The six-six fleet made armored cruisers force multipliers

Japan's armored cruisers could support battleships closely enough to create a targeting dilemma for an opposing battle line. An enemy ship that engaged a cruiser left a Japanese battleship free; one that engaged the battleship still faced the cruiser's fire. Dividing fire between both targets risked weakening the response to each. This logic helps explain why Russia stripped other fleets to assemble eight battleships and three coastal-defence ships after losing its first Pacific force. Japan reinforced the combat formation with armed merchant vessels, hospital ships, dispatch craft, and communications links that helped keep the mixed force supplied and coordinated.