Amagi class
| Amagi- class | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Overview | |
| Type: | Battle cruiser |
| Units: | (4) |
| Predecessor class: | Kongō- class |
| Successor class: | no |
| Technical data (original planning) |
|
| Displacement: | Draft: 41,217 ts |
| Length: | 251.8 m |
| Width: | 30.8 m |
| Draft: | Draft: 9.50 m |
| Speed: | Top: 30 kn |
| Crew: | 1,600 permanent crew |
| Range: | 8,000 nautical miles at 14 knots |
| Drive: | 4 screws over 4 shafts |
The Amagi class ( Japanese 天 城 型 巡洋 戦 艦 ) was a class of battlecruisers of the Japanese Empire , of which four ships were planned, but none was ultimately completed as such. The only ship of the class that was ever taken into active service was the Akagi , but only after it was converted to an aircraft carrier . Of the remaining three ships, two were demolished shortly after construction began and one was destroyed by an earthquake during the construction phase.
history
Design and construction
The Amagi class was developed as part of the Japanese 8-8 plan. This plan provided for the construction of a fleet of eight battleships and eight battle cruisers. Because two Kongō- class ships , Hiei and Kongō , reached their age limit in 1923, the four planned Amagi- class units would have helped Japan create a fleet of six battlecruisers.
The class was designed to outperform the latest types of battlecruisers - the British Hood and American Lexington classes .
The concept was based on the drafts of the battleships of the Tosa class . Like these, the Amagi- class was to carry five turrets, each with two 40.6 cm L / 45 guns as main armament. The towers were to be erected along the center ship line, two on the foredeck and three on the stern. The towers "B", "C" and "D" should be installed in an elevated position.
The armor protection should consist of a weak belt armor up to 25.4 cm thick and a comparatively large horizontal protection of almost 10 cm of top armor. As with the battleships of the Nagato class and those of the Tosa class, the underwater protection consisted of an expansion space between the outer wall of the ship and an unarmoured longitudinal bulkhead. This was followed at some distance by an armored torpedo bulkhead almost 8 cm thick, which was intended to absorb the detonation energy of an underwater hit.
The machine systems consisted of 19 Kampon steam boilers and 4 Gihon turbines. They developed 131,000 SHP propulsion power and should enable a speed of around 30 knots.
Amagi-class ships
Amagi
The Amagi was laid down on December 16, 1920 in the Yokosuka naval shipyard . According to the agreements in the Washington Naval Treaty in 1922, the construction of the battle cruiser was stopped and the fuselage was prepared for conversion to an aircraft carrier. During this renovation work, the shipyards were hit by the Great Kanto earthquake on September 1, 1923 at 11:58 a.m. Since the hull was not in the water, but sat on the floor of the dock, the vibrations were transmitted to the structure of the ship. The damage was so great that the Amagi was classified as a total loss and had to be scrapped. Her contracted role as an aircraft carrier was later taken over by the Kaga , a Tosa- class battleship .
Akagi
The Akagi was laid down on December 6, 1920 by the naval shipyard in Kure . Following the resolutions of the Washington Navy Treaty of February 1922, it was converted into an aircraft carrier from November 1923. It entered service in March 1927. In this original version, it had a continuous flight deck and two smaller departure decks. When this concept proved inadequate, it was rebuilt in 1935. With only one flight deck, it ultimately became one of the most important Japanese aircraft carriers and took part in numerous missions in the Pacific War. On the morning of June 4, 1942, she was attacked by American carrier aircraft during the Battle of Midway and received a single bomb hit. The bomb detonated between refueled and armed aircraft on the flight deck of the Akagi , triggering fires and secondary explosions that could not be contained, so that the burned-out wreck had to be sunk by Japanese destroyers on the morning of June 5.
Atago
Atago was the name that the third ship of the Amagi class was to receive. She was laid down on November 22, 1921. As a result of the Washington fleet agreements, its construction was canceled in July 1922. The heavy cruiser Atago , which was commissioned in 1932, was later christened under the intended name .
Takao
Takao was the name that the fourth ship of the Amagi class was to receive. She was laid down on December 19, 1921. As a result of the Washington fleet agreements, its construction was canceled in July 1922. The heavy cruiser Takao , which entered service in 1932, was later christened under the intended name .
Evidence and references
literature
Sources for the Amagi class:
- Mark Stille: Imperial Japanese Navy Aircraft Carriers 1921–45. Osprey Publishing, 2005, ISBN 1-84176-853-7 .
Sources on development and political processes:
- David C. Evans: Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941. US Naval Institute Press, 2003, ISBN 0-87021-192-7 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941. P. 171.
