Glueable model. Using macro rings and additional light, another photograph of the ship model.
text article from the model designer:
Assembled and photographed a model of the Japanese battleship-aircraft carrier Ise (IJN BB-XCV Ise). The ship is shown in September 1944. The model is produced by Fujimi.
I collected it with a break of just over four months and finished it in April 2013.
The prototype of the model is the battleship Ise. Laid down at the Kawasaki shipyard on May 10, 1915. Launched in November 1916, in service since December 15, 1917. Named after a province in Japan.
The ship was a development of the Fuso type and differed from it in a different arrangement of the middle main battery turrets and boiler rooms; a transition was made to 140 mm caliber mine artillery. The construction of these battleships (the second Hiuga) was carried out during a period when Japan was rapidly expanding its ocean-going fleet and was not bound by any formal restrictions. One of the largest and most powerful battleships in the world (at the time of entry into service), these ships did not take part in the First World War.
After the restrictions imposed by the decision of the Washington Conference of 1922, which Japan also joined, it was prohibited from building new battleships. We had to modernize the existing ones. In the 30s, Ise was also modernized. But the proposed model reflects the appearance of the ship after its modernization in 1943. The need for such modernization was caused by the results of the battle at Midway Atoll, where Japan lost 4 of its best aircraft carriers. The Japanese adopted a plan to build new aircraft carriers and convert large ships of other classes into aircraft-carrying ships. Moreover, very unexpected options were considered. As a result, the choice was made in favor of the Ise-class battleships and the heavy cruiser Mogami.
The conversion was carried out at the Kure shipyard. The ship has changed very significantly. To make room for a hangar and a 60-meter flight deck, the aft main battery towers were dismantled. An elevator and new very powerful catapults (enlarged Kure Type No2 Model 5 large model) were installed, which, with a length of 25 meters, could launch aircraft weighing up to 4600 kg into the air. Premises were prepared for storing gasoline, aerial bombs and torpedoes. As a result, the length of the battleship increased to 219.6 meters, and the displacement even decreased slightly (to 38.6 thousand tons). The speed remained almost the same 25.3 knots.
The armament became different: 8 – 356mm/45, 16 – 127mm/40, the number of 25mm anti-aircraft machine guns increased to 57 pieces. The model reflects the ISE at the time after September 1944, when the anti-aircraft armament was once again strengthened and it (except for 127 mm guns) amounted to: 31-25 three-barreled machine gun, 15 - 1 barrel 25 mm machine gun and six 120 mm 28 barrel NURS. Aviation armament was supposed to consist of 22-24 aircraft (different sources indicate different data). Some of them were to be wheeled bombers D4Y3 (Suisei), adapted for launch from a catapult, and heavy seaplanes E16A (Zuiun), the Americans gave them the nicknames “Judy” and “Paul”, respectively. To train pilots, the 634th Air Group was created, which was fully equipped by August 1944. Trainings were conducted with launches from on board ships.
But Ise did not have the chance to take part in battles as an aircraft carrier. The command decided to use the air group not from ships, but from ground airfields. And the battleships-aircraft carriers went into battle (Philippine operation) without aircraft on board. They took part in the battle at Cape Engaño, where they were damaged, but returned to base, unlike the four “regular aircraft carriers” that were sunk by the Americans. Since February, the ship has not left Kure, where it was scuttled as a result of American air raids on July 28, 1945. In 1946, the Ise was raised and scrapped.
I used literature: the book “Japanese hibryd warships” by Hans Lengerer (an excellent book, with a bunch of drawings, photographs, color 3D images, Tamiya books on the elements of Japanese warships, a Japanese book on Japanese battleships, I found something on the Internet.
Used, in addition to the model itself:
- Two sets of Fujimi etching specifically for Ise, and their own deck with extras. etching and main gun barrels;
- Etching from GMM (set for IJN battleships);
- Allians Modelworks - davits, doors, 3-barrel 25 mm machine guns, ladders, metal rigging;
- Lion Roar portholes, turntables and brass tubes of different diameters;
- Rainbow - a set for Japanese seaplanes, a set for carrier-based aircraft, a set of cranes for Ise, a body kit for davits and cranes, elements of bridge equipment;
- Voyager - pilot platforms, 9-m boats, admiral's boat, 11-m boat, metal tubes of different diameters;
- WEM - doors, hatches;
- Model master - 25mm barrels;
- Aber-25mm barrels (for some machine guns;)
- L Arsenal - figures (two different sets), anchor chains;
- Tamiya - WWII JN utility boat set;
- Veteran models – instruments on the bridges and mast, paravanes, winches, part of the 127 mm guns, part of the 3-barreled 25 mm guns, searchlights, 2 sq. warning lights,
- Hasegawa – sets: QG-18, QG-19, QG-40.
- FlyHawk – rails, IJN Boats set, part of 3-barreled 25mm, part of shell boxes, set for seaplanes;
- Fine Molds – 25 mm single-barrel machine guns, small spotlights, barrels and part of the carriages for 3 barrel 25 mm machine guns;
- Ishida – shell boxes for 25 mm, barrels, some fans, binoculars of various types;
- North Star – ladders, ladders, figures (three different sets);
- Five Star - etched wooden boxes;
- Goffi models – figures of sailors;
- Wiener modellbau manufactur – figurines of sailors;
Paints and primer: GSI, Tamiya.
