Japanese cruiser Takachiho
| Takechiho Takachiho depicted in a 1905 postcard | |
| Career | Japanese Navy Ensign |
|---|---|
| Name: | Takachiho |
| Ordered: | 1883 Fiscal Year |
| Builder: | W.G. Armstrong & Company, UK |
| Laid down: | 27 March 1884 |
| Launched: | 16 May 1885 |
| Completed: | 1 December 1885 |
| Fate: | Torpedoed and sank, 17 October 1914 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Protected cruiser |
| Displacement: | 3,650 long tons (3,709 t) |
| Length: | 91.4 m (299 ft 10 in) |
| Beam: | 14 m (45 ft 11 in) |
| Draught: | 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2-shaft reciprocating engines; 6 boilers; 7,604 hp (5,670 kW) |
| Speed: | 18.5 knots (21.3 mph; 34.3 km/h) |
| Range: | 9,000 nmi (17,000 km) at 13 kn (24 km/h) |
| Complement: | 357 |
| Armament: |
• 2 × 260 mm (10 in) guns (later 150 mm) • 6 × 150 mm (5.9 in) guns • 2 × 6-pounder guns • 10 × quadruple Nordenfelt guns • 4 × Gatling guns • 4 × 380 mm (15 in) torpedo tubes |
| Armour: |
• Deck: 50–75 mm (2–3 in) • Gun Shields: 37 mm (1.5 in) • Conning tower: 37 mm (1.5 in) |
IJN Takachiho (高千穂 防護巡洋艦 Takachiho bōgojunyōkan) was the second Naniwa-class protected cruiser built for the Imperial Japanese Navy by the Armstrong Whitworth shipyard in Great Britain. The name Takechiho comes from a 1574 meter tall mountain in the volcanic Kirishima range between Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures in Japan. The Takachiho had a sister ship, the Naniwa.
Background
The Naniwa and the Takachiho were the first protected cruisers designed in Japan, and built overseas specifically for the Japanese navy. The Japanese naval architect General Sasō Sachū (佐双左仲; 1852-1907) based on the design on the best features of several contemporary cruisers, and the design was ordered to Great Britain.
Service record
The Takachiho arrived at Yokohama in early July 1886, just one week after her sister ship, the Naniwa arrived at Tokyo.
In 1893, the Takachiho made two voyages to Honolulu in Hawaii, to provide protection for Japanese citizens and to indicate Japanese concern during the Overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy by American marines and colonists.
During the First Sino-Japanese War, the Takachiho was present at the Battle of the Yellow Sea under the command of Yashiro Rokurō. It was subsequently used in patrols of the Bay of Bohai and in operations off of Port Arthur.
The Takachiho was among the Japanese fleet units that took part in the invasion of Taiwan in 1895, and saw action on 3 June 1895 at the bombardment of the Chinese coastal forts at Keelung.
The Takachiho was re-designated a 2nd-class cruiser on 21 March 1898. It was assigned to help cover the Japanese landings in China during the Boxer Rebellion of late 1900.
During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the Takachiho was part of the Japanese squadron at the initial Battle of Chemulpo Bay. It was considered too lightly armed and armored to be of much service for the remainder of the war, and was subsequently assigned to the Fourth Division of the Combined Fleet. However, it was present at the crucial final Battle of Tsushima.
The Takachiho was re-designated a 2nd class Coastal Defense Ship on 28 August 1912 and was converted into a minelayer and mine recovery training vessel.
After the Japanese declaration of war on the German Empire on 23 August 1914, the Takachiho was assigned to the blockade forces during the Siege of Tsingtao. On 17 October 1914 the cruiser was struck by a single torpedo launched from the Imperial German Navy torpedo boat S-90. Takachiho sank with the loss of 271 officers and men (including Captain Ito Sukeyasu) – the largest single loss for Japanese forces during the entire war.
External links
- Naniwa-class cruiser (Japanese)
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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