japanese cruiser second class armored cruiser built imperial_japanese_navy late 1890s japan lacked industrial capacity build warships ship built britain played minor roles boxer rebellion world war active russo japanese war participated battle war training ship naval cadets converted placed reserve damaged accidental explosion mines ship deployed japanese invasion refit returned active duty assigned pacific war participated occupation new_guinea damaged american aircraft shortly ship forced return japan repairs laid minefields twice damaged american mines repairs completed ship badly damaged american aircraft crew forced beach sink shortly end war salvaged subsequently broken scrap 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 signed july ship laid shipyard january speculative venture launched july completed ship departed japan day arrived july captain appointed april supervise construction bring japan relieved command arrival captain following year supported japanese forces boxer rebellion china russo japanese war later foreign minister appointed ship july ship return battle august captain assumed command january start russo japanese war weeks later ship assigned 2nd division 2nd fleet participated february vice admiral led combined fleet attack russian ships anchored outside port arthur expected surprise night attack destroyers successful anticipating russians badly disorganized weakened recovered surprise ready attack japanese ships spotted protected cruiser patrolling offshore alerted russians chose attack russian coastal defenses main armament engage ships secondary guns splitting fire proved poor decision japanese inch guns inflicted little damage russian ships concentrated fire japanese ships effect ships sides hit russian casualties numbered japanese suffered roughly killed wounded early march detached 2nd division reassigned march protected cruiser attempted capture disabled destroyer driven heavy fire shore defenses managed rescue wounded crewmen 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 rejoined 2nd division days later ordered north mid april cover defend attempt command rear admiral break unite units narrowly missed 24th heavy fog japanese proceeded laid minefields arriving 30th division failed intercept russian squadron attacked transports south june heavy rain fog russians sortied june finally able intercept day near light failing spotted russians able darkness ships sortied july headed eastern coast japan act diversion pull japanese forces russian ships passed days later began capturing ships bound japan arrival russians tokyo bay 24th caused naval general staff order sail cape fearing japan reach port arthur days later ordered north tokyo bay 28th general staff finally ordered 30th later day received word ships passed early morning reached august battle august ships port arthur attempted breakout turned battle ordered rendezvous order delayed armored cruisers raise steam sortie evening august dawn reached turned failed ships port arthur squadron miles north island encountered squadron consisted modern armored cruisers squadrons passed night spotting reversed course light japanese ships russian route ordered ships turn northeast spotted japanese followed suit albeit slightly course sides opened fire range meters japanese ships concentrated fire rear ship russian formation hit fairly quickly began fall astern ships turned southeast attempt open range blinded russian gunners rising sun prevented broadside guns bearing japanese turned starboard attempt reach korean coast allow rejoin squadron followed suit turned port opened range squadrons developed engine problems japanese squadron slowed conform best speed firing hit times stern flooding steering compartment steered engines speed continued decrease exposing japanese fire steering jammed port turn attempt ships japanese ship suddenly turn starboard increased speed passed ships japanese turned squadrons heading southeast parallel courses quickly turn headed opposing courses russians reversed course time attempt support fire fires extinguished minutes later south allowed russian ships north gave route despite turned ordered way turning north maximum speed knots mph time elderly protected cruisers approaching south arrival allowed pursue armored cruisers new arrivals dealt fought running battle russians hour half scoring hits force speed knots mph engines broke chase assumed place line japanese closed minimum meters opened range meters gunnery officer erroneously informed expended quarters ammunition turned minute rapid fire barrage wish leave thought use remaining ammunition time sunk sunk receive message shortly japanese turned forced repairs japanese ships seriously damaged suffered men wounded battle battle cruiser transferred rear admiral command began blockade shanghai august russian cruiser destroyer taken refuge returned home september chinese government formally interned russian ships mid september transferred 1st division november cruiser sent refit ship reassigned 2nd division refit ordered north february escort occupation force ordered home february refit april 2nd division including armored cruisers sailed escort laid mines 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 line opened fire 2nd pacific squadron like ships division engaged battleship forced fall formation sank minutes later time russian formation disorder suddenly appeared mist range meters ships engaged minutes armored cruiser firing torpedoes russian ship effect 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 surviving russian ships spotted morning japanese ships opened fire staying range russian ships effectively reply rear admiral decided surrender ships return fire close range course battle struck large seven small shells millimeter caused minor damage killed wounded fourteen captain assumed command ship june fleet future operations preparing invade early july reduced tasked defend escorted troops amphibious landing northeastern korea mid august division covered landing closer russian border boilers replaced water tube boilers inch guns replaced japanese built models december deployed port arthur order chinese revolution world war ship participated early stages battle returning october following month deployed singapore preparatory searching german commerce ship sunk mission began cruiser assigned training squadron september preparatory departure april training cruise ports california hawaii cadets 44th class return august ship relieved assignment august sent honolulu hawaii october protect shipping german commerce raiders allow navy forces atlantic reassigned august returned home prepare training cruise began march australia november singapore southeast_asia suez_canal mediterranean_sea return ship relieved assignment june reclassified 1st class coast defense ship september converted september began conversion naval arsenal accommodate mines rear inch gun turret removed inch guns main deck addition number light guns reduced pounders 3rd year type anti aircraft guns added modifications completed march ship stern suffered substantial damage accidental explosion august mines disarmed detonated followed killing crewmen wounding assigned reserve fleet repairs assigned 1st fleet january japanese invasion patrolled northern china november ship boilers reduced maximum speed knots mph remaining torpedo tubes removed space available changes increased capacity mines establishment 4th fleet november assigned 18th division year later 19th division command rear admiral ship refitted training reduced capacity mines refit forward inch gun turret amidships inch guns removed 3rd year type guns anti aircraft armament heavily reinforced addition single millimeter guns license built hotchkiss millimeter type light guns twin gun mounts pacific war december 19th division escorted troop transports carried occupation forces january ship participated invasion returned damaged air raid american aircraft carrier uss enterprise february forced return repairs returned july august assigned japanese task force sent ship reassigned departed convoy unsuccessfully attacked june reassigned 18th escort squadron 7th fleet january laid thousands mines waters okinawa june february ironically mined april approximately miles suffering moderate damage later damaged mines laid bombers june point war armament augmented approximately type guns single mounts depth charges addition fitted type mark model type model air search radars northern japan severely damaged direct bomb hit near misses air attack august united_states_navy aircraft task force beached crew november removed navy list end world war wreck refloated april towed scrapped august october
Japanese cruiser Tokiwa