Vallejo varnish, topcoat Tamiya varnish, Kristal Clear for glazing, Set and Sol for decals.
Steel thread for rigging in 1/350 Modelkasten and Hobby Plus model thread.
Decals, Behemoth, Hasegawa, Fujimi.
This is my first model from Fujimi. I didn't like their quality compared to Tamiya and Hasegawa. Somewhere on the level of Trumpeter.
Only the body bath came together perfectly. Convergence of superstructures and other elements is mediocre. The flight deck turned out to be bent upward in the aft part, I could barely glue it, securing it under the load and using epoxy. Not a single large structure fit properly into place; it always had to be trimmed, sharpened, drilled, etc. Although the parts themselves are cast with almost no flash, there are very thin elements. The barrels in the main battery turrets are made to move, but because of this, the bags for the embrasures are made in such a way that they definitely need to be redone (I made them from putty on top of the standard ones). The Type21 radar is presented etched in the form of a massive, closed box, although there is a large photo right in the instructions (on the cover), where its almost transparent structure is visible; it had to be replaced with a more similar one from Hasegawa. I didn’t use Fujimi rails at all, they are extremely fragile, without a bottom strip. Installed Fly Hawk and GMM. The etched catapults are good, especially since there is no alternative to them, I have not seen larger ones, but the inside is almost empty, I had to add powder charges, etc.
Boats and boats replaced everything. They are very rude. I replaced the derrick and faucet with a set from Rainbow, only the derrick was a little short, so I had to extend the mount.
Medium and small caliber artillery is very diverse. 127 mm – Veteran and Alliance (Veteran is still better), 25mm three-barreled: the bulk are Fly Hawk carriages, and the barrels are either turned from Polish manufacturers, or the Fine Molds carriage with their own barrels, with Fujimi gunner seats and Hasegawa sights, only a few pieces from Veteran are completely authentic. Single-barreled – Fine molds with Hasegawa etching. The NURs installations could not be left as is. They were made in the form of a parallelepiped, mounted on a base with a hole between two cubes. And in the book it was clear that the block of barrels stood on a carriage, which was covered with high shields with embrasures, there were gunner seats, and sights. I made the base from a Fly Hawk 3-barreled 25mm. I made the shields from brass strips left over from etching, and the barrel blocks (5 pieces) from Eduard’s kit for Hood. The only thing is that there are slightly fewer trunks than 28 pieces, but I couldn’t find a better one, and I was too lazy to make six equally good ones. I myself made only the missing sixth block of rockets from a resin sprue and brass strips. The result turned out very similar to the card (for the 350).
The shell boxes are partly etched, partly resin from the Japanese manufacturer Ishida, some of the fans on the deck are his, some are turned fans from Fly Hawk.
Almost all the resin “small things” are from Veteran and Ishida - here they are beyond competition. Kits for seaplanes and deck aircraft from Rainbow were very useful; I mainly used elements of etched cockpit canopies, customizing them for “my” aircraft models and simulating the “star” of the engine, propellers, etc., and I bought an additional set of seaplanes, because It was interesting to make them a little larger, in different configurations.
I stretched almost the entire rigging with Japanese steel thread 0.1 mm (especially for 1/350). I stretched the longest parts with Belarusian elastic thread Hobby Plus. Another part of the rigging is also made of metal from Allians Modelworks.
The wash was done with Tamiya Smoke enamel, a special Tamiya wash, it was already diluted for work, I used little.
The decals are mostly Fujimi, the flag is from Behemoth, and on the planes most of them are from Hasegawa.
Almost all colors are GSI Creos, some Tamiya.
Sailors from three companies from seven different sets: Arsenal, Goffi Models, North Star, WMM. I painted it myself, if you noticed, there are four types of them - naval officers and sailors, pilots and MZA servants. I used new North Star resin kits. Very good detail, wide variety of poses. Significantly better than any Tamievsky or Fujimovsky sailors. And no worse than L Arsenal or Werner Modelbau. The only inconvenience is the very tight placement on the cast base, and because of this it is difficult to separate the required figures and the neighboring ones can be damaged. By the way, the sizes of the figures are very correct; whoever has seen Dragon’s figures, the latter’s are clearly “overfed”, while North Star’s are just right.
Overall, the assembly was not easy. But the ship itself is interesting. In my opinion, this model is suitable for experienced modellers, especially since it is quite expensive with add-ons.
This is my ninth model. Thanks for the advice to more experienced colleagues. There are some shortcomings in the model. both performing and historical, they arose for various reasons, some assumptions were made by me deliberately...
model designer: Veniamin Iosifovich
After the launch of the previous series of Fuso battleships, the Japanese government decided to increase the number of ships of this type to four units. However, some changes were made during the design process. As a result of this, a new class of Japanese dreadnoughts appeared - the Ise.
The ships Ise (1917) and Hyuga (1918) were commissioned at the height of the First World War. Therefore, they did not have time to take part in it. At the same time, by the beginning of the next military operations in 1939, dreadnoughts were already considered obsolete ships and performed secondary tasks. The new type of battleships did not bring major design changes. In terms of dimensions, level of armor and power plants, it continued the “” series. The differences concerned weapons.
Armament of Ise-class battleships
- The main guns remained the same as on the previous dreadnoughts - 12 units of 356-mm equipment 41st Year Type (Model 1908). However, their location has been changed. The central guns were placed in pairs on the towers in a linear-elevated pattern, just like the outermost installations. At the same time, the middle structure was shifted closer to the stern. In this version, fire control was carried out more smoothly. The rate of fire of each gun reached two shots per minute. The maximum range of the projectile was 35,450 meters.
