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The Fleet That Had to Die
(Hardcover - 1975) 207 Pages, 1lb, . Richard Hough, Severn House Publishers, 1975 Printing, 8x5.25x0.6 inch, Naval History, The Fleet That Had To Die
158 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
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193 people want to read
About the author
Richard Hough
140 books24 followersRichard Alexander Hough was a British author and historian specializing in naval history. As a child, he was obsessed with making model warships and collecting information about navies around the world. In 1941, he joined the Royal Air Force and trained at a flying school near Los Angeles. He flew Hurricanes and Typhoons and was wounded in action.
After World War II, Hough worked as a part-time delivery driver for a wine shop, while looking for employment involving books. He finally joined the publishing house Bodley Head, and then Hamish Hamilton, where he eventually headed the children’s book division.
His work as a publisher inspired him to turn to writing himself in 1950, and he went on to write more than ninety books over a long and successful career. Best-known for his works of naval history and his biographies, he also wrote war novels and books for children (under the pseudonym Bruce Carter), all of which sold in huge numbers around the world. His works include The Longest Battle: The War at Sea 1939-45, Naval Battles of the Twentieth Century and best-selling biographies of Earl Mountbatten of Burma and Captain James Cook. Captain Bligh and Mr Christian, his 1972 account of the mutiny on the Bounty, was the basis of the 1984 film The Bounty, starring Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson.
Hough was the official historian of the Mountbatten family and a longtime student of Churchill. Winston Churchill figures prominently in nine of his books, including Former Naval Person: Churchill and the Wars at Sea. He won the Daily Express Best Book of the Sea Award in 1972.
After World War II, Hough worked as a part-time delivery driver for a wine shop, while looking for employment involving books. He finally joined the publishing house Bodley Head, and then Hamish Hamilton, where he eventually headed the children’s book division.
His work as a publisher inspired him to turn to writing himself in 1950, and he went on to write more than ninety books over a long and successful career. Best-known for his works of naval history and his biographies, he also wrote war novels and books for children (under the pseudonym Bruce Carter), all of which sold in huge numbers around the world. His works include The Longest Battle: The War at Sea 1939-45, Naval Battles of the Twentieth Century and best-selling biographies of Earl Mountbatten of Burma and Captain James Cook. Captain Bligh and Mr Christian, his 1972 account of the mutiny on the Bounty, was the basis of the 1984 film The Bounty, starring Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson.
Hough was the official historian of the Mountbatten family and a longtime student of Churchill. Winston Churchill figures prominently in nine of his books, including Former Naval Person: Churchill and the Wars at Sea. He won the Daily Express Best Book of the Sea Award in 1972.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
September 16, 2025
This is a fascinating and memorable read, recounting a battle I had never heard of in a war I knew little of other than the fact that it had happened. The battle of Tsushima occurred during the brief golden age of the battleship, after the time of the sail-propelled man-of-war and before aircraft made the battleship's huge guns largely obsolete. That alone makes this an interesting topic, but the bizarre nature of the mismatch between the two protagonists is truly fascinating. At the time, the Russo-Japanese War was seen as plucky Japan against the fearsome Russian bear. This is a view that, at least concerning the naval campaign, history has come to see very differently. The Japanese navy was well trained, well equipped and, in Admiral Togo possessed a leader of real genius. The Russian navy, on the other hand, was none of these things and can only be described as an incompetent mess.
Following defeat on land and at sea in the Far East, the bulk of the Russian Baltic fleet was dispatched as reinforcements. The story Richard Hough has so ably told is that of their epic voyage to the Pacific and their crushing defeat at the hands of the Japanese Navy. Indicators of this coming defeat are seen early, in several incidents that are almost unbelievable. There is something comically bizarre about the picture of a fully equipped battle fleet steaming down the North Sea only to panic and start bombarding (largely ineffectively) the fishing fleet out of Hull on Dogger Bank, and so almost triggering a war with Britain. Then there are the descriptions of overloading with coal at Dakar, like something out of Dante - heat, humidity, noise and vibration, and everywhere the coal dust, hanging in the air and sticking to every surface of man and ship. As Hough describes it, the experience was like being in a mine shaft during a heat wave - for four months!
