Kitakami (light cruiser)

The “torpedo cruiser” “Kitakami”, originally a cruiser of the “Kuma” type, was the development of light cruisers of the “Tenryu” type and they were to be built according to the large shipbuilding program “8 on 4” of 1917. It was planned to build six 3500-ton “leaders” based on the Tatsuta cruiser project (with an increase in the number of 140-mm guns from four to five) and three 7200-ton class “A” reconnaissance cruisers (subsequently turned into heavy cruisers of the “A” type Aoba " ). But in 1918, after the news of the start of construction of the 8000-ton Omaha light cruisers in the USA began, they decided to abandon the leaders, and instead develop an averaged project of the scout cruiser with a displacement of 5500 tons , capable of fulfilling the duties of leader of destroyers , reconnaissance and confront American Omaha ^[1] .

The first B-class reconnaissance cruisers were five Kuma-class light cruisers. They were laid in the years 1918-1919 according to the budgets of the financial years 1917-1918 and 1918-1919. The project was developed by the 1st-rank captain Hirag based on the Tatsuta cruiser, but he left it farther than originally intended. The number of 140-mm guns increased from four to seven, the cruising range - from 6000 to 9000 miles , and the power of the tubes - from 51 000 to 90 000 hp. Japanese sailors abandoned the elevated location of artillery, placing all 140-mm shield installations on the same level of the forecastle deck. Because of this, only three guns could shoot in the bow and stern, and six on each side. But the American "Omaha" guns are also located no better and of the twelve guns in the nose and stern could shoot six, and on board - eight guns ^[1] .

The 5500-ton cruiser was based on Tenryu blueprints. The increase in displacement went to increase capacity from 51,000 to 90,000 liters. from. , because of which the speed is increased to 36 knots . Such power forced to move from three shafts to four. The number of boilers increased to twelve, as in Tenryu, two with mixed heating from oil and coal.

The main artillery was supplemented by 2 76-mm anti-aircraft guns and four twin 533-mm torpedo tubes , which stood side-by-side. In addition, cruisers could take mines ^[1] .

Of the eight cruisers planned for construction under the 8–4 program , five were built according to the initial design (Kuma type), and three more advanced Nagara type ^[1] .

At first cruisers of the Kuma type with 533 mm torpedo tubes, but when 610 mm torpedoes appeared, 610 mm torpedo tubes were installed on the cruisers. In the 1930s, air launch catapults were put on cruisers (removed from the war) and reinforced anti-aircraft weapons. The length of the Kuma cruisers is 162 m , the midship width is 14 m, the draft is 4.8 m. The standard displacement is 5603 tons , the total displacement is 7094 tons. On Kuma ships there are 12 Kanpon boilers with mixed coal and oil heating and 4 steam turbines operating on four propellers . The total power of the tubing is 90,000 hp. Speed ​​36 knots. Estimated cruising range of 14-nodal course 5000 miles. The crew of 450 people ^[2] .

In 1935-1938, on all cruisers of the Kuma type, mixed heating boilers were converted to oil and, to improve stability, they reduced the "upper" weight, in addition, 103-200 tons of solid ballast were placed in the hull (and 202-289 tons of liquid ballast were taken into double bottom space). The total displacement of the ships approached 8000 tons, and the speed dropped to 32 knots ^[1] .

The largest refinement on cruisers of the Kuma type in the prewar years, the restructuring of the cruisers Kitakami and Ooi into torpedo cruisers. In 1936, the Japanese Navy General Staff developed a plan whereby a numerically superior US fleet could be neutralized by a night attack with the widespread use of new long-range and powerful type 93 torpedoes, and large artillery ships would join the battle with a weakened American fleet during the day. The first torpedo strike, according to this plan, was to inflict heavy cruisers of the "A" class, which could pierce the gaps of the American Navy. Through the breaches, light cruisers and destroyers were to enter the attack on large American ships. According to this plan, it was proposed to arm two light cruisers with at least ten four-pipe torpedo tubes. Two cruisers, firing 40 torpedoes, could make, according to officers of the General Staff of the Navy of Japan, large gaps in the battle order of the US Navy. The tactics of night battle did not materialize for one reason - the Americans avoided fighting in the dark before appearing on radar ships. The radar turned plans for massive torpedo strikes at night into impossible. "Torpedo cruisers" the Japanese did not come in handy. During World War II, anti-aircraft armaments were strengthened and standardized on all Kuma cruisers, and radar No. 21 was also installed on them ^[2] .

In 1941, the Kitaki and Ooi were rebuilt (the Kitaks in Sasebo , the Ooi in Maizura ) and turned into torpedo cruisers. The re-equipment was planned in replacing armaments with 4 × 2 127-mm artillery mounts , 4 × 2 25-mm anti-aircraft guns and 11 (five on each side and one in the diametrical plane) quadruple 610-mm torpedo tubes for firing the famous “long spears” "- oxygen torpedoes of type 93 ^[1] .

Initially, it was supposed to turn into three “torpedo cruisers” three ships - Kitakami, Ooi, and Kiso . The lack of 127-mm twin gun mounts and 610-mm vehicles was the reason for refusing to re-equip the Kiso, and the workload on the other two cruisers was reduced - they left the bow four of 140-mm guns, and the number of installed vehicles was reduced from 11 to 10 (abandoned the device in the diametrical plane) ^[1] .

For onboard deployment of heavy torpedo tubes at a length of approximately 60 m (from the tank floor to the aft bulkhead of the engine room ), the deck was expanded with sponsons to 17.5 m. The armament was supplemented with two paired 25 mm anti-aircraft installations ^[1] .