- The anti-mine artillery was replaced with 140 mm guns. 18 of them were located in casemates and the superstructure, two more on the deck. The greatest distance to the target is 16,000 meters.
- 8 127-mm anti-aircraft guns - four installations each contained a pair of guns. They were located on the main superstructure.
- torpedo tubes.
Modernization of Ise-class battleships
After the end of the First World War, the navies of different countries analyzed the main problems associated with weapons, armor and other elements of warships. Japan began widespread improvements to its newly built battleships.
All boilers were transferred to work with liquid fuel – oil. This made it possible to increase the speed to 25.3 knots, improve circulation and the viability of many components. At the same time, the superstructure located in the bow of the vessel was enlarged. The new power plant provided power of over 80,000 horsepower, and also occupied a smaller area.
Some types of weapons were replaced with similar new or universal ones. The torpedo tubes were dismantled - the armor in the lower part of the ship was strengthened. At the same time, the protection of the deck, cellars, and chimney was increased.
Conversion of Ise-class battleships into aircraft carriers
During World War II, an explosion occurred on the dreadnought Hyuga, which disabled four main-caliber cannons located at the stern. During the same period, in the Battle of Midway, Japan lost a lot that needed to be replenished. With limited time and finances, it was decided to convert some battleships into more powerful aircraft carriers. The first to undergo changes were the Ise-class dreadnoughts.
All equipment located in the stern of the vessel was dismantled. In its place, a hangar was created to store aircraft. The roof of the hangar served as a runway. Its length was 70 meters. At the same time, aircraft landing was impossible. The planes landed on other, full-fledged aircraft carriers. The total number of aircraft reached 22.
Service
During World War II, the Ise carried out many combat missions as aircraft carriers. In 1945, the US Navy attacked ships several times. As a result of multiple hits, the Ise and Hyuga sank.
Assembled and photographed a model of the Japanese battleship-aircraft carrier Ise (IJN BB-XCV Ise). The ship is shown in September 1944. The model is produced by Fujimi.I collected it with a break of just over four months and finished it in April 2013.
The prototype of the model is the battleship Ise. Laid down at the Kawasaki shipyard on May 10, 1915. Launched in November 1916, in service since December 15, 1917. Named after a province in Japan.
The ship was a development of the Fuso type and differed from it in a different arrangement of the middle main battery turrets and boiler rooms; a transition was made to 140 mm caliber mine artillery. The construction of these battleships (the second Hiuga) was carried out during a period when Japan was rapidly expanding its ocean-going fleet and was not bound by any formal restrictions. One of the largest and most powerful battleships in the world (at the time of entry into service), these ships did not take part in the First World War.
After the restrictions imposed by the decision of the Washington Conference of 1922, which Japan also joined, it was prohibited from building new battleships. We had to modernize the existing ones. In the 30s, Ise was also modernized. But the proposed model reflects the appearance of the ship after its modernization in 1943. The need for such modernization was caused by the results of the battle at Midway Atoll, where Japan lost 4 of its best aircraft carriers. The Japanese adopted a plan to build new aircraft carriers and convert large ships of other classes into aircraft-carrying ships. Moreover, very unexpected options were considered.. As a result, the choice was made in favor of the Ise-class battleships and the heavy cruiser Mogami.
The conversion was carried out at the Kure shipyard. The ship has changed very significantly. To make room for a hangar and a 60-meter flight deck, the aft main battery towers were dismantled. An elevator and new very powerful catapults (enlarged Kure Type No2 Model 5 large model) were installed, which, with a length of 25 meters, could launch aircraft weighing up to 4600 kg into the air. Premises were prepared for storing gasoline, aerial bombs and torpedoes. As a result, the length of the battleship increased to 219.6 meters, and the displacement even decreased slightly (to 38.6 thousand tons). The speed remained almost the same 25.3 knots.
The armament became different: 8 - 356mm/45, 16 -127mm/40, the number of 25mm anti-aircraft machine guns increased to 57 pieces. The model reflects the ISE at the time after September 1944, when the anti-aircraft armament was once again strengthened and it (except for 127 mm guns) amounted to: 31-25 mm three-barreled machine gun, 15 - 1 barrel 25 mm machine gun and six 120 mm 28 barrel NURS. Aviation armament was supposed to consist of 22-24 aircraft (different sources indicate different data). Some of them were to be wheeled bombers D4Y3 (Suisei), adapted for launch from a catapult, and heavy seaplanes E16A (Zuiun), the Americans gave them the nicknames “Judy” and “Paul”, respectively. To train pilots, the 634th Air Group was created, which was fully equipped by August 1944. Trainings were conducted with launches from on board ships.
But the Ise did not have the chance to take part in battles as an aircraft carrier. The command decided to use the air group not from ships, but from ground airfields. And the battleships-aircraft carriers went into battle (Philippine operation) without aircraft on board. They took part in the battle at Cape Engaño, where they were damaged, but returned to base, unlike the four “regular aircraft carriers” that were sunk by the Americans. Since February, the ship has not left Kure, where it was scuttled as a result of American air raids on July 28, 1945. In 1946, the Ise was raised and scrapped.
