Vladivostok—where, it may be suggested, they should have been all along. The fleet had not gone far when Togo appeared and the battle of Round Island took place. The ships engaged were:—
| Japanese | Russian | |
| 1st class battleships | 3 | 2 |
| 2nd class„ battleships„ | 1 | 4 |
| 3rd class„ battleships„ | 1 | 0 |
| Armoured cruisers | 4 | 0 |
Both sides had some light craft and torpedo vessels with them. The proportions in line of battle in fighting value were, reducing all ships to the value of first-class battleships, approximately as 6.6 Japanese to 5.2 Russian, but as many of the Russian ships were but partially repaired the Japanese superiority was really greater in matériel, and it was, of course, infinitely greater in personnel. Japanese shooting was good, the Russian gunnery has been described as ' excellent but unlucky.' Witgeft manoeuvred his ships well enough, and the first part of the battle was quite indecisive. About a quarter to six Togo, who had drawn out of range, closed in again. Witgeft was killed, and his flagship, injured but not totally disabled, crept away to Kiao Chau. Togo's flaghip, the Mikasa, equally injured, kept the line. The death of the admiral threw the Russians into confusion, and Prince Ukhtomsky, the second in command, ordered a retreat. The ships, except a few that interned themselves in neutral ports, crept back to their base seriously injured, but with the relatively small loss of 81 killed
