Japanese battleship Kirishima
Kirishima at Tsukumo Bay on 10 May 1937.
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History | |
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Empire of Japan | |
Name | Kirishima |
Namesake | Mount Kirishima |
Ordered | 1911 |
Builder |
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Laid down | 17 March 1912 |
Launched | 1 December 1913 |
Commissioned | 19 April 1915 |
Fate | Sunk following the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 15 November 1942 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Kongō-class battlecruiser |
Displacement | 36,600 long tons (37,187 t)[1] |
Length | 222 m (728 ft 4 in)[1] |
Beam | 31 m (101 ft 8 in)[1] |
Draught | 9.7 m (31 ft 10 in)[1] |
Propulsion | Steam turbines, 4 shafts |
Speed | 30 knots (35 mph; 56 km/h)[1] |
Range | 10,000 nmi (19,000 km) at 14 kn (26 km/h)[1] |
Complement | 1360 |
Armament |
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Armor |
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Kirishima (霧島) was a warship of the
Starting in 1927, Kirishima's first reconstruction rebuilt her as a
As part of the
On the evening of 13 November 1942, Kirishima engaged American cruisers and destroyers alongside her sister ship Hiei. On the night of 14/15 November, in one of only two battleship duels of the Pacific War, Kirishima attacked and damaged the American battleship USS South Dakota before being fatally crippled in turn by the battleship USS Washington under the command of then Captain Glenn B. Davis. Kirishima capsized and sank in the early morning on 15 November 1942 in Ironbottom Sound.
Design and construction
Kirishima was the third of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Kongō-class battlecruisers, a group of capital ships designed by the British naval engineer George Thurston.[2] The class was ordered in 1910 in the Japanese Emergency Naval Expansion Bill after the commissioning of HMS Invincible in 1908.[3] The four battlecruisers of the Kongō class were designed to match the naval capabilities of the other major powers at the time; they have been called the battlecruiser version of the British (formerly Turkish) battleship HMS Erin.[1][4] With their heavy armament and armor protection (which took up 23.3% of their approximately 30,000 ton displacement),[1] Kirishima and her sister ships were vastly superior to any other Japanese capital ship afloat at the time.[4]
The
Armament
Kirishima's main battery consisted of eight 14-inch (36 cm) heavy-caliber main guns in four twin turrets (two forward, two aft).[2] The turrets were noted by the US Office of Naval Intelligence to be "similar to the British 15-inch turrets",[5] with improvements made in flash-tightness. Each of her main guns could fire high-explosive or armor-piercing shells a maximum distance of 38,770 yards (19.14 nmi; 35.45 km) at a firing rate of two shells per minute.[6] The ship's magazines could accommodate ninety rounds of ammunition for each of the main guns, which had an approximate barrel life of 250–280 shots.[5] In 1941, dyes were introduced for the armor-piercing shells of the four Kongō-class battleships, with Kirishima's shells using blue dye.[5]
Her
Service
1914–1927: Battlecruiser
Kirishima was formally commissioned on 19 April 1915, and along with
Following the end of World War I, the Japanese Empire gained control of former German possessions in the central Pacific per the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.[10] Due to Japan's warm relations with the British Empire and the United States at the time, Kirishima and other Japanese warships became significantly less active than during the war. On 1 December 1920, she was reassigned to the Third Division of the Second Fleet. Other than a patrol alongside Kongō and Nagato off the Chinese coast in August 1921, Kirishima remained in Sasebo.[3] On 10 September 1922, she collided with the destroyer Fuji during fleet maneuvers, with both ships sustaining minor damage. Following the Great Kantō earthquake of September 1923, the capital ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy assisted in rescue work until the end of the month. She was placed in reserve in December 1923.[3]
With the conclusion of World War I and the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty, the size of the Imperial Japanese Navy was significantly lessened, with a ratio of 5:5:3 required between the capital ships of the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan.[11] The treaty also banned Japan from building any new capital ships until 1931, with no capital ship permitted to exceed 35,000 tons.[12] Provided that new additions did not exceed 3,000 tons, existing capital ships were permitted to be upgraded with improved torpedo bulges and deck armor.[12] By the time the Washington Treaty had been fully implemented in Japan, only three classes of World War I-era capital ships—the Fusō and Ise-class battleships, and the Kongō-class battlecruisers—remained active.[13]
1927–1934: Battleship
