Today in History: The Battle of Port Arthur

On this day (February 9) in 1904, the Battle of Port Arthur was fought between Japan and Russia. The first blows of the battle were actually fought the night before when the Japanese launched a surprise attack. Two of the Japanese vessels collided with each other forcing them to drop behind the rest of the fleet, but the rest were able to launch 16 torpedoes damaging two of Russia’s best battleships.

The next day, Japanese surveillance vessels reached an observation point within 7500 yards of the harbor and incorrectly analyzed the chaos they witnessed. Believing the Russian fleet to be paralyzed by the surprise attack, Admiral Togo risked a second assault. The remaining Russian battleships rallied and bolstered by their shore batteries convinced Togo to retreat. Technically, Port Arthur is counted as a minor victory for the Russians, but because the Japanese ability to repair their vessels was superior to those of the fleet at Port Arthur, it was a strategic victory for Japan. The next day (February 10) Japan and Russia declared war on each other.