[Before the boat race, Columbian Naval Review]

Russian navy during the Columbian Naval Review, 1893. Authorized by Congress as part of the Columbian celebrations, both American and foreign warships assembled at Hampton Roads, VA in April 1893, then set sail for New York harbor where the review took place. Later the sailors would march in NYC. Hopefully, these sailors got to see a bit of Virginia and NYC as part of their trip. Despite their spit and polish appearance, the Russian navy was soundly defeated in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904/05. This war also alerted the West that Japan had become a naval power.