Japanese cruiser Itsukushima
| Itsukushima (1904) Itsukushima in 1904 | |
| Career | Japanese Navy Ensign |
|---|---|
| Name: | Itsukushima |
| Ordered: | 1886 Fiscal Year |
| Builder: | Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée, La Seyne-sur-Mer, France |
| Laid down: | 7 January 1888 |
| Launched: | 18 July 1889 |
| Completed: | 3 September 1891 |
| Struck: | 12 March 1926 |
| Fate: | Scrapped 1926 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Matsushima-class cruiser |
| Displacement: | 4,278 long tons (4,347 t) |
| Length: | 91.81 m (301 ft 3 in) w/l |
| Beam: | 15.6 m (51 ft 2 in) |
| Draft: | 6.05 m (19 ft 10 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2-shaft reciprocating; 6 boilers; 5,400 hp (4,000 kW), 680 tons coal |
| Speed: | 16.5 knots (19.0 mph; 30.6 km/h) |
| Complement: | 360 |
| Armament: |
• 1 × 320 mm (12.6 in) Canet gun • 11 × 120 mm (4.7 in) guns • 5 × 6-pounder guns • 5 × 3-pounder guns • 4 × 360 mm (14 in) torpedo tubes |
| Armor: |
Deck: 50 mm (2 in) Turret: 300 mm (12 in) Gun shield: 100 mm (4 in) |
Itsukushima (厳島) was the lead ship in the Matsushima-class of protected cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Like its sister ships, (the Matsushima and Hashidate) the name Itsukushima comes from one of the three most famous scenic spots in Japan, in this case, the Itsukushima Jinja in Hiroshima prefecture on the Inland Sea, home to a famous Shinto shrine dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten.
Contents
Background
Forming the backbone of the Imperial Japanese Navy during the First Sino-Japanese War, the Matsushima-class cruisers were based on the principles of Jeune Ecole, as promoted by French military advisor and naval architect Emile Bertin.
The Japanese government did not have the resources or budget to build a battleship navy to counter the Chinese navy; instead, Japan adopted the radical theory of using smaller, faster warships, with light armor and small caliber long-range guns, coupled with a massive single 320 cm Canet gun. The design eventually proved impractical, as the recoil from the huge cannon was too much for a vessel of such small displacement, and the reloading time on the cannon was impractically long; however, the Matsushima-class cruisers served their purpose well against the poorly-equipped and poorly-led Chinese fleet.
The Itsukushima was built by the Société Nouvelle des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée naval shipyards in France.
Service life
The Itsukushima was completed just prior to the start of the First Sino-Japanese War and saw combat in the Battle of the Yalu River and the subsequent attack on Weihaiwei.
The Itsukushima was reclassified as a 2nd class cruiser on 21 March 1898. During the Boxer Rebellion, the Itsukushima was assigned to Shanghai to help protect Japanese civilians and interests.
On 25 February 1901, the Itsukushima, and the Hashidate, departed Yokosuka on a training tour which took it to Manila, Batavia, Hong Kong, Chelumpo, Pusan, Gensan, and Vladivostok, returning to Yokosuka on 14 August 1901. It repeated this cruise again in 1903, 1906, 1907 and 1914.
During the Russo-Japanese War, the hopelessly obsolete Itsukushima and her sister ships were assigned to the 5th squadron of the reserve 3rd Fleet, together with the equally outdated ironclad battleship Chin'en under the command of Admiral Shichiro Kataoka. It was present at the blockade of Port Arthur, the Battle of the Yellow Sea and the final Battle of Tsushima. Later assigned to the Japanese 4th Fleet, it was part of the flotilla that provided protection for the Japanese invasion of Sakhalin.
On 28 August 1912, the Itsukushima was re-classified as a 2nd class Coastal Defense Vessel, and later used as a submarine tender. It was demilitarized on 1 September 1920 and re-classified as a training hulk. It was struck from the active list and scrapped on 12 March 1926 at Kure.
The cruiser Itsukushima should not be confused with the Pacific War era minelayer of the same name, or the auxiliary oiler named Itsukushima-maru.
Gallery
- IJN Itsukushima in 1893.jpg
In 1893
- IJN Itsukushima 1897.jpg
At Kobe in 1897, firing salute
References
- Evans, David. Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941. US Naval Institute Press (1979). ISBN 0870211927
- Howarth, Stephen. The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The Drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895-1945. Atheneum; (1983) ISBN 0689114028
- Jane, Fred T. The Imperial Japanese Navy. Thacker, Spink & Co (1904) ASIN: B00085LCZ4
- Jentsura, Hansgeorg. Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945. Naval Institute Press (1976). ISBN 087021893X
- Schencking, J. Charles. Making Waves: Politics, Propaganda, And The Emergence Of The Imperial Japanese Navy, 1868-1922. Stanford University Press (2005). ISBN 0804749779
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