Fuji class battleship
Encyclopedia
The was a two-ship class
of pre-dreadnought
battleship
s of the Imperial Japanese Navy
. The Fuji class was the first class of battleships in the Japanese Navy.
naval philosophy, as promoted by French
military advisor
and naval architect Emile Bertin. However, not all leaders of the Japanese Navy were convinced in the validity of this theory, and concerns were raised over the acquisition of European-built battleships by the Chinese
Beiyang Fleet
. As Japan lacked the technology and capability to construct its own battleships, the navy turned to the United Kingdom
and placed an order for two of the most modern vessels available in 1893.
Obtaining the budget for construction had been a struggle for the Japanese government. The initial request had been submitted in the budget of Prime Minister
Matsukata Masayoshi
in 1891, but had been deleted by the Diet of Japan
due to political infighting. Matsukata submitted the request again, and when again denied, was forced to dissolve his cabinet
. His successor, Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi
, attempted to pass the funding measure in 1892, but again failed. This led to an extraordinary personal intervention by Emperor Meiji
in a statement dated 1893-02-10, wherein the emperor offered to fund the construction of the two battleships himself, through an annual reduction in the expenses of the Imperial Household
, and asked that all government officials likewise agree to a reduction in their salaries by ten percent. The funding measure for the Fuji-class battleships was passed by the Japanese Diet soon thereafter.
The design of the Fuji class was a modified version of the Royal Sovereign class battleship
of the British Royal Navy
. The Royal Sovereign class were considered the most advanced, largest and fastest capital ship
s of their time, and had been designed by the noted warship designer Sir William White
.
The Fuji class improved on the original Royal Sovereign specifications in a number of ways, and their speed of 18.25 knots (35.8 km/h) was even faster than the Royal Sovereign at 17 knots (33.3 km/h).
For its main battery
, the Fuji class was completed with the new Elswick Ordnance Company
Type 41 12-inch (305 mm) 40 caliber naval guns originally intended for the Royal Sovereign. These guns were mounted in twin gun turret
s fore and aft.
Secondary armament
on the Fuji class consisted of 10 Type 41 6-inch (152 mm)/40-caliber quick firing guns to counter torpedo boat
attacks and were widely spaced on two decks so that a single hit would not disable more than one of them. The guns on the upper deck were enclosed within casemate
s. Tertiary armament consisted of 16 Type 41 3-inch (7.62 cm)/40-caliber naval guns, commonly known as "twelve pounders" and 4 three-pounders.
The Fuji class was also equipped with the latest version Whitehead torpedoes, with four tubes below the waterline, and one more on deck.
with an 8.5 feet (3 m) high belt 18 inches (457 mm) thick, reducing to 14 inches (356 mm) thick at the ends past the two barbette
s, and with a 4 inches (102 mm) thick steel armor belt above.
The armor was backed by 10 feet (3 m) deep coal
bunkers, the coal providing additional protection and the bunkers subdivided to continue to provide buoyancy
after being hit. The deck armor was 3 inches (76 mm) thick, thinning to 2.5 inches (64 mm) at the ends and curving down. The intention was that if this were penetrated, then the ends could be flooded with little loss of stability
.
Commissioned on August 17, 1897, Fuji served with distinction during the Russo-Japanese War
in the naval Battle of Port Arthur
, Battle of the Yellow Sea
and Battle of Tsushima
. After the war, she was de-rated to a coastal patrol vessel, and was used for training duties in various capacities until disarmed in 1922. Her hulk continued to be used as a floating barracks
and training center until 1948.
Commissioned on September 9, 1898, Yashima was sunk by a naval mine
on 1904-05-15 off Port Arthur
in one of the greatest naval disasters of the Japanese navy in the Russo-Japanese War.
Ship class
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....
of pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought
Pre-dreadnought battleship is the general term for all of the types of sea-going battleships built between the mid-1890s and 1905. Pre-dreadnoughts replaced the ironclad warships of the 1870s and 1880s...
battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
. The Fuji class was the first class of battleships in the Japanese Navy.
