KG-23 JAPANESE NAVY HEAVY CRUISER MAYA FULL HULL

Maya was a Japanese heavy cruiser the keel of which was laid in 1928, launched in November 1930, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in June 1932. The length of the ship at the time of launching was 203 m, width 18.3 m, and the actual full displacement, after modernization - 15,500 tons. The maximum speed of the Maya cruiser was 35.5 knots. At the time of launching, the main armament was 10 203 mm guns in five turrets of two guns, and the additional armament was, among others: 4 120 mm cannons and 8 610 mm torpedo tubes, later this number was increased to as many as 16 launchers! Maya was the third Takao-class cruiser. Cruisers of this type were built respecting the limitations of the Washington Disarmament Treaty signed by the government in Tokyo in 1922. The ships of this type are clearly based on the design of the Myoko-class cruisers. The changes concerned: the use of new main artillery cannons, improved armor, expansion of the bow superstructure and better layout of the torpedo armament. Emphasis was also placed on high top speed. The pursuit of such extreme goals led to the creation of ships with powerful artillery and torpedo armament, great speed, but with a lower range than assumed, average sea bravery and with considerable stability problems. Subsequent modernizations on the first two ships of this type partially eliminated these disadvantages, but did not completely eliminate them. The Maya combat trail in World War II began as early as December 1941 with support for Japanese landings in the Philippines. Then, until March 1942, Maya fought in the area of the Dutch East Indies. In the summer, he participated in the seizure of the Aleutians, and later fought in the Solomon Islands. In March 1943 he took part in the Battle of the Commander Islands. In the summer of 1944 he fought in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, but, despite high Japanese losses, he survived it. Cruiser Maya was sunk in the course of the fighting in Leyte Bay on October 23, 1944 as a result of a torpedo attack by the USS Dace submarine.