Japanese cruiser Yakumo
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 The Japanese cruiser Yakumo in 1905 |
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Built by: | Stettiner Vulcan AG, Germany |
| Ordered: | 1897 Fiscal Year |
| Laid down | March 1898 |
| Launched: | 8 July 1899 |
| Completed: | 20 June 1900 |
| Fate: | Scrapped 1 April 1947 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 9,646 tons |
| Length: | 124.64 meters at waterline |
| Beam: | 19.57 meters |
| Draught: | 7.24 meters |
| Propulsion: | 2-shaft VTE, 24 boilers, 15500 hp |
| Speed: | 20.5 knots |
| Fuel: | 1242 tons coal; 7000 nautical miles @ 10 knots (20 km/h) |
| Complement: | 648-700 |
| Armament: |
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| Armor: |
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The IJN Yakumo (八雲 装甲巡洋艦 Yakumo Sōkōjunyōkan?) was a 1st class armored cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy, designed and built by the Stettiner Vulcan AG shipyards in Stettin, Germany. The Yakumo was named after the ancient Shinto shrine of Izumo Taisha, in modern Shimane prefecture.
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[edit] Background
The Yakumo was one of six armored cruisers ordered for construction by overseas shipyards after the First Sino-Japanese War as part of the “Six-Six Program” (six battleships-six cruisers) intended to be the backbone of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Almost all of the orders were placed with shipyards in the United Kingdom, but for political and diplomatic reasons, the Yakumo was ordered from Germany and her near-sister ship, the Azuma was ordered from France. The Yakumo was the only cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy built by Germany, but was armed with British guns, to keep its ammunition compatible with other ships in the fleet.
[edit] Design and armament
Although the basic design for all six cruisers in this program was essentially the same (utilizing Armstrong-type 8-inch (203 mm) guns and with desired speed of 20-21 knots), each shipyard had considerable freedom to modify the details of the design. In the case of the Yakumo, the German shipbuilder used a relatively standard flush-deck hull with high freeboard, and turrets front and back. The Yakumo used 24 Bellevue boilers, which were considered very advanced for its day.
The main armament for the Yakumo was a pair of twin-mounted 203 mm, 45 caliber guns of a new design in fore and aft gun turrets. The turrets were capable of 150 degree rotation left and right, and the guns could be elevated to 30 degrees, giving the guns a range of 18,000 meters. The secondary side-mounted 152 mm, 40 caliber guns had a range of 9,140 meters, and could fire at the rate of 5 shells per minute (up to 7 per minute for a very skilled gun crew). The Yakumo was also equipped with a ram.
[edit] Service record
The Yakumo participated in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, and took part in the Battle of the Yellow Sea, and in the final crucial Battle of Tsushima, where it played a major role in the sinking of Russian battleship Admiral Ushakov. Afterwards, it served as the flagship of the 3rd Fleet in the operation to capture Sakhalin from Russia.
In World War I, the Yakumo fought at the Battle of Tsingtao, and later participated in the pursuit of the German East Asia Squadron under German Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee and the German raider Emden.
On 1 September 1921, the Yakumo was re-designated as a Coastal Defense Vessel and used primarily for training duties in oceanic navigation and cadet officer training. In this capacity, it participated in over 14 long distance voyages to Europe, North America and South America and the South Pacific. In 1930, together with the Izumo, it visited Tsingtao and Shanghai in China. In 1931, it made a long distance navigational training voyage, visiting Hong Kong, the Suez Canal, Naples, and Marseilles before returning to Sasebo. It was further downgraded to Coastal Defense ship on 30 May 1931. In 1936, while on a training voyage between Saipan and Truk, on its way to North America, the Yakumo suffered an accidental explosion in its front magazine, killing four sailors and flooding its front food locker. Repairs were made underway, and the Yakumo completed its mission, returning home after a cruise of 23,272 nautical miles (43,100 km).
After the start of the Pacific War, although hopelessly obsolete, the Yakumo was re-armed on 1 July 1942, anti-aircraft guns were added, and it was reinstated to the active list, again as a 1st class cruiser. It remained within the Inland Sea throughout the war assigned to training duties, and was not used in any combat operations.
After the end of the Pacific War, the Yakumo was briefly used as a transport to return troops and civilians to the home islands from Japan's former overseas possessions, primarily from Taiwan and mainland China. On its final departure from China with Japanese evacuees, troops from the Chinese government stripped the Yakumo bare of all its furnishings, including the German-made wooden furniture in the captain’s cabin. Sent to the breakers on 20 July 1946, the Yakumo was scrapped on 1 April 1947 at the Maizuru shipyard of Hitachi Shipbuilding & Engineering. The main anchor of the Yakumo is preserved at that location.
[edit] Gallery
 Japanese cruiser Yakumo on completion, 1900 |
 IJN Yakumo at Malta, 1900 |
 IJN Yakumo at Kobe 1901-1902 |
 IJN Yakumo, circa 1900, location unknown |
 IJN Yakumo in 1905 postcard |
[edit] References
- Evans, David. Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941. US Naval Institute Press (1979). ISBN 0870211927
- Howarth, Stephen. The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The Drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895-1945. Atheneum; (1983) ISBN 0689114028
- Jane, Fred T. The Imperial Japanese Navy. Thacker, Spink & Co (1904) ASIN: B00085LCZ4
- Jentsura, Hansgeorg. Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945. Naval Institute Press (1976). ISBN 087021893X
- Schencking, J. Charles. Making Waves: Politics, Propaganda, And The Emergence Of The Imperial Japanese Navy, 1868-1922. Stanford University Press (2005). ISBN 0804749779
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