Description
The Pacific War was a war between aircraft carriers and airplanes. As of December 8, 1941, the battleship, a symbol of the large guns that the Japanese Navy had cultivated, handed over its role to the aircraft carrier. As a result, the battleships of the Japanese Navy were deprived of a place to fight, and they were criticized as ``Yamato Hotel'' and ``Nagato Ryokan.'' However, only the four Kongo-class battleships are known for their heroic efforts in direct defense of aircraft carrier task forces, taking advantage of their high speed. The Kongo-class battleship was planned just before the Russo-Japanese War, but it suffered a severe shock from the British battleship Dreadnought, which was commissioned in 1906. The Japanese Navy, which was excited after destroying Russia's Baltic Fleet in the Russo-Japanese War, became obsolete overnight with the appearance of the battleship Dreadnought, which exceeded common sense at the time. Therefore, out of the four Kongo-class ships planned to learn the advanced Royal Navy technology, the plan was to order Kongo from Vickers Shipyards in the UK, and build the remaining three ships at Japanese shipyards. The Kongo-class was designed as a strengthened and improved version of the British Lion-class battleship, and became an extremely superior battlecruiser with superior speed and strong firepower. This superiority was proven by the fact that the British Navy applied to borrow it during World War I, and the British Navy built a Tiger class model that was almost the same class. Kongo was completed in 1913, just before World War I. However, the battlecruiser's weaknesses were exposed during the Battle of Jutland during World War I, when the British and German fleets clashed. This was a flaw peculiar to cruise warfare, where speed was emphasized and defense was secondary, and it was extremely vulnerable to shells with large falling angles in long-range artillery battles. Kongo adopted these battle lessons and began its first renovation in 1928 to strengthen its defenses, and the renovation was completed in 1931. Due to this modification, the ship's speed was reduced, so the ship type was changed from a battlecruiser to a battleship. (Originally, battleships are named after countries, but the four Kongo-class ships are all named after mountains. This is because they were originally battlecruisers.) Just when you think the renovation is complete, a second renovation will begin in a few years. This was done to restore Kongo's original high-speed performance and to strengthen its aviation and anti-aircraft weapons as aircraft developed. As a result of this second renovation, Kongo was reborn as a high-speed battleship with a speed of 30 knots, and her hull became familiar to us as she entered the Pacific War. At the outbreak of the war, Kongo was deployed to the Malayan invasion force under the command of Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo, forming the 3rd Squadron of the 1st Fleet along with her similar ship Haruna. She was to prepare for the British Far East Fleet. As a result, both the British battleships Prince of Wales and Repulse were sunk by aircraft, but it is thought that there was a good chance that Kongo and Haruna would exchange fire with these two battleships. There can be no ifs in history, but if you ask me the outcome, I think it was Kongo's fault. Kongo was later transferred to the Nagumo task force and participated in the Indian Ocean operations. At this time, four Kongo-class ships were assembled in the same unit, and the photos taken at that time remind us of the past. At the time of the Battle of Midway in June 1942, the 3rd Squadron was formed under Lieutenant General Gunichi Mikawa and participated in the Midway capture force, but they were not directly involved in the battle. After that, Kongo advanced to Truk Island and took part in the southern operations.At one point, she was sent to the bombardment operation of Henderson Airfield on Guadalcanal, under the direct command of Commander-in-Chief Yamamoto of the Combined Fleet, in which the use of Yamato and Musashi was also considered, and together with her consort ship Haruna, Vice Admiral Kurita Led by the US Army, they fired a total of 918 36cm shells, setting Henderson Airfield in a sea of fire, and, although temporarily, succeeded in chilling the hearts of the American troops and crushing their morale. After that, she fought valiantly in June 1944 at the Battle of the Mariana Gulf as part of the vanguard of an aircraft carrier unit commanded by Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa. Furthermore, he participated as the core of the Kurita fleet in the Leyte Gulf entry operation, where the aircraft carrier task force had been virtually destroyed and had no air cover, and at the Battle of Samar at the head of Leyte Gulf, where the aircraft carrier task force had broken through the San Bernardino Strait, he discovered an enemy escort carrier group and was furious. The bombardment sank the aircraft carrier Gambier Bay and caused heavy damage to a group of destroyers. However, although the warship Kongo was not directly hit by the air attack that followed, it was damaged by five close-in bullets, and although it survived the Leyte operation, it was on its way from its base in Brunei to the Japanese mainland for repairs when it sailed off the coast of Keelung. He was hit by a torpedo from the U.S. submarine Sea Lion, ending his long and distinguished life. (Key points) At the start of the war Standard displacement: 32,156 tons Overall length: 222.00m Water line length: 219.61m Maximum width: 31.02m Main engine: 4 main turbines, 4 shafts Output: 136,000 horsepower Speed: 30.5 knots Cruising power : 18 knots 10,000 nautical miles Armament: 36cm twin guns x 4, 15cm single guns x 14 guns, 12.7cm twin high-angle guns x 4, 8 guns, 25mm twin machine guns x 10, 20 guns, 25mm triple machine guns x 18
