 Fuji at anchor | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Fuji-class battleship |
| Builders | |
| Operators |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Preceded by | Kongō-classironclad |
| Succeeded by | Shikishima class |
| Built | 1894–1897 |
| In commission | 1897–1922 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Lost | 1 |
| Scrapped | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Pre-dreadnought battleship |
| Displacement | 12,230–12,533long tons (12,426–12,734 t) |
| Length | 412 ft (125.6 m) |
| Beam | 73.25–73.75 ft (22.3–22.5 m) |
| Draught | 26.25–26.5 ft (8.0–8.1 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 shafts, 2triple-expansion steam engines |
| Speed | 18.25knots (33.8 km/h; 21.0 mph) |
| Range | 4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 650 |
| Armament |
|
| Armour |
|
TheFuji class (富士型戦艦,Fuji-gata senkan) was a two-shipclass ofpre-dreadnought battleships built for theImperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in the mid-1890s. They were the first battleships in the IJN, and were constructed in the UK as Japan lacked the industrial facilities needed to build them. Their design was based on the battleships being built for theRoyal Navy at that time.
The ships participated in theRusso-Japanese War of 1904–1905, including theBattle of Port Arthur in February 1904 and two bombardments ofPort Arthur during the following month.Yashima struck amine off Port Arthur in May andcapsized while under tow several hours later.Fuji fought in the Battles of theYellow Sea andTsushima and was lightly damaged in the latter action. She was reclassified as acoast defence ship in 1910 and served as atraining ship for the rest of her active career. The ship washulked in 1922 and converted into abarracks ship fitted with classrooms.Fuji was finallybroken up for scrap in 1948.
In the late 19th century, the strategy of the Imperial Japanese Navy was based on the radicalJeune Ecole naval philosophy, as promoted by Frenchmilitary advisor andnaval architectEmile Bertin. This emphasised cheaptorpedo boats and commerce raiding to offset expensive, heavily armoured ships. The acquisition of two German-builtDingyuan-classironclads by theImperial ChineseBeiyang Fleet in 1885 threatened Japan's interests in Korea. A visit by the Chinese warships to Japan in early 1891 forced the Japanese government to acknowledge that the IJN required similarly armed and armoured ships of its own to counter the ironclads; the three lightly armouredMatsushima-classcruisers ordered from France would not suffice, despite their powerful guns. The IJN decided to order a pair of the latest battleships from the United Kingdom[1] as Japan lacked the technology and capability to construct its own battleships.[2]
Obtaining funding for the battleships was a struggle for the Japanese government. The initial request was submitted in the budget ofPrime MinisterMatsukata Masayoshi in 1891, but was deleted by theDiet of Japan due to political infighting. Matsukata submitted the request again and, when again denied, was forced to dissolve hiscabinet. His successor, Prime MinisterItō Hirobumi, attempted to pass the funding measure in 1892, but he also failed. This led to an extraordinary personal intervention byEmperor Meiji in a statement dated 10 February 1893, wherein the emperor offered to fund the construction of the two battleships himself, through an annual reduction in the expenses of theImperial Household, and asked that all government officials likewise agree to a reduction in their salaries by ten percent. The funding measure for theFuji-class battleships was passed by the Japanese Diet soon after. Completion of the ships was originally scheduled for 1899, but the start of theFirst Sino-Japanese War shortly before they werelaid down in 1894 caused the government to accelerate the schedule by two years.[3]
The design of theFuji class was derived from that of the BritishRoyal Sovereign-class battleships, albeit about 2,000 long tons (2,000 t) smaller. TheFuji-class ships improved on theRoyal Sovereigns in several ways; they were about 1knot (1.9 km/h; 1.2 mph) faster, they incorporated superiorHarvey armour, and their guns, although smaller and lighter, were the same as those of the laterMajestic-class and were protected by armoured hoods (gun turrets). The two ships of the class were almost identical even though they were designed by two different naval architects,Yashima byPhilip Watts andFuji byGeorge C. Mackrow. The primary difference was thatYashima had herdeadwood cut away aft and was fitted with abalanced rudder. This made her almost a knot faster than hersister and gave her a smaller turning circle at the cost of a weakerstern that required careful attention whendrydocked lest it sag.[2]
