JAPANESE SHIP MUTSU 1942

Mutsu was a Japanese battleship laid under the keel in 1918, launched in May 1920, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in November 1921. The ship was 224 meters long, 34 meters wide, and had a full displacement of 42,800 tons. The maximum speed of battleship Mutsu was around 25-26 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 8 410 mm guns in four turrets, two guns each, and the additional armament was mainly 20 140 mm guns. Mutsu was the second and final Nagato-class battleship. The Nagato type was the first series of battleships whose main artillery exceeded the caliber of 400 mm. In the interwar period, Mutsu was modernized twice, which led to the removal of the front chimney, a far-reaching change of the front superstructure, the installation of a new fire control system and the de facto change of the entire engine room. Catapults for seaplanes have also been added. During World War II, Mutsu did not take part in the fighting extensively. During the Battle of Midway (June 1942), he was part of the Main Force, but did not actually take any part in the battle. At the turn of 1942/1943, it sailed in the Guadalcanal area, but again it was not put into action. On June 8, 1943, probably due to the negligence of the crew, the battleship Mutsu was struck by a powerful explosion associated with the loading of main artillery ammunition on board, which quickly led to its sinking.