Near Port Arthur, Manchuria Result Tactically inconclusive; strategic Japanese victory
Belligerents
Empire of Japan	Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō Vice Admiral Dewa Shigetō General Nogi Maresuke	Oskar Victorovich Stark
Strength
6 pre-dreadnought battleships 9 armored cruisers, with escorts	7 pre-dreadnought battleships 5 protected cruisers, with escorts
Casualties and losses
90 men and slight damage	150 men and seven ships damaged

The Battle of Port Arthur (Japanese: 旅順口海戦, Hepburn: Ryojunkō Kaisen^?) of 8–9 February 1904 (Monday February 8 – Tuesday February 9) marked the commencement of the Russo-Japanese War. It began with a surprise night attack by a squadron of Japanese destroyers on the Russian fleet anchored at Port Arthur, Manchuria, and continued with an engagement of major surface combatants the following morning; further skirmishing off Port Arthur would continue until May 1904. The battle itself ended inconclusively, though the war itself ended in a decisive Japanese victory.

The opening stage of the Russo-Japanese War began with pre-emptive strikes by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the Russian Pacific Fleet based at Port Arthur and at Chemulpo. Admiral Tōgō's initial plan was to swoop down upon Port Arthur with the 1st Division of the Combined Fleet, consisting of the six pre-dreadnought battleships Hatsuse, Shikishima, Asahi, Fuji, and Yashima, led by the flagship Mikasa, and the 2nd Division, consisting of the armored cruisers Iwate, Azuma, Izumo, Yakumo, and Tokiwa. These capital ships and cruisers were accompanied by some 15 destroyers and around 20 smaller torpedo boats. In reserve were the cruisers Kasagi, Chitose, Takasago, and Yoshino. With this large, well-trained and well-armed force, and surprise on his side, Admiral Tōgō hoped to deliver a crushing blow to the Russian fleet soon after the severance of diplomatic relations between the Japanese and Russian governments.

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