I used literature: the book “Japanese hibryd warships” by Hans Lengerer (an excellent book, with a bunch of drawings, photographs, color 3D images), Tamiya books on the elements of Japanese warships, a Japanese book on Japanese battleships, I found something on the Internet.
Used, in addition to the model itself:
- Two sets of Fujimi etching specifically for Ise, and their own deck with extras. etching and main gun barrels;
- Etching from GMM (set for IJN battleships);
- Allians Modelworks - davits, doors, 3-barrel 25 mm machine guns, ladders, metal rigging;
- Lion Roar portholes, turntables and brass tubes of different diameters;
- Rainbow - a set for Japanese seaplanes, a set for carrier-based aircraft, a set of cranes for Ise, a body kit for davits and cranes, elements of bridge equipment;
- Voyager - pilot platforms, 9-m boats, admiral's boat, 11-m boat, metal tubes of different diameters;
- WEM - doors, hatches;
- Model master - 25mm barrels;
- Aber-25mm barrels (for some machine guns;)
- L Arsenal - figures (two different sets), anchor chains;
-Tamiya - WWII JN utility boat set;
-Veteran models – instruments on the bridges and mast, paravanes, winches, part of the 127 mm guns, part of the 3-barreled 25 mm guns, searchlights, 2 sq. warning lights,
-Hasegawa – sets: QG-18, QG-19, QG-40.
-FlyHawk – rails, IJN Boats set, part of 3-barrel 25mm, part of shell boxes, set for seaplanes;
-Fine Molds – 25 mm single-barrel assault rifles, small spotlights, barrels and part of the carriages for 3 barrel 25mm assault rifles;
-Ishida – shell boxes for 25 mm, barrels, some fans, binoculars of various types;
-North Star – ladders, ladders, figures (three different sets);
-Five Star- etched wooden boxes;
-Gоffi models – figures of sailors;
-Wiener modellbau manufactur – figurines of sailors;
Paints and primer: GSI, Tamiya
Vallejo varnish, topcoat Tamiya varnish, Kristal Clear for glazing, Set and Sol for decals.
Steel thread for rigging in 1/350 Modelkasten and Hobby Plus model thread.
Decals Behemoth, Hasegawa, Fujimi.
This is my first model from Fujimi. I didn't like their quality compared to Tamiya and Hasegawa. Somewhere on the level of Trumpeter.
Only the body bath came together perfectly. Convergence of superstructures and other elements is mediocre. The flight deck turned out to be bent upward in the aft part, I could barely glue it, securing it under the load and using epoxy. Not a single large structure fit properly into place; it always had to be trimmed, sharpened, drilled, etc. Although the parts themselves are cast with almost no flash, there are very thin elements. The barrels in the main battery turrets are made to move, but because of this, the covers for the embrasures are made in such a way that they definitely need to be redone (I made them from putty on top of the standard ones). The Type21 radar is presented etched in the form of a massive, closed box, although there is a large photo right in the instructions (on the cover), where its almost transparent structure is visible; it had to be replaced with a more similar one from Hasegawa. I didn’t use Fujimi rails at all, they are extremely fragile, without a bottom strip. Installed Fly Hawk and GMM. The etched catapults are good, especially since there is no alternative to them, I have not seen larger ones, but the inside is almost empty, I had to add powder charges, etc.
Boats and boats replaced everything. They are very rude. I replaced the derrick and faucet with a set from Rainbow, only the derrick was a little short, so I had to extend the mount.
Medium and small caliber artillery is very diverse. 127 mm – Veteran and Alliance (Veteran is still better), 25mm three-barreled: the bulk are Fly Hawk carriages, and the barrels are either turned from Polish manufacturers, or the Fine Molds carriage with their own barrels, with Fujimi gunner seats and Hasegawa sights, only a few pieces from Veteran are completely authentic. Single-barreled – Fine molds with Hasegawa etching. The NURs installations could not be left as they were. They were made in the form of a parallelepiped, mounted on a base with a hole between two cubes.. And in the book it was clear that the block of barrels stood on a carriage, which was covered with high shields with embrasures, there were gunner seats, sights.. I made the base from Fly Khokovskaya 3-barreled 25mm. I made the shields from brass strips left over from etching, glued imitation embrasures onto them, and barrel blocks (5 pcs.) from Eduard’s kit to Hood. The only thing is that there are slightly fewer trunks than 28 pieces, but I couldn’t find a better one, and I was too lazy to make six equally good ones. I myself made only the missing sixth block of rockets from a resin sprue and brass strips. The result turned out very similar to the picture (for 350th scale).
The shell boxes are partly etched, partly resin from the Japanese manufacturer Ishida, some of the fans on the deck are from him, some are turned fans from Fly Hawk.
Almost all the resin “small things” are from Veteran and Ishida - here they are beyond competition. The kits for seaplanes and deck aircraft from Rainbow were very useful, I mainly used elements of etched cockpit canopies, customizing them for “my” aircraft models and simulating the “star” of the engine, propellers, etc., and I also bought an additional set of seaplanes from Fujimi, i.e. To. It was interesting to make them a little larger, in different configurations.
I stretched almost the entire rigging with Japanese steel thread 0.1 mm (especially for 1/350). I stretched the longest parts with Belarusian elastic thread Hobby Plus. Another part of the rigging is also made of metal from Allians Modelworks.
The wash was done with Tamiya enamel Smoke., a special Tamiya wash, it was already diluted for work, I used little.
The decals are mostly Fujimi, the flag is from Behemoth, and on the planes most of them are from Hasegawa.