There are no surprises in the inevitable showdown with the Japanese battle fleet, which conducted itself with ruthless efficiency. I almost feel sorry for Admiral Rozhestvensky, but his incompetence and moral cowardice ultimately led to the loss of his battleships and some 5000 Russian sailors. His only real achievement, and it is a significant one, was to hold his fleet together from the Baltic to the Japanese Sea, a quite remarkable feat of leadership and seamanship. If anything, this contrasts with his total ineffectiveness in action even more starkly.
Lest we conclude that Richard Hough has merely written the tale of an interesting but ultimately irrelevant incident in naval history, it is worth considering briefly the wider consequences of the Battle of Tsushima. Indirectly, it is a particularly vivid example of the rottenness of the Tsarist regime, and prefigures the revolution that was to engulf Russia little more than a decade later. Directly, it fed a spirit of expansionist confidence in Japan that was to reach its culmination at Pearl Harbour. Russia got the better of an exhausted Japan in the negotiations following the end of the war, and for their part, Japan failed to realise that Russia's relatively limitless resources would have allowed it to win a more prolonged war of attrition. The failure to learn this lesson again led Japan to Pearl Harbour, and so this little-known and quite strange battle has a resonance and importance that is quite remarkable.
Following defeat on land and at sea in the Far East, the bulk of the Russian Baltic fleet was dispatched as reinforcements. The story Richard Hough has so ably told is that of their epic voyage to the Pacific and their crushing defeat at the hands of the Japanese Navy. Indicators of this coming defeat are seen early, in several incidents that are almost unbelievable. There is something comically bizarre about the picture of a fully equipped battle fleet steaming down the North Sea only to panic and start bombarding (largely ineffectively) the fishing fleet out of Hull on Dogger Bank, and so almost triggering a war with Britain. Then there are the descriptions of overloading with coal at Dakar, like something out of Dante - heat, humidity, noise and vibration, and everywhere the coal dust, hanging in the air and sticking to every surface of man and ship. As Hough describes it, the experience was like being in a mine shaft during a heat wave - for four months!
There are no surprises in the inevitable showdown with the Japanese battle fleet, which conducted itself with ruthless efficiency. I almost feel sorry for Admiral Rozhestvensky, but his incompetence and moral cowardice ultimately led to the loss of his battleships and some 5000 Russian sailors. His only real achievement, and it is a significant one, was to hold his fleet together from the Baltic to the Japanese Sea, a quite remarkable feat of leadership and seamanship. If anything, this contrasts with his total ineffectiveness in action even more starkly.
Lest we conclude that Richard Hough has merely written the tale of an interesting but ultimately irrelevant incident in naval history, it is worth considering briefly the wider consequences of the Battle of Tsushima. Indirectly, it is a particularly vivid example of the rottenness of the Tsarist regime, and prefigures the revolution that was to engulf Russia little more than a decade later. Directly, it fed a spirit of expansionist confidence in Japan that was to reach its culmination at Pearl Harbour. Russia got the better of an exhausted Japan in the negotiations following the end of the war, and for their part, Japan failed to realise that Russia's relatively limitless resources would have allowed it to win a more prolonged war of attrition. The failure to learn this lesson again led Japan to Pearl Harbour, and so this little-known and quite strange battle has a resonance and importance that is quite remarkable.
July 17, 2018
Very well written history of the events that led to the destruction of the Russian Fleet during the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. The book allowed me to understand the difficulties that Russia experienced in getting the ships to the battle zone, and the differences between the mental set of the officers and men of both nations as they came to battle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2016
A handy little book which tells the tragic story of the Tsar's fleet and it's epic journey from one part of the Russian Empire to the distant Pacific port in modern day Korea. Denied access to the Suez canal this mighty fleet had to journey around the cape of Africa and face the trials of logistics, paranoia of its crew and all the while it had to face the young though superb Japanese fleet.
An interesting part of history which addresses the rising threat of the Orient to the old established Occidental Imperial ways as well as depicting early 20th Century naval warfare as it confronted the dogmas of 19th century naval know how.
A definite good read on this subject matter.
