Takao-class cruisers. Cruisers of the Takao class. Furutaka-class heavy cruisers

Takao-class heavy cruisers

Construction and service

common data

Reservation

Armament

Main artillery

• 5 × 2 - 203 mm / 50 type 3 No. 2.

Flak

• 4 × 1 120 mm / 45 type 10;
• 2 × 1 40-mm / 39 type "Bi";
• 8 × 3 - 25 mm Type 96;
• 2 × 7.7-mm type "Bi".

Anti-submarine weapons

• 16 (4 × 4) - 610 mm type 92 torpedoes (24 type 93 torpedoes).

Air group

• 2 catapults, up to 3 seaplanes type 90 No. 2.

Built ships

History of creation

Prerequisites for the appearance

The development of heavy cruisers as a class in Japan is largely due to the signing of the Washington Naval Agreement in 1922. The signatory countries agreed to limit the number of capital ships - battleships and aircraft carriers - however, the number of ships of other classes was not limited in any way, apart from the established displacement limit of 10,000. tons.

As a result of this agreement, Japan had to abandon the implementation of the "Flot 8-8" program and look for new ways to develop its fleet. Japanese naval designers, primarily Yuzuru Hiraga, decided to stake on the development of the cruiser class, and in a different way than other countries participating in the Washington agreements. So, the French, British, Americans and Italians considered heavy cruisers as a means of fighting on ocean communications.

During this period, Anglo-French relations were in crisis, so the French sought to develop a type of ship that would be capable of destroying English merchant ships, and the British, respectively, a ship that could protect trade communications. This required high seaworthiness and a long cruising range, because of which speed and booking had to be sacrificed. In turn, the Americans responded to the Royal Navy by designing a heavy cruiser with more guns and faster speed. The Italians also saw the heavy cruisers as the defenders of their Mediterranean communications.

Hiraga decided to stick to a different concept: heavy cruisers must have excellent artillery and torpedo armament, sufficient armor to be able to destroy enemy heavy cruisers. The development of such a ship began in the early 1920s, in October 1921 a project of an "experimental light cruiser" of the type Yubari was approved by the General Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy. This cruiser, in her size and displacement, slightly surpassed the leader of the destroyers, having an armament of six 140-mm and a high speed of 35.5 knots, which was high for that time.

In the future, work was carried out to improve the resulting cruiser. It was necessary to take into account the maximum limit of the total displacement of cruisers in 108,400 tons. This fact predetermined the development Yubari: his successors - Furutaka and Kako- with a small displacement of 7100 tons, they had powerful artillery armament of six 203-mm guns and four 76-mm guns. The General Staff demanded to strengthen the armament, which was done: for the next two cruisers of the type Aoba installed not 76 mm, but 120 mm guns, as well as a new type of catapult. The main battery guns were now installed in three twin turrets. At the same time, the displacement of the new cruisers has increased.

At the end of 1922, the General Staff instructed Yuzuro Hirage to design a new heavy cruiser with a displacement of 10,000 tons and 203 mm guns. By 1924, the design was completed, and four new cruisers of the Myoko... This partly ensured the implementation of the new defense policy adopted by the General Staff of February 28, 1923, but still required an increase in the composition of the fleet. The new shipbuilding program, the development of which began by the Marine Minister K. Murakami and the Chief of the General Staff G. Yamashita and as a result presented to the commission T. Takarabe, was not adopted. However, the adoption by the Americans in 1924 of the "first cruising bill", which provided for the construction of eight ships, of which two are future USS Pensacola and USS Salt Lake City- were immediately laid down.

As a result, in March 1927 T. Takarabe was able to achieve the adoption at the 52nd session of parliament of a new shipbuilding program to replace the fleet for 1927-32, which provided for the construction of 27 ships, of which four were heavy cruisers.

Design

Initial work on the design of a new type of cruisers was started back in 1925 under the leadership of Captain 1st Rank Kikuo Fujimoto, who replaced Yu Hiragu as head of the Basic Design Department. The project as a whole was an improved version of the type Myoko... The following requirements were imposed on him:

1. The main task: advanced support of their forces and drive off enemy support forces, conducting squadron reconnaissance;
2. Possible opponents: 10,000-ton British and American cruisers with 203mm guns;
3. Attacking power: ten 203-mm guns with a high elevation angle, 4 twin-tube 610-mm torpedo tubes on the upper deck (two per side), anti-aircraft armament, similar to the type Myoko;
4. Protection: from indirect hits from 203 mm shells and from any hits from 152 mm shells;
5. Speed: up to 33 knots. Travel range: 8000 miles at 14 knots;
6. Aircraft: equipment and space for three seaplanes;
7. Ships must be equipped to perform the functions of flagships of the fleet in peacetime and flagships of squadrons in wartime.

Upon his return from Great Britain in 1926, Yuzuro Hiraga generally approved of Fujimoto's work in designing an "improved Myoko". In general, the hull, protection system, power plant and the location of the main battery guns did not change, although there were significant differences:

1. The 203 mm guns had an elevation angle of 70 ° and were housed in the new E2-type twin-gun turrets;
2. more powerful protection of artillery cellars;
3. wide application of Ducol 12 steel (steel D or Ducol Steel), aluminum and electric welding;
4. placing two catapults instead of one;
5. rotary twin-tube torpedo tubes at the level of the upper deck;
6. massive bow superstructure.

The first three points were adopted thanks to the intervention of Yu. Hiragi. The designer took into account the information received during his stay in Great Britain from the main shipbuilder of the British fleet, Sir Eustace Tennyson D "Einkourt, which also included information about the" Washington "cruisers of the type Kent... The decision to install two catapults was made on the basis of intelligence data that this is the number of catapults that heavy American cruisers will carry.

The design innovation was the use of the metric system of measures, and not the imperial system of measures, as it was previously.

Build and test

In the shipbuilding program for the replacement of the fleet in 1927, the new cruisers were listed as "large type cruisers No. 5-No. 8", somewhat later they were given the temporary name "Type A cruiser No. 9-12". The total cost of their construction was to be 113.48 million yen, that is, 28.37 million yen for one ship of the type.

1 - the higher construction speed of the second pair of cruisers is explained by their better funding

Description of the structure

Body and layout

Hull type cruisers Takao embodied the main features of its predecessors with a displacement of 7100 and 10,000 tons, although there were innovations introduced by the designer Hiragi:

1. The upper deck without a forecastle had a noticeable sheerness along the side: 7600 mm at the bow and 3350 mm at the stern. This deck design was later called horizontal deck(Japanese Suihei Kanpan gata), it made it possible, on the one hand, to make the longitudinal bonds continuous, thus obtaining the most effective longitudinal strength, and on the other hand, to reduce their weight (it is estimated that the hull weight was only 32% of the displacement during tests ). Obviously, such a complicated structure of the hull caused a lot of difficulties during construction.
2. Armor plates were used both to protect the ship and to strengthen the longitudinal strength of the hull, that is, as longitudinal ties.

In general, the hull of cruisers of the type Takao repeated body type Myoko: similar contours, deck and side armor, almost identical length-to-width ratio, stem shape, distance between frames, bottom dead-lift angle and degree of curvature of the undulating upper deck. The thickness of the sheathing sheets also repeated the type Myoko however, the structural material was Ducol 12 steel. In addition, the widest section of the hull was displaced 11.44 m closer to the bow compared to Myoko and was at the 174th frame. The main characteristics of the case are shown in the table:

Superstructure

In the bow, behind the main turrets, there was a massive castle-like superstructure - a distinctive feature of the type. Compared to Myoko, it had a similar height, but at the same time it was much longer, 1.5 times more in mass and 3 times in terms of internal volume. The superstructure had ten tiers:

Weighing distribution and stability

During the design of cruisers such as Takao not a single A-class cruiser has been tested yet, which is why the problem of chronic overload has not been identified. Despite the measures taken to save weight, the overload arose according to the following items: hull weight, weapons, fittings and equipment. The weight of the ship's elements was distributed as follows:

Reservation

The ship's armor was generally of the same type. Myoko and was supposed to protect against indirect hits from 203 mm projectiles and any hits from 152 mm projectiles. There were design features compared to predecessors:

• shorter armor belt due to its greater width in the area of ​​the cellars;
• more powerful protection of the bow and stern cellars;
• the use of new steel Ducol 12 instead of HT;
• armoring of the conning tower.

The main armor belt was made of NVNC chromium-nickel armor steel and had the following parameters:

• outward tilt: 12 ";
• length: 82.40 m;
• width: 3.50 m;
• thickness: 102 mm.

Mid-section of a cruiser type Takao... Red lines - NVNC plates, black - D steel sheets

He was supposed to protect the engine-boiler rooms, as well as the main-caliber barbets with cellars. The central part of the belt had a uniform thickness (102 mm) and was connected by the upper edge with the middle deck. It was made up of 35-mm armor plates over the power plant and played the role of horizontal protection power plant.

