TOKU-73 IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY AIRCRAFT CARRIER CRUISER MOGAMI 1944

Mogami was a Japanese heavy cruiser whose keel was laid in 1931, launched in March 1934, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in July 1935. The length of the ship was 201 m, width 18 m, and the actual displacement, after modifications - 13,400 tons. The maximum speed of the cruiser Mogami was approximately 34-35 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. The Mogami was the first cruiser of the type to bear the same name - ie the Mogami. Cruisers of this type were originally built light to meet the requirements of the Washington Disarmament Treaty of 1922. Moreover, at the time of launch, they displaced only 9,500 tons, instead of the 10,000 tons provided for by that treaty for cruisers. At the same time, they had powerful artillery in the form of as many as 15 155 mm cannons in five turrets of three guns each! The Japanese designers, however, assumed a later retrofitting of this type of units with 203 mm guns already at the design stage, which actually happened later. As one of the first Japanese ships, welding techniques were used in their construction, but due to the low experience of the shipyards in this field, it led to problems in operation - as did the wrong center of gravity. In the course of modernization, these defects were removed on all units of this type. The battle route of the cruiser Mogami in World War II began in December 1941 with support for Japanese actions in the area of French Indochina. At the turn of 1941/1942, Mogami continued to support and cover Japanese landings, but already in today's Indonesia. In February 1942, the cruiser fought in the Sunda Strait. He also took part in the Battle of Midway (June 1942), where while making a turn, he hit the side of the cruiser "Mikuma" with its stem. Due to heavy damage, it was directed to Japan, where the stern artillery towers were removed from it and the number of seaplanes carried was increased. Cruiser Mogami sank on October 25, 1944 during the Battle of Leyte Bay.