WW2 Japanese Submarines IJN – About 85 submarines. Introduction: Ideas but wasted opportunities Just like aircraft carriers later, Japan was not shy about new technologies back in the 1910s and already saw the development of submarines as an opportunity. During the interwar, Japanese engineers stepped away from the popular Holland design and learnt from their … Read more
Heavy Cruisers built 1922-26: IJN Furutaka, Kako The First Japanese “washington” cruisers: The two heavy cruisers of the Furutaka class were the first cruisers built at home for the Imperial Japanese Navy after the Washington Treaty. They were characterized by of a continuous deck with recesses in order to simplify construction, save weight and favour … Read more
Imperial Japanese Navy IJN Ise, Hyūga 1915-1945. From super-dreadnoughts to hybrid battleships: Ise and Hyūga were two fast dreadnoughts built by capitalizing from the experience gained with the two Fuso, the first battleships built and designed in Japan, although still with under strong influence of British engineering. They were launched in 1916 and 1917 and … Read more
Fuso class battleships (1915) Japan, 1915. Fuso, Yamashiro. The first Japanese-designed super-dreadnought: These powerful dreadnoughts were far-off derivatives of the HMS Dreadnought in 1906. Their plans had been designed in Japan for the first time, and thus didn’t have many changes made to their design based on combat experience as the nation had not participated … Read more
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 factors, but cannot brush over … Read more
Japan, 1921. Aircraft Carrier The Hōshō, world’s first purpose-built aircraft carrier Hosho was the first Japanese aircraft carrier. And a historical landmark as the world’s first purpose-built aircraft carrier. An important precision as it is surprising that the United Kingdom was not into it first. Back in 1918, the ship was part of the “eight-six” … Read more
Heavy Cruisers Tone, Chikuma. The last IJN heavy cruisers The Tone class cruisers, IJN Tone and Chikuma were part of the 1932 supplemental plan. However, in 1938-39, Japan tore off all treaties and reconsidered a new naval plan. It was decided for example to complete them as heavy cruisers, with their initial 155 mm (6-in) … Read more
Japan, 1918. Tenryu, Tatsuta First light cruisers of the IJN: The 天龍型軽巡洋艦 Tenryū-gata keijun’yōkan or Tenryū class has been the IJN first light cruisers. If the ‘three and four pipers’ cruisers of the Kuma, Nagara and Sendai classes are better known, they constituted an evolution of two precursors, built during the great war. Indeed, the … Read more
Heavy Cruisers of the IJN (1924-27): Aoba, Kinugasa The two Aoba class thus followed the Furutaka a year apart as heavy cruisers, and their development did not took into account the serious issues of the two previous ships. They had from the start three twin turrets for their main armament. On the other hand, their … Read more
