Explanation: In the Dogger Bank incident, a Russian fleet departing Europe for the Russo-Japanese War encountered a handful of ships along the way. Assuming they were Japanese warships, the fleet opened fire on this terrifying foe!
Problem #1: They were in the Dogger Bank, which was a stone’s fucking throw from Britain, where Japanese warships were extremely unlikely to be.
Problem #2: It wasn’t a warship at all, they were fucking fishing boats.
Problem #3: Russian gunnery quality was so poor that an entire fleet of heavily armed ships managed to sink only one of the fishing boats, despite 20 minutes of firing on what were stationary targets.
Problem #4: The Russian ships fired on each other in the confusion, damaging each other and killing several Russian servicemen.
For obvious reasons, this resulted in a major diplomatic row between Russia and the UK, only resolved by international arbitration and the Russian Empire paying reparations and admitting fault.
The Russian fleet involved in this incident would continue on to their destination in Japanese waters, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, be destroyed by the Japanese in the Battle of Tsushima, considered one of the most resounding defeats in modern naval history.
Under diplomatic pressure, the Russian government agreed to investigate the incident, and Rozhestvensky was ordered to dock in Vigo, Spain, where he left behind those officers considered responsible (as well as at least one officer who had been critical of him) before leaving on 1 November.
That parenthetical statement does not surprise me at all
would continue on to their destination in Japanese waters
That journey was an epic one, full of insane shenanigans so bad that the other fleet they were supposed to reinforce did even try to mislead them about their whereabouts at one point in order to be spared that kind of “reinforcement”.
Look up “2nd Pacific squadron”, there is plenty of material on them online, especially some very hilarious Youtube videos.
One reason of that journey becoming a prolonged shitshow of shenanigans was the UK denying them passage through the Suez Canal as a result the Dogger Bank Incident, so they had to go all the way around Africa.
“They’re firing upon us, Captain!”
“Aye, by Neptune’s grace they be poor shots. Get below decks and arm yourselves, lads! We’ll let them bring the fight to us.”
“But, Captain, we’re a mere fishing vessel! We have no guns, no spears, merely nets!”
“Nets full of swordfish! Now, to arm with nature’s dagger!”
“Aye, by Neptune’s grace they be poor shots. Get below decks and arm yourselves, lads! We’ll let them bring the fight to us.”
Funny you should say this… at one point, the Russian ships did think they were being boarded, and the Russian sailors armed themselves with sabres on the deck for that reason.
Those fishermen must’ve looked real dangerous wielding those swordfish…
Name of show?
Original OP says “Chuunibyou”