Stripped of the ability to construct new capital ships, the Imperial Japanese Navy instead opted to significantly upgrade and reconfigure their existing battleships and battlecruisers.[14] Kirishima was placed in Third Reserve in December 1926, before beginning her first reconstruction in early 1927. Horizontal armor over the ammunition magazines was strengthened, and she was also fitted with anti-torpedo bulges, as permitted by the Washington Treaty.[3] To upgrade Kirishima's speed, the 36 coal-fired Yarrow boilers were removed and replaced with ten new mixed-firing Kampon boilers.[15] To allow for more equipment to be installed on board, her forward superstructure was reconstructed in the Pagoda mast style, requiring removal of one of her three funnels.[3] The reconstruction of the Kongō-class battlecruisers added an additional 4,000 tons of armor to the ships, directly violating the terms of the Washington Treaty.[4] On 16 April 1930, the reconstruction was declared complete.[N 1]
Six days after Kirishima's reconstruction was completed, Japan pledged to scrap several battleships and signed the London Naval Treaty, which placed further bans on capital ship construction until 1937.[16] From August to October 1930, she was outfitted with the equipment necessary to equip reconnaissance seaplanes. Kirishima patrolled the coast of China near Shanghai in April 1932, before she was again placed in the Third Reserve.[3]
In September 1931, Japan invaded
1934–1941: Fast battleship
On 18 November 1934, Kirishima was drydocked in Sasebo Naval Arsenal in preparation for her second reconstruction, which would enable her to function alongside Japan's growing fleet of fast carriers. Her stern was lengthened by 26 feet (7.9 m), while her superstructure was rebuilt to allow for new fire-control mechanisms.[3] Her boilers were removed and replaced with eight new oil-fired Kampon Boilers, and she received newer geared turbines.[4] The elevation of her main and secondary battery was increased, and she was equipped with two Nakajima E8N "Dave" and Kawanishi E7K "Alf" reconnaissance floatplanes. To this end, aircraft catapults and launch-rails were also refitted.[3] Her older 3-inch guns were removed and replaced with eight 5-inch dual-purpose guns. She was also outfitted with twenty Type 96 25 mm antiaircraft guns in twin turrets, while two of her 6-inch guns and her remaining torpedo tubes were removed.[7]
Kirishima's armor was also extensively upgraded. Her main belt was strengthened to a uniform thickness of 8 inches (as opposed to varying thicknesses of 6–8 inches before the upgrades), while diagonal bulkheads of a depth ranging from 5 to 8 inches (127 to 203 mm) reinforced the main armored belt.[18] The turret armor was strengthened to 10 inches (254 mm), while 4 inches (102 mm) were added to portions of the deck armor.[18] The armor around her ammunition magazines was also strengthened over the course of the refit. The reconstruction was declared complete on 8 June 1936. Capable of speeds of up to 30.5 knots (56.5 km/h; 35.1 mph), Kirishima was reclassified as a fast battleship.[17]
In August 1936, Kirishima departed Sasebo alongside
On 11 November 1941, after a series of transfers between Japanese naval bases, Kirishima was outfitted in preparation for coming hostilities and assigned—alongside her sister ships—to the Third Battleship Division. On 26 November, Kirishima departed
1942: Combat and loss
On 8 January 1942, Kirishima departed Japan for
In April 1942, Kirishima and the Third Battleship division joined five fleet carriers and two cruisers in an
In June 1942, Kirishima sailed as part of the Carrier Strike Force during the
On 10 November 1942, Kirishima departed Truk alongside Hiei and eleven destroyers in preparation to shell American positions on
On the evening of 13 November, Kirishima and her escorting destroyers were joined by the Fourth Cruiser Division and prepared to reenter Savo Sound, the Solomon Islands - "Ironbottom Sound" under the command of Admiral
Kirishima and the heavy cruiser Atago illuminated South Dakota with searchlights, and almost all of Kondō's force opened fire on her.[32] Kirishima achieved hits on South Dakota with at least three 14-inch salvos,[N 2] which failed to penetrate her armor, and several salvos from her secondary battery, which knocked out the battleship's fire control systems and communications. At 23:40, South Dakota suffered a series of electrical failures, crippling her radar, radios and gun batteries.[32]
Washington, undetected, started firing at midnight on Kirishima from 5,800 yards (5,300 m), point-blank range for Washington's 16-inch/45-caliber guns, which were easily capable of penetrating Kirishima's armor at their maximum range.[32][34] Kirishima was hit by at least twenty primary and seventeen secondary battery projectiles, penetrating the magazines for her forward 14-inch turrets (the magazines were flooded before they detonated), destroying the hydraulic pumps that powered her rear 14-inch turrets and steering, setting her superstructure afire, and causing flooding that led to an 18 degree list to starboard.[N 3] Initially, the light cruiser Nagara attempted to tow her out of Ironbottom Sound. When it became clear she could not be salvaged, the surviving Japanese destroyers evacuated Captain Iwabuchi and the remaining survivors.[3] Kirishima capsized and sank at 03:25 on the morning of 15 November 1942, with 212 crewmen lost.[29]
Wreck
