It probably looks a little strange, but I decided to start with the Japanese cruisers. Why? Well, first of all, these were interesting ships. Secondly, they, unlike many colleagues (Soviet, French, Italian, German), really plowed the whole war. Some even survived to an inglorious end, which does not detract from their military merits at all.
If you look biasedly, during the Second World War, only the cruisers of the British Commonwealth, the United States and Japan were engaged in business. The rest so … The French quickly ended in general, the Italians and ours took care of the materiel from the gifted admirals, who, in general, were not capable of anything, the Germans … With the Germans, there will be a separate conversation about what they called cruisers and what it was studied during the war.
So let's talk about Japanese ships.
The impetus for the construction of these ships was the same Washington Naval Agreement of 1922, which strictly regulated the arms race at sea. And the Myoko-class heavy cruisers were the first ships built under the Washington Treaty. Limited in displacement of 10,000 tons and with 203 mm guns.
There were two shipbuilders in Japan. Yuzuru Hiraga and Kikuo Fujimoto. These two designers have designed so many ships that it is both surprising and respectful. "Yubari", "Aoba" - and here is the next step. "Myoko".
Hiraga's vision was eventually embodied in a project that for a while became a classic in the Japanese navy. Ten main guns in five twin turrets, three in the bow and two in the stern. Yes, in Europe and the USA, they preferred three-gun turrets on cruisers, but there was a certain logic in Hiragi's work. One "extra" barrel 203 mm, which was hardly superfluous in fact.
And this scheme remained for quite a long time, until the project of the cruiser "Tone" was developed, in which all four turrets of the main caliber were installed in the bow.
Hiraga generally wanted to go further, removing torpedo tubes from weapons altogether, and instead install another artillery tower. Thus, the output would have turned out to be a ship with a very impressive side salvo, but the naval command decided otherwise, and the torpedo tubes were not only abandoned, but the torpedo caliber also increased to 610 mm.
The Japanese admirals liked the idea of destroying the enemy's fleet after an artillery duel with a surprise attack from a long distance, perhaps even at night, with the help of these "long-leans".
And as a result, in 1923-1924 four ships were laid down, which during 1924-1929 were built by two state ("Myoko" and "Nachi") and two private ("Haguro" and "Ashigara") shipyards.
Due to a coincidence of circumstances, the first was completed "Nachi". Still, the series was called "Myoko", since this particular cruiser was laid down first. Despite the fact that "Myoko" entered service the penultimate one. It happens.
By the beginning of the war, the cruisers had undergone a number of upgrades, and as a result, the data for the Myoko type looked like this: the Myoko-type cruiser had a length of 203.8 m with a width of 19.5 m midships.
Draft - 6, 36 m. Full displacement - 15 933 tons. Initially, the cruisers developed a full speed of 35, 5 knots, but after mounting the boules, the maximum speed dropped to 33, 3 knots.
The power plant of the ship is 130 250 hp. The practical cruising range of the 14-knot was 7,500 nautical miles.
The number of teams of cruisers "Haguro" and "Nachi" when used as flagships of divisions was 920 people, the team "Myoko" and "Asigari" in the version of flagship ships of the fleets - 970 people.
The side armor belt of the cruiser had a length of 123, 15 m with a height at the edges of 3, 5 and 2 m. The thickness of the armor belt was 102 mm, the inclination of the belt wall to the vertical was 12 degrees, the thickness of the armored deck was 35 mm, the bridge was not armored at all.
Compared with colleagues, cruisers from other countries, the "Myoko" looked very, very worthy. Only the Italian cruiser was faster than it, and in terms of armor and armament (after replacing 200mm guns with 203mm) it was generally one of the best.
Armament. It is no less important than the armor or the sailing performance of the ship.
The main caliber "Myoko" consisted of ten 203-mm guns in five twin-gun turrets, model "O". Three towers on the "pagoda" principle were in the bow of the ship, two - in the stern. All 10 guns could fire on board, four guns could fire forward or backward.
Medium-caliber artillery consisted of eight 127-mm Type 89HA universal guns. The guns were installed in two-gun turrets, two per side.
The anti-aircraft artillery, which originally consisted of 13, 2-mm machine guns, was later supplemented with Type 96 anti-aircraft guns with a 25-mm caliber. The assault rifles were installed in a single-barreled (manual control) version and a two- and three-barreled version with electric drives.
The number of submachine guns increased throughout the war, and in 1944 it ranged from 45 to 52 per ship. True, the guns were not the best in their class, a light projectile could not provide an acceptable range, so compensating for a frankly weak machine gun in quantity was another option.
