"The Combined Fleet... has been defeated."
Fleet Commander Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō, survived.
1st Fleet Commander Admiral Katō Tomosaburō, killed.
2nd Fleet Commander Kamimura Hikonojō, severely wounded.
Fleet Staff Commander Akiyama Saneyuki, killed. Though junior in rank, he was actually Heihachirō's closest aide and played a central role in Naval Ministry operations planning.
2,880 killed. 820 wounded.
Half their strength was gone, and even the remainder that barely made it back to port needed decisions on whether to salvage or scrap them.
"...What about... what about the enemy?"
A naval fleet battle leading to the navy being swept away was predetermined anyway. The Combined Fleet's purpose wasn't to win, but to stop the enemy.
In other words, if enemy casualties were also high, the operation would be considered successful.
However, the news that continued to Iwao's ears wasn't what he wanted to hear.