The ends of the belt continued straight down by 1.7 m, decreasing in thickness (the thickness of the above-water part was 127 mm, the underwater one narrowed from 76 mm at the top edge to 38 mm at the bottom). The extremities also served as constructive protection of the underwater part of the hull: in the place where there was no anti-torpedo bulkhead, the belt was supposed to protect from "diving" shells. The lower deck, located above the cellars, had a slab thickness of 47 mm and was directly included in the hull power set, attached to the beams.

The barbets above the lower deck were protected by 76 mm slabs, however, to save weight, the 30 ° sectors from the DP were 38 mm thick, since it was believed that adjacent barbets would protect each other from longitudinal hits. The central part of the upper deck was additionally reinforced with two layers of HT-steel slabs, respectively 12.5-25 and 16 mm thick.

Four transverse bulkheads, reaching the level of the lower deck, were attached to the belt and played the role of traverses that protected the ammunition cellars. The first of them, skirting the first main tower, had a thickness of 63 (edges) to 89 (center) mm, the second (in front of the first boiler room) - 38 mm. The third also skirted the fourth tower and was assembled from 32-mm and 51-mm plates, the last one from 76-mm.

The armoring of the barbets of the main caliber towers depended on their location. Towers №№ 1, 3, 5, located on the upper deck, had a 25-mm support armor belt. The protection was located 1.52 m above the level of the lower deck and 0.31 below it, having a thickness of 63-127 mm (towers No. 1 and No. 3) and 63-102 mm (No. 5). Reservation of elevated installations No. 2 and No. 4 was somewhat different. In the interval between the lower and middle decks, the thickness of their armored cylinders was 76-127 mm (No. 2, lower part) and 38 mm (No. 4 and upper part No. 2), between the middle and upper decks - 25 mm, above the upper deck - from 38 to 76 mm. The towers themselves had anti-fragmentation circular armor 25 mm thick.

Structural underwater protection against torpedoes and mines and division into compartments were similar to those on Myoko... Protection under the waterline consisted of a double bottom and bullets with an anti-torpedo bulkhead. The anti-torpedo protection had to withstand a torpedo hit with a warhead of 200 kg of shimosa. The curved anti-torpedo bulkhead was made of two layers of Ducol-type steel with a thickness of 58 (29 + 29) mm. Behind the main belt there was a 25-mm longitudinal anti-splinter bulkhead, in addition - along the entire height of the boiler room there was another broken longitudinal bulkhead (thickness in the lower part - 6.35 mm, in the upper part - 3.8 mm), which was supposed to hold fragments that pierced the armor belt, and play the role of a filtration bulkhead in the event of a leak.

Power plant and driving performance

Power plant cruisers type Takao generally repeated the type Myoko, however, the electric motors-generators, used to rotate the internal propeller shafts during cruising and reducing drag, were replaced with two small induction turbines, which made it possible to quickly switch from cruising to full in a combat situation. However, in 1938-1939. these turbines were removed, as often during the transition from cruising to full speed errors were made, leading to accidents.

Four turbo-gear units with a capacity of 32,500 liters. With. set in motion four three-bladed propellers (two front TZA - external screws, two rear - internal); they were in four engine rooms, separated by longitudinal and transverse bulkheads. Each TZA had four full speed turbines (two low pressure (LPP) 8250 HP and two high pressure (HPT) 8000 HP), operating through a gearbox with four driving gears on its shaft, as well as two rear turbines stroke (both low pressure and 4500 hp at 180 rpm.). The outer shafts (nasal) also had a cruising turbine with a capacity of 3100 hp, connected through a gearbox to the shaft of the outer turbine engine, which was constantly used in all modes. The inner shafts had, in addition to two HPTs and two LPTs on a small induction turbine. The turbine rotors were made of durable steel and the blades were made of B stainless steel.

Twelve water-tube three-collector boilers of the Kampon Ro type with oil heating and a working pressure of 20 atm. were located in 9 compartments: three bow ones had 2 cauldrons, the rest one each. The shape of the chimneys was different from that of the type Myoko: the aft pipe (chimney no. 3) was straight, and the bow (chimney no. 1 and 2) had a large backward slope due to the increased size of the bow superstructure. At the level of the upper deck along the DP there was an auxiliary RO-type boiler (pressure 14 atm.), And its chimney passed in front of the aft pipe. This boiler was removed in 1936.

Number and capacity of generators (mains voltage 225 V) used to power the ship's mains versus type Myoko has been increased. Of the four 250 kW generators driven by internal combustion engines, two stood on the storage deck in the stern on the starboard side, one in the bow on the left side, and one on the middle deck above the MO along the DP. Diesel generator 225 kW was located on the lower deck in the bow on the port side. Each MO had two feed and two Sirocco-type exhaust fans. There were also four Weir-type fire pumps, which were also used to pump water from the boules.

With the maximum fuel supply (2645 tons of fuel oil), the actual cruising range was about 7000 nautical miles against 8000 for the project at 14 knots. For the 18-knot course, due to the twice the required power of the EI, the range was proportionally reduced to about 4000 miles.

Real parameters of driving performance are shown in the table.

Crew and habitability

According to the project, the crew consisted of 727 people, including 48 officers, but in fact, before the modernization, it consisted of 743 to 761 people, that is, less than on the type Myoko due to the decrease in the number of anti-aircraft guns and torpedo tubes. Since the latter were on the upper deck, most of the middle, as well as the space on the lower in front of the KO and behind the MO, was freed up for living quarters.

The sailors' quarters were located on the lower deck in the stern, as well as on the middle deck from the stern to the area of ​​the chimneys of the first and second boiler rooms. The officers' cabins were concentrated in the bow on the lower and middle decks, there was also a wardroom.

Living conditions, especially for junior officers, have become significantly better compared to their predecessors type Takao... Thanks to good ventilation and air conditioning, not only in the cellars, but also in the UAO posts, these cruisers were better suited for operations in the tropics and in the summer.

The ships had pantries for rice and wheat, a freezer for fish and meat. On the middle deck, there were hospitals with quarantine rooms, as well as separate (for officers, non-commissioned officers and sailors) galleys and baths.

Armament

Main caliber

Nasal part IJN Takao, 1932. Two bow gun turrets and 6m rangefinders are visible on their rooftops.

The main caliber consisted of ten 203-mm guns of the 3rd year No. 2 in five twin-gun turrets of the "E" type. The gun had a barrel length of 50 calibers and a maximum rate of fire of 4 rounds per minute. It was equipped with a piston bolt, the barrel was fastened by a semi-wire method, its total weight was 19.0 tons.

Engineer Chiyokichi Hada developed a new model of the main gun turret for firing at both surface and air targets. The work was largely due to the appearance of the British installation for 8-inch guns with an elevation angle of 70 °, which was created in 1923-24 for cruisers of the type Kent... The first three cruisers of the series received model “E” installations. After some operation, it became clear that the maximum elevation angle should not exceed 55 °, since the declared elevation of 70 ° required the use of delicate vertical aiming and recoil mechanisms and, accordingly, complicated the design of the tower. In addition, the following was revealed:

• a fixed loading angle of 5 ° did not allow achieving a rate of fire above 4 rounds per minute;
• due to the low rate of fire and the rate of aiming of the guns, it was almost impossible to conduct anti-aircraft fire;
• practical firing in 1933 revealed a significantly greater dispersion of shells in comparison with their predecessors;
• the gun crews complained of loud noises from the hydraulic pumps.

So IJN Maya, the fourth cruiser of the type, received an upgraded E1 installation with the required elevation angle.

The horizontal firing range at an optimal elevation of 45 ° for installations of both models was 29,400 m, anti-aircraft fire - up to an altitude of 10,000 m. Due to the higher elevation angle, the external shape of the tower slightly differed from the model "D" installed on the type Myoko.

At the time of entry into service, shells of the 1931 model (type 91) were used - armor-piercing with a ballistic cap, " general purpose"(High-explosive) and two types of practical. Their standard ammunition was 1200 units (120 per barrel).

Universal artillery / Anti-aircraft weapons

The number of 12 cm / 45 anti-aircraft guns of the 10 year type was reduced to four, since it was expected that main battery guns would also be used for air defense purposes. They were installed in single electro-hydraulic type B2 switchboards on the sides of the chimneys on the zenith deck - shelterdeck. For firing from these guns, 5 types of projectiles were used: high-explosive type 91 (1.7 kg of "shimosa") with a type 91 remote fuse, sighting with a type 91 remote fuse (slowing down to 30 s), lighting (from March 30, 1938, lighting type "A") with a remote fuse type 91 and training with the same fuse and training without a fuse. The reach of 120 mm guns in height at a maximum elevation angle of 75 ° was 8450 meters. The standard ammunition load was 1200 shots (300 per barrel).

