Japanese battleship Hyūga

Hyūga (Japanese: 日向) was the second and last Ise-class battleship built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the 1910s. Although completed in 1918, she played no role in World War I. Hyūga supported Japanese forces in the early 1920s during the Siberian intervention in the Russian Civil War. In 1923, she assisted survivors of the Great Kantō earthquake. The ship was partially modernised in two stages in 1927–1928 and 1931–1932, during which her forward superstructure was rebuilt in the pagoda mast style. Hyūga was reconstructed in 1934–1936, improvements being made to her armour and propulsion machinery. Afterwards, she played a minor role in the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Aerial view of Hyūga in 1927
History
Empire of Japan
NameHyūga
NamesakeHyūga Province
BuilderMitsubishi Heavy Industries
Laid down6 May 1915
Launched27 January 1917
Commissioned30 April 1918
Stricken20 November 1945
FateSunk, 27 July 1945 and subsequently scrapped, 1946–1947
General characteristics (as built)
Class and typeIse-class battleship
Displacement
Length208.18 m (683 ft) (o.a.)
Beam28.65 m (94 ft)
Draught8.93 m (29 ft 4 in)
Installed power
  • 24 × water-tube boilers
  • 45,000 shp (34,000 kW)
Propulsion4 × shafts; 2 × steam turbine sets
Speed23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph)
Range9,680 nmi (17,930 km; 11,140 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement1,360
Armament
Armour
General characteristics (after first reconstruction)
Displacement42,001 long tons (42,675 t) (full load)
Length215.8 m (708 ft)
Beam31.75 m (104 ft 2 in)
Draught9.45 m (31 ft)
Installed power
  • 8 × water-tube boilers
  • 80,000 shp (60,000 kW)
Propulsion4 × steam turbine sets
Speed24.5 knots (45.4 km/h; 28.2 mph)
Range7,870 nmi (14,580 km; 9,060 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement1,376
Armament
  • 6 × twin 35.6 cm (14 in) guns
  • 16 × single 14 cm (5.5 in) guns
  • 4 × twin 12.7 cm (5 in) DP guns
  • 10 × twin 2.5 cm (1 in) AA guns
ArmourDecks: 152 mm (6 in)
Aircraft carried3
Aviation facilities1 catapult
General characteristics (as hybrid carrier, 1945)
Displacement39,805 long tons (40,444 t) (full load)
Length219.62 m (720 ft 6 in)
Beam31.71 m (104 ft)
Draught9.03 m (29 ft 8 in)
Range9,500 nmi (17,600 km; 10,900 mi) at 16 knots
Complement1,463
Sensors and
processing systems
  • 1 × Type 21 air-search radar
  • 2 × Type 13 early warning radars
  • 2 × Type 22 surface-search radars
Armament
  • 4 × twin 35.6 cm guns
  • 8 × twin 12.7 cm DP guns
  • 31 × triple, 11 × single 2.5 cm AA guns
  • 6 × 30-round 12.7 cm AA rocket launchers
Aircraft carried22
Aviation facilities2 catapults

Despite the expensive reconstruction, the ship was considered obsolete by the eve of the Pacific War, and did not see significant action in the early years of the war. After the loss of most of the IJN's large aircraft carriers during the Battle of Midway in mid-1942, she was rebuilt with a flight deck replacing the rear pair of gun turrets to give her the ability to operate an air group of floatplanes; lack of aircraft and qualified pilots meant that Hyūga never operated her aircraft in combat. She participated in the Battle off Cape Engaño in late 1944, where she helped to decoy the American carrier fleet supporting the invasion of Leyte away from the landing beaches. Afterwards, the ship was transferred to Southeast Asia, occasionally serving as a flagship. In early 1945, Hyūga participated in Operation Kita, during which she transported petrol and other strategic materials back to Japan. The ship was then reduced to reserve until she was sunk during American airstrikes in July. After the war, Hyūga was scrapped in 1946–1947.

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