Japanese cruiser Izumo
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 The Japanese cruiser Izumo in 1905 |
|
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Built: | Armstrong Whitworth, Great Britain |
| Ordered: | 1897 Fiscal Year |
| Laid down | May 1898 |
| Launched: | September 19 1898 |
| Completed: | September 25 1900 |
| Fate: | Sunk by air attack July 24 1945 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 9,750 tons |
| Length: | 132.28 meters at waterline |
| Beam: | 20.94 meters |
| Draught: | 7.37 meters |
| Propulsion: | 2-shaft, 14,500 BHP |
| Speed: | 20.75 knots |
| Fuel: | 1412 tons |
| Complement: | 672 |
| Armament: |
|
| Armor: | 88-175 mm main belt armor; 125 mm upper belt; 67 mm deck armor; 150 mm turret, casement |
The IJN Izumo (出雲) was an armored cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy built in Elswick, Great Britain by Armstrong Whitworth. Although very similar to the Asama-class cruisers Asama and Tokiwa, its differences are significant enough to class it as the lead ship in the separate Izumo-class, which also included its sister-ship, the Iwate.
The Izumo served an important role in the Russo-Japanese War, including the crucial Battle of Tsushima, where it was the flagship of Admiral Hikonojo Kamimura.
The Izumo was re-designated a First-Class Coast Defense Vessel on 01 September 1921.
Assigned to support duties during the Japanese invasion of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Izumo was attacked at Shanghai on 14 August 1937 by Chinese Air Force aircraft lead by Captain (later Major General) Claire Chennault. The Chinese mistakenly bombed the British cruiser HMS Cumberland and the US Navy cruiser USS Augusta instead, as well as accidentally dropping bombs into Shanghai city, which kill more than 1700 civilians and wound 1800 others. The incident came to be known as the “Bloody Sunday Incident”. A Nakajima Type 90 scout floatplane from the Izumo shot down one of the Chinese aircraft during the attack.
Still in Shanghai on 8 December 1941, at about 0400, the Izumo opened fire and forced to surrender the American gunboat USS Wake and sunk British gunboat HMS Petrel, in one of the first acts of the Pacific War following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Izumo was sunk at dock in an American air attack on Kure [34.14N, 132.30E], 24 July 1945, and later raised and scrapped in 1947.
The Izumo was named after Izumo Province, an ancient province of Japan (present-day Shimane Prefecture).
Imperial Japanese Navy  |
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