The Russo-Japanese War was just one of many disasters that would overtake Russia after 1900. The Battle of Tsushima saw the destruction of some of the best ships in the Russian fleet at the hands of the Japanese, a new up-and-coming naval power in Asia. Mark Lardas does an excellent job of discussing the evolution of the confrontation, from Russia's aggressiveness in northeast Asia to Japan's decision to launch a "first strike" against the Russian Pacific Squadron at Port Arthur. He also hits important points regarding both the decrepitude that the Russian fleet sent all the way from the Baltic was suffering from and the refurbishment that the Japanese ships enjoyed at port facilities during that lengthy trip.
As always, this Osprey book has excellent maps, original artwork and contemporary illustrations as well as a narrative that does justice to this topic. It even gives information about two of the surviving ships which remain as museums: the HIJMS Mikasa (at Yokosuka) and Avrora (St. Petersburg). Mikasa is both an eye-opener as an example of a pre-dreadnought warship and as a museum about the Russo-Japanese War.
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