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.
Kirishima under constructionKirishima is launched from the Mitsubishi shipyard’s Ichi-pan-dai construction slip at Nagasaki, Japan on December 1, 1913Kirishima at Sasebo, 1915Kirishima 4 May 1922 back side of bridge and original tripod mastKirishima in 1925Kirishima June 1927Kirishima Jan 1931Kirishima near Beppu, Kyushu, Japan in mid-October 1932Kirishima’s E4N2 floatplane mid 1930sKirishima in the mid 1930sKirishima seen in the 1930sKirishima May 1937Kirishima seen in Sukumo Bay, Japan in 1937 Kirishima seen in Sukumo Bay, Japan in 1937Kirishima off Amoy, China, on 21 October 1938Kirishima Oct 21 1938Kirishima Oct 21 1938Kirishima midships section 1940Kirishima April 27 1939Kirishima and Akagi at Sukumo Bay 1939Kirishima Kure 1940
Commissioned on 11 November 1907, Ibuki was originally classified as an armoured cruiser. On 28 August 1912, the Ibuki and her sister ship Kurama were re-classified as battlecruisers.
During the First World War, Ibuki along with the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney, Ibuki escorted a convoy consisting of 20,000 Australian and New Zealand soldiers and 7,500 horses, across the Indian Ocean. During the passage, HMAS Sydney left the convoy to engage the German light cruiser Emden at the Battle of Cocos. Although the more powerful vessel, Ibuki was ordered to stay with the convoy as she was their only protection.
Post-war Ibuki was sold for scrap on 20 September 1923 in accordance with the Washington Treaty.
Displacement
14,871 t (14,636 long tons) (standard); 15,845 t (15,595 long tons) (max)
Coal: 610 t (600 long tons) (normal); 2,000 t (2,000 long tons) (maximum) Fuel Oil: roughly 250 t (250 long tons)
Complement
844
Armament
2 × twin 12-inch 41st Year Type guns 4 × twin 8-inch (200 mm) 41st Year Type guns 14 × single 4.7-inch (120 mm) 41st Year Type guns 4 × 8 cm (3.1 in) guns 3 × 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes
Armor
Belt: Amidships: 10–18 cm (4–7 in) Ends: 10 cm (4 in) Barbettes: 18 cm (7 in) Turrets: Main: 18 cm (7 in) Secondary: 12.5 cm (5 in) Conning Tower: Forward: 20 cm (7.9 in) Aft: 15 cm (6 in) Deck: Main: 5.2 cm (2 in) Lower Deck Redoubt: 12.7 cm (5 in)
Providing an excellent opportunity to see some of the Royal Australian Navy’s ships up close, Fleet Base East Open Day 2024 was held on 25 February 2024.
Although ticketed so as to control numbers, entry was free and commenced at 10:00am. After a quick ticket and bag check at security we were allowed onto the base. Three ships were open to visitors, HMAS Arunta, Hobart and Canberra, although others were present and viewable from the dock. The RAN also had displays along the dock, showing their capabilities, career options and roles available.
1. HMAS Arunta (FFH 151)2. HMAS Arunta (FFH 151)The 127mm Gun of HMAS Arunta (FFH 151)Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk based on HMAS Arunta (FFH 151)Crest of HMAS Arunta (FFH 151)Motto of HMAS Arunta (FFH 151
HMAS Canberra (L02)
The Well Deck of HMAS Canberra L02 from OutsideHMAS Canberra L02 Looking Through the Well Deck to HMAS Sydney DDG 42Looking Through the Well Deck of HMAS Canberra L02 to HMAS Sydney DDG 42HMAS Canberra L02 With a Landing Craft in the Well DeckAustralian Army Truck on the Cargo Deck of HMAS Canberra L02 HMAS Canberra L02 BridgeThe Ski Jump of HMAS Canberra L02
HMAS Sydney (DDG 42)
1. HMAS Sydney (DDG 42)2. HMAS Sydney (DDG 42)3. HMAS Sydney (DDG 42) Stern4. HMAS Canberra L02 Looking Through the Well Deck to HMAS Sydney DDG 42
