Kongō class (1912)
| Kongō- class | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Overview | |
| Type: |
Battle cruiser , later fast battleship |
| Units: | 4th |
| Predecessor class: | no |
| Successor class: | Amagi class |
| Technical data (original planning) |
|
| Displacement: | Design: 26,000 t Construction: 28,000 t |
| Length: |
Water line : 211 m over everything: 214 m |
| Width: | 28 m |
| Draft: | Draft: 8.70 m |
| Speed: | Top: 27 kn |
| Crew: | 1,200 permanent crew |
| Range: | 8,000 nautical miles at 14 knots |
| Drive: | 4 screws over 4 shafts |
The Kongō class ( Japanese 金剛型戦艦 Kongō-gata senkan ) was a class of four originally as a battlecruiser constructed fast battleships of the Japanese empire , which in World War I and World War II were used.
history
Design and construction
After evaluating the naval battle at Tsushima , analysts for the Japanese Navy came to the conclusion that future warships would require heavy uniform armament and appropriate armor protection. It was not until 1910 that the funds could be made available to construct such a ship. Since the Japanese shipyards had no experience with ships of this size and they still lacked the appropriate capacities, it was decided to have the ship built in England . The HMS Dreadnought and the HMS Invincible had already been built there for the Royal Navy according to similar principles . The chief developer of the Vickers shipyard, Sir George Thurston, designed the plans for the Kongō based on the then newest British battlecruisers of the Lion class , after the corresponding contracts had been signed in 1910. The Japanese changed the plans, however, to enforce a heavier caliber for the main guns after they became aware of the armament of other contemporary warships. Since Japan was still an ally of Great Britain at that time and the Vickers shipyard as a private company was not subject to any restrictions from the Ministry of Navy , the British Admiralty could not influence the project. Several innovations, in particular a regrouping of the propulsion system, whereby the third turret was moved further aft from the center of the ship with a better field of fire, were nevertheless taken over into the last of the analogous British ships, the Tiger . After a massive expansion of the Japanese shipyard capacities, the three other battle cruisers in Japan were laid down. However, large parts of the equipment had to be ordered in Great Britain and transported to Japan.
First World War and the interwar period
After their completion, the battlecruisers took part in various operations against German colonies in the Pacific, with the Haruna being damaged by a German mine . A British offer to lease the ships and use them in the Grand Fleet was rejected by Japan. After the end of the First World War , numerous innovations and findings from the use of the ships began to be implemented in a comprehensive modernization program. While the Hiei was disarmed as a training ship as a result of the restrictions of the Washington Fleet Agreement, the three remaining battle cruisers received new propulsion systems whose boilers were heated with oil instead of coal, greatly improved armor protection and new fire control systems. In order to be able to use the new range finders of the fire control systems effectively, they had to be positioned as high as possible above the ship, which led to an increase in the bridge structure. In order to effectively use the space gained in this way, it was decided to move various observation and smaller fire control systems into this structure. Since a massive, continuously closed bridge structure would have threatened a potentially dangerous shift in the center of gravity , mainly open and thus lighter platforms were built above the main bridge and the original main mast was integrated into this structure. This also led to a reduction in the area of attack for the wind and to a peculiar appearance of the structure, which is often referred to as a "pagoda mast". The Japanese classified the modified battle cruisers as "fast battleships".
When the situation in the Pacific worsened due to tensions between the USA and Japan , a further comprehensive modernization of the four "fast battleships" was decided in order to be prepared for a possible war. Between 1934 and 1937, first the Haruna and then in a slightly modified form Kongō and Kirishima were modernized, while the Hiei was reactivated in 1937 after an impending escalation of the conflict and also upgraded to a battleship again within three years, also with a new modern bridge tower (prototype the bridge tower for the Yamato class ) and modified chimneys and superstructures. The work carried out included, among other things, a strengthening of the air defense, which - as on practically all ships at the beginning of the war - should prove to be inadequate. The hull was lengthened (to 219.61 m waterline and 222.65 m over everything), which together with new drives allowed speeds of 30 knots. The appearance of the ships had already changed so much at that time that the sister ships differed significantly due to the different positioning of numerous platforms and various attachments, except for Kirishima and Kongō , which except for the flag bridge only available at Kirishima , the substructure of the pagoda mast and details the platforms around the chimneys and the shape of the 35.6 cm towers remained quite similar.