Almost all colors are GSI Creos, some Tamiya.
Sailors from three companies from seven different sets: Arsenal, Goffi Models, North Star, WMM. I painted it myself, if you noticed, there are four types of them - naval officers and sailors, pilots and MZA servants. I used new North Star resin kits. Very good detail, wide variety of poses. Significantly better than any Tamievsky or Fujimovsky sailors. And no worse than L Arsenal or Werner Modelbau. The only inconvenience is the very tight placement on the cast base, and because of this it is difficult to separate the required figures and the neighboring ones can be damaged. By the way, the sizes of the figures are very correct; whoever has seen Dragon’s figures, the latter’s are clearly “overfed”, while North Star’s are just right.
Overall, the assembly was not easy. But the ship itself is interesting. In my opinion, this model is suitable for experienced modellers, especially since it is quite expensive with add-ons.
This is my ninth model. Thanks for the advice to more experienced colleagues.
PS There are some shortcomings in the model. both performing and historical, they arose for various reasons, some assumptions were made by me deliberately..
I will try to improve the quality of work in future models.
PPS Next will be North. Caroline.
"Ise" - battleship of the Japanese Imperial Navy, the lead ship of the class of ships of the same name. Named after the historical province in the southern part of the island of Honshu.
Design
After approval of the construction of ships of the class « » The Marine Technical Department began work on a modified project. Initially, it was planned to completely repeat the prototype, but during the work a large number of changes were made to the drawings. The main difference of the new project, which received the index A-92, was the different location of the main caliber towers No. 3 and No. 4, as well as a different location of the boiler rooms in the middle part of the hull. Tower No. 3 was moved towards the stern, and all boiler rooms were combined and moved to the bow. Now the towers located in the middle part of the hull were located linearly, elevated, which simplified fire control. The transition to 140-mm anti-mine caliber guns made it possible to place twenty such guns instead of sixteen 152-mm. Construction of battleships "Ise" And « » was approved in November 1912. However, due to Japan's entry into the First World War, the construction of battleships was curtailed. Despite this, the fleet began building battleships using funds allocated for operating expenses. The construction of battleships was officially approved in 1917.
Design
Battleship hull "Ise" almost completely repeated its predecessors. The main difference was the shorter forecastle, which was a consequence of the rearrangement of the main caliber guns. The armoring scheme of the battleship was not changed significantly. Due to the increased length of the hull, the length of the 305 mm part of the armor belt increased.
The only innovation in terms of horizontal protection was that the main armored deck received 51-mm bevels adjacent to the lower edge of the armor belt. The protection of the main caliber turrets has not changed, but the protection of the barbettes has been significantly strengthened.
The main caliber guns did not differ from those installed on "Kongo" And « » . According to the project, the battleships were supposed to be equipped with 76-mm 40-caliber guns, but they were abandoned during construction. The number of torpedo tubes was increased from three to six.
The length of the ship between perpendiculars was 195.07 m, and the full - 208.18 m, the width was 28.65 m, and the draft was 8.93 m. The displacement at standard load was 31,260 tons, and at full - 36,500 tons. Crew The ship consisted of 1198 officers and sailors.
Engines
The power plant of the battleship "Ise" consisted of turbo units of the "Brown-Curtis" system with a total power of 45,000 hp, driving four propeller shafts. Steam for the turbines was produced by 24 steam boilers of the Kampon system with mixed heating. Thanks to the increased power, the ship's speed increased to 23.5 knots.
As already mentioned, the layout of the boiler rooms and engine rooms was changed and now it was more reminiscent of the layout adopted on battlecruisers of the class "Kongo". However, between the boiler room and the engine room there were two main caliber towers at once.
The fuel supply was 4706 tons of coal and 1411 tons of oil, which provided a cruising range of 9680 miles at 14 knots. speed.
Armament
The main caliber armament consisted of twelve 356-mm 45-caliber guns (Type 41) placed in six two-gun turrets located in the center plane. Unlike its predecessor, all six main caliber towers were linearly elevated. The vertical elevation angles of the guns ranged from -5 to +20 degrees. These guns fired armor-piercing shells at a firing rate of one and a half to two rounds per minute and a firing range of 25,420 meters. The guns could be loaded at tilt angles from -3 to +20 degrees.
Unfortunately, it is not known exactly what types of shells the battleships could fire at the time of their construction. However, it is certain that 673.5 kg were used during World War II. armor-piercing shells (Type 91). The maximum firing range at an elevation of 20 degrees was 25,000 m, and at an elevation of 43 degrees (after modernization in 1930) - 35,480 m. 625 kg were also available. high-explosive shells and special shrapnel shells that were used against aircraft.
The auxiliary caliber armament consisted of twenty 140 mm 50 caliber guns (Type 3). Eighteen of them were located on the sides in casemates, and the remaining two were on the forecastle deck in the area of the bow chimney. The maximum vertical aiming angles were 20 degrees with a maximum firing range of 16,300 m. The rate of fire of each gun was ten rounds per minute. Anti-aircraft armament consisted of four 76-mm 40-caliber anti-aircraft guns (3rd Year Type 8-centimetre). The maximum vertical aiming angles were 75 degrees, and the gun's rate of fire was 13-20 rounds per minute. They fired 6 kg. Shells with a maximum firing range of 7,500 meters. In addition, the ships were armed with six 533-mm torpedo tubes, three on each side.