82 %
An interesting part of history which addresses the rising threat of the Orient to the old established Occidental Imperial ways as well as depicting early 20th Century naval warfare as it confronted the dogmas of 19th century naval know how.
A definite good read on this subject matter.
82 %
Read
November 17, 2017Interesting but not terribly detailed. I would have liked better, more in depth coverage of the battle at TsuShima. It was very short and utterly non descriptive.
Maps and pictures were non existent. A comparison between the Russian and Japanese order of battle should have made an appearance. Some technical information on the then current state of naval technology, ship design, gunnery/fire control, and torpedoes should have been included. Overall not Hough's
best work. Still I finished it and marvelled and was appalled by the Russian's amateurish incompetence, their tenacity was amazing, but foolish.
Maps and pictures were non existent. A comparison between the Russian and Japanese order of battle should have made an appearance. Some technical information on the then current state of naval technology, ship design, gunnery/fire control, and torpedoes should have been included. Overall not Hough's
best work. Still I finished it and marvelled and was appalled by the Russian's amateurish incompetence, their tenacity was amazing, but foolish.
February 11, 2018
A good and interesting read. However, ubless you are a geographic wizzard it was difficult to follow the journey without a map. I had my atlas handy so no big deal. But sone kind of map or graph would have been handy.
August 17, 2023
Long voyage. Short fight
The Russo-Japanese War took place between 1904 and 1905. (For historical context, the Wright Brothers’ first flight was in 1903.) Because the Japanese naval forces were dominate in the Far East in 1904, Russia could only attempt to contest the Japanese forces by sailing a large fleet of warships from the Baltic Sea to the Sea of Japan (so, roughly half-way around the world).
Nearly 90% of the book is about that long voyage. Still, I found the difficulties of that voyage quite interesting to read about. The Russian fleet, like the other fleets in those days, were coal-fueled – and even securing a steady resupply of coal for the long voyage was a challenge. You learn of the rebellious nature of the Russian crews. And how ill-trained they were compared to the crews from more sea-faring nations like England and Japan. Some of the Russian ships were old & slow, and some were designed just for coastal defense rather global sea-power projection. And while the Russian fleet plodded along on their long, slow voyage, Japanese successes on land and sea resulted in an increasingly deteriorating tactical situation for the Russian fleet. Basically, the deadly risks that the Russian fleet would face kept mounting as it sailed towards its climactic battle with the Japanese naval forces. So the book’s description of that voyage was also a description of the increasing desperate and foreboding situation that the Russian fleet was sailing into.
Curiously, I felt the book’s description of the actual battle was relativity short and bereft of detail – and so the description of the whole battle felt a bit “flat” to this reader. Perhaps part of the problem was that trying to research historical information on a battle fought about 120 years ago can be difficult. In addition, the whole book is mostly told from the Russian perspective; and since the Russians lost that battle, there would be fewer survivors (and those who survived may not have been too interested in recording their remembrances).
Bottom Line: An interesting, but also sad, tale of a fleet sailing to its doom.
The Russo-Japanese War took place between 1904 and 1905. (For historical context, the Wright Brothers’ first flight was in 1903.) Because the Japanese naval forces were dominate in the Far East in 1904, Russia could only attempt to contest the Japanese forces by sailing a large fleet of warships from the Baltic Sea to the Sea of Japan (so, roughly half-way around the world).
Nearly 90% of the book is about that long voyage. Still, I found the difficulties of that voyage quite interesting to read about. The Russian fleet, like the other fleets in those days, were coal-fueled – and even securing a steady resupply of coal for the long voyage was a challenge. You learn of the rebellious nature of the Russian crews. And how ill-trained they were compared to the crews from more sea-faring nations like England and Japan. Some of the Russian ships were old & slow, and some were designed just for coastal defense rather global sea-power projection. And while the Russian fleet plodded along on their long, slow voyage, Japanese successes on land and sea resulted in an increasingly deteriorating tactical situation for the Russian fleet. Basically, the deadly risks that the Russian fleet would face kept mounting as it sailed towards its climactic battle with the Japanese naval forces. So the book’s description of that voyage was also a description of the increasing desperate and foreboding situation that the Russian fleet was sailing into.
