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Hint
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Answer
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This war that was fought during 1904 and 1905 caught Russia off guard, given that all of their navy was in the wrong ocean during the beginning.
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Russo-Japanese War
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Although it was a warm water port, their Pacific harbor at Port Arthur was very poor, strategy wise. Thus the czar sent Admiral Makerov, their best Admiral at the time, to help deal with this situation. Who was this czar?
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Czar Nicholas II
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Makerov helped the war turn around for a brief period, until he and everyone on his ship were killed. How was he killed?
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Mine (decapitated by shrapnel)
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With Makerov dead, two Russian squadrons were stuck in Port Arthur and this Russian port city.
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Vladivostok
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Fortunately, Russia still had two fleets, each occupying a certain sea. Name either sea.
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Baltic or Black
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Russia had no resupply bases, and neutral countries were not allowed to give supplies to belligerents according to the rules of war. That left 18,000 miles in between the source and destination. Russian ships were not prepared for travelling this far or for travelling in warm waters at all. What did Russia do to prepare?
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Nothing
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Zinovy Rozhestvensky was assigned to lead the Baltic Fleet to the Pacific. He was known for his furious temper, although he was not corrupt and incredibly fair to his men. Rozhestvensky was known for throwing this object overboard when angry, so his crewmates brought a whole crate of extras onboard. What was this object?
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Spyglasses
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This German leader was very impressed with Rozhestvensky during his visit to Russia.
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Kaiser Wilhelm II
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The fleet had a variety of ships unfit for war. Plenty of them were too heavy, causing the waterline to sit dangerously close to the secondary and tertiary batteries. One ship sank while in harbor because a worker left the hull open. Many vessels were refitted aristocratic ships known better by what name?
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Yachts
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Most of the crews on the ships were very uneducated, and many had never seen the sea. Rozhestvensky described his superiors as sacks of manure upon seeing them. After a few months of inadequate training, the fleet set sail. Unfortunately, the flagship ran aground and an escorting cruiser lost this important item.
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Anchor and Chain
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Whilst waiting for the cruiser, a destroyer accidentally rammed one of the battleships and had to return to port for repairs. After these issues were resolved, the fleet approached the Öresund Strait, where they had troubles with this country.
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Denmark
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Sailors began to yell that they were doomed because they believed they saw the enemy's torpedo boats at the strait. Despite this being impossible given the incredible distance, the sailors panicked. The fleet damaged these colliers through multiple collisions. Why were the colliers there?
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To supply the ships
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The icebreaker assigned to the fleet was incredibly poorly managed. After multiple attempts at signaling the ship to stop, Rozhestvensky fired multiple rounds at it. Where did he send it afterwards?
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Home (Back to Russia)
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To calm the paranoid soldiers, Rozhestvensky told them that no foreign vessel would be allowed near the fleet. Just afterwards, a messenger ship from the Czar went in. The fleet opened fire. Eventually, the messenger was let on board and Rozhestvensky learned that he was promoted to vide admiral. Luckily, the fleet was awful at combat. How was the ship damaged?
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Not even a scratch.
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The notorious Kamchatka sent out distress signals that it was surrounded by enemy torpedo boats from all directions. How many boats did it claim were there?
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Eight
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Of course, there were no enemies. Unfortunately, a fleet of British fishing boats were encountered, and believing they were more enemies, the Russians opened fire. One battleship prepared to sink while others were claiming to be shot. The Russians did not manage to hit any of the British vessels, but they did hit something. What did they hit?
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Their own destroyer, the Aurora.
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The Czar was quick to apologize, but the British people were demanding war with Russia because they believed the attack was no accident. Seeing how terrible the Russian fleet was at fighting, British Admiral Beresford suggested a chivilrous naval battle, planning to take on the enire fleet with only this many battleships to keep things fair. How many?
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Four
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The slower vessels planned on moving through the Suez, while the faster ones planned on moving around Africa. Eventually, a peace with Britain was attained, but Rozhestvensky was required to beach the officers responsible for the attack. Taking this opportunity, Rozhestvensky beached Captain Klado. What did Klado do?
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Insulted Rozhestvensky
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The Fleet had lost contact with the Kamchatka for some days, hoping they would never have to see the abomination again. Unfortunately, it returned, reporting that it had fired over 300 rounds at what it thought were Japanese ships. Name one of the many countries that the Kamchatka had accidentally threatened with war.
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Sweden, Germany, and France.
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The fleet was running low on coal, and needed to meet up with a German coal supply ship on the coast of West Africa. The ships were ordered to take on double loads of coal, even though there wasn't enough space in the bunkers. This resulted in the ships being covered in a fine layer of coal dust. What does this make the fleet vulnerable to?
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Combustion of any kind
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There is a certain disease common among coal miners. Due to the West Aftrican humidity and the coal dust in the air, many of the shipmen suffered from this disease too. What is it?
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The Black Lung
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Captain Klado sent messages to Rozhestvensky, saying that a fleet of reinforcements were coming to meet them. Knowing that these ships were all piles of junk, Rozhestvensky decided to keep his location a secret from the fleet, hoping to never meet up with them. What was the city in South Africa that they ported in before going off the radar for some time?
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Cape Town
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To lift morale, the crews adopted exotic pets on their way up the Eastern coast of Africa. Name one type of pet they adopted.
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Crocodile, Poisonous Snake, Parrot, Lemur, and Chameleon
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The refrigerated supply ship's cooling plant broke. The tons of rotting meat were thrown overboard. What sea life did this attract?
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Sharks
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Rozhestvensky became incredibly ill and his second-in-command suffered a brain hemorrhage, resulting in no command for the ships, so they stayed at Madagascar. Name any of the resulting diseases that ran rampant among the ships.
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Malaria, Dysentery, Typhoid, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Scabies.
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The Kamchatka fired a salute during a funeral and accidentally used a live round. Which ship, which was previously hit, received this blow?
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The Aurora
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As Rozhestvensky recovered, he saw a fleet of diseased, insane, and politically and religiously zealous soldiers. He significantly lowered his manpower by purging the worst offenders and sending them back home. Many shipmates found that Madagascar had a sprawling drug industry. One crew member bought two thousand cigarettes containing what depressant drug?
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Opium
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The fleet's ammunition supplies were low due to all the false alarms. A resupply ship came with crates of ammunition, except upon opening the crates, the crews discovered twelve thousand of what items of clothing?
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Coats or Pairs of boots
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Rozhestvensky attempted a new method of discipline to try and put his ships in order. He would have the offending ship sail directly behind his, and he would berate the captain in front of his crew using this voice-amplifying tool.
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Megaphone
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After the Third Russian Pacific Squadron, dubbed "an archaeological exhibit of naval architecture" by Rozhestvensky met up with the others, Rozhestvensky sent a letter of resignation to Russia. Did the Czar accept it?
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Of course not.
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Upon sailing to the Strait of Tsushima, the battle of Tsushima began when enemy vessels were spotted behind the Second Pacific Squadron. Which side won this battle?
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The Japanese
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On a side note, can you accept "Japan" for the last question?