A GREAT ADMIRAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 126, 30 May 1934, Page 6

A GREAT ADMIRAL.

It is twenty-nine years since Admiral Togo destroyed the Russian fleet in the Strait of Tsushima, and thereby enrolled himself among history's commanders in decisive naval actions. Since then little has been heard of him, and many people must have been surprised to learn from his last illness that he was still alive. He commanded a fleet that bore the destiny of a nation in a war which posterity may rank as one of the great turning points in history. The East stood up against the West, and won. Togo's position resembled that of Nelson and Jellicoe. He had to watch Port Arthur and Vladivostok, and be prepared for the arrival of Russia's European fleet. He knew he had to take risks, but he knew also that every loss would be a grave matter. By establishing and maintaining mastery of the narrow seas in the face of the enemy he enabled Japan to land and supply a great army on the mainland. The climax of the war came when the Russian admiral Rozhdestvcnsky brought his fleet from the Baltic to the waters of Japan, and Togo fell upon it. In discipline and training the Japanese were far superior, and Togo's tactics were masterly. The result was virtual annihilation, for those Russian that were not sunk or captured were put out of the war. No wonder the Japanese people, newly come to nationhood in the Western sense, and fighting for their very existence as a great Power, made Togo a national hero. He was the embodiment of their ancient virtues and their new ambitions.