Ise-class battleship

Hyuga after being converted to an aircraft carrier
Class overview
Name:	Ise-class battleship
Preceded by:	Fusō class
Succeeded by:	Nagato class
Completed:	2
General characteristics (after reconstruction 1934-37)
Type:	Battleship/Aircraft Carrier
Displacement:	35,800 tons (standard); 40,169 tons (laden)
Length:	215.8 m
Beam:	31.75 m
Draught:	9.15 m
Propulsion:	Eight oil-fired Kampon boilers 80,000 shaft horsepower (60 MW)
Speed:	25.3 knots (46.9 km/h)
Range:	bunkerage: 5,113 tons fuel oil
Complement:	1,370
Armament:	12 × 14-inch (356 mm) / 45 cal guns 16 × 5.5-inch (140 mm) / 50 cal 8 × 5-inch (127 mm) / 40 cal 20 × 25 mm cannon
Armour:	Main belt: 12 in (300 mm) Decks: 3.75 in (100 mm) max Main turrets: 12 in (300 mm) face, 10 in (250 mm) sides Barbettes: 8 in (200 mm) max Casemates: 6 in (150 mm) max Conning tower: 13.75 in (350 mm) max
Aircraft carried:	3 with one catapult 14 Yokosuka D4Y dive-bombers and 8 Aichi E16A flying boats (1943)

Originally intended as sister ships of the preceding Fusō class, the Ise-class battleships (伊勢型戦艦, Ise-gata senkan) of the Imperial Japanese Navy were considered sufficiently different to warrant separate classification.

Among the differences were a shorter foredeck, a more closely grouped secondary armament (with the majority of the forward guns set further astern than in the Fusōs), a different arrangement of the primary turrets (though the cumbersome six-twin arrangement was retained), more closely spaced funnels and uptakes, and eventually rear flightdecks.

Like most if not all battleships of their era, they retained the soon-to-be outmoded casemated secondary armament, the forward guns of which often proved useless in any kind of seaway, and like all Japanese warships of the period, these vessels still relied on mixed (i.e. coal and oil) firing for their boilers.

They were reconstructed in the 1930s, receiving improved powerplants, armor, fire control, and internal protection. Nonetheless, during World War II, like their cousins of the Fusō class, the Ises took part in no significant action, due to their age and slow speed. Being largely surplus to the Imperial Japanese Navy's duties, following Midway they were rebuilt with the ability to operate a small flight wing, but spent most of their time in training duties near the Inland Sea as part of Battleship Division 2.

Conversion to Aerial Battleships

An American late war drawing of the Ise class, showing it in hybrid carrier configuration. The two overhead views show variations in the reported configuration of the catapults.

Ise at Battle of Leyte Gulf

During World War II, to partially compensate for the loss of carrier strength at the Battle of Midway, both battleships were partially converted to Aerial Battleships in 1943. The Ises had a slight speed advantage, so they were chosen over the Fusōs for the conversion; also the Hyūga had a turret explosion which was not repaired.

Their aft turrets were replaced with a hangar surmounted by a flight deck, and anti-aircraft guns were added. Hyūga, for example, mounted a complement of 14 Yokosuka D4Y dive-bombers and 8 Aichi E16A seaplanes. However, the lack of planes and pilots meant that neither ship was involved in combat in her carrier role.

Ships of the class

See also

• Operation Kita

Media related to Ise class battleship at Wikimedia Commons

Notes

References

• Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4. 
• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7. 
• Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7. 
• Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (2011). "IJN Hyuga: Tabular Record of Movement". Combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 15 June 2013. 
• Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander; Ahlberg, Lars (2012). "IJN Ise: Tabular Record of Movement". Combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 15 May 2013. 
• Jentschura, Hansgeorg; Jung, Dieter; Mickel, Peter (1977). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN 0-87021-893-X. 
• Polmar, Norman; Genda, Minoru (2006). Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Influence on World Events. Volume 1, 1909–1945. Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books. ISBN 1-57488-663-0. 
• Rohwer, Jurgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2. 
• Silverstone, Paul H. (1984). Directory of the World's Capital Ships. New York: Hippocrene Books. ISBN 0-88254-979-0. 
• Stille, Mark (2008). Imperial Japanese Navy Battleships 1941–45. New Vanguard 146. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84603-280-6. 
• Whitley, M. J. (1998). Battleships of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-184-X.