Labels:text | transport | ship | watercraft | boat | naval architecture OCR: PERSPECTIVE Koreyetz-in the Korean port of Chemulpo, now Japan not from fairy tales or geography books, but known as Inchon. Heaw Japanese fire disabled the from songs. "Our proud Varyag did not give in to Russian ships. But instead of surrendering, Varyag's the enemy-we do not wish for mercy," they sing Captain Rudneff and his crew sent one last signal: with cracking voices, their hearts skipping a beat. "We perish, but we will not give in." They then "We blew up the Koreyetz, we sank the Varyag," scuttled their own vessels. chorus the crisper voices of soldiers. Chemulpo was a relatively minor naval episode On weekends, drowsed by celebration and drink that had no effect on the war. But in the memory ing, people sing a song from that distant war: "That of the Russian people, Rudneff and In the Russian navy, the name night the samurai decided to cross his men have become the embodi- Varyag is passed from one ship the border by the river ... " ment of stoicism and invincibility Some events leave no trace in in our national spirit. Few Russians to another a nation's memory, others become can find the Russo-Japanese War's engraved forever. Few Russians battlefields-Port Arthur, Tsushima, other than professional historians Moukden-on a map. remember why a war was sparked But in the hearts of the people in the Far East in 1904. But ordi- they are still connected to the bitter- nary Russians have never forgot- ness of defeat. In the Soviet-now ten those first battles. Russian-navy, the name Varyag is Analysts trying to understand passed from one ship to another. Russian attitudes toward the con- Its latest inheritor is a 67,500-ton test between latter-day Russia and aircraft carrier currently under con- Japan for control of islands in the struction in Ukraine, which China Kurile chain should never under- was reportedly thinking of buying. estimate the power of old campfire Russian boys first learn about songs.
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