Japanese battleship Hyūga

Coordinates: 34°10′0″N 132°32′59″E / 34.16667°N 132.54972°E / 34.16667; 132.54972
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other ships with the same name, see Japanese ship Hyūga.

Aerial view of Hyūga in 1927
History
Empire of Japan
NameHyūga
NamesakeHyūga Province
BuilderMitsubishi Heavy Industries
Laid down6 May 1915
Launched27 January 1917
Commissioned30 April 1918
Stricken20 November 1945
FateSunk, 27 July 1945 and subsequently scrapped, 1946–1947
General characteristics (as built)
Class and typeIse-class battleship
Displacement
Length208.18 m (683 ft) (o.a.)
Beam28.65 m (94 ft)
Draught8.93 m (29 ft 4 in)
Installed power
Propulsion4 × shafts; 2 × steam turbine sets
Speed23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph)
Range9,680 nmi (17,930 km; 11,140 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement1,360
Armament
Armour
General characteristics (after first reconstruction)
Displacement42,001 long tons (42,675 t) (full load)
Length215.8 m (708 ft)
Beam31.75 m (104 ft 2 in)
Draught9.45 m (31 ft)
Installed power
  • 8 × water-tube boilers
  • 80,000 shp (60,000 kW)
Propulsion4 × steam turbine sets
Speed24.5 knots (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph)
Range7,870 nmi (14,580 km; 9,060 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement1,376
Armament
  • 6 × twin 35.6 cm (14 in) guns
  • 16 × single 14 cm (5.5 in) guns
  • 4 × twin
    DP guns
  • 10 × twin
    2.5 cm (1 in)
    AA guns
ArmourDecks: 152 mm (6 in)
Aircraft carried3
Aviation facilities1 catapult
General characteristics (as hybrid carrier, 1945)
Displacement39,805 long tons (40,444 t) (full load)
Length219.62 m (720 ft 6 in)
Beam31.71 m (104 ft)
Draught9.03 m (29 ft 8 in)
Range9,500 nmi (17,600 km; 10,900 mi) at 16 knots
Complement1,463
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament
  • 4 × twin 35.6 cm guns
  • 8 × twin 12.7 cm DP guns
  • 31 × triple, 11 × single 2.5 cm AA guns
  • 6 × 30-round 12.7 cm AA rocket launchers
Aircraft carried22
Aviation facilities2 catapults

Hyūga (Japanese: 日向) was the second and last Ise-class battleship built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the 1910s. Although completed in 1918, she played no role in World War I. Hyūga supported Japanese forces in the early 1920s during the Siberian intervention in the Russian Civil War. In 1923, she assisted survivors of the Great Kantō earthquake. The ship was partially modernised in two stages in 1927–1928 and 1931–1932, during which her forward superstructure was rebuilt in the pagoda mast style. Hyūga was reconstructed in 1934–1936, improvements being made to her armour and propulsion machinery. Afterwards, she played a minor role in the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Despite the expensive reconstruction, the ship was considered obsolete by the eve of the

petrol and other strategic materials back to Japan. The ship was then reduced to reserve until she was sunk during American airstrikes in July. After the war, Hyūga was scrapped
in 1946–1947.

Design and description

American ship-recognition drawing of the Ise-class battleships before their conversion

The Ise class was designed as an improved version of the preceding

deep load.[1] They displaced 29,980 long tons (30,460 t) at standard load and 36,500 long tons (37,100 t) at deep load, roughly 650 long tons (660 t) more than the earlier ships. Their crew consisted of 1,360 officers and ratings.[2]

During the ships' modernisation in the 1930s, their forward

torpedo bulges to improve their underwater protection and to compensate for the weight of the extra armour. These changes increased their overall length to 215.8 metres (708 ft),[3] their beam to 31.75 metres (104 ft 2 in) and their draught to 9.45 metres (31 ft). Their displacement increased over 5,000 long tons (5,100 t) to 42,001 long tons (42,675 t) at deep load.[4] The crew now numbered 1,376 officers and enlisted men.[2]

Propulsion

The Ise-class ships had two sets of direct-drive

kW) and give the ships a speed of 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph). Hyūga reached 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) from 63,211 shp (47,136 kW) during her sea trials.[5] Each of the boilers consumed a mixture of coal and oil, and the ships carried enough of both to give them a range of 9,680 nautical miles (17,930 km; 11,140 mi) at a speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph).[2]

