The Imperial Japanese fast battleship IJN Kirishima at sea.
The Kongō-class battlecruiser (金剛型巡洋戦艦 Kongō-gata jun'yōsenkan) was a class of four battlecruisers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) immediately before World War I. Designed by British naval architect George Thurston, the lead ship of the class was the last Japanese capital ship constructed outside of Japan as the latter three were built in Japanese shipyards.
During the late 1920s, all but Hiei were reconstructed and reclassified as battleships. After the signing of the London Naval Treaty in 1930, Hiei was reconfigured as a training ship to avoid being scrapped. Following Japan's withdrawal from the London Naval Treaty, all four underwent a massive second reconstruction in the late 1930s. Following the completion of these modifications, which increased top speeds to over 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph), all four were reclassified as fast battleships.
Specifications[]
Original Configuration[]
- Type: Battlecruiser
- Service Period: 1913-194X
- Characteristics:
- Length: 704 feet (214.58 meters)
- Beam: 92 feet (28.04 meters)
- Draft: 27 feet (8.23 meters)
- Displacement: 26,230 tons (Standard); 32,200 tons (Full Load)
- Crew: 1,193
- Fuel: 4,200 tons of coal and 1,000 tons of oil
- Propulsion: 36 x Yarrow water tube boilers, 4 x Parsons steam turbines, 4 x shafts, 64,000 shp
- Range: 8,000 nautical miles (14,816 kilometers) at 14 knots (25.93 km/h)
- Speed: 27.5 knots (50.93 km/h)
- Armament:
- 8 x 36cm/45-caliber 41st Year Type naval guns (4x2)
- 16 x 15cm/50-caliber 41st Year Type naval guns (16x1)
- 8 x 8cm/40-caliber 3rd Year Type anti-aircraft guns
- 8 x submerged 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4x2)
- Armour:
- Waterline belt: 203–76 mm (8–3 in)
- Deck: 25 mm (1 in)
- Gun turrets: 229–254 mm (9.0–10.0 in)
- Barbettes: 254–76 mm (10–3 in)
- Conning tower: 229 mm (9.0 in)
1920s Reconstruction[]
- Type: Battlecruiser
- Service Period: 1913-194X
- Characteristics:
- Length: 704 feet (214.58 meters)
- Beam: 102 feet 4 inches (31.19 meters)
- Draft: 27 feet 6 inches (8.38 meters)
- Displacement: 30,130 tons (Standard); 36,200 tons (Full Load)
- Crew: 1,221
- Propulsion: 16 x Kampon water tube boilers, 4 x Parsons steam turbines, 4 x shafts, 64,000 shp
- Range: 8,930 nautical miles (16,538 kilometers) at 14 knots (25.93 km/h)
- Speed: 27.5 knots (50.93 km/h)
- Armament:
- 8 x 36cm/45-caliber 41st Year Type naval guns (4x2)
- 16 x 15cm/50-caliber 41st Year Type naval guns (16x1)
- 8 x 8cm/40-caliber 3rd Year Type anti-aircraft guns
- 8 x submerged 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4x2)
- Armour:
- Waterline belt: 203–76 mm (8–3 in)
- Deck: 25 mm (1 in)
- Gun turrets: 229–254 mm (9.0–10.0 in)
- Barbettes: 254–76 mm (10–3 in)
- Conning tower: 229 mm (9.0 in)
1930 Rebuild Configuration[]
- Type: Fast Battleship
- Service Period: 1913-194X
- Characteristics:
- Length: 728 feet 3 inches (221.97 meters)
- Beam: 101 feet 8 inches (31 meters)
- Draft: 31 feet 10 inches (9.7 meters)
- Displacement: 40,992 tons
- Crew: 1,360
- Propulsion: 8 x Kampon oil fired boilers, 4 x Kampon geared steam turbines, 4 shafts, 136,000 shp
- Range: 10,000 nautical miles (18,520 kilometers) at 18 knots (33.34 km/h)
- Speed: 30.5 knots (56.49 km/h)
- Armament:
- 8 × 36cm/45-caliber 41st Year Type naval guns (4×2)
- 20 x 12.7cm/40-caliber Type 89 dual purpose naval guns (10x2)
- 118 x 25mm/60-caliber Type 96 Model 1 anti-aircraft guns (30x3, 2x2, 24x1)
- Armour:
- Belt: 8-inches (203.2 mm)
- Deck: 4.7-inches (120 mm)
- Bulkheads: 9-inches (229 mm)
- Turrets: 10-inches (254 mm)
- Magazines: 4-inches (102 mm)
- Barbettes: 13.5-inches (343 mm)
- Aircraft Carried: 3 x floatplanes
- Aviation Facilities: 1 x catapult
Unit Run[]
- IJN Kongou
- IJN Hiei
- IJN Kirishima
- IJN Haruna