Japanese cruiser Isuzu
Isuzu after modification at Mitsubishi Yokohama in 1944
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| History | |
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 Empire of Japan
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| Name: | Isuzu |
| Ordered: | 1920 Fiscal Year (1918 “8-6 Fleet” Plan) |
| Builder: | Uraga Dock Company |
| Laid down: | 10 August 1920 |
| Launched: | 29 October 1921 |
| Commissioned: | 15 August 1923 |
| Struck: | 20 June 1945 |
| Fate: |
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| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Nagara-class cruiser |
| Displacement: | 5,570 long tons (5,659 t) normal |
| Length: | |
| Beam: | 14.2 m (46 ft 7 in) |
| Draft: | 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 36 knots (41 mph; 67 km/h) |
| Range: | 6,000 nmi (11,000 km) at 14 kn (26 km/h) |
| Complement: | 450 |
| Armament: |
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| Aircraft carried: | 1 x floatplane |
| Aviation facilities: | 1x aircraft catapult |
Isuzu (五十鈴?) was the second of six vessels in the Nagara class of light cruisers, and like other vessels of her class, she was intended for use as the flagship of a destroyer flotilla. She was named after the Isuzu River, near Ise Shrine in the Chūbu region of Japan. She saw action during World War II in the Battle of Hong Kong and in the Solomon Islands campaign, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf before being sunk by American submarines in the Netherlands East Indies in April 1945.
Following the production of the five Kuma-class cruisers, an additional three 5,500-ton class light cruisers authorized under the 8-4 Fleet Program were ordered by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1920. Due to minor changes in design, primarily due to advances in torpedo technology, these three vessels were initially designated as “modified Kuma-class”, or “5500-ton class Type II”, before being re-designated as a separate class named after the lead vessel, Nagara. A second set of three vessels was authorized in late 1920.
The Nagara-class vessels were essentially identical to the previous Kuma-class cruisers, retaining the same hull design, engines and main weaponry, with the addition of the new 610 mm Type 93 Long Lance Torpedoes, which required a larger launcher. However, in silhouette, a major difference from the Kuma class was in the configuration of the bridge, which incorporated an aircraft hangar. Initially, a 33-foot (10 m) platform was mounted above the No.2 turret, extending over the forward superstructure below the bridge. This was later replaced by an aircraft catapult. Even so, the arrangement proved unwieldy, and the catapult was moved to the rear of each ship in the class, between the No.5 and No.6 turrets during retrofits in 1929-1934. Isuzu underwent a number of wartime modifications to increase her number of anti-aircraft guns, and to replace her twin torpedo launchers with a single quadruple aft mount. From May – September 1944, she was converted into a dedicated anti-aircraft cruiser, during which her entire main battery, torpedo launchers and aircraft catapults were removed, and replaced by three twin-mount 12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval guns, and a Type 94 high angle fire control system and Type 13 and Type 22 radars were added.
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Wikipedia