Japanese battleship Tosa
Tosa at Nagasaki on 31 July 1922; the ship is only complete up to the main deck, hence the lack of any superstructure aside from the small bridge
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History | |
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Empire of Japan | |
Name | Tosa |
Namesake | Tosa Province |
Ordered | 1918 Fiscal Year |
Builder | Nagasaki |
Laid down | 2 February 1920 |
Launched | 18 December 1921 |
Fate |
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General characteristics | |
Class and type | Tosa-class battleship |
Displacement | |
Length | 234.1 m (768 ft 1 in) |
Beam | 30.5 m (100 ft 1 in) |
Draught | 9.4 m (30 ft 10 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion | 4 shafts; 4 × steam turbines |
Speed | 26.5 knots (49.1 km/h; 30.5 mph) |
Range | 5,000 nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
Complement | 1,333 |
Armament |
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Armour |
Tosa (土佐) was a planned
Design and construction
Designed by
Tosa was
Career
In August 1922, Tosa was moved to
Tosa remained in Kure until mid-1924. Stricken on 1 April 1924, the ship—with her hull virtually finished—was designated for use in testing the effectiveness of shells and torpedoes against its armor arrangements.[4][16] As a result, in June 1924 the navy's gunnery school took possession of the hull and prepared it for testing.[10]
Test target
During 6–13 June, Tosa was subjected to five explosions. The first involved a 100 kg (220 lb)
The second and fifth test charges (8 and 13 June) were both placed near the fore main battery magazines. Involving larger charges than the first—about 200 kg (440 lb) (a 6th year type torpedo) and 150 kg (330 lb) (a 9th year type mine)—they were both placed at frame 87: the second to port and 4.04 m (13.3 ft) below the waterline, the fifth to starboard and 6.34 m (20.8 ft) below. Both broached the side protection system—allowing 1,008 and 726 long tons (1,024 and 738 t) of water, respectively, to enter the ship—showing that the usual three-compartment, all-void system used in most Japanese battleships was an insufficient defense against modern torpedoes. The list incurred during test two was a 6° 16' change, resulting in a port list of 4° 36'; for test five these numbers were 4° 38' and a starboard list of 0° 48'.[17]
Similar to two and five, tests three and four were conducted at the same frame (192) but on opposite sides. Frame 192 was in the middle of the ship, where the ship's protection system was designed to be the strongest. Test three (9 June) was a 300 kg (660 lb) 8th year type torpedo on the starboard side at a depth of 4.05 m (13.3 ft) under the ship's waterline; four (12 June) was a 350 kg (770 lb) torpedo to port, 4.9 m (16 ft) below the waterline. The tests ruptured 15 and 26 m2 (160 and 280 sq ft), dished in 160 and 110 m2 (1,700 and 1,200 sq ft) of plating, and allowed 1,203 and 1,160 long tons (1,222 and 1,180 t) of water to enter the ship. Test three allowed in the most water of all the tests and, as a result, the list was altered from a previous port-side 2° 51' to a starboard-side 5° 22'—a change of 8° 13'. Test four went from a starboard 1° 0' to a port 5° 20'.[17]
Further tests included the explosion of several Type 8 torpedoes filled with 300–346 kg (660–760 lbs) of
Another test conducted around this time involved a 406 mm (16.0 in) gun firing a shell at Tosa. It fell about 25 metres (82 ft) short of the ship, but continued through the water and struck the ship near frame 228, 3.3 metres (11 ft) below the designed waterline. The result was disturbing, as the shell was able to pass through the 76 mm (3.0 in) armor and explode in the port engine room. As a result, 3,000 long tons (3,048 t) of water was let in, and Tosa's list was increased from 4° 53' to 10° 06'.[16][20]
Results of the tests on Tosa were subsequently used in the refitting and reconstruction of existing warships. Lessons learned were also incorporated into the designs of the
Sinking
For the next few months, Tosa was given to the Hiroshima gunnery school for use as a target.
