SPOILER SEASON IS OVER FOR TEiF!!!

With respect to Tsushima, there are two interesting issues noted in period studies.

The first issue is that the modern Russian battleships came in considerably heavier than planned, and as a result their armor belts were below their waterlines. At the waterline they had relatively light steel, not armor. The second issue, on which I have not seen the source, is that they were outfitted with Russian tropical grade ammunition, made with twice the normal water content, which had the difficulty that it was often not an explosive. The Japanese noted the large number of dud rounds that did hit their ships.

phillies wrote:With respect to Tsushima, there are two interesting issues noted in period studies.

The first issue is that the modern Russian battleships came in considerably heavier than planned, and as a result their armor belts were below their waterlines. At the waterline they had relatively light steel, not armor. The second issue, on which I have not seen the source, is that they were outfitted with Russian tropical grade ammunition, made with twice the normal water content, which had the difficulty that it was often not an explosive. The Japanese noted the large number of dud rounds that did hit their ships.

There is a Youtube video by a British naval historian about the voyage of the main fleet around Africa, because the Admiral was afraid of attack in the Suez Canal. Although the Admiral hoped for a resupply of ammunition, there is no mention of that ever occurring. Perhaps the heat and humidity of the voyage affected what ammunition that they had? By Drachinifel:

The story of a few good men's struggle, against their own commanders, their own fleet, their own ships and their own men.

The Russian 2nd Pacific Squadron - Voyage of the Damned

PS: What explosive requires any water content, much less a different formulation between the Baltic and the tropics?

Gun cotton does not use water, does it?