. Prior to the war against Japan starting in 1904, Rozhestvensky was commander of the
Baltic Fleet.
Tsar Nicholas II ordered Rozhestvensky to take the Baltic Fleet to
East Asia to protect the Russian naval base of
Port Arthur. Rozhestvensky believed from the start that the plan to send the Baltic Fleet to Port Arthur was ill-conceived, and vehemently opposed plans to include a motley collection of obsolete vessels, the Third Pacific Squadron to his fleet (referred to by the Admiral and his staff as the 'self-sinkers'), to the extent of refusing to reveal to the Admiralty his exact routing from
Madagascar and to share his battle plan with Third Pacific Squadron commander
Nikolai Nebogatov. to sail an untested fleet of brand new battleships (for some of the new
Borodinos, this voyage was their
shakedown cruise) and new untrained sailors on the longest coal-powered battleship fleet voyage in recorded history. Rozhestvensky was fully aware that he had a new untrained fleet under his command; and that both the shakedown testing of the new battleships and the gunnery practice/training would have to occur during the voyage. As a consequence of these circumstances, the mission-minded commander would sometimes fire service ammunition (live gunfire) across the bows of an errant warship, and in a fiery moment fling his binoculars from the bridge into the sea. When his battleship fleet set sail in 1904, Rozhestvensky's staff ensured that his flagship,
Knyaz Suvorov, had a good supply of binoculars on board. Rozhestvensky had a fiery temper when dealing with a subordinate, and both officers and men knew to stand clear of "Mad Dog" when a subordinate either disobeyed orders, was incompetent, or both. Nevertheless, the inexperience of the
Russian Baltic Fleet almost triggered a war between Russia and Great Britain as it sailed through the
North Sea. After several Russian ships mistook British
fishing trawlers at
Dogger Bank for
torpedo boats from the
Imperial Japanese Navy, they opened fire on the unarmed civilian vessels. The
Dogger Bank incident on the night of 21–22 October 1904 resulted in the deaths of three British fishermen and many wounded. One sailor and a priest aboard a Russian cruiser were also killed in the crossfire. The Russian government agreed to investigate the incident following a great deal of international diplomatic pressure. Rozhestvensky was ordered to dock in
Vigo, Spain, while battleships of the Royal Navy from the British
Home Fleet were prepared for war. Several British
cruiser squadrons shadowed Rozhestvensky's fleet as it made its way through the
Bay of Biscay. On arrival in Spain, Rozhestvensky left behind those officers he considered responsible for the incident (as well as at least one officer who had been critical of him). On November 25, 1904, the British and the Russian governments signed a joint agreement in which they agreed to submit the issue to an International Commission of Inquiry at
The Hague. On February 26, 1905, the commission published its report. It criticized Rozhestvensky for allowing his ships to fire upon the British ships, but noted that "as each [Russian] vessel swept the horizon in every direction with her searchlights to avoid being taken by surprise, it was difficult to prevent confusion". The report also concluded that once the mistake was known "Admiral Rozhestvensky personally did everything he could, from beginning to end of the incident, to prevent [the trawlers] from being fired upon by the squadron". Russia eventually paid £66,000 (£5.8m today) in compensation. Concerns that the
draught of the newer battleships, which had proven to be considerably greater than designed, would prevent their passage through the
Suez Canal caused the fleet to separate after leaving Tangiers on 3 November 1904. These concerns though may have been an excuse to hide worries over passing through British controlled waters. The newer battleships and a few cruisers proceeded around the
Cape of Good Hope under Rozhestvensky while the older battleships and lighter cruisers passed through the Suez Canal under the command of Admiral
Dmitry Gustavovich von Fölkersahm. Both sections of the fleet then rendezvoused at Madagascar as planned. Few re-coaling stations would be available during the journey, due to
Britain's alliance with Japan. After the Dogger Bank incident, the British pressured the French and Portuguese not to let the Russians fleet in their colonial ports, forcing the Russians to recoal in the open ocean or at anchorages which was much more inefficient. Being denied docking at ports also exacerbated existing problems in the fleet, such as rotting food supplies, irregular mail delivery, and lack of shore leave. All of these plus the long voyage further sapped Russia sailors' health and morale, so for the upcoming battle they would be facing Japanese sailors who were well-rested by contrast. He would instead, with the proper use of reconnaissance vessels and
wireless communications position his battle fleet in such a way as to "preserve his interior lines of movement", which would allow him to have shorter distances to cover while causing Rozhestvensky to have longer distances to travel, regardless of battleship speeds. Naval intelligence had already informed Togo of Rozhestvensky's mission, that of reaching
Vladivostok, and avoiding contact with the Japanese navy if at all possible, and fighting as little as possible, if forced into it. Rozhestvensky's objective was to reinforce the
Vladivostok Squadron, and then, when the Russian navy felt sufficiently prepared, they would engage the Japanese navy in a decisive action. With this knowledge in possession, Togo planned on preempting the Russian plan, by positioning his battle fleet to "bring the Russian fleet to battle, regardless of the speed of either battlefleet." Admiral Togo was able to appear directly across Rozhestvensky's line of advance (Rozhestvensky's
T had been crossed). Other than surrender or retreat, Rozhestvensky had but two choices; fight a pitched battle or charge Togo's battleline. He chose the former, and by the evening of 27 May 1905, Rozhestvensky's flagship and the majority of his fleet were on the bottom of the Tsushima Straits. '' painter
Fujishima Takeji During the battle, Rozhestvensky was wounded at least twice. The first time not seriously but the second time suffered significant injuries to the head and legs. He was taken prisoner when the
Bedovy was later captured by the
Sazanami of the
Imperial Japanese Navy. After the signing of the
Treaty of Portsmouth he returned to St Petersburg via the
Trans-Siberian Railway. This has been delayed by a bit over a week first by Rozhestvensky's insistence on taking a Russian ship but then by riots in Vladivostok and mutiny on the first ship he attempted to take.
Aftermath In 1906, Rozhestvensky faced
court-martial for the disaster, along with each of his surviving battleship commanders. Some were sentenced to prison and some to firing squad for either losing the battle or surrendering on the high seas. The Tsar's court was fully aware that Admiral
Nikolai Nebogatov had surrendered the Russian fleet, as Rozhestvensky had been wounded and unconscious for most of the battle, and was very reluctant to accept his statements of responsibility. Nonetheless, Rozhestvensky was adamant in his defense of his subordinate commanders and maintained total responsibility, pleading guilty to losing the battle. As was expected (and hoped) by the courts, the Tsar commuted the death-sentenced captains to short prison terms and pardons for the remaining officers. ==Later life==