Myoko Class Heavy Cruiser - The Redux.

Why this thread? well everything started about two weeks ago with a message by Bezobrazov, who correctly pointed me out that some of my Myoko class drawings lacked the post-refit heightened fore funnels, so while i was at it i made an accurate re-check of the drawings with the hhelp of the extra sources i stubled upon while working on the other IJN CAs later on, mostly the famous "cruiser Bible" (Japanese Cruisers Of The Pacific War) wich was not already avaliable to me when i worked on the Myokos.
While i've noticed that some other of my earlier cruisers may need som fixes, those concern only smaller details (almost entierely like the sealing off portholes in late-war)while everything else was prefectly fine, the Myoko class drawings emerged as quite flawled by a long streak of mistakes, like wrong funnels, rangefinders, directors, steam pipes positions and other smaller details wich coupled together have made me want to correct them all at once, mostly also because some of the earlier sources i worked with and appeared to be correct where later wronged by new ones and photo evidence or have been missed entierely (like the fore-funnel extension!

).
I'd like also to apologize for having submitted uncorrect drawings before start posting the new ones, check also my previous Myoko Class thread for further informations about the former drawings:

So, let's start fromt he beginning.

Nachi as of 1928:

this one was accompained by the following text, a catapult offest to starboard was fitted and two Nakajima E2N1 floatplanes composed the cruisers airwing.
Despite not beign the lead ship of the class Nachi was completed in november 1928, 5 months before any other ship and almost 8 before Myoko.
but what's the reason for this? well' that's also one of the reasons why it's probably the most uncorrect one.
Nachi was infact commissioned so early for a mere political reason, her construction was hasted in order to be present for the Emperor Hirohito's (Showa) upcoming Coronation Naval Review to be attended by warships from Great Britian and other countries; so offically Nachi was commissioned on november 26th 1928 and attended the december 4th Coronation Review as scheduled, but she was instead quite far from completion:
[ img ]

no catapult (wich was also the wrong model) and neither Nakajima E2N seaplanes where on board, the main gun director was also not already fitted on top of the bridge, moreover one of the late-changes made to the Myokos while they where under construction was not already fitted, the shelter deck extension abreast the bridge and the fore funnel; this particular feature was added to make up for the loss of crew space after the twelve (six on each side) fixed torpedo tubes initially not supposed to be carried where added in four triple sets above the engine room.
Other errors concerned about the mainmast not correctly painted black, a wrong steam pipe layout on the fore funnel, the lower row of the scuttled wich ended too far towards the bow (Myoko and Ashigara had them, but both in Nachi and Haguro they ended rougly where the turret 1 guns muzzles where), the 1,5 meter navigation rangefinder placed wrongly and having a different shape than the one really fitted, and the 3,5 meter rangefinder completely missing (an error present on every other Myoko class drawing i've made).

In order to also show a Myoko class cruiser as completed i added a new drawing For Myoko as of 1930:
[ img ]

the reason i've chosen Myoko is because during her fist years of operation she still not carried the planned Nakajima E2N but a single Yokousa E1Y, wich was too heavy to be operated by the Kure type 1 Catapult fitted on board, so it had to be lowered in the water every time.
here the shelter deck addition, the longer row of lower portholes at the bow and the main gun director finally in place can bee seen.

Haguro as of 1932:

This drawing was originally posted by me as Haguro 1930, but as Bezobrazov also suggested to me it looked way too similar to the earlier Nachi drawing i've done, so a good option would have been showing the ship in 1932, just after the fore-funnel was heightened in order to keep the smoke away from the bridge.
[ img ]

on Haguro other then the funnel thing the errors concerned the lower scuttles at the bow again, the presence of a second Nakajima E2N (the Myokos originally operated only one despite the planned complement was supposed to be two), the catapult beign a type 2 instead of a type 1 and the steam pipe layout on the front funnel; also the 4.7-inch (120mm) guns where now enclosed

Myoko also got a new drawing, showing her as of 1936:
[ img ]

the drawing shos her after her first main modernization, wich resulted in her having a different appearance from that of her siters; the HA director tower fitted abreast the aft-funnel was not moved, bridge modification where less extensive with the 60cm signaling seachlight not relocated and the older director not beign replaced at the top of the fire control platforms, the airwing is composed by Kawanishi E7K and Nakajima E8N and two Kure type 2 catapults replaced the single type 1 one, the light anti-aircraf armament by two quadruple 13mm machine guns placed abreast the fore-funnel and two 7.7mm lewis machine guns placed on sposnons areast the bridge structure, moreover the openings for the fore quadruple torpedo tube launchers where arleady there, Nachi had them too but not Ashigara and Haguro.

