Japanese cruiser Yoshino
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 The Japanese cruiser Yoshino in 1892 |
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Built: | Armstrong Whitworth, Great Britain |
| Ordered: | 1891 Fiscal Year |
| Laid down | February 1892 |
| Launched: | December 20 1892 |
| Completed: | September 30 1893 |
| Fate: | Collision, May 15 1904 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 4,150 tons |
| Length: | 109.72 meters at waterline |
| Beam: | 14.17 meters |
| Draught: | 5.18 meters |
| Propulsion: | 2-shaft VTE reciprocating engines, 12 boilers, 15000 HP |
| Speed: | 23 knots |
| Fuel: | 1000 tons coal; Range 9000 nautical miles @ 10 knots |
| Complement: | 360 |
| Armament: |
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| Armor: |
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The Yoshino (吉野) was a 2nd class protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy, designed and built by the Armstrong Whitworth shipyards in Elswick, in Great Britain. When commissioned, the Yoshino was the largest ship in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and was also the fastest cruiser in the world. The Yoshino is regarded as a sister ship to the Takasago, although the two vessels are of different classes. It should not be confused with the transport vessel Yoshino-maru of the Pacific War period. The name Yoshino comes from the Yoshino mountains, located in the southern portion of Nara prefecture.
The Yoshino was an improved design of the Argentinian 25 de Mayo designed by Sir Philip Watts.
On 25 July 1894, the Yoshino, Akitsushima and Naniwa, met two Chinese ships off the China coast. Although not yet at war, one of the Chinese ships (the Tsi-yuen) headed straight for the Japanese ships in what appeared to be a torpedo attack. The three Japanese vessels opened fire, and shortly after, the Tsi-yuen hauled down her colors and appeared to surrender, but she then managed to escape into the fog and safety.
The Yoshino continued to participate in the Sino-Japanese War, including the Battle of the Yalu River on 17 September 1894.
Future Admiral Yashiro Rokuro served on the Yoshino the following year (1895) as a lieutenant.
The Yoshino participated in the naval Battle of Port Arthur in the opening stages of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. However, soon after the start of the war, the Yoshino collided with the Japanese armored cruiser Kasuga in fog. The Kasuga's ram hit the Yoshino's port side, and penetrated to the engine room; the Yoshino turned turtle and sank in the Yellow Sea [38.07N, 122.33E] on 15 May 1904 with the loss of 319 lives. Only 19 of the crew managed to survive.
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