Battle of the Yellow Sea

10 August 1904, Yellow Sea, off Shandong

Japanese victory; Russian breakout fails

Ordered to break out of Port Arthur for Vladivostok, the Russian squadron fought Togo's fleet for most of the day. Late in the action a shell struck Tsesarevich's bridge, killing Admiral Vitgeft and jamming her helm; the Russian line fell apart. Most ships turned back to Port Arthur, and several others ran for neutral ports and were interned.

Imperial Japanese Navy

33+ ships, none lost

Ship	Type	Outcome
IJN Mikasa Togo's flagship; took repeated hits	Pre-dreadnought battleship Mikasa class	Damaged
IJN Asahi	Pre-dreadnought battleship Asahi class	Survived
IJN Fuji	Pre-dreadnought battleship Fuji class	Survived
IJN Shikishima	Pre-dreadnought battleship Shikishima class	Survived
IJN Kasuga	Armoured cruiser Kasuga class	Survived
IJN Nisshin	Armoured cruiser Kasuga class	Survived
IJN Yakumo	Armoured cruiser Yakumo class	Survived
IJN Asama Arrived late in the action	Armoured cruiser Asama class	Survived
IJN Kasagi	Protected cruiser	Survived
IJN Takasago	Protected cruiser	Survived
IJN Chitose	Protected cruiser	Survived
IJN Chin'en Also known as Zhenyuan 鎮遠	Ironclad Dingyuan class	Survived
IJN Itsukushima	Protected cruiser	Survived
IJN Matsushima	Protected cruiser	Survived
IJN Hashidate	Protected cruiser	Survived

Flotillas and other craft	Number	Lost
Destroyers	18	0
Torpedo boats Sources give 29 or 30. Used mainly in night attacks on the scattered Russian ships.	29–30	0

Flotillas and other craft

Number

Lost

Destroyers

Torpedo boats

Sources give 29 or 30. Used mainly in night attacks on the scattered Russian ships.

29–30

Imperial Russian Navy

15+ ships, 1 lost

Ship	Type	Outcome
Tsesarevich Flagship; Vitgeft killed. Reached Tsingtao	Pre-dreadnought battleship Tsesarevich class	Interned
Retvizan Charged the Japanese line to cover the turn back	Pre-dreadnought battleship Retvizan class	Damaged
Pobeda Returned to Port Arthur	Pre-dreadnought battleship Peresvet class	Survived
Peresvet Returned to Port Arthur	Pre-dreadnought battleship Peresvet class	Damaged
Sevastopol Returned to Port Arthur	Pre-dreadnought battleship Petropavlovsk class	Survived
Poltava Returned to Port Arthur	Pre-dreadnought battleship Petropavlovsk class	Survived
Askold Broke through; interned at Shanghai	Protected cruiser	Interned
Pallada Returned to Port Arthur	Protected cruiser Pallada class	Survived
Diana Interned at Saigon	Protected cruiser Pallada class	Interned
Novik Broke through; later caught at Korsakov	Protected cruiser	Escaped
Besposhchadny Interned at Kiaochow with Tsesarevich	Destroyer	Interned
Besshumny Interned at Kiaochow	Destroyer	Interned
Besstrashny Interned at Kiaochow	Destroyer	Interned
Grozovoy Followed Diana, then interned at Shanghai	Destroyer	Interned
Reshitelny Seized by the Japanese in the neutral port of Chefoo	Destroyer	Captured

Flotillas and other craft	Number	Lost
Other destroyers The rest of the flotilla turned back to Port Arthur with the battleships.	several	?

Flotillas and other craft

Number

Lost

Other destroyers

The rest of the flotilla turned back to Port Arthur with the battleships.

several

Map

Port Arthur squadron breaks out 10 August 1904
Main body turns back to Port Arthur 10–11 August 1904
Tsesarevich to Kiaochow 10–11 August 1904
Askold to Shanghai 10–12 August 1904
Diana to Saigon August 1904