Andrew Bertan's History of The Day

9th of February, 1904 – the Japanese would launch a surprise attack on the Imperial Russian-held port of Port Arthur (Lüshun). The attack would be orchestrated by Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō over rival ambitions for the Korean peninsula and parts of greater Manchukuo (Manchuria).

It would start just after midnight on the 9th, launching torpedo boats into the harbour to damage and sink Russian capital ship within the Russian Pacific squadron while a dock and eliminating any serious naval presences, securing Japanese dominance in the Yellow sea. The Russian fleet at dock would be caught completely unaware was not able put forth any significant defences before the Japanese torpedo boat squadron were beginning their withdrawal. following this, the Japanese would capitalize on the success would later on in the morning both the port along with the ships remaining in its harbour would become targets of a naval bombardment from Tōgō’s main fleet.

In the resulting aftermath The Japanese would label the operation an absolute victory; Japan’s formal declaration would be sent the following day as the commencement of the Russo-Japanese war already tipping the scales of the conflict in Japan’s Emperor’s favour against what many governments at the time the “superior” forces of the Tsardom of Russia. So successful was the attack of Port Arthur, that it would cement the Japanese naval doctrine for decades after the fact, most prominently with the Attack of Pearl Harbour on the 7th, December, 1941.

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Courtesy of Andrew Bertan