Shipbucket

Originally concieved after the Russo-Japanese war the Hachi-Hachi (eight-eight) fleet policy provided the need for two battle groups composed of eight ships each, eight battleships and eight battlecruisers: the plan came into light in 1910 when the four Kongo-class battlecruisers where ordered, followed in the next years by the Fuso and Ise class battleships. The first fulfillment of the hachi-hachi plan was initially cut back by the naval ministry to a four-four plan, only later four more battleships (two Nagato and two Tosa class) where approved to reach an eight-four fleet.
Just after the end of WWI in response to the ambitious capital ship program started by the US navy the Hachi-Hachi fleet plan was proposed once again: Nagato and Tosa class where retained in the program, but other twelve ships where added, four Amagi-class battlecruisers, four of the Kii class and four of the enormous n°13 class battleships. In order to achieve the whole plan by 1927 all ships where already allocated and ordered by october 1921.
Still, the Washington Naval conference called in november, and the subsequent Washington Naval Treaty put an end to the enormous IJN naval armament plan, which saw all the warships planned to be canceled, halted and scrapped (with the exception of the already completed Nagato-class). Only Akagi (a battlecrusier of the Amagi class) and Kaga (a battleship of the Tosa class) managed to live on after being converted into aircraft carriers, the latter just because Amagi, initially planned to be converted in her place, was destroyed during the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923.


The Nagato Class Battleship:
the only battleship class that was ultimately completed, can be found here


The Tosa Class Battleship:
canceled when both ships where less than 5 months before completion, Tosa was used as a target ship, Kaga became an aircraft carrier; carriercan be found here


The Amagi class Battlecruiser:
the first two ships of the Amagi class Battlecruisers, Amagi herself and Akagi, where laid down on december 6th and 16th 1920; by the time the other two, Atago and Takao, where started on november 22nd and december 19th 1921 smoke problems around the bridge where emerging from the trials of the Nagato class Battleships, so the project for the two late ships was revised with the introduction of trunked funnels in order to move the uptakes away from the bridge.




The Kii Class Battleship (initially designed as Battleship A):
the Kii class design was basically a repeat of the Amagi class battlecruisers, the main differences where a thicker armour belt and a slightly inferior top speed.



Battleship B armed with 12x16.1-inch guns in four triple turrets



Battleship C armed with 12x16.1-inch guns in three twin and two triple guns



Battleship D, armed with twelve 16.1-inch guns in six twin turrets, it could be nicknamed "Fuso on steroids" given her resemblance to the early IJN battleship in her main gun layout:



Battleship E, armed with twelve 16.1-inch guns in three quad turrets:



Battleship F, armed with twelve 16.1-inch guns in two twin and two quadruple turrets:



Battleship G, armed with 14x16.1-inch guns in three twin and two quad turrets:



Battleship H, armed with fourteen 16.1-inch guns in one twin and three quad mounts:



Battleship I, armed with sixteen 16-1.inch guns if four quad turrets:



Battleship J, the "Battlecruiser" version of Battleship I featuring the same armament, but with a 12-inch belt compared to ther 13-inch of her sibling:



N°13 class (initially designed as Battleship K), armed with eight 18-inch guns in 4 twin mounts:
Designed by Yuzuru Hiraga, the four planned sister would have been be the first japanese Battleships sporting the massive 18-inch guns in four twin turrets. With a planned top speed of 30 knots they would have been among the fastest and most powerful battleship ever built, their massive dimensions matched only by the Yamato class some 10 years later. Planned to be completed by the late 20's all were canceled because of the Washington Naval Treaty.



Battleship L, armed with ten 18-inch guns in 5 twin mounts:



Battleship M, armed with twelve 18-inch guns in four triple turrets:



Battleship N, armed with thirteen 18-inch guns in two twins and three triple turrets:



Battleship O, armed with six 18-inch guns in three triple turrets, sacrificing armament and armor for a very high top speed of 37 knots:

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My Worklist
Sources and documentations are the most welcome.

-Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)
-Koko's carrier-based aircrafts of WWII
-Koko Kaiun Yuso Kaisha - KoKaYu Line (Koko AU spinoff)
-Koko - Civil Aviation

Great work! Love more IJN 'never weres'!

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MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

#FJB

Eagerly looking forward to this!

Another great thread in the making!

*Happy dance*
I like how they allready here show their fetish for trunked funnels.

Didn`t the Kii design have two funnels? I know that the Tosa were to have one funnel. And the Amagi were to be almost identical to the Kii in most ways.

actually there where to be more differences between the first two ships (Amagi and Akagi) and the other two (Takao and Atago) of the four Amagi class battlecruisers than the Kii class battleships; Amagi and akagi where indeed to be built with two funnels, but starting with Takao it was planned to trunk them into one because of the emerging smoke prolems of the Nagato class and the Kii where supposed to follow the same arrangement (on a speculative side it might be possible that also Amagi and Akagi's funnels would have been trunked once they went into their first refit).


and while i'm at it i've updated the drawing with casemate guns and spotting top now in their place.

_________________
My Worklist
Sources and documentations are the most welcome.

-Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)
-Koko's carrier-based aircrafts of WWII
-Koko Kaiun Yuso Kaisha - KoKaYu Line (Koko AU spinoff)
-Koko - Civil Aviation

Early Amagi design is already done, Did it as part of an "all versions" set for Akagi. Kii looks nice, very nice.

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Worklist: USS Patoka (Dirigible Tender), HIJMS Kaga (Single Deck-As of Midway), HIJMS Kaga (Tosa Class BB), BB-46 rework, CV-3 Saratoga rework, Akagi rework, ZR-2 (R-38)

fine then.
just a last question (i won't bother you more, altough you should have an unread PM i've sent you days ago), the last two amagi class ships, Takao and Atago, where supposed to sport modifications and improvements like the trunked funnels that would have been fitted on the Kii class and thus they would have been closer in appearance to the Kii itself than the first two Amagi; may i do them or is fine like it is now?



meanwhile, i've finished the Kii class drawing and updated it on the first post.

_________________
My Worklist
Sources and documentations are the most welcome.

-Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)
-Koko's carrier-based aircrafts of WWII
-Koko Kaiun Yuso Kaisha - KoKaYu Line (Koko AU spinoff)
-Koko - Civil Aviation

Great work!

_________________

MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

#FJB