They carried the same main battery of ten 41 cm (16.1 in) as the Tosa class. Their design was essentially a lengthened Tosa-class, with a thinner armored belt, weaker deck and more power output for 30 knots (56 km/h 35 mph), while the secondary armament was rearranged. They would have been called IJN Amagi, Akagi, Atago, and Takao. These four battlecruisers were part of the "Eight-eight fleet" program of the early 1920s. This project would have been given no less than three quadruple turrets and one single, unusually the deck level one forward.Īmagi class battleships Author's Amagi class rendition "Battleship H", alternative project in 1920, credits: Kashiwa Library in The University of Tokyo, JAPAN "Battleship D" design 1920, alternative project with ten 406 mm guns. IJN 8-8 plan capital ships projects Tosa, Amagi, Kii and N☁3 classes (1920-25) Both conversions were not particularly successful and they underwent many rebuildings and modernization but they became the hard core of Kido Butai. The Amagi-class Akagi was also converted after launch for the same reasons. The process started after the signing of the Washington treaty in 1922. This Kaga class battleship was the most advanced and completed after launch, as an aircraft carrier. IJN Kaga, just fitting out in 1928 at Sasebo. Rather we will expand here on the extent and concepts of their modernization: How on earth these vessels acquired such a stereotypical appearance, notably their trademark "pagoda" like structure ? Was their protection reinforced ? Were their machinery modernized ? We will not dive in detail about the Kongo, Fuso, Ise and Nagato class designs and developments, they all are covered by dedicated posts. In this article we will see if they were up to the task, how they fared in the rare naval combats they were in, and their main weaknesses: AA and ASW defence.
Needless to say, they had a bloody nose during the war, the highest naval losses of the axis.
IJN Nagato was the only Japanese battleship to survive the war, but not for long. Three Kongo class were sunk in November 1942, IJN Mutsu in 1943, followed by the two Fuso in October 1944, and the two Ise in July 1945 as well as IJN Haruna, and of course both Yamato class in March and October 1945. The war already changed nature and capital ships were condemned. The irony was they almost never crossed fire with an American battleship, aviation was their demise, as were submarines for other battleships. Just like the Bismarck, they were designed for total supremacy against any opponent. They were part of an ambitious four ships program destined to replaced the Fuso and Ise classes. The only recent battleships were about to enter service at that time, IJN Yamato (December 1941) and Musashi (August 1942). When the Japanese Empire entered war against the United States and its allies, for its modernized battlefleet to have a chance, the threat of the USN Pacific fleet was to be eliminated. The treaty put an abrupt stop to all these developments, and although projects studies multiplied in the 1930s, it only crystallized prior to WWI with the most ambitious battleship class ever, Japan choose quality over quantity. The Kaga class battleships and Amagi class battlecruisers were already in construction when Japan signed the Washington treaty. The latter were of a new generation of fast battleships and super-dreadnoughts, completed as the first of the 6-6 or "Six-Six Fleet" ambitious naval plan.
Like in other navies, they were all of WW1 generation: The four Kongo were not British-built (only the first) but based on a British design and with British assistance, however the Fuso class dreadnoughts were 100% Japanese (designed and built locally) as well as the following Ise class and Nagato. When Japan entered war in December 1941 on the side of the axis, its land forces, aviation and navy were already fighting in China in a vicious total war since 1937 Its main battle fleet was limited to six battleships and four battlecruisers, which were so well protected after modernization they were in-between the two genres. As the other ships of her class she was discarded in 1923. IJN Satsuma, one of the last IJN pre-dreadnoughts. Introduction: IJN Battleships, from British to Japanese design
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