Myōkō class
| Myōkō class | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Overview | |
| Type: | Heavy cruiser |
| Units: | 4th |
| Predecessor class: | Aoba class |
| Successor class: | Takao class |
| Technical data (original planning) |
|
| Displacement: | Draft: 10,000 tn. l. (Standard displacement) |
| Length: | over everything: 203.76 m |
| Width: | 19 m |
| Draft: | Draft: 5.03 m |
| Speed: | Top: 35.5 kn |
| Crew: | 773 permanent crew |
| Range: | 8,000 nautical miles at 14 knots |
| Drive: | 4 screws over 4 shafts |
The Myōkō class ( Japanese 妙 高 型 巡洋艦, ) was a class of four heavy cruisers of the Japanese Empire that were used in the Pacific War .
history
The class was developed based on the experience with the Furutaka class , which began in 1922 and was planned with around 7,000 tons, but ultimately with 9,500 tons the agreed upper limit of 10,000 tons (the Washington Fleet Conference stood for the displacement of the heavy cruiser class of 10,000 t to) almost reached. The requirements of the Japanese navy called for more artillery and torpedo armament than the previous classes. While the ships of the Furutaka class and the Aoba class each received three twin towers with 20.3 cm caliber guns, the Myōkō class should receive five of these towers as the main artillery in the bow and stern and fully exploit the displacement permitted by contract . The armor around the ship's vital systems was supposed to withstand 6-inch shells, and torpedo bulges were supposed to increase protection against torpedo hits.
In 1925, the Navy asked developer Yuzuru Hiraga and his successor Fujimoto Kikuo to increase the torpedo armament from the original eight to twelve. As a result of this change, the targeted water displacement was exceeded by a good 1000 tons.
The solution found initially seemed to be a good compromise; However, the Myōkō showed in a typhoon on September 21, 1935 that the class was struggling with structural problems. She suffered severe damage to the hull, which began to warp under the effects of wind and swell. Ultimately, all ships of the class had to go to the shipyard in order to have the rigidity of their hulls increased by welding additional steel plates.
During the war, the ships' anti- aircraft equipment was revised and the number of 25 mm automatic cannons type 96 was increased several times. The original equipment with six 12 cm anti-aircraft guns in three individual mounts each on port and starboard was replaced by eight 12.7 cm Type-89 cannons in four twin mounts. The ships were equipped with Type 21 and Type 22 radar systems later in the war .
Drive system
The solution for the propulsion system was based on the one chosen for the aircraft carrier Akagi . The ships of the class were equipped with four turbine sets, which were operated with the steam from twelve oil-fired steam boilers. The boilers were divided into nine boiler rooms, six individually at the aft, and six in three rooms with two boilers. The turbines transmitted up to 32,500 SHP at 320 revolutions per minute on four shafts . That was enough for a maximum speed of 35 knots.
The turbine sets were installed in pairs in two engine rooms one behind the other. In order to save fuel, the two rear turbine sets with the two inner shafts were not required during normal operation; only the two turbines in the front engine room drove the two outer shafts via special gears, so that a maximum of 22 knots was achieved. The driving range that could be reached with the fuel on board was around 6,600 nautical miles.
displacement
The water displacement increased as a result of the conversions, so that for various loading conditions the displacement from the beginning of 1928 was significantly lower than that of 1939 after the second conversion of the ships:
- light: 10,590 t to 12,342 t
- Trials: 13,281 t to 14,949 t
- maximum: 14,194 t to 15,933 t
Myōkō-class ships
Myōkō
The Myōkō was laid down in Yokosuka in October 1924 and launched in April 1927. She initially carried out operations in the Sino-Japanese War and was involved in numerous operations in the Pacific War from December 1941 . For example, she supported the Japanese landing in the Philippines in 1941 . In December 1944 it was badly damaged by a torpedo hit and could not be fully restored by the end of the war. After a few months of service as a floating anti-aircraft battery, she surrendered to the British in Singapore in September 1945 .
Nachi
The Nachi was laid down in Kure in November 1924 and launched in June 1927. She took part in numerous operations in the Pacific War, played a crucial role during the Battle of the Java Sea in 1942 and was badly damaged in a collision immediately after the Battle of Leyte . It was sunk on November 5, 1944 at Corregidor in an air raid by bombs and torpedoes.
Haguro
The Haguro was laid down in Nagasaki in March 1925 and launched in March 1928. After participating in numerous operations in the Pacific War, she was one of the few remaining operational heavy units in the Japanese Navy towards the end of the war and became the target of two large Allied combat groups. It was finally sunk by superior armed forces on May 16, 1945 in the Strait of Malacca .
Ashigara
The Ashigara was laid down in Kobe in April 1924 and launched in April 1928. She survived participation in numerous operations in the Pacific War, such as the Battle of Leyte in October 1944. On June 8, 1945, she was caught on the way from Batavia to Singapore by three Allied submarines and sunk by five torpedo hits by HMS Trenchant .
literature
- Eric LaCroix, Linton Wells: Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. US Naval Institute Press, 1997, ISBN 0-87021-311-3 .
- Myoko class. Gakken Pacific War Series, number 27, Gakken, Tokyo 1997, ISBN 4-05-602067-1 .
Web links
Footnotes
- ↑ Eric LaCroix, Linton Wells: Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. P. 809.
- ^ 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 , pp. 226 and following.
- ↑ Eric LaCroix, Linton Wells: Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. P. 104.
- ↑ Eric LaCroix, Linton Wells: Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. P. 108.
- ^ For "Nachi" in April 1929 after Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. P. 809.
- ↑ for 1939 according to Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. P. 812.