From the beginning of World War II , the torpedo cruisers Ooi and Kitakami operated in the 9th squadron of the Japanese imperial fleet in the Indian Ocean , protecting the Japanese battleships . After participating in the landing in the Philippines, both decided to convert into high-speed transports for use in New Guinea and Singapore ^[2] . In August - September 1942 they were refitted - they increased the number of 25-mm installations (became 2 × 3 and 2 × 2), a bomb spreader and 18 depth charges were installed in the stern. On both, the number of 25-mm machine guns was increased to 18 (at Kitaki) and 28 (at Ooi, later to 36). In addition, at Kitaki, the number of torpedo tubes was reduced to two (2 × 4), the vacant seat was used to accommodate six landing boats of the Dayhatsu type ^[1] .

The Kitakami, which made the transition with the light cruiser Kinu, during one of the transport campaigns on January 27, 1944, was severely damaged by the English submarine Templar ^[3] .

The Kinu cruiser was towed by Kitakami to Singapore, where the ship underwent emergency repairs. Further, “Kitakami” escorted transport convoys to Manila , and then went to Sasebo for conversion into a ship — the Kaiten man-torpedo base. The cruiser remained in the Inland Sea, where man-torpedo drivers were trained, until due to a lack of oil they transferred him to the Kure naval base - the man-torpedo operation in the waters of Okinawa never took place. Near the explosive bombs on the cruiser, the cars were out of order, but the ship remained afloat until the end of the war. The cruiser Kitakami was expelled from the fleet lists on November 30, 1945 ^[3] .

In August 1944 - January 1945, when repairing damage from a torpedo hit by the Kitaki, they converted the Kaiten man-torpedo into a carrier ship. Eight of these torpedoes ^[2] were placed on sponsons and launched into the water along the stern slip . They were lifted onto the ship by a 20-ton mast crane . The remaining 610 mm torpedo tubes and 140 mm guns were removed. Instead of 140 millimeters, they delivered 2x2 127 mm universal artillery mounts . The number of 25 mm machine guns increased to 67 barrels (12 × 3 and 21 × 1). During the reconstruction, two of the four turbines of the internal shafts were dismantled from the damaged engine room, after which the power was reduced to 35,000 hp, and the speed was reduced to 23.8 knots. Standard displacement decreased to 5640 tons ^[1] . "Kitaki" July 24, 1945 was heavily damaged in the Kura by American carrier-based aircraft. July 28, 1945 new damage during repeated raid. It was not repaired, and in 1946-1947 it was scrapped ^[1] .

Displacement : until 1941 - 5019 tons standard and 5832 tons full ; since 1941 - 5780 tons standard, 7800 tons full; since January 1945, the standard decreased to 5640 tons ^[1] ;

Length: 162.1 m (the longest), 158.5 m ( along the waterline ), 152.4 m ( between perpendiculars ) ^[1] ;

Width: 14.25 m until 1941; 17.5 m greatest after 1941 ^[1] ;

Draft : 4.8 m until 1941; 5.4-5.6 m after 1941 ^[1] ;

Power plant : 4 Gihon turbines , 12 Kampon boilers , 4 shafts; with 1.1945, two of the four turbines rotating the internal shafts were dismantled from the damaged engine room ^[1] ;

Power: 70,000 hp ; from January 1945 - 35,000 hp ^[1] ;

Speed ​​- 36 knots (32 - actual for 1941); from 1.1945 to 23.8 knots ^[1] ;

Fuel reserve: 350 tons of coal + 700 tons (maximum 1150 tons) of oil ^[2] (1600 tons ^[1] );

Cruising range : 9000 miles at a speed of 10 knots, 6000 miles - 14 knots ^[2] (5000 miles - 15 knots ^[1] );

Armor protection : armored deck - 32 mm, armored belt - 64 mm, conning tower - 51 mm ^[1] ;

Artillery weapons: 7 140-mm guns , 2 , 2 13.2-mm anti-aircraft machine guns ; since 1941 4 140 mm, 2 × 2 25 mm ; from 8.1942 - 2 × 2 127 mm universal installations , 2 × 3 25 mm (subsequently 18 25 mm); with 1.1945 67 25-mm shafts (12 × 3 and 21 × 1) ^[1] ;

Torpedo armament: 4 × 2,533 mm TA , 80 min; since 1941 - 10 × 4 610 mm TA; from 8.1942 - 2 × 4 610 mm TA; from January 1945 - 8 man-torpedoes of Kaiten ^[1] ;

Aviation weapons: 1 aircraft, 1 launch catapult until 1941 ^[2] ;

Crew : 439 officers and sailors ^[2]

in Russian

• A. Dashyan . Ships of the Second World War. Japanese Navy. Part 1. The cruiser. Kuma Light Cruisers
• Mikhailov A.A. Light cruisers of Japan. 1917-1945 - St. Petersburg, 2005 .-- 120 p. . Historical and cultural center ANO "ISTFLOT" Samara. Publisher R.R. Munirov. (Warships of the world). ISBN 5-98830-013-1
• S.V. Ivanov . Light cruisers of Japan (War at Sea-25)

in English

• Eric Lacroix, Linton Wells II. Japanese cruisers of the Pacific war. - Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997 .-- 882 p. - ISBN 1-86176-058-2 .

• Light cruisers like "Kuma". Cruisers. A. Dashyan. Ships of the Second World War. Japanese Navy. Part 1
• Type "Kuma". A.A. Mikhailov. Light cruisers of Japan (1917-1945)
• The history of the creation and service of the cruiser Kitakami