During their 1930s modernisation, the boilers on each ship were replaced by eight new Kampon oil-fired boilers.[2] The turbines were replaced by four geared Kampon turbines with a designed output of 80,000 shp (60,000 kW) intended to increase their speed to 24.5 knots (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph).[1] The fuel storage of the ships was increased which gave them a range of 7,870 nautical miles (14,580 km; 9,060 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph), despite the additional weight.[2]

Armament

Installation of a 35.6-centimetre gun in Hyūga's No. 4 gun turret

The twelve

anti-aircraft (AA) guns in single mounts. The ships were also fitted with six submerged 53.3-centimetre (21.0 in) torpedo tubes, three on each broadside.[10]

In 1931–1933 the AA guns were replaced with eight

two-pounder (4-centimetre (1.6 in)) light AA guns were also added while the pair of 14 cm guns on the upper deck were removed.[12]

During the mid-1930s reconstruction, the torpedo tubes were removed, and the Vickers two-pounders were replaced by twenty license-built

2.5-centimetre (1 in) Type 96 light AA guns in 10 twin-gun mounts.[12] This was the standard Japanese light AA gun during World War II, but it suffered from severe design shortcomings that rendered it a largely ineffective weapon. According to naval historian Mark Stille, the twin and triple mounts "lacked sufficient speed in train or elevation; the gun sights were unable to handle fast targets; the gun exhibited excessive vibration; the magazine was too small, and, finally, the gun produced excessive muzzle blast".[13] During the reconstruction, the forward pair of 14-centimetre guns in the forecastle were removed.[12]

Protection

The Ise-class ships'

high-tensile steel totalling 55 mm (2.2 in) thick and the lower armoured deck also consisted of two layers of high-tensile steel, but only 30 mm (1.2 in) thick in total.[14] The turrets were protected with an armour thickness of 254 mm (10 in) on the face and 76 mm on the roof.[15] The casemate armour was 149 mm (5.9 in) thick and that of the barbettes was 299 mm thick rather than the originally planned 305 mm.[16][Note 3]

Construction and career

Hyūga shortly after completion

Hyūga,

Bolshevik Red Army. Captain Hidesaburo Ishikawa replaced Katsuki on 20 November and he was replaced by Captain Genji Ide on 20 November 1921.[12]

The ship aided survivors of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake in September 1923. From the early 1920s through the late 1930s, Hyūga often cruised off the coast of China. Little detailed information is available about her activities during the 1920s. The ship was

bow grazed I-4′s hull.[18]

Beginning on 24 October 1934, Hyūga was

Henry Pu-yi, during his state visit to Japan. Together with Ise, the ship was transferred to the 2nd Battleship Division of the 1st Fleet on 15 November. Captain Noboru Ishizaki assumed command on 1 September 1941.[12]

Start of the Pacific War

When full-scale war started for Japan on 8 December,

1st Air Fleet attacking Pearl Harbor, and returned six days later. Captain Chiaki Matsuda relieved Ishizaki on 20 February 1942. Together with the rest of the 2nd Battleship Division, Hyūga pursued but did not catch the American carrier force that had launched the Doolittle Raid on 18 April.[12]

In May 1942 while conducting gunnery practice along with Nagato and Mutsu, the

breech of Hyūga's left-hand gun in her No. 5 turret exploded, killing 51 crewmen. The two aft magazines were rapidly flooded to save the ship and she returned to Kure for repairs. The turret was deemed not to be repairable and was removed. A circular plate of armour was welded over the barbette and three triple mounts for 2.5 cm AA guns were installed there. While under repair, the ship was fitted with one of the first experimental Type 22 surface-search radar sets in the IJN, but it was removed shortly afterwards.[12]

Hyūga and the rest of the 2nd Battleship Division set sail on 28 May with the Aleutian Support Group at the same time most of the Imperial Fleet began an attack on

Operation AL; they were to accompany the fleet under Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, but were only to provide support to the Aleutian task force if needed.[21]

