Kirishima (ship)

Kirishima (ship) was a Kongo-class battlecruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I and World War II, named after Mount Kirishima in Kyushu. The ship was built at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard in Nagasaki, with design inspired by the British Royal Navy's Lion-class battlecruiser. Kirishima played a significant role in several key naval battles, including the Battle of Midway and the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, alongside other notable ships like the Hiei (battlecruiser), Yamato (battleship), and Musashi (battleship).

● Introduction

The Kirishima was one of the four Kongo-class battlecruisers, which also included the Kongo (battlecruiser), Hiei (battlecruiser), and Haruna (battlecruiser) and was designed by Vickers Limited and built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The ship's design was influenced by the British Royal Navy's experience during the Battle of Jutland and the Battle of Dogger Bank (1915), with input from Georg von Hase, a German Empire naval architect. The Kirishima was launched on December 1, 1913, in the presence of Emperor Taisho and Admiral Heihachiro Togo, and was commissioned into the Imperial Japanese Navy on April 19, 1915, under the command of Captain Kameto Kuroki. The ship underwent several modernizations, including a major reconstruction at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal between 1934 and 1936, supervised by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and Vice Admiral Shigeyoshi Inouye.

● Design and Construction

The Kirishima was designed to be a fast and heavily armed battlecruiser, with a main armament of eight 14-inch guns in four twin turrets, similar to those used on the Nagato-class battleship and Fuso-class battleship. The ship's armor was designed to withstand 12-inch gun fire, with a maximum thickness of 230 mm on the waterline belt and 152 mm on the deck armor. The Kirishima was powered by Brown-Curtis turbines and Kampon boilers, which produced 65,000 shp and gave the ship a top speed of 30 knots. The ship's design was also influenced by the Washington Naval Treaty and the London Naval Treaty, which limited the size and armament of battleships and battlecruisers. The Kirishima's construction involved several notable shipbuilders, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, under the supervision of Admiral Tomozaburo Kato and Vice Admiral Kiyokazu Abo.

● Career

The Kirishima saw extensive service during World War II, participating in several key battles, including the Invasion of China, the Battle of the Java Sea, and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. The ship was part of the Japanese Combined Fleet under the command of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, and played a key role in the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the Indian Ocean Raid. The Kirishima also participated in the Battle of Midway, where the ship was damaged by United States Navy aircraft from the USS Enterprise (CV-6) and the USS Yorktown (CV-5). The ship was repaired at the Kure Naval Arsenal and returned to service in time for the Guadalcanal Campaign, where the Kirishima engaged the United States Navy battleship USS South Dakota (BB-57) and the USS Washington (BB-56) during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

● Fate

The Kirishima was sunk on November 15, 1942, during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, after being heavily damaged by the USS Washington (BB-56) and other United States Navy ships. The ship was hit by several 16-inch gun shells and suffered significant flooding, which caused the Kirishima to capsize and sink at 03:25 on November 15, 1942. The sinking of the Kirishima was a significant loss for the Imperial Japanese Navy, and marked a turning point in the Guadalcanal Campaign in favor of the Allies. The ship's wreck was discovered on February 2, 1992, by a team of researchers from the National Geographic Society and the United States Navy, led by Dr. Robert Ballard and Rear Admiral Richard H. Truly.

● Specifications

The Kirishima had a displacement of 27,500 tons and was 214.5 meters long, with a beam of 28 meters and a draft of 8.4 meters. The ship was armed with eight 14-inch guns in four twin turrets, sixteen 6-inch guns in single mounts, and eight 21-inch torpedo tubes. The Kirishima had a top speed of 30 knots and a range of 8,000 nautical miles at 14 knots. The ship's crew consisted of 1,221 officers and men, and was equipped with Mitsubishi A6M Zero and Nakajima B5N aircraft, as well as Kawanishi E7K and Mitsubishi F1M floatplanes. The Kirishima's specifications were similar to those of other Kongo-class battlecruisers, such as the Kongo (battlecruiser) and the Hiei (battlecruiser). Category:World War II Japanese warships