Japanese cruiser Matsushima

Japanese cruiser Matsushima was the lead ship of her class of three protected cruisers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the late 1880s. Designed as a response to the powerful Beiyang Fleet of Qing dynasty China, she was constructed in France and was notable for her unconventional armament centered on a single, massive Canet 12.6-inch gun. She served as the flagship of Admiral Itō Sukeyuki during the First Sino-Japanese War, playing a pivotal role at the decisive Battle of the Yalu River.

Design and description

The design of the Matsushima-class was a direct result of the Jeune École naval theory, which emphasized defeating larger battleships with swift, heavily-armed cruisers. To counter the German-built ironclads ''Dingyuan'' and ''Zhenyuan'', Japanese naval architect Sasō Sachū and French engineer Louis-Émile Bertin conceived a unique design where the entire offensive power was concentrated in one forward-mounted 320 mm (12.6 in) Canet gun. This main gun, one of the largest weapons afloat on any cruiser at the time, was intended to outrange and penetrate the armor of the Beiyang Fleet's capital ships. Secondary armament consisted of eleven or twelve QF 4.7-inch guns and numerous smaller Hotchkiss and 3-pounder guns for defense against torpedo boats. Protection was provided by an armored deck up to 50 mm (2 in) thick and compound armor on the conning tower. Propelled by two horizontal triple-expansion steam engines driving twin screws, she could achieve a designed speed of 16.5 knots.

Construction and career

Matsushima was ordered as part of the 1886 naval expansion program and her keel was laid down at the Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée shipyard in La Seyne-sur-Mer, France, on 17 February 1888. She was launched on 22 January 1890 and completed on 5 April 1891, sailing to join the Imperial Japanese Navy later that year. Her early service included training cruises and showing the flag. At the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War, she was designated the flagship of the Combined Fleet under Admiral Itō Sukeyuki. She led the Japanese fleet at the Battle of the Yalu River on 17 September 1894, where her massive main gun, despite a slow rate of fire, contributed to the Japanese victory. She later participated in the Battle of Weihaiwei and the invasion of Taiwan. During the Boxer Rebellion, she was deployed to the coast of China as part of the Eight-Nation Alliance. At the start of the Russo-Japanese War, she served with the IJN 3rd Squadron and saw action in the Blockade of Port Arthur and the Battle of the Yellow Sea.

Fate

Following the Russo-Japanese War, Matsushima was reclassified as a second-class coastal defense ship. On 30 April 1908, while serving as a training vessel for naval cadets, she was anchored off Makung, Pescadores. A catastrophic accidental explosion in her ammunition magazine tore the ship apart, and she sank rapidly. The disaster resulted in the loss of 207 officers and cadets, including 33 from the Naval Academy, and 38 crewmen, with 19 survivors. A memorial to the victims was later erected at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. The wreck of Matsushima remains at the site of her sinking.

Category:Matsushima-class cruisers Category:Ships built in France Category:Maritime incidents in 1908