Togo Heihachiro (January 27, 1848 - May 30 1934) was one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. His first experiences at war were during the Tokugawa conflicts (1863-69). He was 15 and part of a gun crew. In 1871, he and 11 other Japanese officer cadets were selected to travel to Britain to further their naval studies. Promoted to lieutenant he returned to Japan in 1878. During the Sino-French War (1884- 85) he closely followed the actions of the French fleet under Admiral Courbet. In 1894, during the First Sino-Japanese War, Togo, he sank the British transport ship, Kowshing, which was chartered by the Chinese Beiyang Fleet to convey troops. In 1903, the Navy Minister Yamamoto Gonnohyoe appointed him Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During the Russo-Japanese War, he commanded the Japanese naval forces at the destruction of the Imperial Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet. He kept his journals in English, and wrote, "I am firmly convinced that I am the re-incarnation of Horatio Nelson." He was awarded the Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum in 1926 making him Japan's most decorated naval officer ever. He died in 1934 at the age of 86.