In the process of modernizing the battleship "Fuso", the designers faced a lack of space for the installation of modern surveillance, communication and fire control equipment. Six main battery towers, distributed along the entire length of the ship, prevented the placement of additional bridges, wheelhouses and rangefinder posts.
The only way out of the situation was an indomitable upward movement. After the first modernization (1930-1933), the Fuso superstructure rose 40 meters above the deck, becoming the tallest in the world. An unusual type of superstructure went down in history under the name "pagoda", thereby emphasizing the national Japanese flavor.
The pile of tiers created a false sense of chaos. Nonetheless, the pagoda was an elaborate design designed to meet purely practical needs. The Japanese solved the problem of lack of space on the upper deck, while providing combat posts with excellent visibility.
The lowest tier was occupied by a spare control bridge for medium-caliber artillery fire. Just above it was the compass bridge. Even higher is the observation post with three powerful 18 cm binoculars and a signal searchlight. The next level is a spare main caliber artillery fire control post.
Above was the main control post of the main artillery fire control: a stabilized central sight with a calculation of six numbers, a sokutekiban (to determine the course and speed of the target) and observation devices.
Further up - a rangefinder bridge with a 10-meter rangefinder moving along the rails. From this tier, access to signal yards was opened.
The space above the rangefinder bridge was occupied by a combat bridge with binoculars.
The last floor was the central observation post with a direction finder antenna. And at the very top of the "pagoda" - a masthead fire.
In the spring of 1945, after the destruction of the Yamato LK, the battleship Fuso became the flagship of the United Fleet. The new appointment entailed further changes in the design of the battleship - its "pagoda" grew in height, allowing to place additional transmitters and a flagship command post (FKP).
The planned modernization of the battleship was postponed due to lack of funds after the defeat of Japan in the war. The required amount (10 trillion yen) was collected only by the beginning of the 60s, and, in the dank autumn of 1962, “Fuso” was docked at the Kure naval arsenal.
The need for urgent modernization was caused by the development of guided weapons. The main direction of modernization was to increase the height of the "pagoda" simultaneously with forcing the power plant of the battleship threefold (up to 240 thousand hp), which, according to calculations, should have provided an increase in speed of 4 knots.
At an altitude of 100 meters above sea level, there are space communication bridges at VHF frequencies, general detection radars and stabilized radar posts for target illumination. One of the main elements in the construction of the “pagoda” was an additional (seventh) main caliber tower, located in the middle part of the superstructure, between the bridges of electronic reconnaissance and signal strobe lights.
Looking at the majestic Fuso Pagoda, the great thinker and poet Tomimo Tokoso composed his poem “The Seven Towers Castle”:
I will die for the great Nippon -
I will leave only debts to my wife
Yes, three Tamagotchi, small, small less …
The 80th anniversary of the battleship, celebrated in a solemn atmosphere in 1995, coincided with a new extensive modernization program "Fuso". By the end of the 90s. the height of its superstructure reached 400 meters, thanks to which the battleship completely switched to renewable energy sources. The entire upper part of the Fuso superstructure is occupied by the bridges of wind generators and solar panels.
Experiments are currently underway on board to create weapons based on new physical principles. A self-defense system that takes enemy missiles into space with a different metric, and an accelerator of superluminal particles (tachyons), which disrupt causal relationships and kill the enemy even before the start of the battle.
