Japanese cruiser Takao (1930)

Takao on trials in 1932
History
Empire of Japan
Name:	Takao
Namesake:	Mount Takao
Ordered:	early 1927
Builder:	Yokosuka Naval Arsenal
Laid down:	28 April 1927
Launched:	12 May 1930
Commissioned:	20 May 1932
Struck:	3 May 1947
Captured:	Surrendered to British forces on 5 September 1945
Fate:	Sunk as target ship on 19 October 1946
General characteristics
Class and type:	Takao-class cruiser
Displacement:	9,850 t (9,690 long tons) (standard), 15,490 t (15,250 long tons) (full load)
Length:	Length between perpendiculars: 192.5 m (632 ft) overall: 203.76 m (668.5 ft)
Beam:	19 m (62 ft) – 20.4 m (67 ft)
Draught:	6.11 m (20.0 ft) – 6.32 m (20.7 ft)
Propulsion:	4-shaft geared turbine, 12 Kampon boilers, 132,000 shp (98,000 kW)
Speed:	35.5 knots (65.7 km/h) - 34.2 knots (63.3 km/h)
Range:	8,500 nautical miles (15,740 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h)
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) 66 × Type 96 25 mm (1.0 in) AA guns (26x1, 12x2, 24x3) 4 × Type 93 13.2 mm (0.5 in) AA machine guns Type 93 torpedoes (4x4 + 8 reloads) depth charges
Armour:	main belt: 38 to 127 mm main deck: 37 mm (max) upper deck: 12.7 to 25 mm bulkheads: 76 to 100 mm turrets: 25 mm
Aircraft carried:	3 floatplanes (1 Aichi E13A1 "Jake" & 2 F1M2 "Pete")
Aviation facilities:	2 aircraft catapults

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

The Takao-class ships were approved under the 1927 to 1931 supplementary fiscal year budget, and like her sister ships, was named after a mountain. Mount Takao (高雄山) is located outside Kyoto and is not to be confused with the similar Mount Takao (高尾山) located outside Tokyo, or the city of Takao (高雄), in Taiwan.

The Takao-class cruisers were an improved version of the previous Myōkō-class 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.