Ending Russo Japanese War
Short Version
On February 8, 1904, Japanese destroyers launched a surprise torpedo attack on the Russian Pacific Fleet at Port Arthur, that would mark the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War.
Japanese Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō sent 10 destroyers into the harbor and caught the Russian fleet completely unprepared. Many of the ships were anchored and fully lit making perfect targets.
The Japanese fleeted used shallow-running torpedoes and of the 16 torpedoes fired, three were direct hits while others damaged hulls of some of Russia's major military vessels. While no ships were sunk immediately, the damaged battleships were put out of action shifting the naval balance to Japan..
The attack was followed by a morning engagement on February 9th, where the main Japanese fleet shelled the harbor.
The attack on Port Arthur occurred before a formal declaration of war between Japan and Russia. Despite the low number of direct hits it was highly successful in damaging the Russian Naval morale and combat readiness. It was the blueprint and forerunner to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Eighteen months later Russia and Japan dropped anchor in Oyster Bay on Saturday, August 5th, 1905. Edith took the kids to Cooper’s Bluff to watch their arrival.
They had lunch on the Mayflower, met with TR and then steamed north to cooler weather. Four weeks later on Tuesday August 29th they agreed to end the conflict. TR was in the library when the Associated Press bulletin was relayed to him by phone. William Loeb remembered TR saying, “This is splendid. This is magnificent. It was a good thing for both parties and a mighty good thing for me too!” It was a good thing for Roosevelt. He would go on to become the first American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Price.
On September 5th, 1905, the official treaty was signed on the Presidential Yacht Mayflower at the at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.
Admiral Togo arrived in America on his Flagship the Mikasa and gives Roosevelt the Samurai Warrior Doll now on display in the North Room at Sagamore Hill.
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE: Roosevelt'a Nobel Peace Prize is currently on display (mantel) in the Roosevelt Room in the West Wing of the White House. Three other presidents received the same honor.
- Woodrow Wilson 1919 League of Nations
- Jimmy Carter 2002 Camp David Peace Accord
- Barack Obama 2009 Strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.