The growing role of aviation in naval battles stimulated the development of medium-range anti-aircraft weapons, but by the time new cruisers were put into operation, such weapons had not yet been developed. Therefore, on the sides of the rear chimney, two light single Vickers Mk. VIII with a caliber of 40 mm and two 7.7-mm machine guns of the "B" type, which were imported from England. Due to the small effective firing range and low projectile speed, 40-mm guns from the mid-1930s began to be replaced by 25-mm machine guns and 13-mm heavy machine guns.

Torpedo armament

The concept for the development of Japanese heavy cruisers provided for the presence of powerful torpedo weapons. It consisted of four paired rotary 610 mm Type 89 torpedo tubes at the level of the upper deck, more precisely, on sponsons in the middle of the ship between the upper deck and the shelterdeck. This was done at the suggestion of Yu Hiragi in order to reduce possible damage in the event of a torpedo explosion. In addition, outside the TA, torpedo warheads were protected by cases made of Ducol steel.

Torpedo tubes with a mass of 14.5 tons, a length of 8.5 m and a width of 3.4 m had manual guidance, turning to a maximum 105 ° took 22.3 seconds. The launch of torpedoes from them for the purpose of stealth was carried out with compressed air. Powder charges could also be used if necessary. To somehow compensate for the reduced side salvo of torpedoes, for cruisers such as Takao developed a quick reloading system for TA: under the shelterdeck there was a system of suspended rails with telphers, with the help of which spare torpedoes were quickly fed to any device. There they were lowered onto electrically driven conveyors and loaded into pipes. Typically, reloading a TA took 3 minutes.

Used steam-gas torpedoes Type 90 with a launch weight of 2,540 tons carried 390 kg of trinitroanisole and could pass 15,000 m at 35 knots, 10,000 m at 42 knots and 7,000 m at 46 knots. Ammunition consisted of 16-24 torpedoes.

Aircraft armament

Seaplane Type 90 No. 2

Two gunpowder catapults type Kure No. 2 model 3, put into service in 1932, were located on the upper deck between the mainmast and the turret of GK No. 4 along the sides. New catapults made it possible to launch an aircraft weighing up to 3000 kg with an acceleration of up to 2.1 g and a speed of up to 28 m / s. The part of the upper deck between the catapults, known as the "aircraft" deck, was equipped with a rail system for moving fuels and lubricants, and the mainmast had a cargo boom for installing fuels and lubricants on the catapults and lifting them from the water to board after landing.

The air group for the project consisted of two Type 90 two-seat reconnaissance seaplanes, which were located wing to wing in the hangar, and one three-seat one. But in fact, due to the absence of the latter, only two two-seater aircraft were based on cruisers in the first years of service. On the Takao as a temporary measure, the obsolete triple type 14 No. 3 was additionally used.

Communication, detection and control equipment

The main battery fire control system on all four ships included two type 14 center sighting sight (VTsN) located at the top of the bow superstructure (main) and above the seaplane hangar (reserve), type 13 target tracking sight (on the eighth tier of the superstructure) , three 6-meter (on the roofs of GK towers No. 1, 2 and 4), two 3.5-meter and two 1.5-meter type 14 rangefinders and four 110-cm searchlights.

IJN Maya

Historical data

common data

EH

real

doc

Reservation

Armament

Artillery weapons

• 5 × 2 - 203 mm / 50 type 3 year No. 2.

Flak

• 4 × 1 120 mm / 45 type 10;
• 2 × 1 40-mm / 39 type "Bi";
• 2 × 7.7-mm type "Bi" ;.

Mine torpedo armament

• 8 (4 × 2) - 610 mm TA type 89 (24 type 90 torpedoes).

Aviation group

• 2 catapults, 3 seaplanes: 2 x Nakajima E4N2 type 90 (since 1936 Nakajima E8N2 type 95) and 1 x Kawanishi E7K2 Type 94.

Ships of the same type

Background and history of creation

Consequences of the First World War. 1922 Washington Maritime Agreement

Disagreements between Japan, the United States and England that arose after the end of the First World War led to an arms race. More and more heavy and heavily armed battleships were designed. Traditional heavily armored, slow battleships and huge battlecruisers such as Lexington did not suit the United States, since the Panama Canal was not designed for ships with a displacement of 40,000 tons and required expensive reconstruction. The performance characteristics of Japan's new battlecruisers, which were superior in armament and armor to their foreign counterparts, also caused strong concern in Europe and the United States. Europe also had big problems with the Navy. England, which possessed a large number of already morally old dreadnoughts, spent a lot of money for their maintenance and at the same time built new ships.

The political situation in the world was also problematic. The first World War led to a change in the economic and political balance. England was gradually losing ground as a world leader. By playing the role of a supplier, the United States has developed its economy. They produced 85% of the world's cars, controlled 20% of the world's gold production, 50% of coal, 60% of aluminum, 66% of oil, while the country's population was only 6% of the world's population. In addition to everything, the United States has become a global creditor. The debt of England amounted to 4.7 billion dollars, France - 3.8, and Italy - 1.9.

The second country to take advantage of the First World War was Japan. In the period from 1914 to 1918, Japanese industry grew and ousted British and American goods from the Chinese markets. Goods from Japan even penetrated the markets of South and Central America, which frightened America.

All this heated up the situation in the Far East. To defuse the current situation and satisfy the interests of the leading maritime countries, it was decided to hold a conference on disarmament in Washington. The result was the signing on February 6, 1922, of the Washington Naval Treaty between the United States, England, France, Italy and Japan.

• The United States stops building 15 new battleships and decommissioning 17 old ones. England stops construction of the planned ships and decommissioning 19 old ones. Japan stops building 15 ships and retires 11 old ones;
• In the future, the tonnage of the linear fleets of Japan, the USA and England should be in the ratio 3: 5: 5;
• It is forbidden to build battleships with a displacement of more than 35,000 tons and armament of more than 406 mm guns;
• 2 battleships can be rebuilt into aircraft carriers instead of being sent for scrap (displacement no more than 33,000 tons);
• It is prohibited to build new aircraft carriers with a displacement of more than 27,000 tons;
• On aircraft carriers it was forbidden to install weapons of more than 203 mm, more than 10 guns with a caliber of 128-203 mm (on aircraft carriers with a displacement of 27,000 tons, more than 8 guns with a caliber of 128-203 mm).

The first generation of "Washington" cruisers

Design and construction

The construction of the next four heavy cruisers was included in the new shipbuilding program, which was approved by the Minister of the Navy Kakuichi Murakami and the chief of staff Gentaro Yamashichi. The new Marine Minister Takeshi Takarabe, replacing Kakuichi Murakami, presented this program on September 13, 1924 in Parliament. However, the parliament refused to finance the construction of the cruisers. The adoption of a positive decision was also not facilitated by the fact that on December 18, 1924, US President Calvin Coolidge announced the suspension of construction of 6 out of 8 heavy cruisers planned under the "first cruising bill" ( USS Pensacola and USS Salt Lake City already built). Then Takarabe turned to the Ministry of Finance with a program to replace the 49 ships that were scrapped with 43 new ones. The program also included the construction of 4 new cruisers instead of outdated armored cruisers. IJN Tone , IJN Chikuma , IJN Hirado , IJN Yahagi .

The development of the project, at the beginning of 1925, was again taken up by the 1st rank captain Kikuo Fujimota, who replaced Yujiro Hiragu as head of the basic design department. The General Staff set the following requirements:

• Reservation of artillery cellars must withstand a hit at a right angle of a 203 mm projectile from a distance of 10 kilometers.
• The armor of the power plant must withstand a hit at a right angle of 152 mm of a projectile and at an acute angle of 203 mm from a distance of 7-20 km.
• Bully must withstand being hit by 1-2 torpedoes
• Cruising range of 8,000 nautical miles.
• Maximum speed over 33 knots
• The main caliber must have large elevation angles
• Adequate air defense
• Four twin torpedo tubes on the upper deck
• Three seaplanes
• The ability to use as a flagship.

Since many requirements were met by the existing type Myōkō, it was decided to create a new cruiser based on it. New project was named "Improved Myōkō”And was prepared by the beginning of 1926. Yuzuru Hiraga, who returned from a trip to England, consulted with Kikuo Fujimota and made some changes. The main differences between the new cruiser and the type Myōkō It was:

• The main caliber was modified and placed in new E2 type turrets, the elevation angle of the guns was increased to 70 °;
• Reinforced armoring of artillery cellars;
• Application of steel "D", aluminum and electric welding;
• Castle-like superstructure;
• Two catapults instead of one;
• Rotary torpedo tubes on the upper deck.

The first three differences are due to the influence of Yuzuru Hiragi, who, as a result of a trip to England, learned from the chief designer Eustace d "Einkort, about the peculiarities of building cruisers of the type Kent... The fourth point was due to the fact that the cruisers were supposed to be used as a flagship and to place a headquarters on them, if necessary. The fifth difference was demanded by the General Staff, relying on intelligence that two catapults were installed on American cruisers. And the sixth change was demanded by the sailors themselves.

