IJN Tsugaru (CLE-1936)
The Tsugaru's were a class of small cruisers that were to be used to escort the older capital ships that the Japanese still had in commission. They were to be armed with the older 8" twin turrets removed from the Ibuki class ships when those vessels were converted to ancillary duties. The Ibuki's were one of the types the Tsugaru's were built to escort.
Heavily armed for their size, the dimensions that allowed the ships to carry
that armament was more akin to the armoured cruiser types of the early 1900's
than a modern light cruiser. Side armour was kept to a minimum but a heavier
protective deck was fitted. A heavy AA armament was fitted and the number of
25mm kept growing as space was found to add more triple, twin and single
mountings.
March 2021: I don't know where I got the twin
8" for this drawing (above), but they bear little resemblance to the actual twin
8" shown in the photo below. The next drawing will settle a few faults that I
think I made in the original. I don't mind not having an aircraft aboard, it
would require a large reduction in armament to get it aboard with its handling
equipment and catapult. I put three twin 8" aboard which meant the number of
ships in the class would be limited to two. Armed with two twin 8" each there
could be up to four ships of the class built. Just about all Japanese cruisers
of this time were carrying torpedoes, and if I don't have aircraft I should have
torpedoes.
If the Ibuki class were repurposed 1928-30 then this four ship class would only
have been laid down in the early thirties with completion mid to late thirties.
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Much better balanced with the twin 24" torpedo tubes.
| Displacement | 6,500 tons std, 8,250 tons full load | |
| Length | 438.5 ft | |
| Breadth | 70 ft | |
| Draught | 19 ft | |
| Machinery | 2 shaft Steam turbines, 20,000shp | |
| Speed | 24 knots | |
| Range | 6,500 miles at 18 knots | |
| Armour | 1.5" side, 3" deck, 6" turrets. | |
| Armament | 6 x 8" (3x2) 8 x 5" (4x2) 34 x 25mm (8x3 10x1) |
4 x 8" (2x2) 6 x 5" (3x2) 32 x 25mm (8x3 8x1) |
| Aircraft | nil | |
| Torpedoes | nil | 4 x 24" (2x2) |
| Complement | 410 | |
| Notes | IJN Tsugaru 2 3 4 |
|
Center section of the Ibuki showing the twin 8" removed and fitted to the
Tsugaru class cruisers.
Original drawing used as basis for this class of cruiser.
