japanese cruiser lead ship class armored cruisers built imperial_japanese_navy late 1890s japan lacked industrial capacity build warships ship built britain served russo japanese war participated battle damage luck hold early world war unsuccessfully searched german commerce raiders severely damaged ran aground mexican coast early repairs took years complete mainly training ship rest career ship total training cruises crippled running aground stationary training ship broken background description naval expansion plan sino japanese war included armored cruisers addition battleships ordered british shipyards japan lacked capability build consideration russian building program caused believe battleships ordered original plan sufficient counter imperial_russian_navy budgetary limitations prevented ordering battleships decided expand number affordable armored cruisers ordered ships revised plan commonly known fleet unlike contemporaries designed commerce raiding defend colonies trade routes half sisters intended fleet scouts employed ship meters long overall meters perpendiculars beam meters average draft meters displaced metric tons long tons normal load metric tons long tons deep load ship metacentric height meters crew consisted officers enlisted men cylinder triple expansion steam engines driving single propeller shaft steam engines provided dozen cylindrical boilers engines rated total indicated horsepower ship designed speed knots mph reached knots mph sea trials ihp carried long tons coal steam nautical miles speed knots mph main armament fleet armored cruisers inch guns twin gun turrets fore aft superstructure secondary armament consisted ordnance company pattern quick firing inch guns guns mounted armored casemates main upper decks mounts upper deck protected gun shields equipped dozen pounder cwt guns pounder guns close range defense torpedo boats ship equipped torpedo tubes water bow submerged tubes broadside fleet armored cruisers armor scheme minor differences important class ships tough harvey armor waterline belt ran length ship thickness varied millimeters amidships millimeters bow stern height meters meters normally underwater upper belt armor millimeters thick extended upper edge waterline belt main deck extended meters forward rear barbette class oblique armored bulkheads closed ends central armored citadel barbettes gun turrets casemates millimeters thick sides rear casemates protected millimeters armor deck millimeters thick armor protecting conning tower millimeters thickness construction career contract named mount signed july ship laid shipyard october speculative venture launched march completed march left japan day arrived april ship emperor fleet review august delegation dispatched great_britain outward leg voyage ship tested advanced british radio technology malta britain russo japanese war beginning russo japanese war february assigned 2nd division 2nd fleet attached admiral operations near seoul korea ships tasked escort transports carrying troops seoul port west coast destroy russian protected cruiser stationed troops successfully night february japanese ships left harbor following morning assume positions blocking exits international law forbade combat neutral japanese notified russians morning state war existed countries launched surprise attack port arthur previous night russian ships sortied harbor later morning target japanese fire hit twice destroying bridge punching hole waterline caused list russian ships managed return port scuttled afternoon injured engagement rejoined vice admiral early march tasked reinforced north diversion scouting russian ships area japanese cruisers bombarded harbor defenses march little effect return japan days later ordered escort transports korea join ships blockading port arthur transferred vice admiral commander successfully lured portion april including vice admiral flagship battleship action engaged russian cruisers preceded battleships falling battleships spotted japanese battleships turned port arthur flagship ran minefield laid japanese ship sank minutes magazines exploded killed addition loss battleship damaged june ship present sortied abortive attempt reach new squadron commander rear admiral ordered squadron return port arthur encountered japanese shortly sunset wish engage numerically superior opponents night battle battle morning august russians sortied port arthur attempt reach ship position join battle opened fire range meters damaged russian battleship shell fell short russian cruisers came support battleship engaged russian ships range meters despite arrival elderly cruisers rear admiral forced russian battleships came range following morning met rejoined august ordered confirm germans interned battleship destroyers taken shelter battle return reassigned blockade port arthur september armored cruiser transferred 1st division began sinking russian ships port arthur large caliber early december ordered cruisers home refit december armored cruiser ordered north russian ships approached japan cruisers recalled south rejoined armored cruisers russian 2nd approached japan having sailed baltic_sea spotted patrolling japanese ships early morning visibility limited radio reception poor preliminary reports cause order ships sea 2nd division spotted russian ships command vice admiral closed range meters fire join battleships fifth opened fire 2nd pacific squadron like ships division engaged battleship cruiser hit inch shell shock knocked steering mechanism fell formation repairs completed minutes later attempting rejoin struck inch shells caused flooding increase draft feet reduce speed despite damage able join 1st division cruiser attempted rejoin division slowed damage inch hit base rear funnel reduced boiler draught repairs completed minutes later ship station aft led division fruitless pursuit russian cruisers leaving battleships devices abandoned chase turned northwards rejoin ships spotted rear russian opened fire range closed meters known effect russians ceased fire rejoined night falling flooding increased overnight forced stop nearly hour continuing main body surviving russian ships spotted morning japanese ships opened fire staying range russian ships effectively reply rear admiral decided surrender ships return fire close range elderly russian armored cruiser spotted shortly ordered join pursuit support protected cruisers time cruiser met night fallen taken refuge shallow water found following morning japanese crew disembarked ship prepared scuttled japanese attempt seize thwarted ship capsized sank battle struck inch seven smaller shells killed men wounded ship reached begin repairs carried emperor fleet victory review tokyo bay september ship assigned training squadron june april time training cruise naval cadets hawaii october march accompanied protected cruiser dozen training cruises lasted lasted april august world war september departed 1st south seas squadron searched vice admiral german october ship detached ordered honolulu hawaii prevent departure german sms russian battleship interned november ships sailed rendezvous ships baja california 22nd squadron headed south search western coast south_america german commerce raiders december receiving news british victory squadron moved north search western coast central_america moved north search mexican waters january searched january proceeded investigate bay baja california captain intended british january ship struck rock entrance bay stuck fast impact ripped hole initially estimated meters long completely flooded boiler rooms meters water engine room initial attempts ship rock failed crew began loading supplies set anchors stabilize cruiser prevent damage arrived evening sent san_diego send word incident japanese authorities powerless lacked radio armored cruiser flagship squadron commander rear admiral arrived february requested immediate dispatch salvage repair ships protected cruiser supply ship arrived march followed day sister repair ship vice admiral arrived aboard relieved return home salvage efforts began earnest arrival repair ship march brought assist april metric tons long tons material removed cruiser investigation showed forward boiler room hole meters meters hole aft boiler room measured meters centimeters wonder given state ship pumping overboard metric tons long tons water ship water ship successfully refloated high tide required months work considered sea worthy tested watertight integrity august outside bay departed speed knots mph british naval base british_columbia days later temporary repairs escorted voyage ship pump metric tons long tons hour repairs reduced figure mere metric tons long tons hour cruiser sailed october arrived december emperor received officers imperial palace days later permanent repairs included replacement boilers water tube boilers removal bow torpedo tube completed march served flagship april august transferred training squadron august ship cruised western coasts hawaii march july inter war activities world war primarily long range oceanic navigation training officer candidates august began training voyage south_america lasted april designated 1st class coast defense ship september main deck guns inch pounder guns removed casemates addition pounder guns removed single 3rd year type anti aircraft gun added beginning june resumed making training cruises usually year intervals took australia southeast_asia mediterranean_sea places came end ran aground night october north north west badly damaged deemed longer repairs completed naval arsenal ship assigned stationary training ship july world war reclassified training ship july towed august gunnery training ship disarmed point pacific war retaining 3rd year type anti aircraft guns stricken navy list november ship scrapped shipyard august march
Japanese cruiser Asama