The Hilariously Disastrous Russian Naval Failure Known as the Baltic Fleet

We're giving you a history lesson on this episode, but don't worry, it's a hilarious tale of incompetence! During the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, Russia was looking to take back a warm water port on the Liaodong Peninsula in the south of Manchuria, China. Russia had gained control of Port Arthur through an agreement with China but Japan wasn't having that and took control of it at The Siege of Port Arthur. In response, Russia decided to send a fleet of their ships on an 18,000 mile journey to attempt to ambush the Japanese and get the port back. Unfortunately, the fleet known as the Russian Second Pacific Squadron was a hodgepodge of old obsolete battleships, ferries, and yachts manned by a crew of inexperienced sailors. The events that occurred during their long voyage were a slapstick comedy of errors that resulted in disaster after disaster. We promise that if you like to laugh, you HAVE to listen to this episode!