The Japanese battleship Katori in 1905 |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Katori |
| Builders: | Vickers, Armstrong Whitworth |
| Operators: | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Completed: | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Pre-dreadnought battleship |
| Displacement: | Katori: 15,950 tons Kashima: 16,400 tons |
| Length: | Katori: 128.2 m Kashima: 129.54 m |
| Beam: | Katori: 23.77 m Kashima: 23.81 m |
| Draught: | Katori: 8.23 m Kashima: 8.12 m |
| Propulsion: | 2-shaft VTE steam engine, 16,000 shp (11,930 kW); 20 boilers |
| Speed: | 18.5 knots (34 km/h) |
| Range: | 1,857 tons coal; 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) |
| Complement: | 864 |
| Armament: |
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| Armour: |
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The Katori class (香取型戦艦 Katori-gata senkan) was a two-ship class of pre-dreadnought battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Katori class ships were the last battleships to be built for Japan at overseas shipyards, and the last to be equipped with a ram.
Contents |
Kashima and Katori were ordered as emergency replacements for the loss of Hatsuse and Yashima in early stages of the Russo-Japanese War. Although the armored cruisers Nisshin and Kasuga successfully held their own in the line of battle during the crucial Battle of Tsushima, the armored cruisers lacked the size and firepower to be as effective as battleships. As the Japanese Navy projected that a fleet of six battleships was the minimum necessary against potential threats from China, Russia or the United States, a new order was placed to the United Kingdom. Although construction was rushed, and the design was based largely on the previous Mikasa, the Katori class ships were not delivered until after the end of the Russo-Japanese War.
The design of the Katori class was a modified version of the King Edward VII class of the British Royal Navy. The King Edward VII class introduced a number of innovations over previous classes in terms of armament and engines.
The engines in the Katori class were four cylinder triple-expansion steam engines with water tube boilers and two screws. Another innovation from the King Edward VII class was the use of oil sprayers, which allowed steam pressure to be rapidly increased, improving the acceleration of the ships. The engines produced 18,000 shp (13,420 kW) horsepower, yielding a design speed of 16.75 knots (31 km/h); however, the design had inherent instability problems and was difficult to keep on a straight course at higher speeds. In trials, Katori was able to sustain just over 20 knots (37 km/h) for eight hours.
For its main battery, the Katori class mounted more powerful Elswick Ordnance Company 12-inch (305 mm) 45-calibre guns mounted in twin turrets fore and aft, compared to the 12 inch 40-calibre guns on Mikasa and previous Japanese battleships.
Secondary armament was enhanced as per innovations developed for the King Edward VII class with an intermediate range of Type 41 10 inch 45 caliber naval guns in four secondary turrets in addition to the twelve now-standard Type 41 6-inch (152 mm)/40-caliber quick firing guns to counter torpedo boat attacks, mounted widely spaced on two decks so that a single hit would not disable more than one of them. The guns on the upper deck were enclosed within casemates. Tertiary armament consisted of four Type 41 3-inch (7.62 cm)/40-caliber naval guns, commonly known as "twelve pounders" and two Type 41 3-inch (76 mm) guns with shortened barrels, and five torpedo tubes, with four tubes below the waterline, and one more on deck.
The Katoris used Krupp armor with a 9-inch (229 mm) belt amidships and main turrets, 12 inches (305 mm) on the barbettes, 7 inches (178 mm) on the secondary turrets, and 2 inches (51 mm) on the deck.
Commissioned on 20 May 1906, Katori was completed too late for the Russo-Japanese War, and with rapid developments in naval technology, was already obsolete at the time of World War I. In 1922, Katori was home to Crown Prince Hirohito on his voyage to Europe. She was scrapped as part of Japan's compliance with the Washington Naval Agreement in 1924.
Commissioned on 23 May 1906, Kashima was completed too late for the Russo-Japanese War, and with rapid developments in naval technology, was already obsolete at the time of World War I. She was scrapped as part of Japan’s compliance with the Washington Naval Agreement in 1924.
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