Since the torpedo charge reached almost 500 kg of explosives, it was decided to take the torpedo tubes to the upper deck and place them on special sponson ledges. In this case, when a projectile hit, the torpedo explosion was dispersed in the air without causing significant damage to the hull.

The project for the construction of four new cruisers was approved and submitted by Takeshi Takaraba for parliamentary consideration on October 9, 1926, and was adopted in March 1927. Funds for construction were included in the budgets of 1927 and 1928.

In the 1927 fleet replacement program, the cruiser IJN Maya appeared as "large type cruiser No. 7", after which it was named "cruiser" Class A "No. 11". Official name Maya the cruiser was received on September 11, 1928, in honor of the mountain in Hyogo Prefecture, where it was built. The order for the construction was received by a private company "Kawasaki". The estimated cost of the ship is 28.37 million yen. Laid down in December 4, 1928 (shipyard number 550) at the Kawasaki shipyards, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. Due to good funding, the cruiser was built relatively quickly and already on November 8, 1930, she was launched. Sea trials of the new cruiser took place on April 4, 1932 in the Kii Strait, where it showed a maximum speed of 35.0 knots with a power plant of 133,352 hp. Fully manned and entered in the register of the Imperial Japanese Navy on June 30, 1932, after which it was assigned to the naval base in Yokosuka and received its official name IJN Maya.

Description of the structure

Frame

The layout and design of the hull were similar to the previous cruisers of the type Myōkō, except for the enlarged superstructure. The length-to-width ratio of the hull was 11.4. This hull shape made it possible to achieve high speed indicators, and the undulating upper deck and curved stem characteristic of all projects of Yuzuru Hiragi gave the cruiser excellent seaworthiness. To reduce the weight of the hull, the armor of the sides and decks was included in the power hull. Same compared to type Myōkō, the thickness of the upper deck was reduced, which in general made it possible to increase the thickness of the armor without greatly adding to the weight of the hull itself. The body was made mainly of high-strength steel of the NT type, and armored steel Ducol (steel D) and chromium-nickel armor steel were also used.

The layout of the body was as follows. In the bow of the ship, three main-caliber towers were installed in a pyramid, followed by a huge 10-tier superstructure. In the central part of the ship there were a four-legged foremast and an anti-aircraft deck, behind which there was a mainmast with a cargo crane, then two catapults and a hangar for seaplanes. Then two basins of the main building were installed and already at the very sternpost under the deck there was a smoke generator for setting up a smoke screen.

The main caliber was represented by E-type twin turrets. Since cruisers of the type Takao were built as flagships of the fleet, the superstructure was increased in comparison with the type Myōkō and added 2 tiers. Although in height (27 meters from the water level) the superstructure remained the same size, it was significantly lengthened and reworked. All this led to a threefold increase in volume. The superstructure itself had the following layout:

Cruiser superstructure (right side view). The figure shows numerous observational optical devices of the binocular type (range finders, binoculars)

Reservation

IJN Maya was a representative of the second generation of "Washington" cruisers. Chief Designer Yuzuro Hiraga decided to polish his brainchild, a cruiser of the type Myōkō ", and applied when creating the type Takao steel "D", the recipe for which he brought from a long trip to England. Previous mistakes were also taken into account, which led to the strengthening of the armor of the artillery cellars.

During the first military modernization, in the summer of 1943, two paired ones were installed on the Maya, thus the number of barrels was 16. At the same time, a new radar station No. 21 was installed, capable of detecting a single aircraft from a distance of 70 km, and their group - from 100 km.

In the fall of 1943, in response to the increased threat to aviation, it was decided to rebuild the Maya into an air defense cruiser. From December 5, 1943 to April 9, 1944, the following works were performed in Yokosuka:

• Instead of the damaged GK turret # 3, two twin 127 mm Type 89 anti-aircraft guns were installed;
• Instead of four 120 mm Type 10 anti-aircraft guns, four twin 127 mm Type 89 anti-aircraft guns were installed. Thus, their number per cruiser increased to 6;
• Instead of 8 coaxial, 13 triple and 9 single, as well as 36 single 13.2 mm machine guns type 93 and two 7.7 mm were installed;
• The twin torpedo tubes of type 89 were dismantled and four quadruple type 92 were installed in their place;
• Two SUAZO type 91 were replaced by two new type 94;
• To the two Type 95 sighting columns, one more was added on the bridge.
• Additionally installed radar number 22 to detect surface targets.
• All portholes on the lower deck and part on the middle deck were welded;
• Dismantling of a seaplane hangar;
• The anti-aircraft deck was extended to the fourth tower of the main building complex, on which a rail system was installed for the movement of seaplanes. The size of the air group was reduced from three to two. The cruiser now housed two type 0 three-seater seaplanes;
• Boules were replaced with enlarged ones, part of the space of which was always filled with steel pipes, and the rest was used for storing fuel or in a counterflooding system. This made it possible to withstand the explosion of torpedoes with a force of 250 kg of TNT, instead of 200 kg earlier.

The cruiser "Maya" on sea trials after modernization in 1943-1944. Seaplane reconnaissance E13A1 "Jake" is visible on the catapult

The result of the modernization was an increase in the standard displacement to 13 350 tons (from 2/3 of reserves - 15 159 tons). Maximum speed decreased to 34.25 knots. The regular crew increased to 996 people (55 officers and 941 sailors).

At the beginning of 1944, a radar receiver and type 2 infrared communication devices were installed on the Maya. In the summer of 1944, eighteen single 25 mm type 96 automatic anti-aircraft guns were additionally installed (the crew grew from 996 people to 1105), as well as an additional radar station No. 13 A superheterodyne receiver was installed on radar No. 22 of the 4th modification, which made it possible to use it in the fire control system. The calculators of the course and speed of the target type 92 were dismantled.

Service history

Pre-war period

After the surrender of the ship on June 30, 1932, IJN Maya was assigned to the Yokosuka naval base. And in the pre-war period she took part in many maneuvers, exercises and campaigns.

On December 1, 1932, Captain 1st Rank Yamamoto Koki, former captain of the cruiser, takes command of the cruiser IJN Naka... Together with IJN Takao , IJN Atago and IJN Chōkai became part of the 4th cruiser division.

When firing at a long distance, during night exercises in April 1933, a large spread of main battery guns was revealed. Between June 29 and July 5, 1933 IJN Maya as part of the 4th division, together with IJN Aoba , IJN Kinugasa and IJN Kako(6th Division), made a campaign to the shores of Taiwan. And in July-August of this year we went to the southern seas. On August 25, 1933, she took part in the Yokohama naval parade. In September 1933 IJN Maya arrived in Yokosuka for upgrades. After the work, Yamamoto Koki transferred command to Captain 1st Rank Niimi Masaichi, who had previously commanded IJN Yakumo .

Between February and April 1934 IJN Maya, as part of the 4th division, took part in exercises with firing off the coast of Kyushu. And in September, she, along with the 6th Division, visited Ryojun and Qingdao. From October 22 to December 30 in Yokosuka IJN Maya underwent planned repairs and modernization, as a result of which the cruiser received improved steering. At this time, instead of Niimi Masaichi, who received the rank of Rear Admiral, Captain 1st Rank Ozawa Jisaburo took command of the ship.

Between March 29 and April 4, 1935 IJN Maya together with IJN Takao , IJN Atago , IJN Chōkai , IJN Aoba , IJN Kinugasa and IJN Kako conducted a 6-day trek to the shores of Central China. And in August-September, the cruiser participated in the annual fleet maneuvers off the coast of the island of Honshu. After that, on November 15, 1935, IJN Maya and other cruisers like Takao were transferred to the Yokosuki Conservation Area.

Cruisers IJN Maya and IJN Chōkai off the coast of China, October 21, 1938 A seaplane is installed on the catapult Kawanishi E7K2

July 9 to September 20, 1936 IJN Maya once again underwent modernization, the strength of the hull was increased due to the installation of additional steel sheets. And on October 29, the cruiser took part in the review of the fleet in Kobe. December 1, 1936 IJN Maya became part of the 4th division of the Second Fleet.

March 27 to April 6, 1937 IJN Maya took part in a 9-day trek to the Qingdao area, and in August to the Ryojun area. On November 15, Captain 1st Rank Suzuki Yoshio takes command of the ship.

In April 1938, the cruiser took part in a campaign to the shores of South China, and in September-October, together with IJN Chōkai and cruisers like Mogami conducted shooting practice west of Kyushu Island. After that, they again made a trip to the coast of South China.

