IJN Kurama (BC-1911 (ADV-1928))

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Rated as battlecruisers from completion, they were more semi-dreadnought armoured cruisers, which was a bit of a mouth full so the BC designation was probably out of ease of linguistics. As armoured cruisers in the Washington Treaty era they could not have been kept as cruisers and would have had to have been included in the battleship tonnage, an area the Japanese already did not have enough of.

This meant that the Ibuki and Kurama would have to be converted to ancillary duties if the Japanese wished to keep them. Like other ships in this category the Kurama's started their careers as training ships with the 8" side turret guns being removed and boilers being disconnected.



In 1925 the ships were taken in hand for conversion to Area Defence Vessels, which entailed the stripping out of all superstructure from aft of the aftmost funnel, a new hangar and catapults were fitted on the after half of the ships' stern areas. The three funnels were trunked into one to give the ship a more modern look. A cruiser style bridge was fitted. The ships combined the roles of Monitor, Seaplane Carrier and anti-aircraft cruiser in one ship. These were extremely useful ships and were able to carry out the duties as training ships in times of peace.

Original drawing which suffers the same fate as a lot of my earlier efforts - over arming. Trying to do too much on the size of hull. I really was trying to design like a Japanese designer. No extra stability left. My type of turtles.

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