The Kasuga was laid down at the Ansaldo yards at Genoa, Italy on 10 March 1902, launched on 22 October that same year, commissioned on 7 January 1904, reclassified as 1st class coast defence ship on 1 September 1921, later also used as troop transport, sunk on 18 July 1945 at Yokosuka caused by an American air attack, officially stricken from the list on 30 November 1945 salvaged and broken up.Although indicated as part of the Kasuga-class she was in fact a Italian Giuseppe Garibaldi-class cruiser designed by Edoardo Masdea and to be named Mitre, ordered in the spring of 1902 by Argentina was she directly after her launching renamed Bernardino Rivadavia. She was not longer needed by Argentina when the expected war with neighbour country Chile didn’t break out and she was sold to Japan. Her sister ship the former Argentinean Mariano Moreno was in Japanese naval service renamed Nisshin and sunk after being used as a target in 1936. She was launched on 9 February 1903 and completed 7 January 1904.
With a displacement of 7,698 long tons or 7,822 tons were her dimensions 108,8 (waterline)-111,73 (over all) x 18,9 x 7,32 metres. Their 2 shaft reciprocating vertical triple expansion engines provided 13,500 ship allowing a speed of 20 knots while with a speed of 10 knots they had a range pf 5,500 nautical miles. Theircrew numbered 600 men. Their armament consisted of 1-25cm gun (fore), 2-20,3 cm guns (aft), 14-15,2cm quick firing guns, 10-8cm quick firing guns, 6-3pdr quick firing guns,2 so-called Maxim guns and 4-45,7cm torpedo tubes. The armour consisted of a 70-150mm belt, a 25-38mm deck, a 100-150mm barbette while the casemate and the conning tower were protected by 150mm.
The photo was published on page 41 of the French newspaper l'Illustration dated 16 January 1904 and shows the crews going on board at Genoa.