Ashigara as of 1937:

here the Ariwing was wrong, there where no Nakajima E4N on board, but at least one Kawanishi E7K and two Nakajima E8N like on Myoko, the type 94 director with rangefinder on top of the bridge was also completely wrong, as the anti-aircraft armament i gave her, twin 25mm and twin 13mm ones, it was instead the same fitted on Myoko quadruple 13mm and single 7.7mm ones, also from this point on all the former drawings sports the worng fore-funnel as it retains the pre-1932 height while it was instead raised.
[ img ]

Ashigara was refitted more extensively than Myoko, recieved a type 94 main gun director fitted with a 6 meter rangefinder on top of the bridge, the 60cm signaling searchlight was relocated higher in the bridge and the manmast derrick was replaced by a stronger built-up one in place of the former pole one.

Ashigara at the Spithead Coronation review:

this drawing had roughly the same errors of the standard 1937 one, the main difference was in the type 94 director, when Ashigara went to europe the 6 meter rangefinder was not yet in place.
[ img ]

Two Nakajima E8N where on board, not two Nakajima E4N; my error here generates mainly by the fact that i had to guess the plaes from pictures, both had the same light paint scheme, both where biplanes, and both had a bigger central float and two small ones under the wing, i've must have checked a bit more accurately...

Nachi as of 1941:

here other than the usual scuttle error at the bow, the wrong main gun director and the wrong mainmast derrick i missed the entire lower row of portholes at the stern and all the ones on the upper deck back of turret five, an error that went on tho the other wartime drawings; the airwing was also wrong, beign too early for the Aichi E13A1 and Mitsubishi F1M2.
[ img ]

nothing much else to say about this revised drawings, other than i was able to use the Nkajima E8N with camo paintjob.

A new drawing for Myoko as of 1942:

even after her second refit Myoko looked different from her sisters, the type 94 main gun director and the 6 meter rangefinder where fitted separatedly on top of the bridge structure and the 3,5 meter rangefinders fitted on both sides of the bridge where removed, the HA rangefinder fitted abreast the aft-funnel was moved forward and a machine gun director added in it's place, a degaussing cable added and the Mitsubishi F1M2 floatplane embarked.

Myoko as of 1944:

here i've got errors at the scuttles, also i've failed to remove the aft set of torpedo tubes, other errors resolved in the previous 1942 drawing was the removal of the 3,5 meter rangefinder.
[ img ]

another missing piece was the fitting of depth charges at the stern, portholes here sealed off to improve watertight integrity.

Nachi as of 1944:

errors where mainly the same s Myoko.
[ img ]

Nothing else to say here.

Haguro as of 1944:

the main diference and error on the 1944 Haguro was that i did not remove the 3,5 meter rangefinder fitted abreast the bridge structure; strangely here i got the torpedo tubes removal in the right way.
[ img ]

Other than the usual aforementioned errors for the other Myokos (like depth charge absence, scuttle and director errors and wrong funnel) and nothing alse to say, except that Haguro degaussing cable differed slighty from that of Nachi.

Ashigara 1944:

The type 13 air search rdar was placed wrongly, Nachi was the only Myoko class cruiser to have it placed on the foremast, the other three have it fitted on the mainmast, altough in Ashigara it's placement was slighy tifferent from that of Haguro and Myoko.
[ img ]

nothing to add about the usual set of error wich was present on the drawing, i've just chosen to depict Ashigara in early-mid 1944 instead of late 1944, to show her before the last refit during wich the forward searchlights and the aft torpedo tubes where removed.

Haguro 1945:

Here instead smaller detals where corect, while bigger ones not, like the usual streak of wrong funnel, scuttles, directos and the like....
[ img ]

i've also changed the description a bit (actually i've done that on the old drawing also before the uploading session), as it's untrue that Haguro did not recieve battle damage repairs, simply the damaged guns from turret 2 where never replaced as they where not avaliable in Singapore.

So, here i'm done, so the Myokos are now free from major errors, Thanks to Bezo for the help

Shipbucket

Myoko Class Heavy Cruiser - The Redux.

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