Chapter 185: Naval Battle Results and Britain's Expansion
By the time Arthur, far away in Australia, received the final battle report from the Russo–Japanese naval conflict, it was already midday the next day.
It wasn't just Arthur, the Russian Empire, and the island nation that paid close attention—this decisive naval engagement in the Far East drew intense interest from the British Empire, the German Empire, the United States, and Russia's ally, France.
Both Russia and the island nation shared a crucial weakness: their logistics were heavily dependent on maritime transport.
Although the contested region in the Far East bordered Russia, it was separated from Russia's European core by the vast, desolate expanse of Siberia—a land of cold and emptiness.
With the Trans-Siberian Railway still unfinished, land-based supply routes were simply not feasible.
This left Russia with a massive disadvantage: logistical operations in the Far East cost several times more than they did for the island nation.
Neither side could afford to lose naval superiority. If one lost control of the seas, the resulting supply crisis in the Far East could collapse the entire war effort.
The detailed report in Arthur's hands came from Germany. As a nation equally invested in the conflict, Germany and several other European countries had sent a joint observation team. This battle assessment was based on observed battlefield traces and the number of ships returning to port. Even if not perfectly accurate, it was at least broadly reliable.
According to the report, both the Pacific Fleet and the Combined Fleet suffered heavy losses.
The island detachment tasked with blocking the Pacific Fleet's main force lost one battleship and four cruisers outright, and its remaining battleship was heavily damaged. The six remaining cruisers all sustained various levels of damage.
The Pacific Fleet's main force didn't fare much better: one Petropavlovsk-class battleship was severely damaged and rendered non-operational for the foreseeable future.
Additionally, two cruisers were sunk, lost forever off the coast of Port Arthur.
However, all things considered, the Pacific Fleet's main force used its numerical advantage to trade one weaker battleship and two cruisers in exchange for sinking one enemy battleship and four cruisers—while damaging the remaining enemy ships. It was a respectable victory.
Credit also went to Admiral Makarov's excellent leadership.
Furthermore, he successfully lured the enemy fleet into a pre-laid minefield, which explained the high casualties suffered by the enemy.
Vice Admiral Witgeft's situation, however, was far worse. Though Makarov's support eventually arrived, the forward detachment still lost a Petropavlovsk-class battleship, and the remaining one was badly damaged and in need of major repairs.
Of the six cruisers, two were already lightly damaged during pursuit by the Second Fleet. In the larger engagement, they bore heavy fire. One was sunk outright, another declared a total loss.
Among the four surviving cruisers, one was heavily damaged, and three sustained light damage. The lightly damaged ones could be repaired quickly and returned to service, while the severely damaged one would require major repairs.
On the island nation's side, the Combined Fleet's main force had two battleships and three cruisers heavily damaged, and lost two cruisers—an even worse outcome than Russia's.
In total, the Russian Empire lost one battleship and three cruisers, with two more battleships and two cruisers heavily damaged—nearly a third of the Pacific Fleet's strength.
The island nation, by comparison, lost one battleship and six cruisers, with three battleships and three cruisers heavily damaged—nearly half of its Combined Fleet.
Strategically, the island fleet did meet one of its objectives.
They successfully lured the Pacific Fleet's forward detachment into their encirclement.
That detachment consisted of two battleships and six cruisers. After the battle, one battleship had sunk, the other was severely damaged, and only four cruisers remained—of which only three were still combat-effective.
What they didn't expect was that Admiral Makarov was not part of the vanguard. Instead, he trailed behind with the main force.
This completely disrupted their plan. They had assumed that Makarov, given his bold and fiery reputation, would lead the charge and walk straight into their trap.
But instead, it was the cautious and methodical Witgeft who led the forward detachment. Historically, Witgeft had succeeded Makarov as commander of the Pacific Fleet and had taken no risky actions during his tenure—a testament to his prudence.
It was precisely because of Witgeft's caution that the forward detachment didn't fully enter the enemy's encirclement and was able to hold out until reinforcements arrived.
Still, comparing losses—one battleship and three cruisers for Russia, versus one battleship and six cruisers for the island nation, plus their respective damaged ships—it was clear that Russia suffered less.
After this battle, both sides had very few operational ships left. The number of sunken vessels in this engagement could rank in the world's top twenty largest naval losses.
The Pacific Fleet now had only four battleships fit for duty, along with nine cruisers.
The island nation, which had started with eight battleships and nearly twenty cruisers, now retained only four battleships and ten cruisers.
Before the war, the Pacific Fleet held a naval advantage.
But after the island nation's successful surprise attack—damaging one battleship and one armored cruiser—the tide had turned.
At the time, the islanders celebrated, believing they now had the upper hand both at sea and on land, and that defeating the vast Russian Empire was only a matter of time.
But now, after this naval battle, both fleets had four usable battleships and comparable numbers of cruisers, putting them on relatively equal footing.
Crucially, two of the Pacific Fleet's remaining four battleships were newer, stronger warships. The previously damaged battleship Tsarevich was nearly repaired and ready for battle.
In contrast, the Combined Fleet had lost its newer battleships in the recent engagement. Its remaining ones were only equal to Russia's in strength.
This outcome was somewhat inevitable. Although the British Empire supported the island nation's rivalry with Russia, it wouldn't empower a potential naval rival.
Most of the warships sold to the island nation were second-class ships. Only a few top-tier vessels were provided.
The result of the battle was unsatisfactory to both sides. If anyone had reason to be content, it was Russia.
Admiral Makarov considered the outcome acceptable. After suffering a surprise attack, the Pacific Fleet had regained naval initiative. Once the Tsarevich was repaired, Russia would once again hold a battleship advantage.
That wasn't far off. Under normal conditions, Tsarevich's damage would have taken two months to repair.
Due to wartime shortages, it was delayed to three months—but two months had already passed. By late next month, the Tsarevich would return to duty and lead the Pacific Fleet's dominance in the Far East.
For the island nation, the moral advantage gained by its sneak attack had been squandered.
In the short term, both fleets remained somewhat balanced. But since the Tsarevich's repairs would be completed before the island nation's heavily damaged ships, it would soon tip the scales.
If the Pacific Fleet managed to blockade sea routes, the island nation would face severe logistical strain.
While its proximity to the battlefield gave it an edge over Russia's distant logistics, that advantage relied entirely on control of the seas.
As an island nation, a blockade of its supply lines would be devastating.
From a broader perspective, the ones most pleased were the British Empire and the United States.
With naval power now balanced between the two fleets, the land war would inevitably become more brutal and drawn-out.
Neither side had a clear advantage at sea, meaning victory would come down to attrition on land.
And that was precisely what Britain and the U.S. wanted.
Nothing pleased them more than seeing the Far Eastern hegemon, Russia, and its chief rival exhaust each other in war.
While the Russian Empire and the island nation were preoccupied, Britain quietly advanced its own plans—expanding its influence in northern India.
The timing couldn't have been better. In that region, the only real threats to British expansion were Russia, the island nation, and France.
With the first two locked in fierce combat, they had no bandwidth to challenge Britain.
As for France, burdened by the threat of the Triple Alliance, it had been trying to win Britain's favor.
Its ally Russia being at war left France distracted, making it unlikely to object to any British moves.
As a result, Britain's expansion in India proceeded smoothly, with little international resistance.
(End of Chapter)
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