Satsuma class battleship

The nihongo|"Satsuma" class|薩摩型戦艦|Satsuma-gata senkan was a two-ship class of semi-dreadnought battleships of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The "Satsuma" class vessels were the first battleships to be built for Japan exceeding 20,000 tons displacement, and marked a transitional stage between the pre-dreadnought and true dreadnought design.

Background

"Satsuma" and "Aki" were ordered under in 1905 Emergency Fleet Expansion Program during the height of the Russo-Japanese War. Unlike the previous "Katori" class battleships, the "Satsuma" class vessels were ordered from Japanese naval shipyards, and consequently their production took time as the Japanese naval engineers and builders had a steep learning curve to follow. Both ships were completed too late to participate in the Russo-Japanese War.

Design

The basic design of the "Satsuma"-class followed that of the Royal Navy's new "Lord Nelson" class battleships. Naval strategists felt that future battles would be fought at longer ranges with bigger guns than ever before. As a result, less attention was paid to secondary and tertiary armaments, which might never be put into use. Armor protection on the other hand was seriously considered since larger projectiles were anticipated.

"Satsuma" was differentiated from her sister ship "Aki" by the location of its smokestacks. "Aki"'s third stack was further apart from her second. Due to a delay in construction, "Aki" was completed with turbine engines, one of the world's first capital ships to be so equipped.

Armament

When the "Satsuma" was laid down in 1905, it was intended to be the first "all big-gun" battleship in the world, predating the famous HMS Dreadnought. However, the cost of the Russo-Japanese War nearly ruined Japan, so it was completed with only four Type 41 12 inch 45 caliber naval guns as its main battery and the amidships guns were reduced in size to the Type 41 10 inch 45 caliber naval guns as a cost saving measure. These guns were mounted two per turret; one centerline forward, one centerline aft and six in amidship turrets, three to port and starboard.

Secondary armament was light, as per the previous "Aki" class design, with 12 Type 41 3-inch /40-caliber naval guns, commonly known as "twelve pounders" to counter torpedo boat attacks, plus an additional four Type 41 3-inch /25-caliber naval guns.

Propulsion

The engines on "Satsuma" were four cylinder VTE steam engines with water tube boilers and two screws. The engines produced Auto shp|17300|-1 horsepower, yielding a design speed of convert|18.5|kn|km/h|0; The engines on "Aki" were coal-fired Brown Curtiss turbine engines with 16 Miyabara water tube boilers. The engines produced Auto shp|20000|-1, yielding a design speed of convert|20.5|kn|km/h|0.

Ships in class

* " Satsuma " Commissioned on 1910-03-15, "Satsuma" played a minor role in World War I, patrolling sea lanes in the South China Sea and Yellow Sea, assisting in the occupation of the Caroline Islands, and in the Battle of Tsingtao. She was expended as a target in 1924 to comply with the provisions of the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty.

* " Aki"Commissioned on 1912-07-01, "Aki" played a minor role in World War I. She was disarmed as part of Japan's compliance with the Washington Naval Agreement and was expended as a target in 1924.

References

*cite book
last = Brown
first = D. K.
year = 1999
title = Warrior to Dreadnought, Warship Development 1860-1906
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 1-84067-529-2
*cite book
last = Evans
first = David
year = 1979
title = Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941
publisher = US Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 0870211927
*cite book
last = Howarth
first = Stephen
year = 1983
title = The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The Drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895-1945
publisher = Atheneum
location =
id = ISBN 0689114028
*cite book
last = Jentsura
first = Hansgeorg
year = 1976
title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 087021893X

External links

*http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0117.htm Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/japan/satsuma-bb.htm Global Security site]