However, looking ahead, I will note that only one of the four cruisers "Myoko" found his death from aviation. So we can say that the tactics paid off.
Torpedo armament. Each cruiser carried four three-tube 610 mm torpedo tubes. The ammunition load of Type 96 torpedoes was 24 pieces.
Nominally, it was planned to base three seaplanes on board, but usually two cruisers were taken on board.
A total of four Mioko-class cruisers were built. The lead "Mioko" and "Nachi" were built at the state shipyards in Yokosuka and Kura, and the other two ships were built at private shipyards. Ashigara was sold by Kawasaki in Kobe, and Haguro by Mitsubishi in Nagasaki.
The four cruisers entered service between November 28, 1928 and August 20, 1929. The ships made up the 4th cruiser division, which entered the 2nd fleet. Most of the cruisers sailed together, took part in numerous exercises and parades of the 30s.
Naturally, the first voyages revealed the first "childhood" diseases. The main unpleasant discovery was that the smoke from the chimneys was thrown onto the bridge, creating unbearable conditions for the command staff.
In order for the Japanese sailors to be on the bridge without gas masks, a very original decision was made: the front chimney was lengthened by 2 meters. The measures helped, but the appearance of the ship became more than original. Although he was quite extraordinary and so.
The main modification of the cruisers was the replacement in 1933-1935 of the old 200-mm guns with the newest 203-mm ones, after which the artillery of the Myoko cruisers became the same as that of the Takao-class heavy cruisers.
In general, by the beginning of World War II, the cruisers approached, so to speak, fully armed. These were indeed very good ships with modern weapons, designed for a wide variety of applications.
After the outbreak of war, the four were divided, and "Ashigara" became the flagship of the 16th Division of the 2nd Fleet of Admiral Nobutaki. The fleet ensured the capture of the Philippines and further solved the problem of countering possible attempts to return the territories.
"Haguro", "Mioko" and "Nachi" became part of the 5th division, commanded by Admiral Takagi. The 5th Division also took part in the occupation of the Philippines. Here "Myoko" was the first to get acquainted with American bombers, "catching" a bomb from a B-17, and was forced to go for repairs.
Then four cruisers united, and it so happened that in the very first battle they took part very well. It was in the Java Sea, where there was a battle of a Japanese squadron of 4 heavy cruisers (known to us "Haguro", "Nachi", "Myoko" and "Ashigara"), 2 light cruisers ("Yuntsu" and "Naka") and 15 destroyers and squadrons of allies (USA, Great Britain, the Netherlands) consisting of 2 heavy cruisers (American "Houston" and British "Exeter"), 3 light cruisers (Dutch "De Reuters" and "Java", Australian "Perth") and 8 destroyers.
The allied squadron was commanded by the Dutch Admiral Doorman, who held his flag on the cruiser De Reuter.
The battle is notable for the fact that it was here that the allies felt the hard way that there are Japanese "long-lance". Before that, the torpedoes for the United States and its allies were absolutely not known, so Doorman made a rather big mistake by approaching the Japanese squadron.
The Japanese were delighted with the suddenly opened perspective …
First, torpedoes fired from the Haguro hit Exeter. Three. Exeter caught fire and sank the next day, finished off by torpedoes. Then torpedoes "Haguro" torpedo hit the Dutch destroyer "Kortenauer". One torpedo was enough for the destroyer, especially since it hit the area of the cellars, the destroyer exploded and also went to the bottom.
Further, for the sake of variety, the gunners of the Japanese cruisers sank the British destroyer with artillery fire.
Following the baton, torpedoists from the Nachi took over, sending a volley into the side of the cruiser Java. The Java broke and sank.
And the final point in the battle was put by the torpedoists "Haguro" who went into a rage. Their torpedoes caught up with the flagship De Reuter and tore it apart. Of the entire team, three dozen people were saved.
Heavy cruiser, two light and two destroyers. If this is not a rout, then I don't even know what to call a rout …
But the next morning, the beating continued. The Ashigara sank the American destroyer Pillsmbari and the American gunboat Asheville with artillery fire.
And the final point in the battle was put by the cruisers Mikuma, Mogami and Natori with escort destroyers who intercepted the fleeing cruisers of the allies Houston and Perth. Torpedoes and shells sent both cruisers to the bottom.
Surprisingly, for the entire time of the battle, which lasted 2 days, not a single shell hit the Japanese ships!
