VISIT OF THE MIKASA

Admiral Togo greetings visitors to the Mikasa.

I was in Japan for two weeks and I took half a day to visit the Mikasa, Admiral Togo's flag ship at the battle of Tsushima (or battle of the Sea of Japan) in 1905. I thought I would share some of the pictures I took.

The ship is located in Yokosuka, about 45 minutes by train from Tokyo, to the south. In Yokosuka, there is also a huge American naval base since the end of World War II. To get onto the ship costs only 600 yens ($7). The ship is "beached", enclosed in concrete by the sea.

Togo was standing on top of the bridge during the battle.

12" guns viewed from the front deck.

The Mikasa was restored in the late 50s with the help of Admiral Nimitz. Since the ship fought the Russians and the cold war was heating up, the Americans saw in the process a good opportunity to collect brownie points. There is actually very little original 1905 steel left, but hey, how many 100 years old battleships can you visit in the world?

UTE! (fire!) View of the 12" guns from the upper bridge,
where Togo was standing.

The 3" guns deck.

The armored bridge, enclosed in 13" thick walls.

The whole interior of the Mikasa has been converted into a museum. A nice miniature of the Mikasa rests besides a reproduction of the Victory. Tsushima is the for the Japanese what Trafalgar is for the British and Togo, according to the displays, is way up there with Nelson.

A model of the Mikasa.

An animated diorama of the battle.

The officer's mess. The 3" gun adds some ambiance.

Nothing like drinking an Admiral Togo beer before heading back to the hotel.

In Yokosuka, there is also a naval base for the Japanese Navy. I took a few pictures of modern ships before heading back to Yokohama.

A Huyga class helicopter carrier

A modern Japanese submarine.

Hope you enjoyed. I also visited the Yasukuni shrine, the closest thing to a war museum in Japan. I`ll have a report in a few days.