TheFuji-class ships had anoverall length of 412 feet (125.6 m), abeam of 73.25–73.75 feet (22.3–22.5 m), and a normaldraught of 26.25–26.5 feet (8.0–8.1 m). They displaced 12,230–12,533long tons (12,426–12,734 t) at normal load.[4] The ships haddouble bottoms and were subdivided into a total of 181watertight compartments.[5] The crew numbered about 650 officers and enlisted men.[6]Yashima was fitted as aflagship with accommodation for an admiral and his staff.[7]
TheFuji-class ships were powered by twoHumphrys Tennant 3-cylindervertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one 17-foot (5.18 m) propeller, using steam generated by tencylindrical boilers with a working pressure of 10.9 kg/cm2 (1,069 kPa; 155 psi).[8] The engines were rated at 13,500indicated horsepower (10,100 kW), usingforced draught, and designed to reach a top speed of 18.25 knots (33.8 km/h; 21.0 mph)[6] although the ships proved to be faster during theirsea trials, reaching top speeds of 18.66 to 19.46 knots (34.56 to 36.04 km/h; 21.47 to 22.39 mph).[9] A watertight centrelinebulkhead separated the two engine rooms as well as the fourboiler rooms. The boiler rooms were further separated by a transverse bulkhead. Unlike both theRoyal Sovereigns andMajestics, theFuji class had theirfunnels on the centreline.[10]
The ships carried a maximum of 1,620 tonnes (1,590 long tons)[6] of coal which allowed them to steam for 4,000nautical miles (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[4][Note 1] They were fitted with three electricdynamos, each rated at 32kilowatts (43 hp).[12]
Themain battery of theFuji class consisted of four hydraulically operatedElswick Ordnance Company 40-calibreType 41 twelve-inch guns mounted in pear-shaped twin-gunbarbettes fore and aft of the superstructure. The barbettes had a firing arc of 240° and the guns had a maximum elevation of +15° and could depress to −5°.[13] These barbettes had armoured hoods, or turrets, to protect the guns. The mountings were virtually identical to those used in the firstMajestic-class battleships, which could only hoist ammunition from the below-decksmagazines in one position. However, 18 shells were stowed in each turret that allowed a limited amount of firing at any angle before their ammunition supply needed to be replenished. The guns were loaded at a fixed angle of 1°[2] and fired 850-pound (386 kg) projectiles at amuzzle velocity of 2,400 ft/s (730 m/s).[14] This gave them an approximate range of 16,000 yards (15,000 m).[15]
Secondary armament of theFuji class consisted of ten 40-calibreType 41 six-inchquick-firing guns,[4] four on the main deck incasemates and six guns on the upper deck protected bygun shields.[16] They fired 100-pound (45 kg) shells at a muzzle velocity of 2,300 ft/s (700 m/s).[17] Protection from torpedo boat attacks was provided by fourteen 47-millimetre (1.9 in)three-pounder Hotchkiss guns and ten 47-millimetre 2.5-pounderHotchkiss guns.[6][Note 2] The three-pounder gun fired 3.2-pound (1.5 kg) projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 1,927 ft/s (587 m/s) while the 2.5-pounder fired 2.5-pound (1.1 kg) shells at a muzzle velocity of 1,420 ft/s (430 m/s).[20] The ships were also equipped with five18-inchtorpedo tubes, one in the bow above water and four submerged tubes, two on eachbroadside.[6]
In 1901, both ships exchanged 16 of their 47 mm guns for an equal number ofQF 12-pounder 12 cwt[Note 3] guns.[4] They fired 3-inch (76 mm), 12.5-pound (5.7 kg) projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 2,359 ft/s (719 m/s).[21] This raised the number of crewmen to 652 and later to 741.[4]
The armour scheme of theFuji-class ships was similar to that used by theRoyal Sovereigns except that the Japanese ships used superior Harvey armour of the same thickness instead ofcompound armour. Thewaterlinemain belt was 8 feet (2.4 m) high, 3 feet (0.9 m) of which was above the waterline at normal load, and had a maximum thickness of 18 inches (457 mm). It reduced to 16 inches (406 mm) then 14 inches (356 mm) at the ends past the two barbettes; above it was a 4-inch (102 mm)strake of armour that ran between the barbettes. They were 14 inches thick outside the upper armour belt and reduced to 9 inches (229 mm) behind the upper belt. Diagonal bulkheads connected the barbettes to the side armour; the forward bulkhead was 14 inches thick while the rear bulkhead was 12 inches (305 mm) thick. The armour of the casemates and the barbette hoods had a maximum thickness of 6 inches while theconning tower was protected by 14 inches of armour. Thedeck armour was 2.5 inches (64 mm) thick and met the sides of the ship at the top of the main armour belt.[4][6]
