IJN LIGHT CRUISER JINTSU

Jintsu was a Japanese light cruiser the keel of which was laid in 1922, launched in December 1923, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in July 1925. The ship was 152.4 m long, 14.2 m wide, and her displacement was 5,200 tons. Cruiser Jintsu's top speed was 35.3 knots. At the time of launching, the main armament was 7 140 mm guns in single positions, and the additional armament was, among others: 2 80 mm anti-aircraft guns and 8 610 mm torpedo tubes. Jintsu was the second Sendai-class cruiser. Cruisers of this type were designed from the beginning as the so-called "Leaders" or guides of a destroyer flotilla. Therefore, when designing them, the emphasis was on high speed at the expense of armor. They were also very often the flagships of the light ships of the Japanese fleet. The combat career of cruiser Jintsu in World War II began in December 1941 with support for the Japanese landing in the Philippines. In February 1942, he took an active part in the Battle of the Java Sea, which ended with the full success of the Japanese forces. From the summer of 1942, he was involved in the fighting in the Guadalcanal area - most often as a ship protecting the convoys going to the island. In the course of the fighting, the Jintsu was badly damaged and was repaired until January 1943. In July of that year, he took part in the Battle of Colombangara in the Solomon Islands archipelago, where he was sunk on July 13, 1943.