Comments by "Big Blue" (@bigblue6917) on "The Battle of Tsushima" video.

sirrliv Thanks for your contribution here. I did know about the ships being built in France and Britain though I had forgotten about the flaws in the French warships. Not only were the Japanese ships built here in Britain but the British Royal Navy also trained the Japanese Navy here in Britain. The highlight of the visit by the Japanese was a visit to Fred Jane and taking part in his navel wargames using models and a set of rule he devised. Fred Jane was the founding editor of Jane's authoritative military reference books which are still being produced today. I live in Kingston upon Hull in Yorkshire and we have a connection with this war. When the Russian Baltic Fleet was passing through the North Sea they came across some of Hull trawlers. The Russians panicked and thinking they had come under attack by Japanese torpedo boats opened fire upon the trawlers, killing and wounding several trawlermen. Apparently, because Russia knew that Britain was supplying the Japanese Navy with its ships they thought that the Japanese had sent torpedo boats out from British ports in order to attack the Baltic Fleet. There was a huge outcry about the attack and calls for the Royal Navy to attack the Russian fleet, but it was allowed to go on its way. They probably had a good idea of the Baltic Fleets fate anyway and decided to let the Japanese deal with them. This incident makes you think about the state of mind of the Russians. They know their Pacific Fleet has been destroyed, that they now face an epic voyage to the other side of the world and they are sailing ships which they know are inferior to those of the Japanese Navy. Because of the closeness of the British and Japanese navy's the British had unparalleled access to the Japanese Navy and all of the information about how the Japanese Navy and its ships had performed. This would have helped the Royal Navy when it decided to build the Dreadnought. There is a local museum in Hull which includes photographs of the trawlers on return to Hull and also parts of the trawlers which had received damage.
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I forgot to mention about the statue to commemorate those who died or were injured. It is in an area of Hull called Hessle Road nearby to where the dock, known as Fish Dock, was located. And where many of those who went to sea or worked on in the dock lived. And it would not be the last time Hull trawlermen was involved on combat. During both world wars many served in the Royal Navy some on the very same trawlers they would have been on in peacetime. They often acted as convoy escort to convoys sailing around Britain, a job which was very dangerous. Especially during the Second World War as Hull is on the East Coast which is closest to German. Hull, in fact, was the second most bombed city in Britain, the first being London.
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