In March 1939, the cruiser made a cruise to the coast of North China, and on April 4, as part of the 4th cruiser division, fired at a radio-controlled target ship IJN Settsu... The spread was 330 m at a distance of 18.3 km. 15th of November IJN Maya was transferred to the base in Yokosuka as a training artillery ship, returning back to the 4th division only on May 1, 1940.

In February 1941 IJN Maya again carried out a trip to the coast of southern China, and in March took part in exercises near the island of Kyushu. In April and autumn 1941, in accordance with the order to complete the 1st phase of expeditionary preparations, the cruiser was docked in Yokosuka. September 20 IJN Maya changed IJN Takao as the flagship of the 4th Cruiser Division.

Participation in World War II

After the outbreak of World War II IJN Maya, as part of Admiral Kondo's fleet, supported the forces of the fleet with long-range fire during operations in Malaya and Borneo.

In February 1942 IJN Maya, together with cruisers IJN Takao and IJN Atago, relocated to Palau to combat submarines. To do this, the cruisers mounted guides for dropping depth charges. And in late February - early March he took part in the capture of the island of Java. 2nd of March IJN Maya together with IJN Takao , IJN Atago , IJN Arashi and IJN Nowaki sunk two Allied destroyers: British HMS Stronghold and American USS Pillsbury... Thereafter IJN Maya went with IJN Takao to Yokosuku for repairs, during which IJN Maya Two twin 25 mm Type 96 automatic anti-aircraft guns were installed instead of the quadruple 13.2-mm Type 93 machine guns. After repairs, for some time the crew of the cruiser was engaged in combat and political training in the waters of the Metropolis.

Early June 1942 IJN Maya escorted from light aircraft carriers IJN Jun "yō and IJN Ryūjō, took part in the operation against the Aleutian Islands, which was carried out with the aim of diverting the attention of the Americans from Midway. During this operation IJN Maya as part of the fleet of Admiral Kakuta took part in the attack on Dutch Harbor. When the Americans landed on Guadalcanal, IJN Maya together with IJN Takao , IJN Atago , IJN Myōkō and IJN Haguro passed under the command of Admiral Nagumo. Together with the aircraft carriers of Admiral Nagumo, the cruisers entered the battle with the American formation TF-61 in the battle of the Solomon Islands. And at the end of the battle of Santa Cruz, an aircraft carrier was sunk USS Hornet .

During the Battle of Guadalcanal on November 14 IJN Maya together with IJN Takao and IJN Kinugasa fired at the Henderson Field airfield from a long distance (firing 866 high-explosive shells at it from the main caliber). Then they were attacked by American aircraft. During this raid, IJN Maya was rammed by a dive bomber Douglas SBD Dauntless, because of this, 120 mm anti-aircraft artillery shells detonated, 37 crew members died. After repairs at Yokosuka on January 30, 1943, the cruiser IJN Maya was transferred to the Northern Union. And on March 27 he took part in hostilities near Commander Islands... During the battle, the cruiser used up 904 203 mm shells and 16 torpedoes, damaging together with

At the outbreak of World War II, the Japanese Imperial Navy was the third largest navy in the world, second only to the US Navy and the British Navy. As of December 1941, the Japanese fleet included 18 heavy cruisers. On the whole, the structure and combat strength of the fleet were of an offensive rather than defensive nature. Japanese heavy cruisers were large ships with exceptionally powerful artillery and torpedo armament, high sailing speed, and significant draft. The cruisers were perfect for warfare in the dark. Significant dimensions in combination with powerful propulsion systems will make it possible to upgrade the cruisers with "little blood", enhancing their torpedo and anti-aircraft artillery armament. Distinctive features the appearance of the cruisers became pagoda-like superstructure towers, by which the Japanese cruisers can be easily distinguished from the cruisers of the fleet of any other country in the world. In addition to unusual-looking superstructures, the designers also installed extremely unusual curved chimneys on the cruisers. These caressing eyes naval aesthetes ships went through the entire crucible of the war in the Pacific.

Takao-class cruisers

Takao-class cruisers

Washington-class Takao-class cruisers became further development ships of the "Mioko" class, from which they were distinguished by massive armored superstructures, more suitable for battleships. Ships of the Takao class became the largest cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the culmination of the principles laid down by the designer Hiraga on the experimental light cruiser Yubari. The overall design of the cruisers was supervised by Fuhimoto, who was advised while in the position of head of the design department of the technical department of the Navy, Hiraga. Initially, it was decided to install rotary torpedo tubes on cruisers at the level of the upper deck. It was believed that the likely detonation of a torpedo from a shell hitting a torpedo tube mounted on the upper deck would result in less damage to the ship than in the case of a torpedo detonation loaded into a torpedo tube hidden in the hull. For the Takao-class cruisers, the middle chimney became the tallest, making these ships easily identifiable. The maximum elevation angle of the main battery guns was increased to 70 degrees, which made it possible to fire the main battery at air targets. The main armor belt was 12.7 cm (5 inches) thick, one inch more than the Myoko-class cruisers. Due to the Japanese practice of accommodating as many different things as possible in a hull of limited dimensions, the cruisers turned out to be heavily overloaded above the waterline.

"Takao" and its sister ships "Atago", "Maya" and "Chokai" were built according to the shipbuilding program 1927-1931 g Laid down all four cruisers between April 28, 1927 and April 5, 1931 "Takao" and "Atagi" were built at the naval shipyards in Yokosuka and Kure, respectively, "Maya" - by Kawasaki at its own factory in Kobe, and "Chokai" was assembled from metal by Mitsubishi in Nagasaki. Traditionally, the ships were named in honor of the highest peaks of the Japanese islands.

In wartime, the length of the cruiser "Takao" in the hull was 203.8 m. Width along the midship-frame 20.4 m. Draft - 6.32 m. Test displacement at 2 / .3 loaded supplies - 14 838 tons. Total displacement - 15 875 tons. The cruisers were equipped with 12 Canton boilers, four turbo-gear units and four propellers. Power plant capacity - 133,000 liters. s ... full speed - 34.25 knots. Estimated cruising range at 14-knot speed - 8500 nautical miles. In the version of the flagship, the cruiser's crew consisted of 970 people.

The thickness of the armor belt of the Takao-class cruisers is 127 cm, the thickness of the armor deck is 35 mm, and the walls of the superstructure are 10–16 mm.

During the war, the main caliber of the Takao-class cruisers consisted of 203 mm guns in five E-type twin-gun turrets. three towers are placed in the bow, two - in the stern. Medium artillery is composed of eight. 127-mm universal guns type 10 NA in four twin-gun turrets, two turrets on each side. Other artillery - 25 automatic cannons of 25 mm caliber in twin and triple mounts, 12 type 96 machine guns in six twin mounts. In 1944, about 26 type 96 single-barreled machine guns were delivered to the cruisers. Ammunition for the four model 1 four-tube torpedo tubes was 24 type 93 torpedoes.

All four cruisers entered service in the period from March 30, 1932 to June 30, 1932. They were registered at the Yokosuka naval base; during the war, the ships did not change their registration. The Takao-class cruisers replaced the Mioko-class cruisers in the 4th Division of the 2nd Fleet. From May 31, 1932 to June 2, 1938, four heavy cruisers repeatedly took part in maneuvers, campaigns and reviews of the Imperial Japanese Navy. During operation, the insufficient stability of the ships became obvious, which forced the command of the fleet to make a difficult decision to modernize the cruisers. The cruisers "Takao" and "Agago" were modernized in 1938-1939. After "minor modifications", the fleet received virtually new ships with a different appearance, much superior to themselves before the repair in terms of the balance of speed, security and weapons. At the same time, the Maya and Chokai were not asleep to upgrade the cruisers.

After the modernization of the cruisers "Takao" and "Atagi" again became part of the 4th division, which cruised off the coast of China, supporting operations Japanese army on the continent. On September 20, 1941, the Maya replaced the Takao as the flagship of the 4th cruiser division, and preparations for the coming war soon began. In the Pescador area, the cruisers of the 4th Division linked up with the battleships Congo and Haruna of the 3rd Division, thus forming the core of the Southern Forces commanded by Admiral Kondo. Kondo's fleet provided long-range cover for operations in Malaya and Borneo. In February 1942, "Takao", "Atago" and "Maya" were left in Palau in order to fight submarines, for which the guides were mounted on the cruisers for dropping depth charges.

After the battles at the port of Darwin. Australia, and the islands of Java, the cruisers "Takao" and "Maya" went to Yokosuka for repairs, during which the ships were equipped with the latest 127-mm universal guns in two-gun turrets. All four Takao-class cruisers spent some time engaged in combat and political training in the waters of the Metropolis, after which they (excluding the Chokai cruiser, sent to Truk as part of the 6th Division), were escorted by the Yunyo and Ryujo light cruisers, took part in the operation against the Aleutian Islands, which was carried out with the aim of diverting the attention of the Americans from Midway.

