Japanese cruiser Atago

Imperial Japanese Navy cruiser Atago in 1939
History
Empire of Japan
Name:	Atago
Namesake:	Mount Atago
Ordered:	1927 fiscal year
Builder:	Kure Naval Arsenal
Laid down:	28 April 1927
Launched:	16 June 1930
Commissioned:	30 March 1932
Fate:	Sunk by USS Darter, 23 October 1944
General characteristics
Class and type:	Takao-class cruiser
Displacement:	9,850 long tons (10,010 t) (standard) 14,616 long tons (14,851 t) (full load)
Length:	203.76 m (668.5 ft)
Beam:	19–20.4 m (62–67 ft)
Draft:	6.11 m (20.0 ft) (standard) 6.32 m (20.7 ft) (full load)
Installed power:	133,100 shp (99,300 kW)
Propulsion:	4 × geared steam turbines 12 × Kampon boilers 4 × shafts
Speed:	34.2–35.5 kn (63.3–65.7 km/h; 39.4–40.9 mph)
Range:	8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement:	773
Armament:	Original Layout: 10 × 20 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval guns (5x2) 4 × 12 cm/45 10th Year Type naval guns (4x1) 2 × 40 mm (1.6 in) anti-aircraft guns (2x1) Type 90 torpedoes (4x2 + 8 reloads) Final Layout: 10 × 20 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval guns (5x2) 8 × Type 89 12.7 cm (5 in) dual purpose guns, (4x2) 60 × Type 96 25 mm (1.0 in) AA guns (4x3, 8x2, 32x1) 4 × Type 93 13.2 mm (0.5 in) AA machine guns Type 93 torpedoes (4x4 + 8 reloads) depth charges
Armor:	Belt: 38–127 mm (1.5–5.0 in) Deck: 37 mm (1.5 in) (main, max); 127–25 mm (5.00–0.98 in) (upper) Bulkheads: 76–100 mm (3.0–3.9 in) Turrets: 1 in (2.5 cm)
Aircraft carried:	3 × floatplanes (1 × Aichi E13A1 "Jake" and 2 × Mitsubishi F1M2 "Pete"s)
Aviation facilities:	2 × catapults

Atago (愛宕^?) was the second vessel in the Takao-class heavy cruisers, active in World War II with the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). These were among the largest and most modern cruisers in the Japanese fleet, designed with the intention to form the backbone of a multipurpose long-range strike force. Her sister ships were Takao, Maya and Chōkai.

The Takao-class ships were approved under the 1927 to 1931 supplementary fiscal year budget, and Atago, like her sister ships, was named after a mountain. In this case, she was named after Mount Atago, located outside Kyoto.

The Takao-class cruisers were an improved version of the previous Myōkō-class cruiser design, incorporating technical elements learned with the development of the experimental light cruiser Yūbari. They had a distinctive profile with a large, raked main smokestack, and a smaller, straight, second smokestack. Intended to address issues with the Myōkō class, the Takao class had thicker armor, dual-purpose main guns which could be used against aircraft, and torpedo launchers moved to the upper deck for greater safety. However, as with its predecessors, the Takao class was also top-heavy.

The Takao class displaced 16,875 t (16,608 long tons). Atago was 203.8 metres (669 ft) long, with a beam of 20.4 metres (67 ft), draft of 6.32 metres (20.7 ft) and was capable of 35.25 knots (65.28 km/h; 40.56 mph).