Lewin of Greenwich Naval History & Forum

Dock workers pictured attaching the armour belt plating to Fleet Carrier Akagi at Kure Naval Arsenal on June 30th 1925.

Nice find Brian!! Great detail shot of her fitting out.....

Here she is in 1929, apparently still being worked on. Note the two twin 7.9" turrets are not on her yet........ DFO

River Gunboat Atami pictured on completion, departing from her builders Mitsui & Co Ltd Shipyards, West Tokyo on July 3rd 1929. She operated on the Yangtze River during the 1930s, and during the Second Sino-Japanese War. After World War II, she entered service with the Republic of China Navy as Yong Ping (永平), but was captured by the Chinese communists at the end of Chinese Civil War, and entered People's Liberation Army Navy as Wu Jiang (乌江). She was finally scrapped in the 1960s.

Post war view of HARUNA hulk......... DFO

Hatsuharu Class Destroyer Nenohi (pennant No 21) pictured fitting out at Kure Naval Arsenal on July 9th 1934..She was torpedoed and sunk by Tambor Class Submarine USS Triton on July 4th 1942. Two No 13A Class Minesweepers are pictured under refit (left) with an unidentified Hatsuharu Class astern of Nenohi.

Here is the little RYUJO under construction in 1933............ DFO

Seaplane Carrier Chitose pictured on sea trials off Kure Naval Arsenal on July 18th 1938...In her initial guise as a Seaplane Carrier, she first saw service during the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1938, and subsequently played a key role in the IJN's development of a network of seaplane bases on the islands of the Pacific Ocean. After the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific, she took part in the Philippines campaign, the Dutch East Indies campaign, the Battle of Midway, and the Guadalcanal campaign, during which she was damaged in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and also saw service related to the Battle of Cape Esperance.
Chitose was converted into a Light Aircraft Carrier during 1943, and subsequently took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. She was sunk in the Battle off Cape Engaño, one of several actions that made up the Battle of Leyte Gulf, on October 25th 1944.

River Gunboat Ataka pictured post refit at Kure Naval Arsenal....She operated on the Yangtze River during the 1930s, and during the Second Sino-Japanese War. On May 20th 1933 Ataka was incorporated into the 3rd Fleet, as flagship of the 11th Gunboat Sentai. Based in Shanghai during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Ataka was ceded to the Republic of China Navy as War Reparations on September 17th 1945.

Experimental Light Cruiser Yūbari pictured at Sasebo Naval Arsenal on July 31st 1923..She was a test bed for various new designs and technologies, she was commissioned as a front-line warship and participated in numerous combat operations during WWII before she was sunk by Gato Class Submarine USS Bluegill on April 28th 1944... The designs pioneered on Yūbari had a major impact on future Japanese warship designs.

Dreadnought Battleships Nagato (leading) and Fusō pictured from Kirishima during 4th Fleet exercises pictured off Honshu in August 1933...playing the role of the opposition force under the command of Hajime Matsushita. While participating in field manoeuvres, the Fourth Fleet became caught in extremely foul weather. The weather continued to deteriorate and by September 26th had reached typhoon status. Two of the newer, large Special Type Destroyers, the Hatsuyuki and the Yūgiri, had their bows torn away by the heavy seas. A number of recently built Heavy Cruisers also suffered significant structural damage. The Myōkō, the Mogami and the Submarine Tender Taigei developed serious cracks in their hulls, and the Light Aircraft-Carriers Hōshō and Ryūjō suffered damage to their flight decks and superstructure, with the Ryūjō also having her hangar section flooded. The Minelayer Itsukushima suffered damage that required several months for extensive repairs, necessitating a near complete rebuild. Nearly all the fleet's destroyers suffered damage to their superstructures, and fifty-four crewmen were lost, swept overboard or killed outright.
The Japanese Admiralty held a hearing on the damage suffered by Fourth Fleet in the storm, resulting in recommendations for changes on Japanese warship design and construction. A number of new designs that used heavier guns and taller superstructures were found to be top heavy, and efforts were made to stabilize these ships by reducing weight above the waterline. In addition, cracks in the hulls of the new Cruisers indicated the recently adopted practice of electric welding hull seams was suspect, and the practice was canceled on all new Japanese warship construction. The event was kept a secret from the public.