When the Americans landed on Guadalcanal, the cruisers of the 4th Division (Takao, Atago, and Maya), along with the ships of the 5th Division (Mioko and Haguro), joined Admiral Nagumo's carrier group. This powerful Japanese fleet clashed with the American TF-61 in the Battle of the Solomon Islands. All five Japanese heavy cruisers took part in night combat with American ships, and at the end of the Battle of Santa Cruz took part in the sinking of the aircraft carrier Hornst.

On the night of November 14-15, 1942, the cruisers Takao and Atago, together with the old battleship Kirishima, as well as destroyers, were sent to shell the Henderson Field airfield. However, the Japanese squadron encountered the battleships of the United States Navy South Dakota and Washington on its way. Both American battleships concentrated fire on the Japanese battleship Kirishima, two of which allowed both Japanese cruisers to fire their main battery without hindrance. At that time, at least 16 high-explosive shells of 203 mm caliber hit South Dakota. fired from a distance of only 5 km by both Japanese cruisers. In that battle, "Takao" was not injured at all, and "Atago" received moderate injuries. On the "Kirishim" there was a violent fire, and later the battleship sank. "South Dakota" left the scene of the battle on its own, and the next day was again ready to take part in the battle.

After that, the activity associated with the evacuation of the Guadalcanal garrison subsided, on the cruisers Takao, Maya and Atago in Yokosuka, type 21 radars and triple installations of 25-mm automatic cannons were installed. Then the cruisers returned to Truk and took part in the operation of the United Fleet in the area of ​​Enewetok Atoll. On November 5, 1943, the cruisers of the 4th Division were anchored off Simpson Harbor in Rabaul when they were unexpectedly attacked by aircraft from the aircraft carriers Tesk Force 38.

In "Takao", in the area of ​​the barbette of the main caliber tower No. 2, a 225-kg bomb hit. After another staging in the dry dock of Yokosuki and returning to Truk, the cruisers of the 4th division took part in the Battle of the Marianna on June 19–20, 1944 - their participation turned out to be purely nominal, since the cruisers did not fire a single shot at the enemy.

On October 22, 1944, four Takao-class cruisers passed through the Palawan Strait - the great naval battle began in Leyte Gulf. On October 23, Takao was hit by two torpedoes fired by the American submarine Darter. Through the holes made in the side by the explosion of torpedoes, large quantities of water began to flow into the boiler rooms of the cruiser. The explosions also damaged the steering and starboard propellers. A fire started on the ship, the cruiser got a roll of 10 degrees. The cruiser managed to dig out again by flooding the compartments of the opposite side, but now the Takao was sitting too low in the water. The fire was extinguished, after which the Takao, accompanied by two destroyers, went slowly to Brunei. The submarine "Darter" also drove four torpedoes into the sister ship "Takao" cruiser "Atago", after a while the cruiser sank. Admiral Kurita managed to escape, he transferred his flag to the battleship "Yamato". Around the same time, another submarine in the United States Navy attacked the cruiser Maya, firing four torpedoes from its bow torpedo tubes. Torpedoes hit the left side of the cruiser. On October 25, when Japanese Central Forces intercepted a formation of American escort aircraft carriers of Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague, the Chokai cruiser was severely damaged by a bomb dropped by a TVM-1 aircraft, which took off from the deck. light aircraft carrier Kitkin Bay. The damage was so serious that the Japanese destroyers had to finish off the cruiser with torpedoes due to the impossibility of towing. The battles in Leyte Gulf fully demonstrated the extreme vulnerability of the Takao-class cruisers from bombs and shells. The cruisers Atago, Maya and Chokai were excluded from the lists of the Imperial Japanese Navy on one day - December 20, 1944.

Badly damaged Takao. the only surviving ship of the series, safely reached first Brunei, and then Singapore, where he joined the 1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet along with the cruisers Mioko, Ashigara and Haguro. The Takao was not repaired; it, together with the damaged Mioko, was sunk on the shallows and used as an anti-aircraft battery. Not knowing the real state of the cruisers, the British sent two ultra-small submarines to destroy them, which on July 31, 1945 tried to attack the ships. By mistake, both submarines approached the side of the same ship, the Takao. Each mini-submarine carried an explosive charge weighing less than six 35 kg "sticky" mines. Explosive charges for some reason did not explode, but sticky mines made a significant hole in the hull. Strange, but the cruiser sunk in shallow water refused to sink further ... the British finally sunk the cruiser in the Malaak Strait after the end of hostilities - on October 27, 1946. Officially, the "Takao" cruiser was excluded from the lists of the Japanese fleet on May 3, 1947, thereby point in the history of these Japanese cruisers.

The sea is raging!
Far to the island of Savo

The Milky Way is spreading.

... On the night of August 9, 1942, a group of samurai circled the island of Savo counterclockwise, killing everyone who met them on the way. The cruisers Astoria, Canberra, Vincennes, and Quincy became victims of the insane night battle, the Chicago and two more destroyers received heavy damage. Irrecoverable losses of the Americans and their allies amounted to 1,077 people, the Japanese had moderately damaged three cruisers and killed 58 sailors. Having destroyed the entire American compound, the samurai disappeared into the darkness of the night.

The pogrom near the Savo Island entered the American one as the "second Pearl Harbor" - so great was the severity of the losses and the great disappointment with the actions of the sailors. It remained unclear how the Yankees did not notice at a distance of 20 miles the roar and flashes of naval combat, the beams of searchlights rushing across the sky and clusters of lighting bombs. Not! The watchmen on the cruisers of the Northern Formation dozed serenely to the thunderous rumble of 203 mm guns - until the Japanese, having finally destroyed the Southern Formation, moved to the North and attacked the second group of American ships.

The impressive Japanese victory at Savo Island was due to the heavy cruisers Chokai, Aoba, Kako, Kunugasa and Furutaka. The cruising forces of the Imperial Navy became one of the main arguments in that war - many high-profile victories were recorded on the account of ships of this class: a night battle near Savo Island, the defeat of an allied squadron in the Java Sea, a battle in the Sunda Strait, raids into the Indian Ocean ... - these are the events that made the Japanese navy famous.

Even when radars appeared on American ships, and the sea and air were buzzing with US Navy equipment, Japanese cruisers continued to fight, often achieving episodic victories. High protection allowed them to operate relatively successfully in conditions of numerical superiority of the enemy and withstand numerous hits from bombs, artillery and torpedo.

As practice has shown, the combat stability of these ships was extremely high. The only thing that could kill the armored monsters was extensive damage to the underwater part of the hull. Only after that, tormented by American explosives, they lay down exhausted on the seabed.

There were 18 of them in total. Eighteen samurai, each with its own unique version of birth, history of service and tragic death. Nobody survived until the end of the war.

Constructors' Cup

Japanese heavy cruisers built in the interwar period were perhaps the most successful ships in their class - the most powerful offensive weapons, solid armor (the Japanese did everything that was possible under international restrictions), successful anti-torpedo protection and effective counter-flooding schemes, high speed and autonomy sufficient to operate anywhere in the Pacific.

The Japanese trademark was Long Lance - oxygen super-torpedoes of 610 mm caliber, the most powerful samples of underwater weapons in the world (for comparison, their main opponent - the US Navy cruisers were completely devoid of torpedo weapons). The flip side was the great vulnerability of Japanese cruisers - a stray shell hitting a torpedo tube on the upper deck could be fatal for the ship. The detonation of several Long Lances completely put the ship out of action.

Like all "Washington-era" cruisers, the samurai suffered severe overload. No bluff and forgery with the declared displacement could rectify the situation - the engineers had to dodge in the most amazing way so that, in the figurative expression of the Americans, who also suffered from the terms of the International Treaty on the Limitation of Naval Arms, "pour a quart of liquid into a pint container."

I had to save on something: the main blow was struck on the habitability of the ship and the conditions for accommodating personnel (within 1.5 square meters per person). However, the little Japanese quickly got used to the cramped space - the main thing is that the ventilation works well.

The desire to forcibly squeeze the cruiser into the cherished "10 thousand tons" gave unusual results. The irrepressible fantasy of engineers, a "masquerade" with the main caliber - according to secret calculations, on some cruisers it was possible to quickly replace 6-inch guns with powerful 8-inch barrels, as well as some traditional solutions of the Japanese school of shipbuilding (for example, the shape of the bow ) - all this led to the creation of amazing samples of naval weapons, which brought many victories to the Land of the Rising Sun.

The Japanese cruisers were good in everything, except for one thing - there were too few of them: 18 desperate samurai could cope with American pre-war cruisers, but for each lost ship the Americans immediately "got out of their sleeve" five new ones. Total US industry in the period from 1941 to 1945 built about 40 cruisers. Japan - 5 light cruisers, 0 heavy cruisers.

