Page:Semenoff V. The battle of Tsu-Shima.pdf/114
It was all there, just the same — no fires — no heeling over — no fallen bridges, as if it had been at drill instead of fighting, and as if our guns, which had been thundering incessantly for the last half-hour, had been firing — not shells, but the devil alone knows what![1]
Feeling almost in despair, I put down my glasses and went aft.
- ↑ In the Battle of Tsu-shima the Japanese losses were:
Killed — 113
Dangerously wounded — 139
Severely wounded — 243
Slightly wounded — 42
These figures are sufficiently eloquent, even allowing for the reports of Japanese officers to be somewhat partial. Almost half of the casualties (252 out of 537) were killed and dangerously wounded, the other half were severely and slightly wounded — less than 8 per cent. The total number was insignificant. Our shells evidently either never burst, or burst badly, i.e. in a few large pieces. The Japanese bursting charge was seven times stronger than ours and consisted not of pyroxylene, but of shimose (and perhaps of something still more powerful). Shimose,