Kirishima's wreck was discovered by
Notes
Footnotes
- ^ Sources disagree on the exact dates of the reconstruction. While Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships gives a beginning date of March 1927 and an end date of 31 March 1930, Kirishima's Combined Fleet Tabular Record of Movement states that it was from May 1927 to 16 April 1930.[1][3]
- ^ Lundgren and Okun's analysis of South Dakota's battle damage using modern computational modeling techniques indicate that South Dakota was struck by three different types of 14-inch projectiles, indicating hits from at least three salvos.[33]
- ^ The number of actual hits is a matter of conjecture. USS Washington observed eight main battery hits, while the US Strategic Bombing Survey estimated nine major caliber and 40 secondary battery hits based on one postwar interview with a junior officer. Kirishima's damage control officer identified twenty main battery hits and 17 5-inch hits on a schematic drawing, including several underwater hits which would have been invisible to Washington, and examination of the wreck has confirmed the location of three of these underwater hits, lending credence to his account.[35]
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Gardiner and Gray (1980), p. 234
- ^ a b c "Combined Fleet – Kongo class battlecruiser". Parshall, Jon; Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp, & Allyn Nevitt. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "Combined Fleet – tabular history of Kirishima". Parshall, Jon; Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp, & Allyn Nevitt. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g Jackson (2008), p. 27
- ^ a b c DiGiulian, Tony. "Japanese 14"/45 (35.6 cm) 41st Year Type". Navweaps.com. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
- ^ "Combined Fleet – 14"/45 Naval Gun". Parshall, Jon; Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp, & Allyn Nevitt. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
- ^ a b Stille, p. 17
- ^ DiGiulian, Tony. "Japanese 6"/50". Navweaps.com. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
- ^ a b DiGiulian, Tony. "Japanese 5"/40". Navweaps.com. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
- ^ Willmott, p. 22
- ^ Jackson (2000), p. 67
- ^ a b Jackson (2000), p. 68
- ^ Jackson (2000), p. 69
- ^ Willmott, p. 45
- ^ Whitley, pp. 178, 180
- ^ a b c Jackson (2000), p. 72
- ^ a b Willmott, p. 35
- ^ a b McCurtie, p. 185
- ^ Willmott, p. 50
- ^ Willmott, p. 51
- ^ Jackson (2000), p. 119
- ^ Jackson (2000), p. 120
- ^ 'Scrap Iron Flotilla' (1976), p. 148-149
- ^ Stille, p. 18
- ^ a b c d Stille, p. 19
- ^ Hammel, pp. 99–107
- ^ Stille, pp. 19–20
- ^ Morison, p. 247
- ^ a b c Stille, p. 20
- ^ Schom, p. 417
- ^ Frank, p. 478
- ^ a b c Schom, p. 424
- ^ Lundgren, Robert; Okun, Nathan. "U.S.S South Dakota Damage Analysis". www.navweapons.com. The Naval Technical Board. Retrieved 21 September 2015.p.158
- ^ Garzke and Dulin, p. 44
- ^ Lundgren, Robert. "Kirishima Damage Analysis" (PDF). www.navweapons.com. The Naval Technical Board. Retrieved 20 September 2015.pp.5-8
References
- Breyer, Siegfried (1973). Battleships and Battle Cruisers, 1905–1970. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. OCLC 702840.
- Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-907-3.
- Garzke, William H. & Dulin, Robert O. (1980). Battleships: Allied Battleships in World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. OCLC 6355577.
- ISBN 0-517-56952-3.
- Kingsepp, Sander; Lundgren, Robert & Worth, Richard (2007). "Question 39/43: Loss of HIJMS Kirishima". Warship International. XLIV (4): 329–3331. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Jackson, Robert (2000). The World's Great Battleships. Brown Books. ISBN 1-89788-460-5
- Jackson, Robert (editor) (2008). 101 Great Warships. London. Amber Books. ISBN 978-1-905704-72-9
- Lengerer, Hans & Ahlberg, Lars (2019). Capital Ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1868–1945: Ironclads, Battleships and Battle Cruisers: An Outline History of Their Design, Construction and Operations. Vol. I: Armourclad Fusō to Kongō Class Battle Cruisers. Zagreb, Croatia: Despot Infinitus. ISBN 978-953-8218-26-2.
- Lundgren, Robert. "Kirishima Damage Analysis" (PDF). www.navweapons.com. The Naval Technical Board. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- Lundgren, Robert (2008). "Question 39/43: Loss of HIJMS Kirishima". Warship International. XLV (4): 291–296. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Lundgren, Robert; Okun, Nathan. "U.S.S South Dakota Damage Analysis". www.navweapons.com. The Naval Technical Board. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- McCurtie, Francis (1989) [1945]. Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II. London: Bracken Books. ISBN 1-85170-194-X
- ISBN 0-316-58305-7.
- ISBN 0-39332-628-4.
- Stille, Cdr Mark (2008). Imperial Japanese Navy Battleship 1941–1945. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-280-6
- Whitley, M. J. (1998). Battleships of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 155750184X.
- Willmott, H.P. & ISBN 1-58834-192-5
External links
- Media related to Kirishima (ship, 1915) at Wikimedia Commons
- Construction of Kirishima