Tsushima and the case for long-range fire

The video sets Tsushima against earlier concerns about rams and forward fire, arguing that the battle made the value of long-range gunnery vivid to other navies. Admiral Tōgō kept outside six-inch-gun range until Japanese fire had badly damaged the Russian fleet. That choice depended on the Russians' poor mechanical state, transports, and lack of readiness, because several Russian ships could have exceeded nineteen knots when fully worked up. Their nominal speed had previously helped prompt the Royal Navy's fast Duncan-class battleships, showing that observers already took the threat seriously. At Tsushima, however, Japanese speed and concentration let Tōgō dismantle the formation methodically while avoiding the short-range fire favored by some French-inspired Russian designs. The lesson was therefore conditional: range, speed, readiness, and fire control worked together rather than long range winning by itself.