Curiously, I felt the book’s description of the actual battle was relativity short and bereft of detail – and so the description of the whole battle felt a bit “flat” to this reader. Perhaps part of the problem was that trying to research historical information on a battle fought about 120 years ago can be difficult. In addition, the whole book is mostly told from the Russian perspective; and since the Russians lost that battle, there would be fewer survivors (and those who survived may not have been too interested in recording their remembrances).
Bottom Line: An interesting, but also sad, tale of a fleet sailing to its doom.
November 16, 2021
I Stumbled on “The Fleet That Had to Die” on a cold and rainy day. I just finished watching “The French Dispatch” at the Michigan theater and unsatisfied with my Thursday night, walked into Dawn Treader Bookshops. Spotting the dusty and vintage hardcover, the grim title, and six dollars later I found myself hooked from the first chapter. This short nonfiction is simply brilliant. The story reads as a nautical “Frye Fest”. While historical outcome of Tzarist Russia’s infamous 2nd Pacific Fleet is well known, I haven’t seen the voyage presented in such a welcome humorous light. Like watching a slow motion car crash, the grim curiosity combined with the books dry humor made it easy to read. To truly appreciate the dramatic irony of the book I really recommended getting acquainted with the history of the voyage and the subsequent battle of Tsushima before reading this book. I’d recommend mike Duncan’s Russian revolution podcast. What elevated this book from something I “liked” to something I can confidently profess my love for is in the final chapters about the battle of Tsushima. The author made a good choice to switch from a borderline mocking tone to somber realism. The ships, their officers and crew that I spent the past chapters laughing at were subjected to the worst industrial slaughter to ever befall a fleet at that point in history. The humanity of the comic characters are laid bare and their true colors showed. I honestly felt bad for finding the previous chapters humorous after finishing the book. The characters were real people, they went through hell to die for a futile gesture for the tzar. And that’s something that you should appreciate.
Captain Bukhvostoff said it best before casting off their suicide mission:
“There will be no victory, but we will know how to die”
And “the fleet that had to die” tells that story beautifully.
Captain Bukhvostoff said it best before casting off their suicide mission:
“There will be no victory, but we will know how to die”
And “the fleet that had to die” tells that story beautifully.
December 22, 2024
Hough's telling of the large expedition to go half way around the world to end at Thushima is not an in-depth analysis, but a very smoothly told story , more or less in the tradition of that other great writer Robert Massie. Both manage to tell gripping stories, mainly by concentrating on the people involved rather than the technical events. The ultimate clash at Thushima is not handled in great detail, though it does hint at the possibilities the russians still had at the opening stage of the battle. That sure was an eye-opener for me. This book would have been greatly enhanced by some maps giving insight into the fenomenal achievement of the russians involved. Though they considered themselves not first rate seaman, they actually became legends due to their quest.
August 11, 2021
This was a fascinating account of the final naval action of the Russo-Japanese war. I knew next to nothing about this war and still don't after reading this account. However, it wasn't the aim of the book to tell that story. This account was about the Czar's last ditch effort to defeat the Japanese. The fleet went to sea in outdated ships, had myriad logistical hardships because of the vast distances, and rarely found a friendly port to resupply. It was a lot for these sailors to endure to ultimately lose nearly all the ships, and thousands of lives, in an engagement that lasted less than two days. I really enjoyed this read!
October 24, 2017
A Moving Account of A Little-Known Fight
I knew more or less nothing about the Russo-Japanese War and chose this book because I am interested in naval history. It was gripping: it describes an almost superhuman feat of naval voyaging that ended in stark horror at the battle of Tsushima Straits and tragedy for thousands of men who died there. Most moving of all is the portrait of the Russian Admiral saddled with an impossible task, a man whose heroic effort and indefatigable courage went for naught. A terrible story told in a terrific book.
I knew more or less nothing about the Russo-Japanese War and chose this book because I am interested in naval history. It was gripping: it describes an almost superhuman feat of naval voyaging that ended in stark horror at the battle of Tsushima Straits and tragedy for thousands of men who died there. Most moving of all is the portrait of the Russian Admiral saddled with an impossible task, a man whose heroic effort and indefatigable courage went for naught. A terrible story told in a terrific book.
