Japanese cruiser Otowa
Otowa in 1905
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| History | |
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 Empire of Japan
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| Name: | Otowa |
| Ordered: | 1897 Fiscal Year |
| Builder: | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, Japan |
| Laid down: | 3 January 1903 |
| Launched: | 2 November 1903 |
| Completed: | 6 September 1904 |
| Struck: | 1 December 1917 |
| Fate: |
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| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Protected cruiser |
| Displacement: | 3,000 long tons (3,048 t) |
| Length: | 98 m (321 ft 6 in) w/l |
| Beam: | 12.62 m (41 ft 5 in) |
| Draft: | 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2-shaft VTE reciprocating engines; 10 boilers; 10,000 hp (7,500 kW); 575 tons coal |
| Speed: | 21 knots (24 mph; 39 km/h) |
| Complement: | 280-312 |
| Armament: | |
| Armor: |
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Otowa (音羽?) was a protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy, designed and built by the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in Japan. The name Otowa comes from a mountain in Kyoto, located behind Kiyomizu-dera. The waters from a waterfall at this temple were traditionally held to be a cure for all illnesses.
Authorized under the 2nd Naval Expansion Program of 1897, Otowa was originally intended to be the third vessel in the Niitaka-class cruiser series. However, due to budget constraints, Otowa was redesigned with 10 percent smaller displacement, and with considerably lighter weaponry. The ship was completed in less than 20 months; its rapid construction time set a new record for Japan. She was laid down on 3 January 1903, launched on 2 November 1903 and completed on 6 September 1904.
Otowa was the first ship to be equipped with the Japanese-designed Kampon water-tube boiler which developed 227 psi (1.57 MPa) compared to the 213 psi (1.47 MPa) pressure of the previous Niclausse boilers in the Niitaka class. The vertical triple expansion steam engines were identical to those of the Niitaka class with a slight increase in power. It was intended that the reduction in armor and armament in Otowa be partially offset by higher speed, but in fact Otowa was only very slightly faster than the Niitaka-class cruisers. Otowa was also the last vessel to be constructed for the Imperial Japanese Navy with a naval ram.
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