Booking
Class battleships "Ise" had a full armor belt along the waterline with a maximum thickness of 305 mm and a height of 3.8 m, which thinned to 102 mm. It ended with traverses of the same thickness for the barbettes of the towers, the main caliber No. 1 and No. 6. At the bow and stern of the traverses, the thickness decreased first to 203 mm, and closer to the stems - to 76 mm. Above the main armor belt there was a 203 mm belt, which extended from the barbette of turret No. 1 to the barbette of turret No. 6 and ended with 152 mm traverses. Above there was 152 mm armor for the casemates.
The main armor deck had a thickness of 32 mm, and on the slopes adjacent to the lower edge of the armor belt, the thickness was 51 mm. At the bow and stern of the 305 mm traverses, the thickness of the deck armor increased to 51 mm. Above the steering compartment in the stern, its thickness was 76 mm. The upper deck in the citadel area had 35 mm armor, and the forecastle deck above the mine artillery casemate was 19 mm thick.
The thickness of the frontal plates of the main caliber towers was 305 mm, the side walls - 203 mm and the roof - 114 mm. Barbettes had armor 305 mm thick. The thickness of the walls of the main cabin was 350 mm, and the auxiliary one was 102 mm.
Modernization
In 1921, work was carried out to increase the elevation angle of the main caliber guns from 20 to 30 degrees. In 1927, a platform for the Mitsubishi 1MF3 seaplane was installed on the main caliber turret No. 2, which in 1928-1929. was moved to tower No. 5. The ships were also equipped with new Yokosuka E1Y seaplanes.
In 1930 - 1931 on battleships, the size of the bow superstructure was increased, placing additional platforms with fire control devices. The main caliber turrets were equipped with new rangefinders. To remove gases from the superstructure, the bow pipe was equipped with a visor.
In 1933, a catapult was installed on ships to launch seaplanes. The ships could now carry three Nakajima E4N2 seaplanes, but hangars were not provided for them.
From August 1935 to March 1937, the battleship Ise underwent a radical reconstruction in Kura. During the modernization process, the hull was lengthened by 7.6 m. Anti-torpedo protection bulges were installed. Because of this, all the torpedo tubes had to be removed, and the width of the hull increased to 31.6 m.
The armor of the main deck above the power plant and magazines was strengthened, the thickness reached 98 mm in the flat part, and the horizontal section of the deck was expanded to the upper edge of the main armor belt. The thickness in the new section was 57 mm. The thickness of the upper deck within the citadel was increased to 51 mm. The base of the chimney was protected by 229 mm armor.
The power plant was completely redone. The old turbo units were replaced by four new Kampon systems with a total capacity of 80,000 hp. Steam for the turbines was now produced by eight oil-fired Kampon system steam boilers. Due to the fact that the new power plant was lighter and took up less space, the bow chimney was removed. The fuel storage was expanded, which made it possible to store 5,197 tons of oil, and the cruising range was 9,060 miles at a speed of 16 knots. During testing, the ship reached a speed of 24.5 knots.
The elevation angle of the main caliber guns was increased to 43 degrees. The number of 140 mm anti-mine artillery guns was reduced to 16, the first pair of guns was removed from the casemates and both were on the forecastle deck. The 76 mm anti-aircraft guns were replaced by eight 127 mm 40 caliber anti-aircraft guns (Type 89). They were located in four two-gun mounts on either side of the bow superstructure. When firing at ground targets, their firing range was 14,700 meters, and when firing at air targets, their maximum height was 9,440 m, with a maximum elevation angle of 90 degrees. The maximum firing rate of these guns was fourteen rounds per minute, but in reality they fired at a rate of fire of eight rounds per minute. They were supplemented by two 40-mm two-gun 40-caliber anti-aircraft guns manufactured by Vickers (QF 2-pounder naval gun). These anti-aircraft guns had a maximum elevation angle of 80 degrees and a firing rate of two hundred rounds per minute. In addition, the ships were equipped with twenty 25 mm machine guns (Hotchkiss 25 mm Type 96), installed in ten two-gun mounts. After modernization, the standard displacement was 36,000 tons, despite this, thanks to a more powerful propulsion system and an increased hull length, the speed was increased to 25.3 knots.
During a short repair in May 1942 on the battleship "Ise" installed a new radar system.
After the destruction of four aircraft carriers during the battle of Midway Atoll, a project was prepared for the re-equipment of battleships of the class "Ise" into aircraft carriers capable of carrying 54 aircraft each. However, due to the high costs and long lead times of the project, it was decided to convert aircraft carrier battleships that had no analogues in any fleet in the world. The stern main-caliber guns were dismantled, and instead of them a small take-off platform was located in the stern and most of the main-caliber guns were preserved. Refurbishment work "Ise" took place from February to March 1943 in Kura.
Initially, the wheeled dive bomber D4Y3 “Suisei” was intended for the role of a carrier-based aircraft. At the same time, the too short take-off platform in the stern did not allow planes to land; planes launched from battleships-aircraft carriers had to land either on aircraft carriers or on ground airfields. Due to a shortage of D4Y3 Suisei, the ships were repurposed to carry the same number of E-16A1 Zuiun dive bombers.
The battleship's air groups consisted of eight D4Y2s and fourteen E-16A1s.