| Ship | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Cost | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuji | Thames Iron Works,Leamouth,London | 1 August 1894[22] | 31 March 1896[22] | 17 August 1897[22] | ¥10,380,000[23] | Broken up, 1948[24] |
| Yashima | Armstrong Whitworth,Elswick | 6 December 1894[25] | 28 December 1896[25] | 9 September 1897[26] | ¥10,500,000[27] | Foundered, 15 May 1904 after hitting amine[26] |
Both ships had reached Japan by February 1898.[28]At the start of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904,Fuji andYashima were assigned to the 1st Division of the1st Fleet. They participated in the Battle of Port Arthur on 9 February, when AdmiralTōgō Heihachirō led the 1st Fleet in an attack on the Russian ships of thePacific Squadron anchored just outside Port Arthur. Tōgō chose to attack the Russian coastal defences with his main armament and engage the Russian ships with his secondary guns. Splitting his fire proved to be a poor decision as his eight-inch (203 mm) and six-inch guns inflicted very little damage on the Russian vessels, which concentrated all their fire on the Japanese ships.Yashima was not struck during the battle, butFuji was hit twice, two men being killed and 10 wounded.[29]
On 10 March, the two ships blindly bombarded the harbour of Port Arthur from Pigeon Bay, on the southwest side of theLiaodong Peninsula, at a range of 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi), but did little damage.[30] When they tried again on 22 March, they were attacked by Russian coastal defence guns that had been transferred there, and also from several Russian ships in Port Arthur using observers overlooking Pigeon Bay. The Japanese ships disengaged afterFuji was hit by a 12-inch shell.[31]
Fuji andYashima participated in the action of 13 April when Tōgō successfully lured out two battleships of the Pacific Squadron. When the Russians spotted the five battleships of the 1st Division, they turned back for Port Arthur and the battleshipPetropavlovsk struck a minefield laid by the Japanese the previous night. The ship sank in less than two minutes after one of her magazines exploded. Emboldened by his success, Tōgō resumed long-range bombardment missions, which prompted the Russians to lay more minefields.[32]
On 14 May, the battleshipsHatsuse,Shikishima, andYashima, theprotected cruiserKasagi, and thedispatch boatTatsuta put to sea to relieve the Japanese blockading force off Port Arthur.[33] The following morning, the squadron encountered a Russian minefield.Hatsuse struck one mine that disabled her steering andYashima struck two others when moving to assistHatsuse.[27]Yashima was towed away from the minefield, but she was still taking on water at an uncontrollable rate and the crew abandoned ship some five hours later.Kasagi tookYashima in tow, but the battleship'slist continued to increase and she capsized about three hours later.[34]
During the Battle of the Yellow Sea in August,Fuji was not damaged because the Russian ships concentrated their fire on Tōgō's flagship, the battleshipMikasa, which was leading the column.[35] In May the following year, during the Battle of Tsushima,Fuji was hit a dozen times, the most serious of which penetrated the hood of the rear barbette, ignited some exposed propellant charges, killed eight men and wounded nine. After the ammunition fire was put out, the left gun in the barbette resumed firing and apparently delivered thecoup de grâce that sank the battleshipBorodino.[36]
On 23 October 1908,Fuji hosted a dinner for the American Ambassador,Thomas J. O'Brien, and the senior officers of theGreat White Fleet during its circumnavigation of the world.[37] In 1910, her cylindrical boilers were replaced by Miyabarawater-tube boilers and her main armament was replaced by Japanese-built guns.Fuji was reclassified as a first-class coast defence ship the same year, and undertook training duties in various capacities until disarmed in 1922. Her hulk continued to be used as a floatingbarracks and training centre at Yokosuka until 1945.[38]Fuji was damaged by American carrier aircraft during their 18 July 1945attack on Yokosuka[39] and capsized after the end of the war.[40] The ship was scrapped in 1948.[26]
