class cruiser class cruisers pair armored cruisers built imperial_japanese_navy late 1890s japan lacked industrial capacity build warships ships built britain fleet expansion program began defeat china sino japanese war sister ships participated main naval battles russo japanese war battle battle played minor role world war ran aground searching german commerce raiders early repair years participated searched commerce raiders ships training cruises war continued war continued training cruises ran aground stationary training ship rest career converted placed reserve damaged accidental explosion mines ship training pacific war participated occupation new_guinea damaged american aircraft shortly ship forced return japan repairs laid minefields twice damaged mines shortly end war ship badly damaged american aircraft crew forced beach salvaged subsequently broken scrap survived war intact scrapped background design naval expansion plan sino japanese war included armored cruisers addition battleships ordered foreign 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 ships purchased paid china losing sino japanese war unlike contemporaries designed commerce raiding defend colonies trade routes cruisers intended fleet scouts employed june sir japan lay stock cruisers work began preliminary design based improved version earlier chilean cruiser design approved final design august long tons larger heavily armed slightly faster chilean armored cruiser ship class laid october japanese order ships july description ships feet inches long overall feet inches perpendiculars beam meters average draft feet inches feet inches sisters displaced long tons normal load long tons deep load ships metacentric heights feet inches feet inches crew consisted officers enlisted men class ships cylinder vertical triple expansion steam engines built driving single propeller shaft steam engines provided dozen cylindrical boilers engines rated total indicated horsepower ships designed speed knots mph exceeded speed sea trials reaching knots mph ihp carried long tons coal steam nautical miles speed knots mph armament main armament fleet armored cruisers built caliber inch guns twin gun turrets fore aft superstructure electrically operated turrets capable rotation left right guns elevated depressed turret accommodated shells doors turret floor ship deck allowed electric turret shells shell room deep hull total shells carried gun guns manually loaded rate fire rounds minute millimeter gun fired pound armor piercing projectiles muzzle velocity feet second range yards secondary armament consisted fourteen ordnance company pattern quick firing caliber inch guns guns mounted armored casemates main upper decks mounts upper deck protected gun shields pound shells fired muzzle velocity feet second gun provided total shells gun ships equipped dozen caliber pounder cwt guns pounder guns close range defense torpedo boats gun fired inch pound projectiles muzzle velocity feet second class ships equipped submerged inch torpedo tubes broadside water bow type torpedo kilogram range speed settings yards knots mph yards knots mph yards knots mph protection fleet armored cruisers armor scheme minor differences class harvey armor waterline belt ran length ships thickness varied inches amidships inches bow stern belt covered middle ship length feet inches height feet inches feet inches feet inches normally underwater upper belt armor inches thick extended upper edge waterline belt main deck extended feet inches forward rear barbette class ships single transverse inch armored bulkhead closed forward end central armored citadel barbettes gun turrets casemates inches thick sides rear casemates protected millimeters armor water torpedo tube bow enclosed foot patch inch armor armor protecting conning tower millimeters thickness addition harvey armor class ships unique fleet cruisers armored deck millimeters thick ships watertight compartments double additional upper deck ships service start russo japanese war supported japanese forces boxer rebellion china participated russo japanese war beginning russo japanese war sisters assigned 2nd division 2nd fleet attached admiral operations near seoul korea war began ship escorted japanese troop convoys seoul port west coast helped sink russian warships stationed day war participated day vice admiral led combined fleet attack russian ships anchored outside port arthur expected earlier surprise night attack destroyers successful anticipating russians badly disorganized weakened recovered surprise ready attack early march reassigned joined shortly participated action april successfully lured battleships action sisters engaged russian cruisers preceded battleships falling battleships russians spotted battleships 1st division turned port arthur battleship struck minefield laid japanese previous night ship sank minutes magazines exploded rejoined 2nd division days later division tasked contain russian armored cruisers based failed august tried rendezvous ships attempted breakout port arthur unbeknownst russians defeated ships port arthur battle august russian squadron intercepted korea steering russian cruiser damaged early battle russians attempts prevent japanese concentrating fire ultimately forced abandon fate left tender reinforcements pursued remaining russian ships time breaking pursuit prematurely based incorrect report flagship expended ammunition suffered men wounded battle meantime remained blockade duty port arthur participated minor way sortied took time intercept russian ships battle ship engaged hour battle battle sisters refitted assigned different units escorting troop convoys northern korea blockading russian ships approached japan russian 2nd spotted morning ordered ships sea assigned 2nd division anticipation battle ships confirmed initial spotting later morning joining battleships japanese battleships division opened fire russian battleship shortly damaged shell knocked steering forced fall formation russian battleship suddenly appeared mist short range ships engaged minutes disappeared rejoined division hits caused flooding caused fall formation minutes later finally caught division shortly led division fruitless pursuit russian cruisers abandoned chase encountered russian half hour later stayed long range ships fired fire surviving russian ships spotted morning japanese ships opened fire stayed range russian ships effectively reply rear admiral decided surrender ships return fire close range battle struck dozen shells killed men wounded contrast struck shells caused minor damage killed wounded battle division covered amphibious landings northeastern korea july august war ended subsequent service served training ship making cruises naval cadets hawaii destinations start world war august assigned search vice admiral german late october ship ordered blockade german honolulu hawaii assigned japanese component joint anglo japanese command protect shipping western coast americas mexican coast interned early november squadron spent months german commerce raiders entering baja california early struck rock badly damaged took months partially ship given temporary repairs british naval base british_columbia arriving japan december permanent repairs completed march assigned training squadron later year cadet training cruise supported japanese forces battle returning october assigned preparation training cruise following year arriving home ship deployed hawaii october protect shipping german commerce raiders allow navy forces atlantic cruises began conversion accommodate mines rear inch gun turret removed inch guns main deck addition number light guns reduced pounders 3rd year type anti aircraft guns added gun maximum elevation degrees fire inch muzzle velocity maximum height feet training cruise armament modified main deck guns inch pounder guns removed casemates addition pounder guns removed single 3rd year type gun added refit resumed training cruises generally year intervals ran aground damage severe decided stationary training ship stern badly damaged accidental explosion mines disarmed detonated followed killing crewmen wounding ship assigned reserve fleet repairs patrolled chinese waters japanese invasion water tube boilers reduced maximum speed knots mph remaining torpedo tubes removed space available changes increased capacity mines 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 weapon standard japanese light anti aircraft gun world war suffered severe design shortcomings rendered largely ineffective weapon twin triple mounts lacked sufficient speed train elevation gun sights unable handle fast targets gun exhibited excessive vibration magazine small finally gun produced excessive muzzle blast weapon maximum range feet effective range feet pacific war days attack pearl harbor 19th escorted troop transports carried occupation forces january ship participated invasion returned damaged american carrier aircraft february forced return home repairs returned july following month ship returned home began lay defensive minefields moderately damaged april struck american months later time armament augmented approximately type guns single mounts depth charges addition fitted type mark model type model air search radars northern japan days end war severely damaged american carrier aircraft beached crew sink reclassified training ship gunnery training ship later year disarmed point war retaining 3rd year type anti aircraft guns ship survived war intact stricken navy list november scrapped refloated scrapped year list ships second world war list ship classes second world war
Asama-class cruiser