The Japanese Battleship Ise

Descriere

Ise(whosenamecomesfromanancientJapaneseprovinceonHonshu,nowpartofMiePrefecture)wastheleadshipofthetwo-vesselIse-classbattleshipsoftheImperialJapaneseNavy,whichsawcombatserviceduringthePacificWar.Isewaslaiddownasbattleship5attheKawasakiHeavyIndustriesshipyardinKobeon10May1915,launchedon12November1916,completedon15December1917,andassignedtotheKureNavalDistrict.CompletedtoolateforserviceinWorldWarI,IsepatrolledofftheSiberiancoastandinnorthernwatersinsupportofJapan'sSiberianInterventionagainsttheBolshevikRedArmy.Fromthemid-1920sthroughthelate1930s,IsepatrolledmostlyoffoftheChinacoast.
On12April1922,shehostedadelegationwhichincludedPrinceofWales,thefutureKingEdwardVIIIoftheUnitedKingdom,andthefutureLordMountbatten.Ise-classbattleshipswerefascinatingshipsandtheirstorybeganin1906withthecompletionofHMSDreanought.Theappearanceoftheall-big-gunturbine-poweredDreadnoughtrenderedallexistingbattleshipsobsoleteovernight,andinresponsetherestoftheworld'snaviesinitiatedmassiveconstructionprograms.Theworld'smajornavieshadgainedaninsurmountableleadinthenumberofdreadnoughtsinserviceorunderconstruction.Recognizingthefutilityoftryingtocompeteinsheernumbers,theJapaneseNavyadoptedaqualitybeforequantityapproach,buildingfewershipseachofmuchgreatercapabilitythanforeigndesigns.In1911theJapanesegovernmentpassedtheEmergencyNavalExpansionbillwhichauthorizedthebuildingoffourbattlecruisersandonebattleship.ThebattleshipwastobedesignedandbuiltinJapan;thisshipbecametheFuso.Therewereanumberofforeigndesignstotakeintoconsiderationwhenitcametimetodecidethemainarmamentforthenewships.BritainRoyalNavy'sOrionclasswasarmedwiththe13.5in.gun;theUSWyomingclasswith12-12in.guns;andthesucceedingNewYorkclasswith10-14in.weapons.Japandecidedtoleapoverthecompetitionandfitthenewshipswiththe14in.gunsoFuso-classwouldcarry12-14in.weapons.ArmamentwasnottheonlyareawheretheJapanesebattleshipwasintendedtobesuperiortoforeigndesigns:itwasalsotobeatleast2knotsfaster.Fusowaslaiddownon11March1912andshewasthefirstbattleshipbuiltinJapanusingJapanesemanufacturedmaterialsandweapons.Threesistershipswereauthorized,oneofthemlaiddowninNovember1913,butfinancialdifficultiespreventedthelayingdownofthenexttwoshipsuntil1915,whichallowedtimeforsomedesignimprovements.Theforecastledeckwasshortened,theamidshipsturretsweregroupedtogetherandplacedaftofthesecondfunnelandthehulllengthwasincreasedby10ft.togivemoremachineryspace.Thechangesresultedinthetwoshipsbecomingknownasthe"ImprovedFuso"orIseclass.