Organization and Some Results of the Work Baikal Ferry in 1904–1905

Abstract

For many years, the Russian-Japanese war was considered ingloriously lost in Russian historiography. The world and domestic liberal press, and then the Soviet historical science, tried with all their might to create the impression of a complete defeat of Russia. However, if we conduct a deeper analysis of military events, it becomes obvious that only a year after the start of the war, Japan’s offensive pressure dried up and its emerging economic and military problems came to the fore. Japan did not expect that the enemy would be able to establish an effective and uninterrupted supply of troops: in a short time, instead of a poorly equipped Siberian road, a well-established highway was developed and operated, connecting the center of Russia with the army fighting in the east of the country by a continuous rail route. The Baikal ferry in 1904–1905, being the only link of the Trans-Siberian Railway, determined the capacity of the entire highway. This article highlights some aspects and results of its work during this period.