On the eve of the Russo-Japanese War, Rear Admiral Makarov, commander of the Far East Fleet, wrote to the Russian Admiralty, pointing out that war was imminent, that the Russian warships anchored in the anchorage outside the port of Lushun were in danger, that they might be attacked by the Japanese Navy at any time, and that countermeasures must be taken immediately just in case, but unfortunately, the Tsarist Admiralty ignored Makarov's suggestion.
On February 9, 1904, the Combined Fleet of the Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy, and at the beginning of the war, the overall strength of the Russian Navy still had a certain advantage, but due to the arrogance of the decision-maker, the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Stark, was arrogant and light on the enemy, and the command mistakes in the naval battle, under the heavy blow of the Japanese ships, Stark was helpless, and had to shrink the ships into the narrow port of Lushun, and the main battleships were constantly damaged, losing their initiative, and it had become a difficult situation to ride the tiger.
Subsequently, Stark was dismissed from his post by the Russian Admiralty for his lack of command, and Vice Admiral Makarov took over as commander of the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy, and soon went to the port of Lushun to take up his post.
Makarov's arrival boosted the low morale of the Russian army, took emergency remedial measures, and saved the current unfavorable situation of the Russian army, as if injecting a shot of strength into the Lushun fortress and reversing the situation of passive combat.
The new commander personally led the fleet to go out, gave the officers and men of the Russian Navy great courage, repelled the Japanese Navy's attack several times, and changed the passive defensive tactics of the past to take the initiative.
Heihachiro Togo, commander of the Japanese Navy's combined fleet with a keen sense of smell, seized on the Russian Navy's eagerness to turn the tide of the war and blindly attacked, and dispatched several ships in the middle of the night to secretly lay mines outside the port of Lushun.
In addition, Togo Heihachirō sent several ships to lure the enemy outside the port of Lushun, and several destroyers of the Russian Navy operating outside the port returned to the port, but they were besieged by Japanese naval ships and could not get out of danger.
In this context, Makarov personally led the fleet out of the port of Lushun to meet the enemy, directly chased the retreating Japanese naval ships, and when it was found that the main fleet of the Japanese Navy was already waiting in the distance, he immediately made a decision and ordered the ships to return.
On the way back, Makarov's main armored ship of the Russian Navy, also known as the flagship of the Battleship's Pacific Fleet, "Petropavlovsk", unfortunately struck a mine, causing the ship's mines and main boiler and ammunition magazine to explode continuously, and then sank to the cold seabed.
Makarov could not take refuge, together with more than 500 officers and men on the armored ship "Petropavlovsk" buried at the bottom of the sea, Makarov died in the naval battle, giving the Russian Navy Pacific Fleet a heavy blow, the morale of Russian officers and men plummeted, the fleet's breakthrough and rescue operations failed one after another, and there was no hope of breaking through the Japanese naval blockade and encirclement.
With Makarov's death, the Russian Pacific Fleet became an empty shell anchored in the harbor, no longer able to pose any threat to the Japanese mainland and sea lines of transport, and the Japanese Navy completely controlled the Yellow Sea.
In the end, it also led to the subsequent fall of Lushun Fortress, and the defeat of the Second Pacific Fleet in the Tsushima Strait, which was soon completely destroyed.
Tip: Parameters of the battleship Petropavlovsk, 188.7 meters long, 25 meters wide, 8.3 meters draft, standard displacement of 23400 tons, full load displacement of 25850 tons. The maximum speed is 23 knots, the endurance is 4000 nautical miles at 16 knots; the power is steam turbine, the total power is 50000 horsepower; the shipboard armament is: 4 triple 305 mm main guns, 16 single-barrel 120 mm naval guns, 10 76 mm anti-aircraft guns, 1 quadruple 457 mm torpedo tubes, and a crew of 1230 people.