IJN Kirishima

IJN Kirishima Story

Between 1912 and 1915, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) launched four Kongo-class battlecruisers. Battlecruisers were short-lived naval programs designed to increase the firepower of dreadnoughts at cruiser speeds. While not entirely successful pairings, many of this species have been successful in some battles in the 20th century.

Outside of Britain and Japan, the Germans also took the battlecruiser form and developed the IJN Kirishima with British support. The IJN Kirishima was the third ship in the four-man Kongo class, ordered in 1911, laid by manufacturer Mitsubishi at the Nagasaki shipyard on March 17, 1912, and launched on December 1, 1913.

She officially entered service on April 19, 1915, just in time for World War I, and was named after Mount Kirishima in Kyushu.

Kirishima was limited to patrolling the waters of Southeast Asia during the war and did not see major combat missions. The ship assisted in rescue efforts after the Great Kanto Earthquake in Honshu in 1923. In 1927, Kirishima joined her sister ship in a modernization program that lasted until 1931.

She gained additional armor protection and increased straight-line speed, while changing her classification from battlecruiser to battleship. Her profile was changed by missing a pipe. The converted ship existed in this form for a few years, and in 1934 it was included in another program that now called for conversion to a "fast battleship".

Her engine was upgraded to double the horsepower, which in turn increased her high sea speed from 26 to 30 knots. Her layout has been completely overhauled and catapults have been added for launching seaplanes, three of which she can deploy into action.

When completed, Kirishima has a displacement of 37,200 tons, a length of 728.3 feet, a beam of 10.7 feet, and a draft of 31.9 feet. Her propulsion system consists of geared steam turbines with 136,000 horsepower on four shafts. They have a range of up to 10,000 nautical miles.

The armament is centred on an 8 x 14 in (356 mm) main gun mounted in four twin gun turrets - two forward and two rear superstructures. This was complemented by 16 x 6 in (152 mm) guns in eight two-gun turrets. Additional support comes from 8 x 5" (127 mm) guns arranged in eight single turrets.

It also carries some 20 x 25 mm Type 96 guns for anti-aircraft purposes. In terms of armor, it can be up to 203 mm thick mm. The 280 turret is 1mm thick and the deck is 121mm thick. Her total crew is about 1,360 people.

With her newfound speed, this swift battleship is able to keep pace with IJN carriers in the carrier escort role. The vital role of aircraft carriers in future warfare is recognized at this time, and their protection is paramount - and ships like Kirishima support such operations.

Her armament also ensures the ship can defend against most enemy threats at sea and support troop operations during amphibious assaults.

The Second Sino-Japanese War between China and Japan has been going on since September 1931. All-out war finally broke out in July 1937, during which time Kirishima was forced to support military operations and send troops to the theater as needed.

The war served as a prelude to Japan's involvement in World War II, which would pit the power of the Japanese navy against that of the Royal Navy and the United States Navy in the Pacific. To limit U.S. involvement in the region, the Japanese developed a plan to weaken the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaiithe resulting attack went into effect on December 7, 1941.

Four Kongo-class ships were attached to the 3rd Combat Division and became part of a secret task force deployed on Pearl Island. The attack took the Americans by surprise, but failed to incapacitate their carrier group, which was not in port at the time. During the attack, Kirishima provided vital escort for the six aircraft carriers involved in the attack.

The attack officially started the U.S. war on Japan.

After supporting Japanese operations in the Dutch East Indies, Kirishima's next engagement was during the Battle of Midway in June 1942. She is part of the protection force for the four IJN carriers in the game. However, the battle proved to be a decisive victory for the United States, and Kirishima suffered combat damage during the sortie.

At this turning point in the Pacific theater, all four Japanese naval aircraft carriers were missing.

On November 12-13, 1942, Kirishima participated in a night operation on Guadalcanal with her sister IJN Hiei. After supporting forces in the eastern Solomon Islands and the Santa Cruz Islands, she fought as part of an assault force supported by destroyers.

Japanese warships sank the cruiser USS Atlanta and destroyers USS Barton and USS Laffey, and helped destroy USS San Francisco, USS Juneau, USS Helena, and USS Portland.

In the ensuing night operation, the Japanese attempted to transport their ground forces to Guadalcanal while at the same time driving away the American forces occupying Henderson Field by inshore bombardment. However, due to airborne intelligence, the U.S. Navy was planning days ago to deploy the USS South Dakota and USS Washington to the region. Both ships were recently launched at the start of the war, and both feature state-of-the-art radar-carrying designs with 16-inch main guns.

Kirishima successfully hit the USS San Francisco, and IJN Hiei became the primary target for American ships. San Francisco and the support ships managed to paralyze and incapacitate Hiei, and her hull was eventually sunk and abandoned by the Japanese.

The surviving Japanese ships, including Kirishima, retreated north and away from danger.

The Japanese army was ordered to retake Hiei and returned to the previous day's battle. They found the US military and opened up the USS South Dakota. Unbeknownst to Japanese observers, the upcoming USS Washington, which came into range and unloaded its 16-inch guns. Having suffered catastrophic damage, Kirishima was now unable to drive and began to bank to starboard. Her crew was considered casualties and was rescued by a Japanese destroyer, Kirishima sank to the depths.

212 crew members died and 1,098 were taken over by rescue workers. Kirishima sank at 3:25 a.m. on November 15, 1942, with her hull about 7 miles northwest of Savo Island.

The ship was discovered in 1992 and shown to have landed upwards with its bow completely missing - the explanation being that its front magazine exploded sometime during the battle or sinking.

Specification

Basic

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Performance

Armor

Wing