Naniwa-class cruiser
,_photograph_by_Brother_Bertram.jpg) A Naniwa-class cruiser (right) in Honolulu Harbor, 1893–1894
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Naniwa class |
| Builders | Armstrong Mitchell, United Kingdom |
| Operators |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Preceded by | Izumi |
| Succeeded by | Unebi |
| Built | 1884–1885 |
| In commission | 1886–1914 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Lost | 2 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Type | Protected cruiser |
| Displacement | 3,727 long tons (3,787 t) |
| Length | 320 ft (97.5 m) ( o/a ) |
| Beam | 46 ft (14 m) |
| Draught | 20 ft 3 in (6.2 m) ( full load ) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 shafts; 2 compound-expansion steam engines |
| Speed | 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Range | 9,000 nmi (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) |
| Complement | 325 |
| Armament |
|
| Armour |
|
The two Naniwa-class cruisers (浪速型防護巡洋艦, Naniwa-gata bōgojun'yōkan) were protected cruisers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the 1880s. As Japan lacked the industrial capacity to build such warships herself, the vessels were built in Britain. Both ships participated in numerous actions during the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895 and in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905.
Background
The 1876
Concerned about the rising power of Imperial Russia and Japan, Li Hongzhang, Viceroy of Zhili Province, and generally responsible for relations with Russia, Korea and Japan[3] had begun a program of gradually expanding the Beiyang Fleet after the 1874 Japanese reprisal expedition to Taiwan. An 1880 order for two Dingyuan-class ironclads from the German Empire capped the program as neither the Imperial Russian Navy nor the IJN could match them once they were delivered.[4]
In response the Japanese
The "Elswick"-type protected cruisers, of which Esmeralda was the first example, had been designed by White's predecessor, George Rendel, for Armstrong Mitchell as a private venture. It was of great interest to Japan because of her high speed, powerful armament, armor protection and relatively low cost, especially since the IJN lacked the resources at the time to purchase ironclads.[6]
Pioneering Japanese naval architect Sasō Sachū requested that Armstrong Whitworth make modifications to the Esmeralda design to customize it for Japanese requirements, and two vessels, Naniwa and Takachiho were ordered under the 1883 fiscal year budget, by Naval Minister Kawamura Sumiyoshi. When completed, Naniwa was considered the most advanced and most powerful cruiser in the world. However, the extremely fast development of technology, weaponry and armor in this field of ship design meant that the supremacy of this design was very short.
The two cruisers together cost
Design and description
The Naniwa-class ships
The ships were powered by a pair of horizontal, two-cylinder
As built, the
Ships in class
Two Naniwa-class cruisers were purchased from Armstrong Whitworth in England. Naniwa was lost before the start of World War I, Takachiho was lost soon after hostilities commenced.[10]
Ordered in 1883, launched 18 March 1885, and completed 1 December 1885, Naniwa played a major role in the
Ordered in 1883, launched 16 May 1885, and completed 1 December 1885, Takachiho participated in the
Notes
References
- ISBN 0-85177-791-0.
- Brook, Peter (1999). Warships for Export: Armstrong Warships 1867-1927. Gravesend: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-89-4.
- Campbell, N.J.M. (1978). "The Battle of Tsu-Shima, Part 2". In Preston, Antony (ed.). Warship. Vol. II. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 127–135. ISBN 0-87021-976-6.
- Corbett, Julian S. (2015a) [1914]. Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War, 1904–1905. Vol. 1. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-197-6.
- Corbett, Julian S. (2015b) [1915]. Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War, 1904–1905. Vol. 2. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-198-3.
- Duus, Peter (1998). The Abacus and the Sword: The Japanese Penetration of Korea. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 0-52092-090-2.
- Evans, David C. & ISBN 0-87021-192-7.
- Jentschura, Hansgeorg; Jung, Dieter & Mickel, Peter (1977). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN 0-87021-893-X.
- Kim, Jinwung (2012). A History of Korea: From "Land of the Morning Calm" to States in Conflict. New York: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-00024-8.
- Lengerer, Hans (March 2017). Ahlberg, Lars (ed.). "Naval Operations in the Sino-Japanese War – Part III: Weihaiwei and the End of the War". Contributions to the History of Imperial Japanese Warships (Paper XIV): 28–44.(subscription required)(contact the editor at [email protected] for subscription information)
- Milanovich, Kathrin (2004). "Naniwa and Takachiho: Elswick-built Protected Cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy". In ISBN 0-85177-948-4.
- Olender, Piotr (2014). Sino-Japanese War 1894–1895. Maritime Series. Vol. No. 3105. Sandomierz, Poland: Stratus. )
- Roksund, Arne (2007). The Jeune École: The Strategy of the Weak. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-15723-1.
- Schencking, J. Charles (2005). Making Waves: Politics, Propaganda, And The Emergence Of The Imperial Japanese Navy, 1868-1922. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-4977-9.
- Seth, Michael J. (2010). A Concise History of Modern Korea: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-742-56713-9.
- Todaka, Kazushige, ed. (2020). Cruisers: Selected Photos from the Archives of the Kure Maritime Museum; the Best from the Collection of Shizuo Fukui's Photos of Japanese Warships. Japanese Naval Warship Photo Album. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-635-3.
- Wright, Richard N. J. (2000). The Chinese Steam Navy 1862–1945. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-144-9.