"The Battle of Tsushima is among the top five naval battles in history, equal in scope and drama to those of Lepanto, Trafalgar, Jutland, and Midway. Yet despite its importance and its drama, the history of this battle has long been neglected in the West. In The tsar's last armada this story of adventure, perseverance and tragedy is finally told. With a novelist's eye and a historian's authority, Pleshakov tells of the Russian squadron's long, difficult journey and fast, horrible defeat" (dust jacket).