Tuesday, 8 November 2016
Japanese unprotected cruiser Tatsuta 1893-1916 and submarine tender Nagaura Maru 1916-1920 and Nagaura 1920-1926
Building ordered under the 1891 Fiscal Year at Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, England as a large torpedo boat, laid down on 7 April 1893, launched on 6 April 1894, completed on 31 July 1894, modernized at the Kure Naval Arsenal including replacing her locomotive type cylindrical boilers by high pressure Niclausse boilers in 1902, classified as gunboat 1st class on 28 August 1912, decommissioned on 1 April 1916, disarmed, reclassified as the submarine tender Nagaura Maru on 9 December 1916, renamed Nagaura on 1 July 192,-stricken on 26 March 1926 and sold to be broken up on 6 April 1926. Used for aviso and scouting/reconnaissance tasks.
Displacement 650 tons and as dimensions 77,1 x 8,38 x 2,9 metres or 253.0’ x 27’5” x 9’5”. Her crew numbered 100 men. The machinery consisted of 2 reciprocating vertical triple steam engines supplying via 2 shaft 5.069 ihp allowing a speed of 21 knots. Coal bunker capacity 200 ton. Full barque rigging. Armament consisted of 2-4.7” Mk I-IVs quick firing guns, 4-3pd Hotchkiss quick firing guns, 5-2.5 pd guns and 5-46cm/18” torpedo tubes mounted on deck. Steel made hull.