The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
graduate Furutaka Class, Japanese Heavy CruisersTonnage
8700 tons standard displacementDimensions
607'6" by 55'6" by 18'4"Maximum speed
33 knotsComplement
639 1 Model 3 catapultArmament
3x2 8"/50 Mark 2 gunsBunkerage
1858 tons fuel oilRange
7900 nautical miles (14,600km) at 14 knots
The Furutakas were completed in 1926 as the last pre-Washington Treaty cruisers of the Japanese Navy. They were designed specifically to outclass the British Hawkins and U.S. Omaha and incorporated many of the lessons of the experimental Yubari. Great efforts were made to reduce hull weight while maintaining strength, but the final displacement was still nearly 1000 tons greater than planned. Even so, they were the smallest heavy cruisers ever built. Their protection scheme was rather light for heavy cruisers at 14% of displacement, being designed only against 6" (152mm) shells.
This class introduced the use of a centerline longitudinal bulkhead. This was controversial because rapid flooding of one side could capsize the ship. Provisions were added to allow rapid counterflooding if necessary, and longitudinal bulkheads remained a feature of many subsequent Japanese warship designs.
They were modernized twice in the 1930s, replacing the original six single main gun turrets with three twin turrets and receiving the Long Lance torpedo. Their antiaircraft battery was also improved. During the 1932 modernization, it was discovered that over 3000 hull rivets had been knocked loose on Furutaka, indicating some problems with the quality of the riveting.
References
Lacroix and Wells (1997)
Whitley (1995)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2009-2010, 2015 by Kent G. Budge. Index
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