Japanese battleship Fusō

Japanese battleship Fusō was the lead ship of her class of two dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Named for the ancient poetic name for Japan, she was constructed at the Kure Naval Arsenal and commissioned during World War I. The ship underwent two major reconstructions in the 1930s, transforming her into a modernized but uniquely configured fast battleship, before being sunk in the Battle of Surigao Strait in October 1944.

Design and description

The original design for *Fusō* was a response to the naval arms race with other major powers, particularly the Royal Navy and the United States Navy. As built, she displaced over 29,000 long tons and was armed with twelve 14-inch guns arranged in six twin gun turrets, an unusual configuration that included two turrets amidships. Her propulsion system, consisting of Brown-Curtis steam turbines and Miyabara water-tube boilers, could propel the ship at a top speed of 23 knots. Her initial protection scheme included a main armor belt up to 12 inches thick and deck armor designed to resist plunging fire. During her first reconstruction from 1930 to 1933, her machinery was completely replaced, her hull was lengthened, and torpedo bulges were added, increasing her displacement and beam. A second, more extensive modernization from 1934 to 1935 saw the removal of her amidships turrets, a complete overhaul of her superstructure into a distinctive pagoda mast, and the addition of modern anti-aircraft armament, including 25 mm guns.

Construction and career

*Fusō* was laid down at the Kure Naval Arsenal on 11 March 1912, launched on 28 March 1914, and commissioned on 8 November 1915. Due to her late completion, she saw no combat during World War I but was present at the naval review in Yokohama that year. During the 1920s and early 1930s, she served with the 1st Fleet, participating in routine training exercises and fleet maneuvers. Her interwar career was largely defined by the two major reconstructions that sought to bring her capabilities closer to those of newer battleships like the *Nagato* class. Following her modernizations, she was assigned to the 2nd Fleet and participated in the Second Sino-Japanese War, providing naval gunfire support for Imperial Japanese Army operations along the coast of China.

World War II

At the start of the Pacific War, *Fusō* was part of the 1st Battleship Division but, due to her age and slower speed compared to newer capital ships, she saw limited front-line action in major carrier battles. She was present at the Battle of Midway in June 1942 as part of the distant Main Body under Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, but did not engage in combat. For much of the war, she was used as a training vessel in the Seto Inland Sea and for transport missions. Her final operation was part of Operation Sho-1, the Japanese counterattack during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Assigned to Vice Admiral Shōji Nishimura's Southern Force, she was tasked with forcing a passage through the Surigao Strait to attack the Allied invasion fleet in Leyte Gulf.

Wreck

During the night action of the Battle of Surigao Strait on 25 October 1944, *Fusō* was struck by torpedoes fired from the American destroyer USS *Melvin*. The hits caused catastrophic damage, and the battleship broke in two. Both sections remained afloat and burning for some time before sinking in the early morning hours. The exact location of the wreck remained unknown for decades. In 2017, an expedition led by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and his research vessel RV Petrel discovered the two halves of the wreck lying approximately 1,200 meters apart on the seafloor of the Surigao Strait. The forward section is upright, while the stern is inverted, providing a stark archaeological record of her final moments. The site is considered a war grave for the vast majority of her crew, which included Captain Mitsuo Kinoshita.

Category:Fusō-class battleships Category:World War II battleships of Japan Category:Ships built at Kure Naval Arsenal Category:Maritime incidents in October 1944