Kongo-class Battleship


KongoHiei
KirishimaHaruna

(Model kits manufactured by Fujimi)

These four sister ships were the first modern battlecruisers in the Japanese arsenal. They were designed by Britain's Sir George Thurston, and strongly influenced the design of the forthcoming Tiger-class battlecruisers. Kongo was actually built by Vickers (and was the last Japanese capital ship to be built outside of Japan), while the remaining three were built in Japanese yards. During the inter-war years, all of them were upgraded in terms of propulsion and protection, and were re-rated as battleships. They were useful ships, fast and well-armed, but even after their upgrade their protection left much to be desired, as Kirishima discovered much to her cost at the hands of U.S.S. Washington off of Savo Island.

Year CompletedKongo: 1913
Hiei: 1914
Kirishima: 1915
Haruna: 1915
Displacement36,601 tons
Dimensions728'4" x 101'8" x 31'9"
Speed30 knots
Armament 8 x 14"/45
16 (later 14) x 6"/50
8 (Hiei: 4) x 5"/40 DP
up to 118 x 25mm AA
Armor
8" belt
2.75" (later strengthened) deck
9" turret face
Crew1360

Additional Info
Kongo Tabular Record of Movement (TROM)
Hiei Tabular Record of Movement (TROM)
Kirishima Tabular Record of Movement (TROM)
Haruna Tabular Record of Movement (TROM)

Links From Related Partner Sites
Kongo-class Battleship
  * Kongo
  * Hiei
  * Kirishima
  * Haruna

See all photos of Kongo-class Battleship on WW2DB






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