Matsushima was among warships anchored in the Seto Inland Sea off Nagahama, Shikoku, Japan, when a strong gale struck on 29 October 1897. The central battery ironclad Fusōs anchor chain broke, and Fusō drifted across the harbor, collided with Matsushima's ram, then struck her sister ship Itsukushima before sinking in shallow water on a reef.Chesneau, Roger, and Eugene M. Kolesnik, Conway′s All the World′s Fighting Ships 1860-1905, New York: Mayflower Books, 1979, , p. 219.steelnavy.net Fuso Japanese Battleship 1900Lengerer, Hans (September 2007). Ahlberg, Lars, ed. "The IJN's First Warship Order to a Foreign Country: Armoured Frigate Fusô and Belted Corvettes Kongô and Hiei – Part III". Contributions to the History of Imperial Japanese Warships (Paper III), p. 46. Fusō later was refloated, repaired, and returned to service.