As we have already mentioned, the main caliber guns No. 5 and No. 6 were removed and all the space was allocated for a hangar. On top of the hangar was the 60th. deck for basing and servicing equipment. A T-shaped elevator with a load capacity of 6 tons was used to lift aircraft. Two 25-m were used to launch aircraft. catapults.
The movement of aircraft along the deck from the lift to the catapults was carried out by trolleys along laid rail tracks.
In addition to all of the above, all 140-mm guns were removed, and eight 127-mm 40-caliber anti-aircraft guns, also installed in two-gun mounts, were added instead. Twin 25-mm machine guns were replaced with triple ones and their total number increased to 57. The fuel supply was reduced to 4,249 tons, and the length increased to 219.6 m. The standard displacement was now 35,350 tons, and the total displacement was 38,676 tons. Despite this, the speed of the ships remained at 25.3 knots.
From May to June 1944 on "Ise" Forty-seven 25-mm machine guns were additionally installed, eleven of which were single, and the rest were triple-coupled.
At the beginning of November 1944 from battleships "Ise" And « » The catapults were removed to increase the firing angles of the main caliber turrets No. 3 and No. 4.
Service
After commissioning, the battleship "Ise" was enlisted in the 1st division of battleships of the 1st fleet. Before the start of the war in the Pacific, the battleship was off the coast of the Soviet Union, Korea and China, and also conducted exercises in Japanese waters. On April 12, 1922, the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII, arrived on board the battlecruiser "Renown". During the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, battleships "Ise" And «
»
departed on September 4 for Kyushu to load supplies for the victims. During artillery training in 1926, "Ise" sank a destroyer "Yayoi". Between 1920 and 1930 Spent most of his time on patrol off the coast of China.
In the period from 1928 to 1937, as we wrote above, the battleship underwent a series of modernizations, during which it was radically rebuilt.
Despite all the modernization carried out before the outbreak of World War II, the battleship was still considered obsolete and was not perceived as a combat battleship due to its low speed, large crew and short cruising range. Since September 1941, battleships "Ise" And « » were part of the 2nd division of battleships of the 1st fleet, with Ise being the flagship of the fleet. In addition, the 2nd division included battleships of the class « » .
"Ise" participated in the Combined Fleet Attack on Pearl Harbor. True, he did not take part in direct combat; his task was reduced to long-range support of the main forces of the Japanese fleet. December 8, 1941 Battleship as part of the 2nd division reinforced by battleships « » And « » and an aircraft carrier "Hōshō", was located near the Bonin Islands, after which he returned to Hashirajima.
March 11, 1942 "Ise" participated in the search and interception of an American air force that struck the Marcus Islands. These islands are located just a thousand miles from Tokyo. However, it was not possible to detect the American connection, and on March 21 the battleship returned to Hashirojima.
On April 18, 1942, the battleship as part of the 2nd Division went out to intercept the American formation participating in the Dolittle raid, which launched an air strike on Japan. However, the interception did not take place, and the connection returned to Hashirajima.
On May 11, 1942, an accident occurred on the battleship, as a result of which the second engine room was flooded. During the repair work that took place in Kura and took a month, a new experimental Type 21 radar was also installed.
During the Imperial Japanese Navy's attack on the Midway Islands, known in documents as Operation MI, "Ise" As part of the 2nd Division, reinforced by two light cruisers, twenty destroyers, accompanied by two tankers, they were supposed to provide support to the forces of the Aleutian group if necessary, and on June 14 the division returned to Hashirajima.
As we already wrote above, the Japanese fleet lost four aircraft carriers in the Battle of Midway, and it was decided to convert battleships of the class "Ise" into battleships-aircraft carriers. On July 14, both ships were handed over to the Combined Fleet for refitting and modernization. The repairs were completed on October 8, 1943.
Already on October 13, 1943, the battleship-aircraft carrier "Ise" went to Truk, where he arrived on October 20 with infantry units to strengthen the defense of the base. After unloading the infantry units, he provided security for the base. On October 31, he left Truk for Kure, where he arrived on November 6.
May 1, 1944 "Ise" in connection with the new status, he was assigned to the 4th aircraft carrier division of the 3rd fleet. At the end of June, test flights of E-16A1 seaplanes from the battleship-aircraft carrier Ise were carried out in the Khasir roadstead.
October 5, 1944 battleship aircraft carriers "Ise" And «
»
were enlisted in the Mobile Unit of the United Fleet. The 20th of October "Ise" left Yoshima as part of the Northern Force, which was supposed to deploy according to the plans of Operation Sego. October 24th with «
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and four destroyers were detached into the vanguard to protect the aircraft carriers of the 3rd Division. This division was the last combat-ready group of aircraft carriers. On October 25, he was on an air defense order with aircraft carriers "Zuikaku" And "Zuiho", as well as a light cruiser "Oyodo". Throughout the daylight hours, the formation was subjected to air strikes from the American formation TF.38. During the battle, the ships maintained a speed of 22 knots. "Ise" received a direct hit from a small caliber aerial bomb on the main caliber turret No. 2. During the attack, the battleship carrier shot down five of the ten dive bombers. At 17:30 it was attacked by 80 dive bombers and several torpedo bombers. As a result of the attack, he was hit in the left side catapult. In addition, due to the large number of close explosions of aerial bombs (more than 30), the plating sheets of the left side boiler room came apart. Sea water began to flow through the resulting hole and fragmentation holes. Anti-aircraft protection of the ship turned out to be ineffective and by the end of the battle American aircraft sank the aircraft carriers "Zuikaku", "Zuihō" And "Chitose", as well as a destroyer "Akizuki". During the transition with the remnants of the fleet to the metropolis, he was attacked by American submarines to no avail.
