Islands, and then rejoined the blockade of Port Arthur. In February 1905, Suma provided escort to transports in the Sea of Japan, especially for the delivery of vitally needed artillery and reinforcements for the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). During the Battle of Tsushima on 27 May 1905, Suma was flagship of the 6th Division under Rear Admiral Tōgō Masamichi. Together with , she was ordered to shadow the Russian fleet on its approach to the Tsushima Strait. During the first day of the battle, Suma and Chiyoda attacked on the left flank (southern portion) of the Russian formation, capturing transports and the hospital ships Orel and Kostroma. Later that day, Suma and Chiyoda attacked the cruisers , , and and sinking the already damaged battleship and repair ship Kamchatka. During the battle, Suma took only small damage with three crewmen injured. The following day, 28 May, Suma reported the surrender of the remaining ships under the command of Rear Admiral Nikolai Nebogatov, and unsuccessfully pursued the cruiser , which managed to escape the battle. Afterwards, Suma was assigned to the Japanese force, which seized Sakhalin from Russia, covering landings by the IJA 13th Division at several locations, and securing lighthouses and port facilities. In August, her reconnaissance parameters were expanded to include the southern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Commander Islands, and was dispatched to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to rescue retired Lieutenant Shigetada Gunji, who had been arrested by Russian authorities for his unauthorized private invasion of Kamchatka. While in the area, Suma also captured the United States-flagged steamer Australia, which was found to be transporting war contraband. Later career Suma arrived in Yokohama to participate in a naval review celebrating the Japanese victory on 23 October 1905. She underwent overhaul in 1908, when her cylindrical boilers were replaced with Miyabara water-tube boilers. On 28 August 1912, Suma was downgraded to a 2nd class cruiser. In 1916, during World War I, Suma was initially based at Manila, and assigned to patrol the sea lanes in the South China Sea and Sulu Sea from Borneo to the Malacca Straits against German commerce raiders and U-boats. She was later based in Singapore together with , and and a flotilla of destroyers, and reassigned to provide coastal defense to Australia and New Zealand, as part of Japan's contribution to the Allied war effort under the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. After the war, Suma was re-designated