WL333 IJN CRUISER MYOKO

Myoko was a Japanese heavy cruiser whose keel was laid in 1924, launched in April 1927, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in July 1929. The ship was 204 m long, 17 m wide, and the actual full displacement was 13,500 tons. The cruiser Myoko's maximum speed was 36 knots. At the outbreak of World War II, the main armament was 10 203 mm guns in five twin turrets, and the additional armament included: 8 127 mm guns and 12 610 mm torpedo tubes. Myoko was the first cruiser of the type to bear the same name - ie Myoko. Cruisers of this type were officially built to meet the requirements of the Washington Disarmament Treaty signed by the authorities in Tokyo in 1922, but in fact significantly exceeded its displacement and armament limits. Undoubtedly, the Myoko-type units were very successful: at the time of launching, they had clearly more powerful artillery armaments than their Royal Navy or US Navy counterparts, and also had very high speed. The combat career of the cruiser Myoko began during the Sino-Japanese conflict, when, among others, in February 1939, he supported the landing on the island of Hainan. The cruiser combat trail in World War II began in December 1941 with support for Japanese landing operations in the Philippines. Myoko also took an active part in the victorious Battle of the Java Sea in February 1942. By contrast, Myoko's participation in the Battle of Midway was only indirect. On the other hand, during the battles for Gudalcanal, the cruiser played a very significant role. In 1944, Myoko took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the Battle of Leyte Bay. The cruiser survived the Pacific War and was sunk by the British in 1946.