At the beginning of November, it underwent repairs in Sasebo, and already on November 11 it left for Manila with infantry military formations and a load of ammunition. At the end of November he was in Lingga, from mid-December - in Cam Ranh Bay, in January 1945 - again in Lingga. On February 10, it left Singapore as part of a connection with a cargo of fuel, rubber, tin and zinc. The formation included battleships-aircraft carriers "Ise", « » and cruiser "Ōyodo". On February 19, he arrived in Japan, avoiding attacks by American submarines.
Until September 1945, it was in Kura with a minimum supply of fuel. On March 19, during an air raid by an American unit, TF.58 received two direct bomb hits and several close explosions.
July 24, during a raid on Kure by aircraft of the American formation TF.38, "Ise" received five direct hits 454-kg. bombs from fighter-bombers launched from an aircraft carrier Belleau Wood to the hangar area, the central group of main caliber towers and the superstructure. The ship tilted to port. By July 28, the water was pumped out from the ship and they were preparing to dock it, but it was attacked by Corsair fighter-bombers launched from an aircraft carrier "Hancock". "Ise" received five direct hits from 454 kg. bombs, and then thirteen more before the end of the day and many close calls. The battleship-aircraft carrier received severe damage to the hull and superstructures, by the end of the day it was abandoned by the crew and sank in shallow water.
On November 20, 1945, "Ise" was excluded from the lists of the fleet, and in 1946 - 1947. raised and dismantled for metal in Kura.
Options
Displacement standard 35900 - 36000 t
total 40169 t
Length213.4/215.8 m
Width31.6 m
Draft9.5 m
Reservation main belt - 305-76 mm; upper belt - 203 mm; traverses 305-152 mm; deck - 98+51; towers - up to 305 mm; barbettes - 305 mm; cabin - 305; casemates - 152 mm
Technical data
Power plant4 TZA Kampon
Power81,000 l. With.
Speed25.3 - 25.6 knots
Cruising range9,900 miles at 16 knots
Crew1376 people
Armament
Artillery6x2 - 356 mm/45, 16x1 - 140/50
Anti-aircraft weapons4x2 - 127 mm/40, 10x2 - 25 mm/60
Aviation - 1 catapult, 3 seaplanes
Design and construction
At the beginning of 1914, the Japanese parliament voted funds for the construction of two new Ise-class battleships. After the outbreak of war in Europe and Japan's entry into it, budgetary funding for construction that had not yet begun was curtailed. The Navy Ministry, however, began building battleships, using funds allocated for the current expenses of the fleet. Battleships were “legalized” only after the official adoption by Parliament in 1917 of the program for the construction of battleships “8 - 4”.
The Ise project was a logical development of Fuso. The same twelve 356-mm guns in two-gun turrets were arranged slightly differently, in pairs, which made fire control easier and made it possible to more conveniently place ammunition magazines. Already during the construction, they decided to replace the 152-mm anti-mine artillery guns with new 140-mm guns, also developed in England specifically for short Japanese sailors, who found it difficult to “turn over” 45-kilogram six-inch shells. At the same time, with the replacement of the guns, the armor of their casemates became somewhat thinner, and four auxiliary installations were left without any armor at all. Due to this, it was possible to increase the side area along the waterline, protected by 305 mm plates. Now 305 mm armor extended from the middle of the bow turret barbette to the middle of the aft turret barbette.
In general, as usually happened in the case of the construction of successive series of ships based on previous prototypes, it was possible to correct most of the minor shortcomings characteristic of the founders. It is difficult to clearly judge whether the numerous changes to the Fuso project were beneficial. The most effective change should be considered an increase in the length of the side protected by 305 mm of armor. Other changes did not bring fundamental improvements. But they, to a certain extent, contributed to the fact that the displacement, and, accordingly, the cost, did not “jump” by a significant amount.
Modernization
In the second half of the 20s. For battleships, a period of almost endless series of modernizations began. The first to modernize in 1926-1928. Hyuga passed. The bow superstructure began to acquire characteristic pagoda-like shapes, the fire control systems underwent significant improvements, and the heating of the boilers was completely switched to oil (Yamashiro underwent a similar modernization in 1929-1930).
The ships were reconstructed most radically already in the 30s: the power plant was completely replaced, the deck armor was strengthened, and the main caliber artillery was modernized. Instead of the previous 80-mm anti-aircraft guns, the battleships received new 127/40-mm cannons and 25-mm anti-aircraft guns.
In this form, Hyuga and Ise met the beginning of the war. They spent the first six months indifferently in Hashirojima - as part of the so-called “Hashira Fleet”. In May 1942, on Hyuga there was an explosion of ammunition in the aft turrets, which after that could no longer be repaired.
Battleship aircraft carriers
In June 1942, Hyuga was transferred to the reserve, followed by Ise in July. A decision was made on the most original conversion of warships in the entire history of steam armored shipbuilding. Both battleships were supposed to become a kind of “hybrids”, combining the qualities of aircraft carriers (flight deck, hangar, lifts, catapults) and battleships (eight 356 mm guns). An experiment of this kind had already taken place with the Furies ship during the First World War, but it was precisely an experiment to find the optimal configuration of aircraft carriers at the stage of their formation as a class.