Conversion to a hybrid carrier

Ise after her 1944 reconstruction

The loss of four Japanese aircraft carriers during the Battle of Midway in June severely limited the ability of the IJN to conduct operations and alternatives were sought. Plans for full conversions of battleships into aircraft carriers were rejected on the grounds of expense and, most critically, time, so the IJN settled on removing the rear pair of turrets from the Ise-class ships and replacing them with a flight deck equipped with two rotating catapults.[22] Matsuda was relieved by Captain Sueo Obayashi on 10 December and he was relieved in turn on 1 May 1943, the same day that the conversion officially began. Work actually began two months later.[12] The ship's No. 6 turret and the barbettes for No. 5 and 6 turrets were replaced by a hangar surmounted by a flight deck. This was not long enough to permit the launch of aircraft or their recovery. Two catapults were installed and the existing crane was moved to the flight deck. This was fitted with an extensive system of rails to link each catapult, the storage positions on the deck and the T-shaped aircraft lift that moved aircraft between the flight deck and the hangar. It had a capacity of nine aircraft, with eleven more stowed on deck, and one on each catapult for a total of twenty-two.[23] The ship's air group was intended to consist of a dozen each Yokosuka D4Y Suisei dive bombers (Allied reporting name "Judy"), modified for catapult launching, and Aichi E16A reconnaissance floatplanes (Allied reporting name "Paul"), of which two to three of each were reserves. The former had to land either on a conventional carrier or on land bases, whereas the E16A could be hoisted back aboard using a crane, after landing on the water near the ship.[24]

During the conversion, all of the 14 cm guns were removed and the ship's anti-aircraft suite was heavily reinforced. The eight 12.7 cm Type 89 guns were supplemented with four twin mounts and the existing 2.5 cm Type 96 AA twin-gun mounts were replaced by 19 triple-gun mounts for a total of 57 weapons.[25]

These changes increased the ship's overall length to 219.62 metres (720 ft 6 in) and the removal of the heavy gun turrets and their barbettes reduced her displacement to 39,805 long tons (40,444 t) at deep load, despite the addition of more fuel oil storage. The extra fuel increased Hyūga's range to 9,500 nautical miles (17,600 km; 10,900 mi). The weight reductions decreased her draught to 9.03 metres (29 ft 8 in). The crew now numbered 1,463 officers and enlisted men.[4]

The rebuild was officially completed on 18 November and Captain

Fourth Carrier Division on 1 May. That same day the 634th Naval Air Group was formed and assigned to the Fourth Carrier Division. On 24 May, the ship's light anti-aircraft armament was reinforced with 24 additional Type 96 AA guns in eight triple mounts, which brought her total to 104 guns. On 7 June, a pair of improved Type 22 surface-search radars were installed. A pair of Type 13 early-warning radars and an E27 radar detector were probably also fitted.[12]

On 23 June, the sisters conducted their first catapult training, each with four D4Ys and six E16As aboard; subsequent sessions were conducted on 21 July and 31 August.

Rear Admiral Matsuda. In September, six racks of 30-tube 12.7 cm anti-aircraft rocket launchers were added.[12] Training of the D4Y and E16A aircrew was slowed by technical problems and was generally conducted from land bases. By 1 October the 634th had on strength 17 D4Ys, of which six were serviceable, and 18 E16As, of which 16 were operable.[27]

Battle off Cape Engaño and afterwards

Main article:
Battle off Cape Engaño
Hyūga on her sea trials in November 1943 after her conversion

After the Americans began attacking Japanese installations in the Bonin Islands on 10 October 1944, the aircraft of the Fourth Carrier Division were ordered to prepare for combat by the commander of the Combined Fleet, Admiral

Task Force 38 near Formosa with little effect and heavy losses.[28] The following day Nomura was promoted to rear admiral.[12]

The ships of the Fourth Carrier Division were assigned to the Main Body of the

William Halsey, Jr., commander of Task Force 38, decided that it was too late in the day to mount an effective strike. He did, however, turn all of his ships north to position himself for a dawn attack on the Japanese carriers the next day.[29]

On the morning of 25 October, Hyūga was positioned near the

list that was easily corrected. Despite Hyūga's protection, Chiyoda was set afire and her engines were disabled. Matsuda ordered the battleship and the light cruiser Isuzu to tow the crippled carrier, but Hyūga was unable to do so and rejoined the main body at 18:30. The American submarine USS Halibut spotted the Fourth Carrier Division at 17:42 and manoeuvered to attack, missing with six torpedoes at 18:43. At 19:00 Ozawa ordered Matsuda to take his ships south to defend Isuzu and her escorting destroyers that were attempting to rescue Chiyoda's survivors, despite gunfire from a group of four American cruisers. Unable to locate either group of ships, Ozawa ordered Matsuda to reverse course at 23:30 and head for Amami Ōshima to refuel. Despite being spotted by American submarines en route, the division arrived safely on 27 October. That same day Ozawa transferred his flag to Hyūga. After leaving the island the following day, they were unsuccessfully attacked by the submarine USS Sea Dog before their arrival at Kure on the 29th.[12]

