Asama class cruiser

Colorized photo of Tokiwa at anchor, before 1905
Class overview
Name:	Asama class
Builders:	Armstrong Whitworth, United Kingdom
Operators:	Imperial Japanese Navy
Preceded by:	None
Succeeded by:	Izumo class
Built:	1897–1899
In commission:	1899–1945
Completed:	2
Scrapped:	2
General characteristics
Type:	Armored cruiser
Displacement:	9,514–9,557 long tons (9,667–9,710 t)
Length:	442 ft 0 in (134.72 m) (o/a)
Beam:	67 ft 2 in (20.48 m)
Draft:	24 ft 3 in–24 ft 5 in (7.4–7.43 m)
Installed power:	18,000 ihp (13,000 kW) 12 Cylindrical boilerss
Propulsion:	2 Shafts 2 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)

The Asama-class cruisers (浅間型装甲巡洋艦, Asama-gata sōkōjun'yōkan) were a pair of armored cruisers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in the late 1890s. As Japan lacked the industrial capacity to build such warships herself, the ships were built in Britain. They were part of the "Six-Six Fleet" expansion program that began after the defeat of China during the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894–95. Between them, the sister ships participated in all four main naval battles of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05—the Battle of Port Arthur, the Battle off Ulsan, the Battle of the Yellow Sea, and the Battle of Tsushima—but played a much more minor role in World War I. Asama ran aground while searching for German commerce raiders in early 1915 and was under repair for the next two years. Tokiwa participated in the Battle of Tsingtao and also searched for commerce raiders. Both ships made training cruises during the war and continued to do so after the war.

Asama continued to make training cruises until she ran aground again in 1935, after which she became a stationary training ship for the rest of her career. Tokiwa was converted into a minelayer in 1922–24. She was placed in reserve in 1927 after she was damaged by an accidental explosion of several mines. The ship became a training minelayer in 1940. During the Pacific War, Tokiwa participated in the occupation of the Gilbert Islands and Rabaul and Kavieng in New Guinea. Damaged by American aircraft shortly afterwards, the ship was forced to return to Japan for repairs. Tokiwa laid minefields during 1944–45 until she was twice damaged by mines in 1945. Shortly before the end of the war, the ship was badly damaged by American aircraft and her crew was forced to beach her. Tokiwa was salvaged in 1947 and subsequently broken up for scrap. Asama survived the war intact and was scrapped in 1946–47.