IJN Mogami

IJN Top Stories

During the pre-World War II naval modernization process (1939-1945), the most advanced cruiser battleships entered the inventory of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) fleet. The group consisted of four cannon, fast cruisers, originally classified as "light cruisers" to comply with the limitations of the London Naval Treaty.

However, over time, the Japanese government lifted the restrictions and upgraded the cruiser, which was thus classified as a heavy cruiser during WWII.

The top class, led by IJN Mogami himself, was considered a design flaw from the outset due to some inherent flaws, and succeeded the Tako class heavy cruisers of 1930-1931, and was itself replaced by the Tone class. class. In fact, the two Tone-class ships were originally intended to be the 5th and 6th of the superlative class, but the class initially proved so disappointing that the remaining pair were repainted and completed as an entirely new class.

The superlatives were constructed from 1931 to 1937 and commissioned from 1935 to 1944. The IJN Mogami was ordered and assigned to the Wu Naval Arsenal in the 1931 budget, and her keel was laid on 27 October 1931.

On March 14, 1934, she was put to sea for sea trials and officially commissioned on July 28, 1935.

Named after the Mogami River in Yamagata Prefecture.

Her form was typical of warships of the era: the main armament was mounted in separate turrets, providing a relatively good firing arc around the fore, aft and broadsides of the hull. The midship carried the bulk of the hull, with one mainmast being placed forward and the other aft of the central funnel structure.

Internally, power is supplied by 10 Kampon boilers to 4 geared pulse turbines rated at 152,000 hp on 4 shafts (with two balance rudders) under the stern. This gives the warship a top speed of 37 knots and a range of up to 8,000 nautical miles. There are 850 employees on board. Dimensions include an overall length of 646 feet, a beam of 59 feet and a draft of up to 18 feet. Displacement is 8,500 tons, and electric welding and aluminum are employed as weight-saving measures.

Armor protection ranges from 125mm on the belt to 60mm on the deck and 25mm on the turret.

Original armament, centred on a 15 x 155 mm/50 caliber 3rd Year Type main gun arranged in five three-armed turrets, three front and two rear. Notably, the top class was the first three-armed turret cruiser to enter service. At the rear are 8 x 127mm/40 Type 89 guns arranged in four twin turrets.

4 x 40mm guns are carried for aircraft defense and 12 x Type 93 "Spear" torpedo tubes (four trainable triples) are installed for long-range surface threats (12 reloaded torpedoes).

Over time, the main guns were replaced by 6 x 200 mm /50 3rd Year Type guns in three double-barreled turrets.

Mogami was also given aircraft launch and recovery capabilities, with an initial payload consisting of 3 Aichi E13A series seaplanes. The aircraft were critical to the ship's value, as they provided much-needed views of the sky and horizon, and helped direct artillery fire.

When completed, Mogami was a fast and well-equipped cruiser for her day, using the latest naval designs, but still subject to the extensive restrictions of the London Naval Treaty. Immediately after she was launched, the warship suffered a period of mechanical failure, and her construction flaws quickly became apparent. Her design features a top-heavy, poorly seaworthy ship, a scary feature for a large warship -- especially in rough seas.

Such was her weakness that a complete overhaul of the class was eventually ordered to "correct the error", resulting in a much improved ship before the end.

Mogami's first action in World War II was the invasion of French Indochina in mid-1941. Following the invasion of Sarawak in December of the same year, the warship was used in several high-profile naval operations, including naval battles.

Sunda Straight (February 1942), Indian Ocean Raid (April 1942), and Battle of Midway (June 1942). It was damaged by an American aircraft bomb on June 6.

She was then arranged to be converted into an "aircraft cruiser", which would increase her fleet air force to 11 Aichi seaplanes, while losing 4 and 5 turrets in the process. A Type 21 air search radar was also installed, as well as 10 x 96 triple anti-aircraft guns (these anti-aircraft guns replaced the original anti-aircraft protection scheme). These changes resulted in an increase in the overall length to 650 feet, the beam to 66 feet, and the draft to 19.3 feet. Displacement then increased to 13,670 tons.

However, the massive loss of the IJN aircraft carrier by the Americans required such a drastic conversion.

Various support activities followed. Ultimately, the warship took part in naval operations related to the Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 1944), the Battle of Leyte Gulf (October 1944) and the Battle of Surigao Strait (October 1944) - the latter of which she would serve See you at the end.

U.S. Navy torpedo boats approached her and accompanying Japanese naval vessels, but Mogami survived the initial attack, but was later hit by fire from the Portland, destroying portions of her bridge, in the process Killed a senior officer.

After colliding with Nachi during the retreat, Mogami began to enter the water, and her condition got worse when the fire on the ship ignited several torpedoes she had stored - which caused one of her engines. More Allied fire hit the warship until U.S.

Navy torpedo bombers entered to complete her mission. Mogami floated for two hours when the crew abandoned her. IJN Akebono was summoned to sound the death knell and was hit with a torpedo to send it to the bottom of the ocean.

On October 25, 1944, some 192 top crew members sank with her, leading to her wartime service.

All four ships of the top class were sunk in battle during WWII - a common fate for the other IJN ships and submarine classes.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing