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Japanese Battlecruiser Kirishima

Kirishima at Sasebo, 1915

Japanese Battlecruiser Kirishima

Laid down on the 17th of March 1912 and launched on the 1st of December 1913, Kirishima was the third of the four-ship Kongō-class battlecruisers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her three sisters were Kongō, Hiei and Haruna. Commissioned into the fleet on the 19th of April 1915, she saw no action during the First World War, although she undertook patrols off the Chinese coast.

In 1927 Kirishima underwent a reconstruction to transform her into a battleship. Additional armour was added and her speed increased. In 1934 a more extensive reconstruction was undertaken, with her superstructure completely rebuilt, aircraft facilities added and her machinery upgraded. She was redesignated a fast battleship and primarily used to escort Japan’s fast aircraft carriers.

During the Second World War, she provided support for the invasion of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and in the Indian Ocean raid of April 1942. During the Battle of Midway, she provided escort to Nagumo’s four carriers, before redeploying to the Solomon Islands during the Battle of Guadalcanal. She escorted Japanese carrier fleets during the battles of the Eastern Solomons and Santa Cruz Islands, before sailing as part of a bombardment force under Admiral Nobutake Kondō during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

On the evening of 13 November 1942, Kirishima engaged American cruisers and destroyers alongside her sister ship Hiei. On the night of 14/15 November, in one of only two battleship duels of the Pacific War, Kirishima attacked and damaged the American battleship USS South Dakota before being fatally crippled in turn by the battleship USS Washington. Kirishima capsized and sank in the early morning on 15 November 1942 in Ironbottom Sound taking 212 of her crew with her.

Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden-Kai

Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden-Kai

Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden-Kai

Developed from the Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden, the N1K2-J addressed the major defects present in its predecessor, primarily the mid-mounted wing and long landing gear. The wing was lowered, thereby shortening the landing gear, while the fuselage was lengthened and the tail unit redesigned. The design changes resulted in a lightening of the fighter by 250 kg.

Despite its continued reliability issues, the Homare engine was retained as there was no alternative available. Armament was maintained at four 20mm cannon all located in the wings. First flying on 1 January 1944, it was named Shiden-Kai (kai meaning modified), while the Allies maintained the code-name George.

A total of 406 Kawanishi K1N2-J Shiden-Kai fighters were built.

Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden-Kai in US Markings

Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden

Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden

Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden

The Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden (Allied code name George; Japanese translation: Violet Lightning) was a land based version of the Kawanishi N1K1 Kyofu (Rex). Not only were the bulky floats removed, but a more powerful engine was fitted producing a fast and maneuverable fighter, the equal of the latest Allied aircraft. The Nakajima NK9A Homare 11 18-cylinder radial engine, produced 1650hp compared to the1,460hp of the MK4C Kasei 13 of the N1K1 Kyofu.

The mid-fuselage wing was retained, which required a long undercarriage. This proved to be structurally weak with many failures occurring. Gun armament was increased to two 20mm cannon in each wing (two of which were mounted in underwing gondolas), while retaining the two nose mounted 7.7-mm machineguns. Three other production versions were produced:

  • N1K1-Ja with nose guns deleted and all cannon mounted inside the wings
  • N1K1-Jb with underwing racks for two 250-kg bombs
  • N1K1-Jc with racks for four 250-kg bombs

A total of 1,007 Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden were built. The N1K1 was further developed into the Kawanishi N1K2 with a redesigned fuselage and the wing moved to the lower fuselage.

Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden in US Markings