September 8, 2018
An interesting readable book on what is now a little known, but fascinating series of events leading up to the destruction of the Russian Baltic fleet at the Battle of Tsushima in 1905. Under the command of Admiral Rozhestvensky, the Russian fleet - all coal- burning ironclads, some dated, sailed 18,000 miles from the Baltic, around Africa, only to be defeated by the well-organised Japanese fleet under Admiral Togo. A readable, un-technical account of the voyage & the final battle that saw the destruction of the Russian fleet.
February 5, 2023
Liked the book much more than I thought . Had never read anything about the Soviet navy. It was a little confusing during the big battle but it fit the title well. The navy had a lot of confused bosses and things might have been different with more advanced ships. Never realized so much coal could be burned and loading seemed a horrible job even in calm waters. They were sent out for reasons that no one seemed to care about losing all those lives for. Liked reading something so out of the norm in history.
March 11, 2023
Outstanding story of the doomed Russian Baltic Fleet sent around the world to suffer defeat at the hands of Japan in 1905. I didnt think i would care about this story, but it captivated me from the very beginning. Almost all knew it was a fools errand to send 45 warships around Africa to Vladivostock. Some 18000 miles with hostile powers along the way, problems with coaling, mutiny, the weather , outdated ships, poor training etc. It reads like a Greek tragedy and in all practical purposes it was.
June 24, 2023
Superb account
This was written closer to the time of the events described than the present day but has a pace, clarity and descriptive flair worthy of the best contemporary writers. The key events, characters and places are brought memorably to life by Hough, who clearly knew his subject exhaustively and was able to communicate clearly with the landlubbing lay-reader. The events described are in themselves so remarkable (and important) it seems amazing they are so little known today.
This was written closer to the time of the events described than the present day but has a pace, clarity and descriptive flair worthy of the best contemporary writers. The key events, characters and places are brought memorably to life by Hough, who clearly knew his subject exhaustively and was able to communicate clearly with the landlubbing lay-reader. The events described are in themselves so remarkable (and important) it seems amazing they are so little known today.
June 28, 2023
The Fleet That Had to Die
"What is life, but a dream of a Summer's night"...quote of a Japanese naval officer prior to the battle of Tsu-Shima.
This book is a treasure in that it gives the tweety first century reader a glimpse into the world of seafaring in the early days of the twentieth century. The often forgotten Battle of Tsu-Shima shaped our history in a way few events ever have. This brilliantly written book is a must for anyone who considers himself a student of history.
"What is life, but a dream of a Summer's night"...quote of a Japanese naval officer prior to the battle of Tsu-Shima.
This book is a treasure in that it gives the tweety first century reader a glimpse into the world of seafaring in the early days of the twentieth century. The often forgotten Battle of Tsu-Shima shaped our history in a way few events ever have. This brilliantly written book is a must for anyone who considers himself a student of history.
June 4, 2025
Must reading for anyone who tasks or commands naval forces
The author does a great job of explaining the challenges overcome by the doomed fleet. They were exhausted in every way: logisictally, physically, & mentally before they dragged themselves into the site of the battle. In his resignation to the President, a former SECDEF highlighted the value of allies to our national defense. That person, now President again should read this book before he offends any more of our historical allies.
The author does a great job of explaining the challenges overcome by the doomed fleet. They were exhausted in every way: logisictally, physically, & mentally before they dragged themselves into the site of the battle. In his resignation to the President, a former SECDEF highlighted the value of allies to our national defense. That person, now President again should read this book before he offends any more of our historical allies.
March 6, 2023
An amazing story.
All I knew of the battle of Tsushima was that it was an overwhelming Japanese victory led by Admiral Togo. I had no idea of the trials faced by the Russian Second Baltic Fleet in getting there after a most arduous eighteen thousand mile voyage. Unbelievable. The battle itself was anticlimactic but certainly not a surprise after all the Russians had been through. Well worth the read.
All I knew of the battle of Tsushima was that it was an overwhelming Japanese victory led by Admiral Togo. I had no idea of the trials faced by the Russian Second Baltic Fleet in getting there after a most arduous eighteen thousand mile voyage. Unbelievable. The battle itself was anticlimactic but certainly not a surprise after all the Russians had been through. Well worth the read.
