 With all of the additional coal and other supplies loaded for the lengthy voyage, the ship was overweight; most of which was stored high in the ship and reduced her stability.The most important aspect of this, however, was that the additional weight completely submerged the ship's main armor belt.Rozhestvensky decided to take the most direct route to Vladivostok using the Tsushima Strait and was intercepted by the Japanese battlefleet under the command of Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō on 27 May 1905.