Background
In the late 19th century, the strategy of the Imperial Japanese Navy was based on the radical Jeune EcoleJeune Ecole
The Jeune École was a strategic naval concept developed during the 19th century. It advocated the use of small, powerfully equipped units to combat a larger battleship fleet, and commerce raiders capable of ending the trade of the rival nation...
naval philosophy, as promoted by French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
military advisor
Military advisor
Military advisors, or combat advisors, are soldiers sent to foreign nations to aid that nation with its military training, organization, and other various military tasks. These soldiers are often sent to aid a nation without the potential casualties and political ramifications of actually...
and naval architect Emile Bertin. However, not all leaders of the Japanese Navy were convinced in the validity of this theory, and concerns were raised over the acquisition of European-built battleships by the Chinese
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
Beiyang Fleet
Beiyang Fleet
The Beiyang Fleet was one of the four modernised Chinese navies in the late Qing Dynasty. Among the four, the Beiyang Fleet was particularly sponsored by Li Hongzhang, one of the most trusted vassals of Empress Dowager Cixi and the principal patron of the "self-strengthening movement" in northern...
. As Japan lacked the technology and capability to construct its own battleships, the navy turned to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
and placed an order for two of the most modern vessels available in 1893.
Obtaining the budget for construction had been a struggle for the Japanese government. The initial request had been submitted in the budget of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
Matsukata Masayoshi
Matsukata Masayoshi
Prince was a Japanese politician and the 4th and 6th Prime Minister of Japan.-Early life:...
in 1891, but had been deleted by the Diet of Japan
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
due to political infighting. Matsukata submitted the request again, and when again denied, was forced to dissolve his cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
. His successor, Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi
Ito Hirobumi
Prince was a samurai of Chōshū domain, Japanese statesman, four time Prime Minister of Japan , genrō and Resident-General of Korea. Itō was assassinated by An Jung-geun, a Korean nationalist who was against the annexation of Korea by the Japanese Empire...
, attempted to pass the funding measure in 1892, but again failed. This led to an extraordinary personal intervention by Emperor Meiji
Emperor Meiji
The or was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 3 February 1867 until his death...
in a statement dated 1893-02-10, wherein the emperor offered to fund the construction of the two battleships himself, through an annual reduction in the expenses of the Imperial Household
Imperial Household Agency
The is a government agency of Japan in charge of the state matters concerning Japan's imperial family and also keeping the Privy Seal and the State Seal...
, and asked that all government officials likewise agree to a reduction in their salaries by ten percent. The funding measure for the Fuji-class battleships was passed by the Japanese Diet soon thereafter.
Design
Royal Sovereign class battleship
The Royal Sovereign class was a class of pre-dreadnought battleships of the British Royal Navy. The class comprised seven ships built to the same design: HMS Royal Sovereign, , HMS Ramilles, HMS Repulse, HMS Resolution, HMS Revenge, and HMS Royal Oak, and a half-sister built to a modified design: ....
of the British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. The Royal Sovereign class were considered the most advanced, largest and fastest capital ship
Capital ship
The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they generally possess the heaviest firepower and armor and are traditionally much larger than other naval vessels...
s of their time, and had been designed by the noted warship designer Sir William White
William Henry White
Sir William Henry White was a prolific British warship designer and Chief Constructor at the Admiralty....
.
The Fuji class improved on the original Royal Sovereign specifications in a number of ways, and their speed of 18.25 knots (35.8 km/h) was even faster than the Royal Sovereign at 17 knots (33.3 km/h).
Armament
Main battery
Generally used only in the terms of naval warfare, the main battery is the primary weapon around which a ship was designed. "Battery" is in itself a common term in the military science of artillery. For example, the United States Navy battleship USS Washington had a main battery of nine guns...
