The journey of the Russian Baltic Fleet to their doomed end at the Battle of Tsushima is one of the lesser known sagas of naval history. I have a fondness for the period due to many happy hours with Distant Guns a decade ago. Phleshakov has produced a very Russian popular history, focusing on the commanding Admiral Rozhestvensky.

The Russo-Japanese War was one of those tragedies of Empire, with Japan and Russia dueling over control of Korea and Manchuria. Tsar Nicolas II had a racist disregard for the Japanese, amplified by an attack he suffered as a youth touring Japan. He thought a short victorious war would be just the thing to shore up his tottering regime. Unfortunately, the war turned against Russia early on, with a surprise torpedo boat attack damaging two Russian battleships. Two more Russian battleships hit mines while on patrol, killing Admiral Stepan Osipovich Makarov, the most able Russian commander in the region. A breakout attempt failed in the Battle of the Yellow Sea, and with Japanese artillery closing in on Port Arthur, the Russian Pacific Fleet seemed doomed.

Except for one insane idea. Russia had another major fleet in the Baltic. What if they sailed around the world, combined with the remains of the Pacific Fleet, and then crushed the Japanese with superior numbers? It would be an audacious gamble, a long distance deployment unparalleled in naval history, and one that could win the war. Pulling off this maneuver would require discipline, technological efficiency, and world-spanning logistics and intelligence. Tsarist Russia had none of these.

The story, as it develops, is a classic Russian tragedy. Rozhestvensky, one of the better Russian naval officers of the era, was burdened with a staff of lesser Romanov cousins and other gilded incompetents. Tsar Nicolar ordered the largest fleet possible, including several transports and obsolete battleships in doubtful mechanical condition. Steam battleships required ample coaling, and Russia had no worldwide empire to support the ships, making logistics a matter of desperate improvisation. Intelligence was a faulty mess of paranoid conspiracies, leading to the Dogger Bank incident, where the fleet shot up English fishing trawlers under the misapprehension they were Japanese torpedo boats, causing a major international incident.

The flotilla limped along at five to eight knots, halting for frequent breakdowns. Only French colonies would permit resupply, and then under protest. The fleet spent two months at Madagascar and another month in Vietnam, waiting for the even more ramshackle reinforcements of the Third Pacific Fleet and going slowly mad under the tropical sun. Admiral Tojo of Japan used this time for a full refit and more training, sharpening the already elite Japanese battlefleet to a razor's edge.

When the fleets finally found each other in Tsushima strait, the battle was as much as foregone. Tojo crossed the Russian T, allowing his entire battle line to focus on the lead ships of the enemy, who were unable to reply in turn. Rozhestvensky was soon wounded, unable to exercise tactical command, and the Russians were defeated in detail before enduring a sad captivity while peace negotiations proceeded.

The Tsar's Last Armada is narrowly focused, and I believe somewhat sensationalized, but it's a solid naval history. And the acknowledgement has the best dedication, which I will reproduce in full.

"I want to end my acknowledgement with a very Russian twist. I am extremely grateful to these people who persistently discouraged me from writing this book. They did not like me, or the project, or in most cases both. Thank you--your hostility fortified my will and made me work harder."

Get some.