Japanese cruiser Kasuga

) were lost to Russian mines. On the same day, after shelling Port Arthur, the "Kasuga" collided with the protected cruiser , , the lead ship in the second column of the Russian fleet at a range of 7,000 yards, followed by the Russian battleship . During the course of the battle, "Kasuga" fired 50 ten-inch shells and 103 eight-inch shells, and was hit by one 12-inch, one 6-inch (152 mm) and one unidentified shell, none of which affected her efficiency. During the battle, the "Mikasa" and the "Kasuga", as the lead ships in the column, were more heavily damaged.

Shortly after the Battle of Tsushima, the "Kasuga" was assigned to the 3rd Fleet for the invasion and occupation of Sakhalin.

On 7 April 1906, while under the command of Prince Higashifushimi Yorihito in Tokyo Bay, the "Kasuga"’s main gun was accidentally discharged, sending a shell into the grounds of the Imperial Palace, creating considerable alarm.

From 1914, the "Kasuga" participated in World War I, as part of Japan's contribution to the Allied war effort under the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. Initially it was assigned to patrol the sea lanes in southeast Asia, between Amoy and the Philippines, and the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean to protect Allied shipping against German navy raids.

In 1917, its patrol area was shifted to between Saigon and the west coast of Australia, where it ran aground on 26 April 1917. On 11 January 1918, the "Kasuga" accidentally grounded again, this time on a sandbank in the Bangka strait, and had to be towed to Singapore for repairs.

In May 1920, the "Kasuga" voyaged to the United States for the centennial celebrations of Maine state, making numerous port calls along the way.

During the 1920s, "Kasuga" was partially disarmed in compliance with the Washington Naval Treaty, reclassified as a 1st class Coast Defense Ship on 1 September 1921. It was used to transport Japanese soldiers and supplies to Siberia in 1922 as part of Japan's Siberian Intervention, and then designated as a training ship. From 1929 to 1934 it was used to transport troops and supplies to Japan's possessions in the south Pacific.

"Kasuga" almost managed to survive the Pacific War, but was sunk at her mooring at Yokosuka on 18 July 1945 during an air raid by American forces. Its hulk was refloated after the war and broken up for scrap.

Gallery

References

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