Satsuma class
 The Satsuma
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The Satsuma class ( Jap. 薩摩型戦艦 , Satsuma-gata Senkan ) was a class of two battleships ( Semi-Dreadnought ) of the Imperial Japanese Navy , which were built during the 1900s and in World War I were used.
General
Originally both ships of the Satsuma class were planned as "all big gun battleships" and were laid down in the spring of 1905, before the sea battle at Tsushima . The main armament was 12 30.5 cm guns, which were to be distributed in four double and four single turrets (one double turret in front, a pair of single turrets behind, opposite each other, amidships a pair of opposite double turrets, behind them a pair of opposite single turrets, a twin tower astern). The disadvantage of this configuration was that of the twelve guns in the main caliber, only eight could have fired to one side at a time. However, since the admiralty considered a sufficient reserve of fire leopards to be important, this disadvantage was accepted. However, the burdens of the Russo-Japanese War had ruined Japanese public finances; Therefore, instead of the eight 30.5 cm guns intended for the side decks, twelve 25.4 cm guns were installed in twin turrets for reasons of cost, even if both the 30.5 cm guns and the 25.4 cm guns were Guns had to be imported from Great Britain. Thus the planned first Japanese dreadnoughts turned into semi-dreadnoughts, very similar to the French Danton class . The choice fell on the 25.4 cm caliber not only for financial reasons; so one wanted to use the rapid fire of the secondary artillery, even if the fire control was difficult because of the limited technical means. After all, the rate of fire of this "semi-heavy" artillery in the main caliber of the armored cruiser was about three times as high as that of guns of the same age in the main caliber of the standard ships of the line .
The different external appearances resulted primarily from the different design of the drive systems. SATSUMA was equipped with piston steam engines and only had two chimneys. AKI was equipped with turbines and carried three chimneys, the front two were also pushed close together.
| Surname | Year of construction / shipyard | Displacement / dimensions: length KWL / width / draft | Armament | Armor | Drive / power / firing / speed |
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| Satsuma (Senkan) (薩摩 (戦 艦)) | 1903 / Yokosuka Kaigun Kosho | 19372 t / 146.9 m × 25.5 m × 8.4 m |
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| Aki (Senkan) (安 芸 (戦 艦)) | 1903 / Kure Kaigun Kosho | 19800 t / 150.0 m × 25.5 m × 8.3 m |
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literature
- Siegfried Breyer: Battleships and battle cruisers 1905 - 1970. Müller, Erlangen 1993, ISBN 3-86070-044-8 .
- Hansgeorg Jentschura, Dieter Jung, Peter Mickel: Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1869-1945 . US Naval Institute Press, Annapolis 1977, ISBN 0-87021-893-X , pp. 23-24 .
Web links
Fuji class ( Fuji , Yashima ) | Shikishima class ( Shikishima , Hatsuse ) | Asahi | Mikasa | Katori class ( Katori , Kashima ) | Satsuma class ( Satsuma , Aki ) | Kawachi class ( Kawachi , Settsu )