WL345 JAPANESE NAVY HEAVY CRUISER FURUTAKA

Furutaka was a Japanese heavy cruiser the keel of which was laid in 1922, launched in February 1925, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in March 1926. The length of the ship was 185 m, width 16.9 m, and full displacement - 10,300 tons. The maximum speed of the Furutaka cruiser was around 33 knots. At the outbreak of World War II, the main armament was 6 203 mm guns in three twin turrets, and the additional armament included: 4 120 mm cannons and 8 610 mm torpedo tubes. Furutaka was the first cruiser of the type to bear the same name - ie, Furutaka. Cruisers of this type were the first modern heavy cruisers used by the Japanese Navy. When designing them, the restrictions resulting from the Washington Treaty signed by the authorities in Tokyo in 1922 were also respected. Despite the limitations, the Furutaka-class ships were considered successful - with good main armament, and above all, high maximum speed for the 1920s and 1930s. The combat career of the cruiser Furutaka in World War II began in December 1941 with supporting Japanese landing operations in the region of the Guam and Wake islands. Shortly thereafter, it covered landings in the Solomon Islands and New Guinea. The cruiser also took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 1942), and shortly thereafter - in one of the most famous light force battles in the Pacific - the Battle of Savo Island in August 1942. The last battle of the ship was the battles near Cape Esperance, where, after being hit by approx. 90 artillery shells and one torpedo, it sank on October 12, 1942.