IJN Asahi

IJN Asahi Story

The IJN Asahi is a former dreadnought serving in the Imperial Japanese Navy. It saw extensive combat in the war with Russia, where it suffered damage from some landmines, but survived the conflict and wars during World War II. The Asahi was the first effort to advance Japanese naval supremacy.

If ordered, she had to be built in the UK, as no Japanese shipyard was able to build such a ship.

The shape of the Asahi warship is characterized by its double funnels and double masts. Before being disarmed in 1923, she mounted her 4 x 12-inch main guns in two turrets, one for the other. Her machine originally consisted of a reciprocating VTE engine powered by no less than 25 Belleville-class boilers, producing 15,000 horsepower when turning two propeller shafts. It has a reported top speed of 18 knots and a surface range of over 10,000 miles.

836 crew members operate the ship.

Prior to disarmament in 1923, the armament of the Japanese Army was centered on the 4 x 12" main gun, supplemented by a range of other weapons including 14 x 6" guns, 20 x 3 pounders and 12 x 3 pounders x 2. 5-pounder gun. The Asahi could also deploy up to 5 x 457 mm torpedoes for anti-ship missions and carry 2 x 3 inch anti-aircraft guns (the latter after an overhaul in 1917).

During the interwar period, the Asahi was converted into a submarine recovery ship. To do this, one of their chimneys had to be removed and their 25 boilers now only have 4 Kapon brand types. She was also equipped with a crane and served in various naval experiments.

By World War II, the Asahi was operational - now with little to no her original warship armament - and was relegated to a submarine supplier (she has been a submarine supplier since 1937). On May 25, 1942, she was witnessed and sunk by the US Navy submarine USS Salmon in the South China Sea in the Pacific Theater.

She was hit by two torpedoes and disappeared shortly after, with 582 crew members surviving.

IJN Asahi ordered in 1896 and laid the following year. Construction was undertaken by John Brown & Company in the UK, while design was undertaken by G.C. Macrow. The ship was launched in 1899 and officially commissioned in 1900 when it arrived in Japanese waters.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing