Myōkō-class cruiser
 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Myōkō-class |
| Operators: |
 Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Preceded by: | Aoba class |
| Succeeded by: | Takao class |
| Built: | 1924–1929 |
| In commission: | 1928–1946 |
| Completed: | 4 |
| Lost: | 3 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Type: | Heavy cruiser |
| Displacement: | 11,633 tons (standard load) 14,980 tons (full load) |
| Length: | 204 m (669 ft) overall |
| Beam: | 17 m (56 ft) |
| Draught: | 5.8 m (19 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 4-shaft geared turbines 12 Kampon boilers 130,000 shp |
| Speed: | 35.5 knots (40.9 mph; 65.7 km/h) |
| Range: | 8,000 nmi (15,000 km) at 14 kn (16 mph; 26 km/h) |
| Complement: | 773 |
| Armament: | • 10 × 20 cm (7.9 in) guns (5×2) • 6 × 120 mm (4.7 in) guns (6×1) |
| Aircraft carried: | 2 |
| Aviation facilities: | 1 catapult |
The four Myōkō-class cruisers (妙高型巡洋艦 Myōkō-gata jun'yōkan) were built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the late 1920s. Three were lost during World War II.
The ships of this class displaced 11,633 tons (standard), were 201 m (661 ft) long, and were capable of 36 knots (67 km/h). They carried two aircraft and their main armament was ten 20-centimetre (7.9 in) guns in five twin turrets. At the time, this was the heaviest armament of any cruiser class in the world. They were also the first cruisers the Japanese Navy constructed that exceeded the (10,000 ton) limit set by the Washington Naval Treaty.
Ships in class
The ships in the class were:
| Name | Builder | Laid | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Myōkō (妙高) | Yokosuka Navy Yard | 25 Oct 1924 | 16 April 1927 | 31 July 1929 | Scuttled, 8 July 1946 |
| Nachi (那智) | Kure Navy Yard | 26 Nov 1924 | 15 June 1927 | 26 Nov 1928 | Sunk, 4 November 1944 in Manila Bay by aircraft from USS Lexington |
| Haguro (羽黒) | Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard | 16 Mar 1925 | 24 March 1928 | 25 Apr 1929 | Sunk, 16 May 1945 by R.N. 26th Destroyer Flotilla |
| Ashigara (足柄) | Kōbe-Kawasaki Shipbuilding Yard | 11 Apr 1925 | 22 Apr 1928 | 20 August 1929 | Sunk, 8 June 1945 by submarine HMS Trenchant |
See also
Media related to Myoko class cruiser at Wikimedia Commons
References
Notes
- ↑ Whitley, Cruisers of WWII, p. 173
Books
- Whitley, M J (1995). Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-225-1.
- Lacroix, Eric; Linton Wells (1997). Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-311-3.
External links
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