, the Fuji class was completed with the new Elswick Ordnance Company
Armstrong Whitworth
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...
Type 41 12-inch (305 mm) 40 caliber naval guns originally intended for the Royal Sovereign. These guns were mounted in twin gun turret
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
s fore and aft.
Secondary armament
Battleship secondary armament
The secondary armament of a capital ship are smaller, faster-firing weapons that are typically effective at a shorter range than the main weapons...
on the Fuji class consisted of 10 Type 41 6-inch (152 mm)/40-caliber quick firing guns to counter torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
attacks and were widely spaced on two decks so that a single hit would not disable more than one of them. The guns on the upper deck were enclosed within casemate
Casemate
A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired. originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress.-Origin of the term:...
s. Tertiary armament consisted of 16 Type 41 3-inch (7.62 cm)/40-caliber naval guns, commonly known as "twelve pounders" and 4 three-pounders.
The Fuji class was also equipped with the latest version Whitehead torpedoes, with four tubes below the waterline, and one more on deck.
Armor
The Fuji class vessels were heavily armored using Harvey armorHarvey armor
Harvey armor was a type of steel armor developed in the early 1890s in which the front surfaces of the plates were case hardened. The method for doing this was known as the Harvey process....
with an 8.5 feet (3 m) high belt 18 inches (457 mm) thick, reducing to 14 inches (356 mm) thick at the ends past the two barbette
Barbette
A barbette is a protective circular armour feature around a cannon or heavy artillery gun. The name comes from the French phrase en barbette referring to the practice of firing a field gun over a parapet rather than through an opening . The former gives better angles of fire but less protection...
s, and with a 4 inches (102 mm) thick steel armor belt above.
The armor was backed by 10 feet (3 m) deep coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
bunkers, the coal providing additional protection and the bunkers subdivided to continue to provide buoyancy
Buoyancy
In physics, buoyancy is a force exerted by a fluid that opposes an object's weight. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus a column of fluid, or an object submerged in the fluid, experiences greater pressure at the bottom of the...
after being hit. The deck armor was 3 inches (76 mm) thick, thinning to 2.5 inches (64 mm) at the ends and curving down. The intention was that if this were penetrated, then the ends could be flooded with little loss of stability
Stability conditions (watercraft)
Stability conditions is the term used to describe the various standard loading configurations to which a ship, boat, or offshore platform may be subjected. They are recognized by classification societies such as Lloyd's Register, American Bureau of Shipping and Det Norske Veritas...
.
Ships in class
- FujiJapanese battleship Fuji-External links:*...
Commissioned on August 17, 1897, Fuji served with distinction during the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
in the naval Battle of Port Arthur
Battle of Port Arthur
The Battle of Port Arthur was the starting battle of the Russo-Japanese War...
, Battle of the Yellow Sea
Battle of the Yellow Sea
The Battle of the Yellow Sea was a major naval engagement of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 10 August 1904. In the Russian Navy, it was referred to as the Battle of 10 August. The battle foiled an attempt by the Russian fleet at Port Arthur to break out and form up with counterparts from...
and Battle of Tsushima
Battle of Tsushima
The Battle of Tsushima , commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” in Japan and the “Battle of Tsushima Strait”, was the major naval battle fought between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War...
. After the war, she was de-rated to a coastal patrol vessel, and was used for training duties in various capacities until disarmed in 1922. Her hulk continued to be used as a floating barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
and training center until 1948.
- YashimaJapanese battleship Yashima|-External links:** The New York Times, June 2, 1905....
Commissioned on September 9, 1898, Yashima was sunk by a naval mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
on 1904-05-15 off Port Arthur
Lüshunkou
Lüshunkou is a district in the municipality of Dalian, Liaoning province, China. Also called Lüshun City or Lüshun Port, it was formerly known as both Port Arthur and Ryojun....
in one of the greatest naval disasters of the Japanese navy in the Russo-Japanese War.