japanese battleship pre dreadnought battleship built imperial_japanese_navy late 1890s ship class named japan ship served flagship admiral russo japanese war including second day war battles days end russo japanese war magazine accidentally exploded sank ship salvaged repairs took years complete ship served coast defence ship world war supported japanese forces intervention russian civil war decommissioned accordance preserved museum ship badly neglected post world war occupation japan required extensive late 1950s fully restored museum ship visited park remaining example pre dreadnought battleship world background combat experience sino japanese war convinced imperial_japanese_navy weaknesses naval philosophy emphasized torpedo boats commerce raiding offset expensive heavily armoured ships japan embarked program expand fleet preparation confrontations particular japan year naval build programme construction battleships armoured cruisers core ships paid paid china losing sino japanese war earlier class battleships japan lacked technology capability construct battleships turned united_kingdom remaining battleships programme ships ordered vickers shipyard cost million time closely resembled ships ordered program ship class design description design modified version formidable class battleships royal_navy additional inch guns overall length feet beam feet normal draught feet inches displaced long tons normal load crew numbered officers enlisted men ship powered vertical triple expansion steam engines driving propeller steam generated belleville boilers engines rated indicated horsepower forced draught designed reach speed knots mph proved faster sea trials december ship reached speed knots mph indicated horsepower carried maximum tonnes long tons coal allowed steam nautical miles speed knots mph main battery consisted ordnance company calibre inch guns preceding japanese battleships mounted twin gun barbettes fore aft superstructure armoured protect guns usually called gun turrets powered loaded angles traverse guns loaded fixed angle fired pound projectiles muzzle velocity ship secondary armament consisted fourteen calibre inch quick firing guns mounted casemates guns positioned main deck guns placed corners superstructure fired pound shells muzzle velocity protection torpedo boat attacks provided pounder cwt guns pounders fired inch pound projectiles muzzle velocity lighter guns consisted millimetre pounder hotchkiss guns millimetre pounder hotchkiss guns pounder gun fired pound projectiles muzzle velocity pounder fired pound shells muzzle velocity ship equipped submerged inch torpedo tubes broadside waterline armour belt consisted krupp cemented armour maximum thickness inches middle ship inches thick ends ship inch armour ran barbettes barbettes inches thick reduced inches level lower deck armour barbette thickness inches casemates protecting secondary armament inches thick deck armour inches thickness forward conning tower protected inches armour aft conning tower inches armour like japanese battleships time fitted coincidence effective range metres addition ships fitted power career named laid vickers shipyard january launched november completed march visit devonport left plymouth march bound command captain start russo japanese war commanded captain assigned 1st division 1st fleet participated february admiral led 1st fleet attack russian ships anchored outside port arthur expected surprise night attack russians destroyers successful actually expected find badly disorganized weakened russians recovered surprise ready attack japanese ships spotted cruiser patrolling offshore alerted russian defences chose attack russian coastal defences main armament engage russian ships secondary guns splitting fire proved bad idea japanese inch inch guns inflicted little significant damage russian ships concentrated fire japanese ships effect large number ships sides hit russian casualties numbered japanese suffered killed wounded hit inch shells engagement wounded seven crewmen ship participated action april successfully lured portion including vice admiral flagship battleship spotted battleships 1st division turned port arthur struck minefield laid japanese previous night russian battleship sank minutes magazines exploded killed success resumed long range bombardment missions prompted russians lay minefields sank japanese battleships following month battle august head column japanese battleships primary targets russian ships hit times knocked aft inch gun turret suffered casualties crew turn concentrated fire battleships ships lightly damaged japanese shells generally failed penetrate armour detonated impact battle led 1st fleet combat time second pacific squadrons detached ship opened fire battleship russian flagship joined battleship armoured cruiser shortly hour japanese ships started fire aboard russian ship badly wounded fleet commander vice admiral knocked rear inch gun turret jammed steering fell formation time focus russian fire leading ship japanese column hit inch inch shells little damage able cross russian squadrons steering later repaired japanese russian fleets times later battle fired torpedoes avail later battle ship appears fired battleship fired shots caused russian ship magazines explode sink inch shell detonated prematurely barrel right gun forward turret gun knocking left gun inch shell exploded barrel hours earlier damaged gun inch gun jammed firing rounds damage ship guns inch gun disabled russian shell size entered fired inch shells battle ship total hit times battle including inch inch shells seriously damaged casualties precisely known entire japanese force combined lost men killed wounded causes battle days treaty portsmouth ended war signed sank fire magazine explosion night september killed crewmen refloated august reconstructed repaired naval arsenal navy took opportunity upgrade existing armament powerful calibre inch inch guns years took repair ship restored active service august world war served coast defence duties based assigned second order rest war ship supported japanese intervention siberia russian civil war reclassified september class coast defence ship september ran aground near seriously damaged preservation ship decommissioned september following scheduled destruction request japanese government countries treaty agreed preserved memorial ship hull concrete november opened display presence crown prince following surrender japan ship deteriorated control occupation forces restored campaign led admiral allowed ship reopen august sailors uss remembered town construction street
Japanese battleship Mikasa