The effectiveness of the use of cruising forces was greatly influenced by Japan's scientific and technical backwardness. Due to the presence of torpedoes and high-quality preparation for conducting night artillery duels, Japanese cruisers had priority at the initial stage of the war, but with the advent of radars, their advantage came to naught.
In general, the whole story about Japanese heavy cruisers is a cruel experiment on the topic of how long an armored monster can hold out under continuous attacks from the sea surface, from the air and from under the water. In conditions of many times superior forces of the enemy and the absence of at least the slightest elusive chance of salvation.

I invite dear readers to get acquainted with some of these leviathans. What were their strengths and weaknesses? Have the Japanese cruisers been able to live up to the expectations of their creators? How did the brave ships die?

Heavy cruisers type "Furutaka"

Number of units in a series - 2
Years of construction - 1922 - 1926
Full displacement - 11 300 tons
Crew - 630 people.
Armor belt thickness - 76 mm
Main caliber - 6 x 203 mm

The first Japanese interwar cruisers were designed before the Washington restrictions came into effect. In general, they turned out to be very close to the standards of the "Washington cruiser", tk. originally planned as scout cruisers in a hull with the lowest possible displacement.

An interesting layout of the main battery guns in six single-gun turrets (later replaced by three two-gun turrets). Typical for the Japanese, the wavy silhouette of the hull with an "upturned" bow end and the lowest possible board in the stern area. The low height of the chimneys, later recognized as an extremely unfortunate decision. Armor belt integrated into the body structure. Poor accommodation conditions - "Furutaka", in this sense, was the worst of the Japanese cruisers.

Due to the low side height, it was forbidden to use the windows during sea crossings, which, coupled with inadequate ventilation, made service in the tropics an extremely exhausting event.

Death story:

"Furutaka" - 10/11/1942 during the battle at Cape Esperance, the cruiser received severe damage from 152 and 203 mm shells of American cruisers. The subsequent detonation of the torpedo ammunition, aggravated by the loss of progress, sealed the fate of the cruiser: after 2 hours the flaming Furutaka sank.

"Kako" - the day after the pogrom off the island of Savo, the cruiser was torpedoed by the submarine S-44. Having received three torpedoes, "Kako" capsized and sank. The US Navy received its "consolation prize".

Aoba-class heavy cruisers

Number of units in a series - 2
Years of construction - 1924 - 1927
Full displacement - 11,700 tons
Crew - 650 people.
Armor belt thickness - 76 mm
Main caliber - 6 x 203 mm

They are a modification of the earlier Furutaka-class cruisers. Unlike its predecessors, "Aoba" initially received two-gun turrets. The superstructure and fire control systems have undergone changes. As a result of all the changes, the Aoba turned out to be 900 tons heavier than the original design: the main disadvantage of the cruisers was their critically low stability.

"Aoba", lying at the bottom of the harbor of Kure, 1945

"Aoba" - covered with wounds, the cruiser was able to survive until the summer of 1945. It was finally finished off by the US Navy aviation during the regular bombing of the Kure naval base in July 1945.

"Kunugasa" - sunk by torpedo bombers from the aircraft carrier "Enterprise" during the Battle of Guandalcanal, 11/14/1942

Heavy cruisers of the "Myoko" class (sometimes "Myoko")

Number of units in a series - 4
Years of construction - 1924 - 1929
Full displacement - 16,000 tons
Crew - 900 people.
Armor belt thickness - 102 mm
Main caliber - 10 x 203 mm

The first "Washington cruisers" of the Land of the Rising Sun, with all their advantages, disadvantages and original design solutions.

Five main-caliber turrets, three of which are placed in the bow of the ship according to the "pyramid" scheme - ten 203-mm guns. The booking scheme is generally similar to that adopted on the Furutaka cruiser, with the reinforcement of individual elements: the belt thickness was increased to 102 mm, the thickness of the armored deck above the engine rooms reached 70 ... 89 mm, and the total armor weight increased to 2,052 tons. The thickness of the anti-torpedo protection was 2.5 meters.

A sharp increase in displacement (standard - 11 thousand tons, the total could exceed 15 thousand tons) required a significant increase in the power of the power plant. The boilers of the cruisers "Myoko" were originally designed for oil heating; the power on the propeller shafts was 130,000 hp.

Death story:

"Mioko" - during the fierce battle near the island of Samar was damaged by a torpedo from a carrier-based torpedo bomber. Despite the damage, he was able to limp to Singapore. During an emergency repair, a B-29 came under attack. A month later, on December 13, 1944, it was again torpedoed by the submarine USS Bergall - this time it was not possible to restore the combat capability of the Mioko. The cruiser was sunk in shallow water in the harbor of Singapore and was later used as a stationary artillery battery. All that remained of the Mioko was captured by the British in August 1945.

"Nati" - in November 1944 in Manila Bay was subjected to massive attacks by US Navy carrier-based aircraft, was hit by 10 torpedoes and 21 bombs, broke into three parts and sank.

Ashigara - sunk by the British submarine HMS Trenchant in the Bangka Strait (Java Sea), June 16, 1945.

Takao-class heavy cruisers

Number of units in a series - 4
Years of construction - 1927 - 1932
Full displacement - 15200 - 15900 tons
Crew - 900-920 people.
Armor belt thickness - 102 mm
Main caliber - 10 x 203 mm

They are a natural evolution of the Myoko-class cruisers. Recognized as the most successful and balanced project among all Japanese heavy cruisers.

Outwardly, they were distinguished by a massive, armored superstructure, which made the cruisers look like battleships. The elevation angle of the main battery guns was increased to 70 °, which made it possible to fire the main battery at air targets. The stationary torpedo tubes were replaced by rotary ones - a salvo of 8 Long Lances on each side was capable of finishing off any enemy. The armoring of the ammunition storage has been increased. The composition of aviation weapons was expanded to two catapults and three seaplanes. In the construction of the case, high-strength steel of the Ducol brand and electric welding are widely used.

Death story:

"Takao" - hit by the American submarine "Darter" on the way to Leyte Bay. With difficulty I reached Singapore, where it was turned into a powerful floating battery. On July 31, 1945, the cruiser was finally destroyed by the British dwarf submarine XE-3.

"Chokai" - mortally wounded in a battle near the island of Samar, as a result of a shell hitting a torpedo tube. A few minutes later, the cruiser's flaming box was bombed by carrier-based aircraft. Due to the complete loss of progress and combat effectiveness, the crew was removed, the cruiser was finished off by the escort destroyer.

Mogami-class heavy cruisers

Number of units in a series - 4
Years of construction - 1931 - 1937
Full displacement - about 15,000 tons
Crew - 900 people.
Armor belt thickness - 100 ... 140 mm
Main caliber - 10 x 203 mm

Having familiarized himself with the information obtained by intelligence about the new Japanese cruiser "Mogami", the Chief Designer of Her Majesty's fleet only whistled: "Are they building a ship out of cardboard?"

Fifteen 155 mm guns in five main turrets, universal artillery of 127 mm caliber, Long Lances, 2 catapults, 3 seaplanes, armor belt thickness - up to 140 mm, massive armored superstructure, 152 thousand hp power plant. ... and it all fits into a hull with a standard displacement of 8,500 tons? The Japanese are lying!

"Mogami" with a torn off nose - the result of a collision with the cruiser "Mikuma"

At the same time, the Mogami-class cruisers were monstrously overloaded, had poor seaworthiness and critically low stability, which, in turn, affected their stability and accuracy of artillery fire. In view of these shortcomings, the lead cruiser of the project - "Mogami" in the period from 1942 to 1943. underwent modernization and was turned into an aircraft-carrying cruiser - instead of a stern group of artillery, the ship received a hangar for 11 seaplanes.

Aircraft carrier "Mogami"

Death story:

"Mogami" - damaged by artillery fire in the Surigao Strait on the night of October 25, 1944, the next day it was attacked by carrier-based aircraft, collided with the cruiser "Nati" and sank.

The Mikuma was the first Japanese cruiser to be lost in World War II. Was attacked by carrier-based aircraft in the battle of Midway Atoll on June 7, 1942. The detonation of the torpedo ammunition left no chance of salvation: the cruiser skeleton left by the crew drifted for 24 hours until it disappeared under water.

"Mikuma" after the detonation of its own torpedoes. On the roof of the fourth tower, the wreckage of a downed American plane is visible (similar to the feat of Gastello)

"Kumano" - lost its bow in a skirmish with American destroyers in Leyte Gulf, the next day it was damaged by carrier-based aircraft. A week later, during the transition to Japan for repairs, he was torpedoed by the submarine "Ray", but still managed to get to Luzon. On November 26, 1944, she was finally finished off by carrier-based aircraft in the harbor of Santa Cruz: 5 torpedoes hit the cruiser, which completely destroyed the Kumano's hull. Oh, and it was a tenacious beast!

Tone-class heavy cruisers

Number of units in a series - 2
Years of construction - 1934 - 1939
Full displacement - 15 200 tons
Crew - 870 people.
Armor belt thickness - 76 mm
Main caliber - 8 x 203 mm
A feature of the "Tone" was its advanced aircraft armament - up to 8 seaplanes (in reality, no more than 4).

