7. He was Left Wounded after the Battle of Tsushima
The Russian Baltic Fleet set sail in May of 1905, commencing on an expedition of over 18,000 nautical miles, finding itself in the Far East to engage the Japanese Imperial Navy. After all, the Japanese had been overpowering the small Russian fleets at the far end of their Empire, rounding them up and taking control in port.
In retaliation, the Japanese destroyed the Russian fleet, destroying 21 ships, racking up a death toll of 4,380 men and taking 5,917 others hostage. On the flip side of this, the Japanese only lost three torpedo boats and 117 men.
As it turns out, Yamamoto was one of the 583 wounded Japanese men, losing his left index and middle fingers (not to mention receiving various other scars of battle).