Second World War
During the war, the ships mostly operated in pairs; for example , Kirishima and Hiei formed the heavy cover of the Pearl Harbor attack formation from six aircraft carriers in December 1941. It was only during the advance into the Indian Ocean in April 1942 that all four ships were deployed once together to accompany the large aircraft carriers. While Hiei and Kirishima were already lost in November 1942 as a result of damage after night battles with allied formations in the battle for Guadalcanal, Haruna and Kongō were slightly modernized several times during the war and received radar and radar warning systems in addition to other anti-aircraft weapons. Furthermore, the protection of the steering gear of both ships was improved by an additional layer of reinforced concrete, after both Hiei and Kirishima were largely lost as a result of catastrophic oar hits with subsequent inability to maneuver. The two remaining ships took part in the battle for the Gulf of Leyte in October 1944 and the destruction of part of the American escort aircraft carrier groups off Samar. The Congo was sunk by a submarine in November 1944. The Haruna was bombed in the last days of the war in July 1945 in Japan at anchor lying by American carrier aircraft for practical total loss and scrapped after the war on the ground.
Kongō- class ships
Congo
The Kongō was laid down by Vickers in Barrow on January 17, 1911 , and entered service on August 16, 1913. She was torpedoed in the Pacific War on November 21, 1944 by the American submarine Sealion between Taiwan and China and sank after two torpedo hits.
Here
The Hiei was laid down on November 4, 1911 by the Yokosuka naval shipyard and entered service on August 4, 1914. In the Pacific War it was used in the naval battles of Guadalcanal and was so badly damaged in the sea battle of Guadalcanal on November 13, 1942 in action with American ships and aircraft that it was abandoned and sank on November 13 or 14.
Kirishima
The Kirishima was laid down by Mitsubishi in Nagasaki on March 17, 1912 , and entered service on April 19, 1915. Like her sister ship Hiei , she was used in the battles of Guadalcanal. She was caught by two American battleships on November 15, 1942 and so badly damaged in a night battle that she sank.
Haruna
The Haruna was laid on March 16, 1912 by Kawasaki in Kobe and was put into service on April 16, 1915. She survived the Pacific War, but was attacked by American carrier aircraft at her anchorage near Kure towards the end of the war and sank in shallow water on July 28, 1945.
literature
Sources on the Congo class:
- Gakken Pacific War Pictorial Series, Vol.21: IJN Congo Class Battleships. Tokyo 1999.
- Gakken Pacific War Pictorial Series, Vol.65: IJN Congo Class Battleships. Continuation volume, Tokyo 2008.
- Maru Special: Japanese Naval Vessels. (First series in 56 volumes), Volume 9: Kongo , Volume 15: Hiei , Volume 20: Haruna , Volume 35: Kirishima , with Volume 54 Battleships - Supplement , Tokyo 1976–1981.
- Maru Special: Japanese Naval Vessels. (Second Series) Volume 112: History of the Congo Class. Tokyo 1986, with Volume 116: History of the Japanese Battleships. Tokyo 1986.
- The Imperial Japanese Navy. (in 14 volumes), Volume 2 (Battleships 2), Congo class. Kaijinsha, Tokyo 2nd edition 1995.
- Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Volume 3 and 4: Kongo -class (Kongo / Hiei or Kirishima / Haruna), Kaijinsha, Tokyo 1996.
- Chihaya Masataka, Abe Yasuo: IJN Kongo Battleship 1912–1944. Windsor 1971
- Steve Wiper: IJN Congo Class Battleships. Tucson 2001.
- Steve Wiper: Congo-Class Battlecruisers. Barnsly / Tucson 2008.
- Mark Stille: Imperial Japanese Navy Battleships 1941-45. Osprey Publishing, 2008, ISBN 1-84603-280-6 .
- Waldemar Góralski, Grzegorz Nowak: Japanese Battleship Kongo. Lublin 2008, ISBN 978-83-61220-15-2 .
Sources on the battleships of the Japanese Navy:
- Watanabe Yoshiyuki: Battleships of Japan. Tokyo 2004.
- Fukui Shizuo: Japanese Naval Vessels Illustrated. 1869-1945. (in three volumes), Volume 1, Battleships and Battlecruisers. Tokyo 1974.
- Todaka Kazushige: Japanese Naval Warship. (so far in 6 volumes) Volume 2, Battleships and Battle Cruisers. Kure Maritime Museum. Kure 2005.
- Ishiwata Kohji: Japanese Battleships. Ships of the World. Volume 391. Tokyo 1988.
- Model Art No.6: Drawings of IJN Vessels. Volume 1, Battleships and Destroyers, Tokyo 1989.
