Nihhon Kaigun (1900-1941): Armoured Cruiser (Sōkō jun’yōkan) Azuma (吾妻 or Adzuma) was an Imperial Japanese Navy armored cruiser ordered from France in 1897, as Japan lacked the industrial capacity matching her naval expansion plan after the Sino-Japanese war and in preparation for future conflicts in the region, notably against a rearming Imperial Russia. She thus … Read more
Nihhon Kaigun (1900-1922): Armoured Cruiser (Sōkō jun’yōkan) Yakumo (“Eight Clouds”) was an armored cruiser built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1897-1900 in Germany due to limitations and capacity of Japanese naval yards at the time in preparation of a possible war with Russia. Another was ordered from France following four from Britain. Yakumo took … Read more
Destroyers built 1919-23, Minekaze, Okikaze, Shimakaze, Nadakaze, Tachikaze, Hokaze, Nokaze, Namikaze, Numakaze, Sawakaze, Yakaze, Hakaze, Shiokaze, Akikaze, Yukaze. The Minekaze class (Minekazegata kuchikukan) were fifteen 1st-class destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy built for the 8-4 Fleet Program FY1917–1920 as a complement to the 2nd class Momi we just saw. Laid down in 1918 they … Read more
Japan (1892-1930) suma, Akashi The two Suma-class cruisers (Suma, Akashi) were protected cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) which took part in the boxer rebellion, Russo-japanese and the first world war. They were lightly armed and armored for the time, but this small size and simple design made faster their construction. They were also … Read more
Nihhon Kaigun (1901-1922): Armoured Cruisers IJN Kasuga, Nisshin Italian-Built for an upcoming war Kasuga class armoured cruisers. These Cruisers were part of a rapid explansion plan of the Imperial Japanese Navy prior to the 1904 war with Russia. In a short span, Japan, still lacking the industrial output to built many cruisers and capital ships … Read more
Imperial Japanese Navy, protected cruiser (1890-1923) IJN Akistushima was the first Japanese-built, British-designed cruiser, with elements of USS Baltimore. Her design was prepared by superstar British engineer Whilliam White. She took part in the battle of yalu 1894, sinking her opponent Kuang Chi and also in 1905 to the Russo-Japanese war, and later to WWI. … Read more
IJN WW1 submarines IJN – About 85 submarines. 16 different types, and many policy changes: The story of WW1 IJN submersibles Holland N°1 moving out for a trial in 1908, colorized by the author A far less well known topic than WW2, the Great War Japanese Submarines is interesting nevertheless to see how Japan started … Read more
Ibuki class battlecruisers (1907) Japan (1907-1923) Ibuki, Kurama The Ibuki class (伊吹型) or Kurama class (鞍馬型) were transitional “semi-battlecruisers” classed as armoured cruisers (Sōkō jun’yōkan) of Imperial Japanese Navy, with a powerful secondary armament leaning towards monocaliber. https://bit.ly/3XjuGhD Delays had them completed only in 1909-1911, and they were obsolete. An interesting design nonetheless, they served … Read more
Kawachi class Battleships (1910) Japanese Imperial Navy (1912-1945): IJN Kawachi, Settsu The first Japanese dreadnoughts After the Satsuma class which were probably the most advanced “semi-dreadnoughts” ever designed, it was logical for Japan to move towards a true dreadnought, by just scaling up the design, notably making it more beamy. Two ships were laid down, … Read more
Kashima class Battleships (1905) Japanese Imperial Navy (1904-1924): Kashima, Katori The first post-tsushima Japanese Battleships Ordered just as tensions were high with Russia, before the war started, the Kashima class were the last foreign built Japanese capital ships. They were “semi-dreadnoughts” loosely based on the King Edward VII class battleships we saw recently. The only … Read more
