Shipbucket

well, here is Yura as of 1930 finally completed then:



and also,

Nagara as of 1922:


Abukuma as of 1925:


Yura as of 1927:

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Beautiful drawing....
but which is the porpuse of the ramp above ''B'' gun?

it was concieved as a take-off platform for the spotting planes (whose hangar was located in the bridge structure despite none of the cruisers recieved one before 1927), altough it proved quite quickly to be completely useless; various catapults types and layouts where tested (like the 1930 Yura shows) but eventually all cruisers where fitted with a standard type 2 catapult placed just forward of the mainmast in the early 30's, and the hangar space in the supertructure was converted into additional bridge space (and the ramp removed).

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well, the first was not initially planned to be drawn, but i've decided to do it anyway... and i have to draw another plane.. .

Yura as of 1931:
the original foldable spring catapult was replaced by a standard model 2 one, still fitted on the take-off platform, the bridge structure was extended aft towards the tripod, and the cruiser embarked one of the two Yokosuka K4Y prototypes in order to test it's handling and performance before i't entry in service with the IJN as the main floatplane trainer aircraft.


Natori as of 1932:
she was the first Nagara class cruiser to underwent modifications between july 1931 and september 1932, the hangar was removed and converted into bridge space, a 4 meter-rangefinder fitted above the bridge, lookout posts where added port and starboard of the superstructure, a wireless room added between the tripod legs, fire control platforms where enlarged and a lookout post added; two lewis 7.7 machine guns where added, a kure type 2 catapult fitted between n°5 and n°6 5.5-inch (140mm) gun mounts, the original pole mainmast was replaced with a tripod one equipped with a derrick for seaplane operations, another lookout post was added to the new mainmast and two 90cm searhlights replaced the single original one; a Nakajima E4N seaplane was embarked as the reckon unit.
also the main deck was extended to port (hence not showing on drawing) from abaft the torpedo launchers to just before the n°7 gun mount.

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A very odd class, nice job BB1987!

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"If people never did silly things nothing intelligent would ever get done." ~Ludwig Wittgenstein

Nagara as of 1934:
she was refitted in three phases between 1931 and 1934 on the same lines of Natori, altough some details differed; the take-off platform forward of the bridge was removed, the rangefinder was a 4,5 meter one (instead the 4meter on Natori), the original two single 3-inch (76mm) anti-aircraft guns where replaced by two twin 13mm machine guns, the main deck was extended to starboard (it was port on Natori), and a single 90cm searchlight was retained on the new fitted tripod (Natori had two), the derrick for the floatplanes was also different.



Isuzu as of 1934:
refitted like Nagara she differed just because the searchlight platform ont he mainmast was positioned higher.

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awesome!

I am floored...I leave this thread alone for a few hours and it breeds like bunnies! Great job!

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MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

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Abukuma as of 1933:
on october 20th 1930 during night training manouvers Abukuma slammed into the side of Kitakami (a Kuma class light cruiser), the collision left only minor damage on Kitakami, but Abukuma completely lost her bow back to the n°1 5.5-inch (140mm) gun mount), luckily the bulkheads did not fail and the crippled cruiser was towed to Tateyama by Battleship Mutsu; Abukuma was then towed to Yokosuka for temporary repairs, and then to Kure.
when the cruiser exited the drydock in late 1931 her profile has become uniqe for the Nagara class, she was in fact fitted with a clipper bow, much like the one sported by the Naka (a Sendai class light cruiser), making her istantly recognizable from her sisters,
Abukuma then entered drydock again in december 1932 to bemodernized, work where completed by march 1933, her refit was much on the lines of Natori, altough with some differences: the lookout posts on the sides of the bridge where positioned forward and slight lower than the ones on Natori, rangefinder was a 3,5 meter one and the platform for the 60cm signaling searchlight was retained, the wireless room was bigger and the derrick on the mainmast was of the same type wich will be fitted on Nagara and Isuzu; still, her most distinctive feature remained the bow.

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

Nice!

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MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

#FJB