Tosa was brought from Kure on 3 February to
See also
- Hashima Island, also known as Gunkanjima ("Battleship Island"), received its nickname from an apparent resemblance to Tosa[27]
Notes
- ^ The 1917 authorization provided for the construction of, in addition to Tosa and Kaga, the battleship Mutsu, battlecruisers Amagi and Akagi, nine cruisers, 27 destroyers, 18 submarines and three auxiliaries. All construction on the ships authorized by the 1917 mandate were to be completed by 1 April 1924.[3]
- Great Kantō earthquake. Two Amagi-class battlecruisers, Amagi and Akagi, were in the process of being converted to aircraft carriers at the time, but the earthquake damaged Amagi beyond repair. Kaga's hull was quickly reordered as an aircraft carrier to compensate for the loss.[12]
- ^ The other nine were Aki, Satsuma, Hizen, Ikoma, Ibuki, Kashima, Kurama, Katori, and Amagi.[26]
References
- ^ Watts, The Imperial Japanese Navy, 62
- ^ Evans and Peattie, Kaigun, 171
- ^ a b Lacroix, Japanese Cruisers, 14
- ^ a b c d Friedman, "Japan", 232
- ^ a b Garzke and Dulin, Battleships, 213
- ^ a b c d Breyer, Battleships and battle cruisers, 350
- ^ a b Breyer, Battleships of the World, 229
- ^ Hall, "Professional Notes", 111
- ^ a b c Watts, The Imperial Japanese Navy, 63
- ^ a b c Evans and Peattie, Kaigun, 246
- ^ Lacroix, Japanese Cruisers, 17
- ^ Friedman, "Japan", 232, 235
- ^ Yoshimura, Battleship Musashi, 11
- ^ Gibbs, "Question 28/43," 217
- ^ Gibbs and Tamura, "Question 58/80," 192, 194
- ^ a b Garzke and Dulin, Battleships, 214
- ^ a b c Garzke and Dulin, Battleships, 214–216
- ^ Garzke and Dulin, Battleships, 214, 217
- ^ Lacroix, Japanese Cruisers, 64
- ^ Lacroix and Wells, Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War, 758–759
- ^ Garzke and Dulin, Battleships, 215
- ^ Lengerer, "Battleships of the Kaga Class", 89
- ^ Office of Naval Intelligence, "Monthly Information Bulletin"
- ^ Jentschura, Warships, 35
- ^ a b c Lengerer, "Battleships of the Kaga Class", 89–90
- ^ a b Fleischer, Wilfrid (12 February 1925). "Says Japan's Navy Carried Out Treaty; Admiral Takarahe Declares That the Last of Its Ten Ships Has Been Scrapped". The New York Times. p. 5.
- ^ Kawamoto, Yasuhiko (17 February 2009). "Deserted 'Battleship Isle' may become heritage ghost ship". The Japan Times. Kyodo News.
Bibliography
- Breyer, Siegfried; Kurti, Alfred, trans. (1973). Battleships and Battle Cruisers, 1905–1970. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. )
- Breyer, Siegfried; Thomas, Keith, trans. (1980). Battleships of the World: 1905–1970. London: Conway Maritime Press. )
- Evans, David C.; Peattie, Mark R. (1997). Kaigun: strategy, tactics, and technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887–1941. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. OCLC 36621876.
- OCLC 12119866.
- "Appendix A; The Tosa Experiments" in Garzke, William H.; Dulin, Robert O. (1976). Battleships: United States Battleships in World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. OCLC 2414211.
- Gibbs, Jay (2010). "Question 28/43: Japanese Ex-Naval Coast Defense Guns". Warship International. XLVII (3): 217–218. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Gibbs, Jay; Tamura, Toshio (1982). "Question 51/80". Warship International. XIX (2): 190, 194–195. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Hall, R.A. (January 1922). "Professional Notes". Proceedings. 48. United States Naval Institute: 111.
- Jentschura, Hansgeorg; Jung, Dieter; Mickel, Peter (1977). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. OCLC 3273325.
- Lacroix, Eric; Wells, Linton (1997). Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. OCLC 21079856.
- Lengerer, Hans (March 2008). Ahlberg, Lars (ed.). "Battleships of the Kaga Class and the so-called Tosa Experiments [part III]". Contributions to the History of Imperial Japanese Warships (4). (subscription required) (contact the editor at lars.ahlberghalmstad.mail.postnet.se for subscription information)
- "Japan: January 1925". Monthly Information Bulletin. 8 (3). Office of Naval Intelligence: 41. March 1925.
- Watts, Anthony J.; Gordon, Brian G. (1971). The Imperial Japanese Navy. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. OCLC 202878.
- Yoshimura, Akira (1991). Battleship Musashi: the making and sinking of the world's biggest battleship. New York City, London: Kondansha International. OCLC 43303944.
Further reading
- Lengerer, Hans; Ahlberg, Lars (2019). Battleship Tosa Demolition Tests to the modified Yamato Class. Capital Ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1868–1945. Vol. 3. Zagreb: Despot Infinitus. ISBN 9789538218576.