Dogger Bank.

This is coolbert:

"It is almost inconceivable that any men calling themselves seamen, however frightened they might be, could spend twenty minutes bombarding a fleet of fishing boats without discovering the nature of their target."

From the Russo-Japanese War of 1905, here is one of the strangest events in military history. A "friendly fire incident" that defies any possible explanation.

The Dogger Bank incident.

[Dogger Bank was also a naval battle of World War One [WW1]. The first Dogger Bank is from prior-WW1.]

"The Dogger Bank incident (also known as Incident of Hull or The Russian Outrage) occurred when the Russian Baltic Fleet mistook some British trawlers [30 harmless fishing trawlers/civilian vessels] at Dogger Bank for an Imperial Japanese Navy force . . .Three British sailors died and a number were wounded . . . The incident almost led to war between Britain and Russia"

This was the Russian fleet often referred to as: "The Fleet That Had to Die"

Russian Baltic Sea fleet, sailing 18,000 miles to reach and relieve the Russians dug in and besieged at Port Arthur. A fleet sailinhg through the Atlantic, around the Cape of Good Hope, across the Indian Ocean, passage of the Strait of Malacca, north to the Sea of Japan and a final and terrible destiny [obliteration at the hands of Admiral Togo.]!

Russians warships - - at night - - mistaking English fishing vessels for Japanese torpedo boats! THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF MILES FROM ANY POSSIBILITY OF JAPANESE ATTACK, THE RUSSIAN FIRING WANTONLY, CALLOUSLY, TOTALLY UNPROVOKED!!

Casualties might have much worse - - but for the fact that the Russian naval gunners were inept in the extreme!!

"More serious losses on both sides were only avoided by the extremely low quality of Russian naval artillery fire, with one battleship reported to have fired more than 500 shots without hitting anything."

This too is A BIG SURPRISE!!??

"Because of this incident many British Naval Officers and British Merchant
Officers volunteered their services to Japan."

By that point in the war, after Tsushima, the war was more or less over, the Russian ready to throw in the towel and negotiate. British personnel however, were sincere in their outrage and ready, willing, and to go fight on the side of Japanese!!

coolbert.