Further, the cruisers took part in many operations of the Japanese fleet, landed troops on the islands of Kiska and Attu, evacuated the Guadalcanal garrison, and participated in the Battle of Tarawa.
Here such a useful option as speed was fully manifested. The cruisers were attacked many times by American submarines, but it turned out that getting torpedoes into a cruiser traveling at a speed of more than 30 knots was not so easy.
The cruisers took part in the battle of the Philippines on June 19, 1944, as a result of which the Japanese carrier-based aviation suffered heavy losses in pilots and aircraft. Further, the cruisers got up for repairs, where they received such a useful thing as the Type 22 radar.
Then the battle in Leyte Gulf awaited them, which can be called "a disgrace in Leyte Gulf."
At the start of the battle, on October 23, 1944, US submarines Darter and Dace staged a bloody show in Palawan Strait, sinking two heavy cruisers, Atago and Maya, with torpedoes, and damaging the heavy cruiser Takao. Then there was a massacre, arranged by American pilots, as a result of which the super-battleship "Musashi" and three cruisers sank, and a bunch of ships were damaged.
"Myoko" got a torpedo on board, "Haguro" caught a bomb in the turret, which was out of order.
The damaged "Myoko" was decided to be repaired, and the ship went to Singapore, where it got up for repairs. On December 13, 1944, the cruiser left Singapore for Japan, and it was here that the Americans got it. Submarine "Bergall" treated "Myoko" with two torpedoes, as a result of which the cruiser was completely out of power.
In tow, the cruiser returned to Singapore, where it was used as an anti-aircraft battery, sunk in shallow water next to the same comrade in misfortune "Takao". After the liberation of Singapore, the British towed the damaged cruiser "Myoko" to the Strait of Malacca, where they sank it.
The damaged Haguro also went to Singapore, where it was put into drydock at the Selstar naval base for repairs. After repairs, "Haguro" regularly delivered people and goods to the islands of Dutch India and the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The speed allowed.
On the night of May 16, 1945, going with a cargo of provisions to the Andaman Islands, "Haguro" was attacked by the British destroyers "Sumares", "Verulam", "Vigilent", "Venus" and "Virago".
The Haguro gunners immediately hit the Sumares with a shell, then the British decided not to wait for torpedoes and fired the first volley. "Haguro", having received three torpedoes in the side, sank within 40 minutes.
"Nachi" fought in the north, fought near the Commander Islands, with the American cruiser "Salt Lake City" they parted ways, sending each other for repairs. On September 6, 1943, the cruiser was hit by two torpedoes fired by the American submarine Khalibat, but, oddly enough, the torpedo explosions did not cause serious damage to the cruiser.
In the Leyte Gulf massacre, the Nachi together with the Ashigara took part in the night battle in the Surigao Strait, where the Japanese were defeated, and the Nachi collided with the Mogs and broke its nose. For repairs, the cruiser went to the Philippines, where American aircraft finally finished off in the harbor of the Caviti naval base "Nachi".
Nine torpedoes and at least 20 bombs turned the once cruiser into a heap of scrap metal, and she sank in the Gulf of Manila.
On April 10, 1942, the cruiser Ashigara became the flagship of the Southern Expeditionary Fleet, and for most of the war she accompanied convoys and delivered cargo to the islands of Dutch India.
Not far from Sumatra on June 8, 1945, the British submarine Trenchant fired five torpedoes at the Ashigara. On this career "Ashigara" was over.
Actually, a worthy end for the ships that fought the entire war. And - definitely not bad at war. Of course, using a heavy cruiser as a transport is not the smartest idea, but nothing, our cruisers also carried everything.
What should be said about the project?
Extremely successful. Especially in terms of weapons. 10 203 mm guns in five twin turrets - this is not the European standard 4x2 and not the American 3x3. Yes, despite the fact that course firing could not be fired from a large number of barrels, only the cruiser Pensacola could compare with the Moko in an onboard salvo.
Reservations like all "Washington" cruisers were, in general, none, that is, capable of protecting against small bombs and shells up to 152 mm.
But in general, in the "Washington" framework to create a normal ship was simply unrealistic. The terms of the agreement clearly sacrificed speed, armor, weapons, or all at once.
But for the mid-20s of the last century, these were really very advanced ships.
Yes, the Myoko entered the war, very different from what went into operation, since many of the weapons were replaced, air defense was installed from scratch, radars appeared, but nevertheless, for the technological base that Japan possessed in those years, it was such a real masterpiece.
That the battle service of the cruisers, successful up to a certain point, only confirms.
