Japanese corvette Amagi

nihongo|"IJN Amagi"|天城 (スループ)|Amagi suru-pu　was a wooden armed sloop in the early Imperial Japanese Navy, and was the third vessel built by the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal after its acquisition by the Meiji government. When built, "Amagi" was the largest warship yet produced domestically in Japan. "Amagi" was named after the Mount Amagi, in Shizuoka Prefecture.

History

Although often described by the rather ambiguous terms "gunboat" or "corvette", "Amagi" was designed as a three-masted bark-rigged sloop. Made mostly of pine wood, the wooden beams and metal fittings came from the mountains of central Izu Peninsula, which also provided the ship with its name.

With heightened tensions with Korea after the assassination of several members of the Japanese embassy, "Amagi" was assigned to patrols of the Korean coast in the summer of 1882.

"Amagi" saw combat service in the First Sino-Japanese War, at the Battle of Lushunkou, Battle of Weihaiwei and the Battle of Yalu River (1894). After the war, "Amagi" was designated a second-class gunboat, and was used for coastal patrol duties. At that time, it underwent refit in Kobe.

During the Russo-Japanese War, "Amagi" was based as a guard ship at Yokohama port, however, before the end of the war it was declared obsolete and was struck from the Navy list on 14 June 1905. It was scrapped in 1908.

References

*Chesneau, Roger and Eugene M. Kolesnik (editors), "All The World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905", Conway Maritime Press, 1979 reprinted 2002, ISBN 0-85177-133-5
*Jentsura, Hansgeorg. Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945. Naval Institute Press (1976). ISBN 087021893X

External links

*cite web
last = Nishida
first = Hiroshi
url = http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0612.htm
title = Materials of IJN
format =
work = Imperial Japanese Navy
accessdate = 2007-08-03