"Tone" on the way to Midway

The bizarre appearance of the "Tone" was dictated by a serious calculation - such an arrangement of the main battery towers made it possible to reduce the length of the armored citadel, saving several hundred tons of displacement. By unloading the aft end and shifting the weights to the midsection, the strength of the hull was increased and seaworthiness was improved, the spread of main battery salvos decreased, and the ship's behavior as an artillery platform improved. The freed aft part of the cruiser became the base for the deployment of aviation - now the seaplanes were not exposed to the risk of exposure to powder gases, in addition, this made it possible to increase the air group and simplify the operation of aircraft.

However, for all the seeming genius of this solution, the placement of all main battery towers in the bow had an important drawback: a dead zone appeared at the aft corners - the problem was partially solved by deploying a pair of main battery towers with their trunks back. In addition, one single hit threatened to disable the entire main caliber of the cruiser.

In general, despite a number of significant and insignificant shortcomings, the ships turned out to be worthy and ruffled a lot of nerves for their opponents.

Death story:

"Tone" - the damaged cruiser was able to escape from the Leyte Gulf and reach its native shores. Was restored, but never again participated in hostilities at sea. On July 24, 1945, he was sunk by American aircraft during a raid on the Kure naval base. On July 28, the cruiser wreck was re-bombed by US Navy aircraft.

Chikuma (also found Chikuma) - sunk by carrier-based aircraft in Leyte Gulf, October 25, 1944.

Heavy cruiser "Tikuma"

Thanks to all readers for reading this entire list of quirky Japanese names to the end!

Based on materials:
http://www.warfleet.ru/
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.wunderwaffe.narod.ru/
http://hisofweapons.ucoz.ru/

The Japanese heavy cruiser "Maya" of the "Takao" or "improved Myoko" class is presented here for the period July-October 1944. The model was assembled by me in February 2011.

About the historical prototype

The heavy cruiser was under construction: the hull was at the Kawasaki shipyard, the mechanisms were at Kobe. The shipyard number is 550. During construction it had a symbolic designation: "class A" cruiser # 11. The cost of the ship was estimated at 28.37 million yen. It was named after the mountain in Hyogo Prefecture. Delivered to the Navy on June 30, 1932.
Before the outbreak of the war and during it, the ship was modernized many times at the shipyard of the fleet in Yokosuka.
During the war, he took an active part in hostilities throughout the Pacific theater, repeatedly opening fire on targets with all available means.

Before assembly

We have:

• model of the heavy cruiser "Maya" complete with a small set of photo-etched parts;
• a set of figures of Japanese sailors in work clothes from Fujimi;
• black nylon threads;
• Revell and Tamiya paints;
• Aber handrail;
• the remains of sprues and photo-etched Hasegawa for IJN (QG 35, 72135);
• auxiliary aids.

Working literature.

• Suliga S. "Japanese heavy cruisers. Volume 1"
• Suliga S. "Japanese heavy cruisers. Volume 2".
• Magazine from the "War at Sea" series # 26: Japanese heavy cruisers.
• The Essential Guide to WWII Cruisers. Hunters and Defenders.
• Wikipedia.

Assembly

Used paint and places of its application.

1. Revell enamel # 4 - sailor figurines clothes;
2. Revell enamel # 8 - shells in the hands of sailor figures and the upper parts of the mainmast and chimneys;
3. Revell enamel # 15 - leading edges of seaplane wings;
4. Revell enamel # 35 - hands and heads of sailor figurines;
5. Revell enamel # 37 - from the waterline and below;
6. Revell enamel No. 90 - all glazing;
7. Revell enamel # 94 - screws;
8. Revell enamel No. 314 - boat awnings, inner part of boats and main guns bases;
9. Revell enamel # 363 - seaplanes E13A1 type 0;
10. Tamiya acrylic XF-56 - rails and radars # 13 and # 21;
11. Tamiya acrylic XF-77 - all that is gray;
12. Tamiya acrylic XF-78 - deck on the boat from the starboard side under the crane;
13. Tamiya acrylic XF-79 - deck covered with linoleum.

Ship

The ship's hull is assembled according to the frame system.
It took a little tinkering to dock the aft deck and the hull.

Also in the photo is a torpedo deck with spare torpedoes, which during assembly will be covered by another deck.

Polyethylene sleeves are inserted into the bases of the barbets of the GK towers, into which, in turn, the GK towers are inserted. The main battery towers themselves have a crossbar inside, which is grabbed by the main battery guns. Main battery turrets and guns remain mobile. All main guns are raised and lowered independently of each other, and the maximum elevation angle of the guns on the model is equal to the historical prototype - 55 degrees.
Torpedo tubes, auxiliary artillery and catapults are also supplied with bushings for some model manufacturers, but this is not here. They are fixed.
Shields of three-barreled 25-mm assault rifles made of photo-etched, which the ship was equipped with as a base.
There were minor difficulties when working with the citadel. The installation of a monolithic anti-aircraft searchlight platform in the area of ​​chimneys is not entirely well thought out. In the photo, it has just been installed and has not yet been painted.

Improvements

Leer.
All the railings were cut and installed after the fact. On the sides it went according to the principle of mirror reflection.

Anti-aircraft weapons and radars.
A)
During the major modernization of the historical prototype in December 1943 - April 1944, while in dry dock No. 4, "Maya" was converted into an air defense cruiser. In the course of it, the most distinguishing feature was the dismantling of the damaged GK tower # 3. In its place were installed 2x2 127-mm universal without shield guns. Were also replaced 4x2 120-mm universal shield guns on 4x2 127-mm universal without shield guns, installed 9x1 25-mm machine guns and 36x1 removable 13-mm machine guns.
During the last modernization and repairs at the end of June 1944 after Operation Syo, 18x1 25-mm assault rifles (14 + 4 removable) were added to the cruiser. All the machine guns were removed. They also installed air defense radar # 13 (also called "type 13") behind the foremast.
B)
By the presence of radars and single-barreled 25-mm submachine guns, I discovered that the model of the ship was "without time." The complete absence of 25 mm assault rifles and 13 mm machine guns. There were only 13x3 25mm submachine guns. On the picture of the ship on the box there is radar # 13.
In the book by Suliga S. "Japanese heavy cruisers. Volume 2" I found a top view of the ship's drawing for April 1944 and August 1944 showing the location of 25-mm machine guns and radar # 13. Made a decision to assemble a model with a view after the last modernization. Armed with this material, I drilled d = 1mm holes with a Tamiya battery-powered drill in the right places and installed the single-barrel 25mm assault rifles left over from the Hasegawa models. Air defense radar # 13 at the rear of the foremast is made of Hasegawa photo-etch for IJN (QG 35, 72135).

Crew.
I got figurines of Japanese sailors in work clothes from Fujimi inside the basic sets of the battleship-aircraft carrier "Ise" (1 set) and the battleship "Fuso" (2 sets: 1 - in work clothes and 1 - in ceremonial clothes). Unlike figures from Tamiya, figures from Fujimi are not flat. I installed it almost spontaneously - it would be strange to see an artilleryman in the place of a signalman and vice versa. In the hands of the sailors, who are near the double-barreled 127-mm universal guns, shells. The signalmen have no binoculars. The figures were not originally painted and were painted by me by hand. The hands are also painted.

The right photo partially shows the left side bow torpedo tube and a completely finished anti-aircraft searchlight platform.

Flagpole.
The ship does not have a stern flagpole. By analogy with other ships, he installed a flagpole in the upper part of the mainmast from scrap materials. Flag from Fujimi.

I confess. A little overshot without installing 1 stern depth-charge deflector. It should be located on the poop in the longitudinal axis of the ship.

The fate of the historical prototype

Ironically, the air defense ship was not killed by aviation, but as a result of an underwater attack at 07:05 on October 23, 1944 north-west of Fr. Palawan (southeast of the South China Sea). Having become a victim of the American submarine SS-247 "Dace", which at 06:56 "planted" 4 Mk 14 torpedoes from the chain box to the mainmast into its port side. Fatal for the ship was the 2nd torpedo, which hit the base of the main turret # 1 and caused a fire. After 9 minutes (according to other sources, 10 minutes) after torpedoing, as a result of an explosion from the fire of the cellars of the GK towers No. 1 and No. 2, the ship capsized over the port side and sank. Out of 1105 crew members, 336 were killed. All those who were rescued were transferred to the battleship Musashi, which itself, in turn, was later subjected to massive attacks by American aircraft carrier aircraft and, as a result, itself was sunk. In the course of these attacks, the Maya's crew was reduced by another 134 people. Among those killed was the commander of the "Maya" Ranji Oe (in command of the ship from December 26, 1943 to October 23, 1944). A total of 470 people died.

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