Lewin of Greenwich Naval History & Forum

Alas the poor ol IWATE wasn't looking to good in 1945...... DFO

The forward turret and superstructure battle damage to Kasuga Class Armored Cruiser IJNS Nisshin after her gun turret barrels burst during the Battle of Tsushima in May 1905. The explosion badly wounded Ensign and future Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who lost two fingers on his left hand. May 1905.

Here is the old ASAMA; she also survived into WW2............DFO

specs (Wiki):

Class and type: Asama-class armored cruiser
Displacement: 9,710 t (9,560 long tons)
Length: 134.72 m (442 ft 0 in) (o/a)
Beam: 20.48 m (67 ft 2 in)
Draft: 7.43 m (24 ft 5 in)
Installed power: 18,000 ihp (13,000 kW)
12 Cylindrical boilerss

Propulsion: 2 Shafts
2 Vertical triple-expansion steam engines

Speed: 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Range: 10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement: 676
Armament: 2 × twin 20.3 cm/45 Type 41 naval guns
14 × single QF 6 inch /40 naval guns
12 × single QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval guns
8 × single QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss guns
5 × single 457 mm (18.0 in) torpedo tubes

Armor: Waterline belt: 89–178 mm (3.5–7.0 in)
Deck: 51 mm (2.0 in)
Gun Turret: 160 mm (6.3 in)
Barbette: 152 mm (6.0 in)
Casemate: 51–152 mm (2.0–6.0 in)
Conning tower: 356 mm (14.0 in)
Bulkhead: 127 mm (5.0 in)

Ibuki Class Armoured Cruiser IJNS Kurama pictured at Port Said in 1911.

Lead Ship,Training Ship,Armoured Cruiser IJNS Aso (Former IRN Bayan) seen at Fremantle in 1915.

Lead Ship,Armoured Cruiser IJNS Izumo seen in June 1918.

Kasuga Class Armoured Cruiser Nisshin seen at Kure on June 24th 1905.Built at Gio.Ansaldo & Company Shipyards,Sestri Ponente,Genoa,where the type was known as the Garibaldi Class.She was originally ordered for the Argentine Navy,but lessening of tensions with Chile and financial pressures caused the Argentinians to sell her before completion.At this time tensions between Japan and Russia were rising,she was offered to both sides before she was purchased by the Japanese in 1904.

Here is ASAMA in Boston, 1927. Look at that "yummy" coal fired air, makes LA in 60s look clean!......... DFO

Armoured Cruisers Asama and Iwate visit Wellington,NZ in 1932.

Lead Ship,Armoured Cruiser Ibuki pictured c1909.