lower her center of gravity. Service record Early career Completed too late for combat operations in the First Sino-Japanese War, the first overseas deployment of Suma was to Manila in the Philippines during the Spanish–American War, where she helped safeguard the interests and citizens of Japan during that conflict. From June to July 1900, Suma was under the command of Commander Shimamura Hayao, and supported Japanese naval landing forces which occupied the port city of Tianjin in northern China during the Boxer Rebellion, as part of the Japanese contribution to the Eight-Nation Alliance. Russo-Japanese War At the start of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05, Suma was based out of the Takeshiki Guard District on the island of Tsushima from which the ship made patrols of the Korea Strait preventing any linkage between the Russian cruiser squadron based in Vladivostok and the main Russian Pacific Fleet based at Port Arthur. On 18 February 1904, under the orders of Admiral Itō Sukeyuki, Suma arrived in Shanghai with the cruiser to compel the disarmament of the Russian gunboat , or the ship's destruction under the international norms for neutrality, accomplishing her mission by 31 March. In early May, Suma covered landings by the Japanese Second Army in Manchuria, following which (on 15 May), she assisted in the rescue of survivors from the crew of the ill-fated battleships and after those ships struck naval mines off the coast of Port Arthur. She then joined the list of Japanese ships blockading the Russian naval base in the Battle of Port Arthur. On 7 June, Suma, together with the gunboats , cruiser Akashi and a detachment of destroyers entered the Gulf of Bohai to support the landings of elements of the Japanese Second Army, and later bombarded Russian shore installations and a railway line along the coast of Manchuria. During the start of the Battle of the Yellow Sea, Suma had a mechanical failure, and was ordered to withdraw to join the 5th Division (consisting of the obsolete , and , located to the north of the line of battle. However, when the Russian squadron unexpected turned back towards Port Arthur, Suma was cut off, but by coincidence was in the path of the fleeing cruisers and . Although exchanging some gunfire, Suma was unable to prevent the escape of the Russian ships. After the battle, Suma returned to the Japanese repair station in the Elliott