Casualties broke command before the Russian surrender

Borodino exploded after shells reached her magazines, while Rozhestvensky was disabled by a head wound and command did not pass promptly. Rear Admiral Nikolai Nebogatov eventually surrendered ships carrying about 2,400 men rather than continue a hopeless destruction. Three warships reached Vladivostok, while Izumrud escaped Nebogatov's surrender before running aground on the Siberian coast and being destroyed by her crew. Togo visited the wounded Rozhestvensky privately and told him that defeat was a soldier's common fate, while performance of duty was the important measure. Both Russian admirals later faced trial, and Rozhestvensky tried to take responsibility despite having been unconscious during the surrender. John Byng had failed to engage an equal opponent, while the Russians faced overwhelming odds and suffered defeat without dishonor.