Between 29 October and 8 November, the catapults were removed to improve the firing arcs of No. 3 and No. 4 turrets. Hyūga and Ise departed on 11 November, loaded with troops and munitions for

rubber, tin, zinc, and mercury) and 1,150 surplus oil workers to be ferried back to Japan.[12]

Final role

The division sailed from Singapore on 10 February 1945 and was spotted by the British submarine HMS Tantalus the following day. Tantalus was forced to submerge by a maritime patrol aircraft and was unable to attack. On 13 February the submarine USS Bergall unsuccessfully attacked the ships as did the submarine USS Blower. Later that afternoon, Ōyodo launched one of her floatplanes which spotted the submarine USS Bashaw on the surface about 22 kilometres (14 mi) ahead of the convoy. Hyūga opened fire with her main guns and forced Bashaw to submerge when one of her shells landed within 1,600 metres (1 mi) of the submarine. The convoy reached the Matsu Islands, off the Chinese coast, on the 15th and was unsuccessfully attacked by the submarine USS Rasher before they reached Zhoushan Island, near Shanghai, that night. The convoy reached Kure on 20 February, having evaded or escaped pursuit by twenty-three Allied submarines along the way.[12]

Hyūga sunk in shallow waters

The 4th Carrier Division was disbanded on 1 March and Hyūga was reduced to first-class reserve. Rear Admiral

Navy List on 20 November 1945. Her wreck was raised and broken up by the Kure Dockyard of the Harima Zōsen Corporation from 2 July 1946 to 4 July 1947.[12]

Notes

  1. ^ Jentschura, Jung & Mickel also credit the ships with a dozen 8 cm 3rd Year Type guns,[2] but these were actually shorter and lighter 8 cm Type 41 saluting guns that could be used by the ships' boats and landing parties ashore.[8]
  2. QF 12-pounder guns. While the Japanese designated them as 8 cm, their actual calibre was 76.2 mm.[9]
  3. ^ Sources contradict each other regarding the armour scheme of these ships. Lengerer, the most recent researcher using Japanese sources, has been followed rather than older sources.
  4. Hawaiian Standard Time, so in Japan, the attack on Pearl Harbor
    happened on 8 December.

Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Lengerer March 2007, p. 9
  2. ^ a b c d e f Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 26
  3. ^ Chesneau, p. 171
  4. ^ a b Lengerer 2009, pp. 50–51
  5. ^ Lengerer 2011, pp. 21–22
  6. ^ Lengerer 2011, pp. 24–26, 30
  7. ^ Lengerer 2011, pp. 33–34
  8. ^ Lengerer 2011, p. 35
  9. ^ Campbell, p. 198
  10. ^ Gardiner & Gray, p. 230
  11. ^ Lengerer March 2007, p. 12
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Hackett & Kingsepp
  13. ^ Stille, p. 11
  14. ^ Lengerer 2006, pp. 28–30; Lengerer 2011, p. 36
  15. ^ Lengerer March 2007, p. 16
  16. ^ Lengerer 2006, pp. 28–30
  17. ^ a b Silverstone, p. 330
  18. ^ a b Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2012). "IJN Submarine I-4: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  19. ^ Rohwer, pp. 168–169
  20. ^ Parshall & Tully, p. 454
  21. ^ Parshall & Tully, p. 46
  22. ^ Lengerer 2009, pp. 39–40
  23. ^ Lengerer 2009, pp. 45–49
  24. ^ Lengerer 2009, pp. 51–53
  25. ^ Lengerer 2009, p. 43
  26. ^ Lengerer September 2007, p. 22
  27. ^ Lengerer September 2007, p. 23
  28. ^ Lengerer 2009, p. 53
  29. ^ Polmar & Genda, pp. 420, 422, 428

References

Further reading

External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hyūga (ship, 1918).

34°10′0″N 132°32′59″E / 34.16667°N 132.54972°E / 34.16667; 132.54972

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japanese_battleship_Hyūga&oldid=1202374298"