Ibuki class battlecruisers (1907) Japan (1907-1923) Ibuki, Kurama The Ibuki class (伊吹型) or Kurama class (鞍馬型) were transitional “semi-battlecruisers” classed as armoured cruisers (Sōkō jun’yōkan) of Imperial Japanese Navy, with a powerful secondary armament leaning towards monocaliber. https://bit.ly/3XjuGhD Delays had them completed only in 1909-1911, and they were obsolete. An interesting design nonetheless, they served … Read more
Kawachi class Battleships (1910) Japanese Imperial Navy (1912-1945): IJN Kawachi, Settsu The first Japanese dreadnoughts After the Satsuma class which were probably the most advanced “semi-dreadnoughts” ever designed, it was logical for Japan to move towards a true dreadnought, by just scaling up the design, notably making it more beamy. Two ships were laid down, … Read more
Kashima class Battleships (1905) Japanese Imperial Navy (1904-1924): Kashima, Katori The first post-tsushima Japanese Battleships Ordered just as tensions were high with Russia, before the war started, the Kashima class were the last foreign built Japanese capital ships. They were “semi-dreadnoughts” loosely based on the King Edward VII class battleships we saw recently. The only … Read more
IJN Mikasa (1900) Japanese pre-dreadnought Battleship (1899-1923) The iconic ship of Japan If the huge scale model of Yamato still today draws crowds at the Kichigaisensei Yamato museum in Kure, the world’s only 1900 example of a pre-dreadnought is also an icon. The venerated IJN Mikasa (三笠), a national memorial and museum ship today, dedicated … Read more
WW2 Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers About 80 destroyers 1919-1945 Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyer’s complete overview Japanese destroyers acquired a fearsome reputation during WW2, contrary to WWI where they mostly completely forgotten, if not for their brief action in the Mediterranean, and deeds during the Port Arthur attack in 1905. This reputation is due to several … Read more
IJN Asahi (1896) Japanese pre-dreadnought Battleship (1899) The Fifth IJN pre-dreanought, three wars veteran With her keel laid in 1898 on the banks of the clyde, and her Pacific end in 1942, over forty four years had passed, making IJN Asahi probably the longest-living IJN Battleship, except for Mikasa, the next and last in the … Read more
Kongō class Fast Battleships (1912) Japan, 1911-15. IJN Kongo, Kirishima, Hiei, Haruna. The last Japanese capital ships built in UK: The Kongo class were the first and last IJN battlecruisers, studied from 1911. Due to the 1902 Anglo-Japanese naval alliance, Japan was the third country to embark on this new breed, and its lead ship, … Read more
WW1 Japanese Battleships Japan (1890-1919) About 30 capital ships Introduction: Japan was introduced the the idea of an ironclad very soon: Its spectacular defeats in face of Image result for korean admiral Yi Sun-sin, the Korean Admiral which deployed a few Geobukseon or “turtle boats” to win against a far superior force, was probably still … Read more
WW1 Japanese Cruisers Japan (1890-1919) About 34 cruisers Origin of IJN Cruisers: Meiji and Bakumatsu era Frigates: The origin of Cruiser design in Japan came from the Bakumatsu and Meiji eraso roughly the 1855-1877 period. During that time, marked by deep transformations of the archipelago (notably on the industrial side) and the Boshin war (1868-69), … Read more
IJN Chin Yen: The first Japanese Ironclad Imperial Chinese Navy – Imperial Japanese Navy The result of the first Sino-Japanese war in 1894 was a devastated, scuttled Beiyang Fleet, the largest fleet ever fielded by the Chinese Empire so far since the days of Zheng He. The prize which topped it all were a pair … Read more
