Of the Kongo-class consisting of the Kongo, Haruna, Hiei and Kirishima. Laid down at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, Yokosuka, Japan on 4 November 1911, launched on 21 November 1912, completed on 4 August 1914, partly disarmed in 1929 and reclassified as a reserve ship end November 1929, reconstruction 1930-1931 was not completed executed, between 1937-1941 reconstructed into a fast battleship, heavily damaged by American aircraft during the battle of Guadalcanal was she scuttled by Japanese destroyers on in the evening of 14 November 1942. Designed by the British naval engineer George Thurston.(1)
General technical specifications of the Kongo-class battle cruisers before the reconstruction as fast battleships. With a displacement of 27.384 tons/26.952 long tons and as dimensions 215,58 x 28,04 x 8,22 metres ot 704.0 x 92.0 x 27.0 feet. The two Parsons direct drive steam turbine sets and 36 Yarrow boilers supplied via 4 shafts 64.000 shp allowing a speed of 27,5 knots and with a speed of 14 knots a range of 8.000 nautical miles. Her crew numbered 1.193 men. The armament consisted of a 7,6-20,3cm/3-8” thick waterline belt, a 2,54cm/1” thick deck with the gun turrets, barbettes and gun turrets protected by respectively 22,9-25,4cm/9-10”, 7,6-2,54cm/3”-10” and 22,9cm/9”. The armament consisted of 4x2-35,6cm14” Vickers guns, 16x2-15,2cm guns, 4x2-7,6cm anti aircraft guns and 8-53,3cm/2” torpedo tubes.
Note
1. Sir Thomas George OwensThurston (1869-22 January 1950), studied naval architecture in Liverpool and Newcastle-on-Tyne and was in the first half of the 20th Century an import naval architect.