March 26, 2023
Excellent retelling of an episode in naval history.
I am retired US Navy and have been interested since I was young in all things nautical. I have read concerning this episode from historical sources which are dry and matter of fact. This retelling puts you aboard with the blue jackets and all the issues they faced. Compared to modern navy's they had it tough with the coal, poor ventilation, hard tack, and salt pork. It an easy read being very well written.
I am retired US Navy and have been interested since I was young in all things nautical. I have read concerning this episode from historical sources which are dry and matter of fact. This retelling puts you aboard with the blue jackets and all the issues they faced. Compared to modern navy's they had it tough with the coal, poor ventilation, hard tack, and salt pork. It an easy read being very well written.
March 27, 2023
This is an incredible account of an almost unbelievable journey. Who in today's jet travel age would have thought of the limit that getting coal for his fleet would be such a major factor in waging war? The details of the voyage from the black sea to Japan in the age of coal fired steam are fascinating.
At the same time the hopelessness of the journey because of poor political conditions at home and revolutionary fervor within the fleet adds to the drama to the story. A great read about some little known history.
At the same time the hopelessness of the journey because of poor political conditions at home and revolutionary fervor within the fleet adds to the drama to the story. A great read about some little known history.
August 3, 2022
A gem of a story regarding a little known era in naval history. The author tells it very well and I think he wanted to keep a balance between the drama unfolding as the Russian fleet made a jaw dropping journey and the battle itself. More details regarding the battle would have been good but I am sure this can be found elsewhere. A good read.
December 30, 2024
As it is usual in case of Richard Hough, the book is marveloussly written. Although devoid of many, at first glance, indispensable in such a book, technical details - like ships' displacements, armament, maps, diagrams etc. it is a wonderful read, real page turner, grasping reader's attention rom the very beginning and not letting go until thevery end.
March 25, 2022
This is an account of the Battle of Tsu Shima which I had never heard of between Russia and Japan. The larger part of the book concerns itself with the epic journey of the Russian fleet from the Baltic to the East and concludes with the battle. Interesting but harrowing, farcical and tragic.
February 6, 2023
Readable and informative
I enjoyed reading this book and gained a great deal of information from it. I learnt a lot about the characters of the officers as well as the morale of the seamen. Excellent!
I enjoyed reading this book and gained a great deal of information from it. I learnt a lot about the characters of the officers as well as the morale of the seamen. Excellent!
March 26, 2023
Not for me
I chose this rating because this is what I thought of the book. Full disclosure, the story was not what I expected. And in
fairness to anyone who is interested in the
history of the Russian Navy, I'm sure that they would find this book to be greatly interesting
I chose this rating because this is what I thought of the book. Full disclosure, the story was not what I expected. And in
fairness to anyone who is interested in the
history of the Russian Navy, I'm sure that they would find this book to be greatly interesting
August 13, 2023
A bit dated for a read as it was written about 70 years ago, but still a very good and interesting historical account of a doomed fleet that had nothing but troubles sailing half of the world to be destroyed in the most one sided naval battle in history.
February 13, 2025
if you like Naval history, read this book
The detail woven into this historical event by the author made me feel as if I was there on that very long journey. The book is well written, and tells a great story of a great and really the battle of battleships.
The detail woven into this historical event by the author made me feel as if I was there on that very long journey. The book is well written, and tells a great story of a great and really the battle of battleships.
March 9, 2018
A fantastic read
A very good examination of the events from the Russian point of view. Would have been even better if there were maps of the journey and the battle.
A very good examination of the events from the Russian point of view. Would have been even better if there were maps of the journey and the battle.
September 27, 2019
An interesting account of an often overlooked conflict.
August 28, 2020
Very good description of the voyage, not so much of the battle.
May 17, 2021
A nice one.
Excellent can't put down book, written in a deliberately entertaining way while carefully sticking to the facts, to me a rare satisfying combination.
Excellent can't put down book, written in a deliberately entertaining way while carefully sticking to the facts, to me a rare satisfying combination.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews