May 29: ON THIS DAY in 1905, 20 Russian warships sunk or captured; Japanese fleet unharmed in great naval battle
ON THIS DAY IN 1905, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “WASHINGTON — It was about 10:30 this morning when the official news of the sweeping victory of Admiral Togo reached Washington. The news created a tremendous sensation. An examination of the list of ships under Admiral Rojestvensky’s command showed that just about half of his fleet was either sunk or captured. Four of his eight battleships are at the bottom of the sea or in possession of the Japanese, five of his nine cruisers are sunk and two-thirds of his coast defense vessels captured. He has lost over 4,000 men on the vessels thus disposed of. ‘Alongside of this catastrophe,’ said Assistant Secretary of the Navy Darling, ‘the little engagement on the south coast of Cuba in 1898 pales into insignificance. Really there is no comparison between the two events. The Santiago fight was merely the effort of a few badly crippled cruisers to run away from a powerful fleet made up of battleships and armored cruisers. The fight yesterday was wholly different. It was the first engagement of modern battleships and the lessons to be learned from it will have an incalculable influence on the naval warfare of the future.”
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ON THIS DAY IN 1937, the Eagle reported, “MONTS, FRANCE (AP) — The Duke of Windsor was reported today to be in a temper and ‘ready to fight’ the decree of his brother-successor which barred Wallis Warfield from the title of ‘Her Royal Highness.’ He was described as ‘mad and sore’ and the source at the Chateau De Cande said it was impossible to predict what action Edward might be contemplating. It is said the former British monarch, who abdicated when Britain refused the Baltimore divorcee as Queen, at first would not believe London dispatches telling of last night’s decision. Convinced finally of their truth, the slim, blond Edward, who will wed Mrs. Warfield at Cande next Tuesday, then declined to consider the decree — or the decision of the British Government behind it — as final. It was indicated he might take action to reopen the question, which he had thought settled in his favor before the Civil Marriage ceremony next week, but the procedure of such a course was not disclosed. How the dark-haired Mrs. Warfield took the decision was not disclosed, but it was reliably said that ‘H.R.H.’ and coronets had been embroidered on some articles of her elaborate trousseau.”
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