Tenryū class cruiser

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tenryu-class cruiser

General characteristics
Displacement:	3,948 tons (normal); 4,350 tons (max)
Length:	142.9 meters overall
Beam:	12.3 meters
Draft:	4.0 meters
Machinery:	Three Shaft Geared Turbine Engines; 10 Kampon boilers; 51,000 shp (38000 kW)
Speed:	33 knots (61 km/h)
Complement:	327
Protection:	belt 60 mm, deck 30 mm
Armament:	*4 × 5.5-inch (140 mm) guns, 3 × 3.1-inch (80 mm) guns, 2 x 13 mm machine guns, 6 × 550 mm torpedo tubes
Armor:	Belt 50 mm Deck 25 mm

The two Tenryu class cruisers (天龍型軽巡洋艦, Tenryu-gata keijunyōkan^?) were first light cruisers operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. They participated in numerous actions during World War II.

The Tenryu-class was followed by the larger and more versatile Kuma class.

1 Background
2 Design
3 Ships in Class
4 References
- 4.1 Books
- 4.2 External links
5 See also

[edit] Background

Authorized during World War I, the Tenryu class was the first series of light cruisers to be designed by the Japanese, albeit based on current Royal Navy models.

Although modernized in the early 1930s, they were still considered obsolete at the start of the Pacific War. By contrast to later Japanese light cruisers, the Tenryu-class ships were not designed as flagships of destroyer flotillas, but were intended to be operated within a cruiser division.

[edit] Design

The basic design of the Tenryu class cruisers was essentially that of an enlarged destroyer, inspired by and designed with similar concept to the British Arethusa class and C class cruisers.

With oil-fired single-reduction Brown-Curtis geared turbine engines providing more than twice the power of the engines in the previous Chikuma-class, the Tenryū-class cruisers were capable of the relatively high speed of 33 knots (61 km/h).

In terms of armaments, these ships were the first in the Imperial Japanese Navy to use 5.5-inch (140 mm) guns and were also the first armed with triple 550 mm torpedoes. However, the gun layout was not particularly effective due to restricted arcs of movement. Against targets ahead and astern of the ship, only one 140 mm gun could be fired. The firing arcs of the No. 2 and No. 3 turrets were very limited. Anti-aircraft fire was inially also very limited, consisting of one 3.1-inch (79 mm) gun and two 13 mm machine guns.

[edit] Ships in Class

Two vessels were built in the Tenryu class, neither of which survived the Pacific War.

Tenryu

Tenryū was completed on 20 November 1919, at the Yokosuka Navy Yard. Prior to World War II, it participated in the Siberian Intervention, Yangtze River patrols and supported the landings of Japanese troops along the China coast. During the early stages of the Pacific War, it participated in the Battle of Wake Island and the invasions of the Solomon Islands, New Guinea and the Battle of Savo Island. It was sunk after the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal by USS Albacore, and struck on 20 January 1943.

Tatsuta

Tatsuta was completed at the Sasebo Navy Yard on 31 March 1919. Prior to World War II, it participated in the Siberian Intervention, and supported the landings of Japanese troops along the China coast. During the Pacific War, it participated in the Battle of Wake Island and the invasions of the Solomon Islands, New Guinea and the Battle of Savo Island and the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. It was sunk by USS Sand Lance, 40 nautical miles (74 km) NNE of Hachijojima on 13 March 1944. Tatsuta was removed from the Navy List on 10 May 1944.

[edit] References

[edit] Books

D'Albas, Andrieu (1965). Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II. Devin-Adair Pub. ISBN 0-8159-5302-X.
Dull, Paul S. (1978). A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-097-1.
Howarth, Stephen (1983). The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895-1945. Atheneum. ISBN 0-68911-402-8.
Jentsura, Hansgeorg (1976). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-893-X.
Lacroix, Eric; Linton Wells (1997). Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-311-3.
Whitley, M.J. (1995). Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-141-6.