210 KRĄŻOWNIK PANCERNY IJN KASUGA 1905

Kasuga was a Japanese armored cruiser whose keel was laid in March 1902, launched in October of the same year, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1904. The length of the ship was 111.7 m, width 18.7 m, and displacement - about 7,700 tons. The top speed was around 20 knots. The main armament of the cruiser was a single 245 mm gun and two 203 mm guns, while the secondary armament included: 14 152 mm guns and 10 76 mm guns The Kasuga was ordered by the Japanese side from the Italian Ansaldo shipyard and was constructed as a Garibaldi class vessel. Units of this type were primarily characterized by very good armor and good armament, which were achieved at the expense of lower speed and swimming range. Nevertheless, this class was considered very successful, and units of this type served, among others, in the fleet of Argentina and Italy. The cruiser Kasuga, after a very unusual and exciting transition from Genoa to Yokosuki, was very quickly finished there and took a very active part in the Japanese-Russian war (1904-1905) - she took part in the Battle of Tsushima (1905). The unit also took a limited part, like the entire Japanese Navy, in World War I. Already in 1921, the Kasuga was transformed into a coastal defense ship, and in 1942 it was removed from its weapons and converted into a hulk. In 1945 it was sunk by the American on-board aviation.