ARMOURED CRUISERS

The armoured cruisers are of two classes. The first comprises the British (Elswick) built Asama, Tokiwa, Idzumo, Iwate; the second the Stettin-built Yakumo, and the St. Nazaire-built Azuma.

These last were the original Japanese design; Elswick put the extra guns at its own discretion, and rearranged the positions as the plans indicate.

Particulars are:—

	Asama Type.	Azuma Type.
Displacement	9750.	9436.
Length	408 ft.	446 ft.
Beam	67 ft.	59 ft.
Draught (mean)	24¼ ft.	24½ ft.
Guns	Four 8-in.	Four 8-in.
	Fourteen 6-in.	Twelve 6-in.
	Twelve 3-in.	Twelve 3-in.
	Seven 2½-pdrs.	Twelve 1-pdrs., etc.
Torpedo tubes (submerged)	Four.	Four.
”” (above water)	One.[28]	One.

All six have four of the 6-in. guns unprotected, the other 6-in. and the 8-in. guns are in casemates and turrets (for the 8-in.).

All have 7-in. belts reduced to 3½ ins. forward, with 5-in. armour on the lower deck side. Their decks reinforce the belts.

PLAN OF THE ASAMA.

[Photo, Steinitz.

YAKUMO.

The Iwate, Idzumo, Azuma, and Yakumo have Belleville boilers, the other two cylindrical. The type ship had very high horse-power; in the later vessels this was reduced, and the saving effected spent in substituting Krupp process armour for Harvey nickel on the sides.

Trial (full-speed) results were:—

	Designed speed.	Indicated horse-power.	Trial result.
Asama	22 knots	19,000 = 22	knots.
Tokiwa	”	(?) = 22.7	”
Idzumo	20.75 knots	15,739 = 22.04	”
Iwate	”	(?) = 21.8	”
Yakumo	20 knots	15,500 = 20.7	”
Azuma	21 knots	18,000 = 21	”

The first two have a pair of funnels only.

The ships are very good ones, equal in many ways to second-class battleships, but not calculated to stand battleship fire, I fancy.

The Kasuga and Nisshin were launched for Argentina in 1902 and 1903 respectively, by Messrs. Ansalds, of Genoa, Italy. They were purchased by Japan immediately before the war with Russia.

Details are—

Displacement	7700 tons.
Length	357 ft.
Beam	61½ ft.
Draught (mean)	23 ft.
Guns (in Kasuga)	One 10-in. 45 cals.
Guns (in Kasuga)	Two 8-in. 45 cals.
” (in Nisshin)	Four 8-in. 45 cals.
The secondary armament is in both
	Fourteen 6-in. 45 cals.
	Ten 12-pdrs.
	2 Maxims.
	Two field-guns.
Torpedo tubes	Four (above water).
Designed horse-power	13,500.
Speed	20 knots.
Coal (normal)	650 tons.
” (maximum)	1100 tons.
Boilers	Cylindrical.

AZUMA.

[Photo by favour of C. de Grave Sells, Esq.

NISSHIN.

These ships belong to the well-known Garibaldi class. The belt is 6-in. Terni armour reduced to 4½ ins. at the ends, and reinforced by a deck 1½ in. on the slopes.

Above the main belt is a 6-in. redoubt, with 4¾ in. ends, above again a 6-in. battery containing ten 6-in. guns.

The primary guns are protected by 5½-in. armour.

The remaining 6-in. guns are carried without protection on the upper deck. Six 12-pounders are carried between them, the remainder under the poop and forecastle.

The torpedo tubes are in special casements.

The ships originally had a single military mast, but just before completion the fighting-tops were removed.

They are the heaviest-armed armoured cruisers of their size in the world. Compared to the Russian Bayan, of about the same displacement, this superiority is manifest.

Nisshin.	Kasuga.	Bayan.;
Four 8-in.	One 10-in.	Two 8-in.
Fourteen 6-in.	Two 8-in.	Eight 6-in.
Ten 12-pdrs.	Fourteen 6-in.	Twenty 12-pdrs.
	Ten 12-pdrs.

NISSHIN AND KASUGA.

(Nisshin has two 8-in. in forward turret where Kasuga has a single 10-in.
The fighting-tops were removed on completion.)

[Photo by favour of C. de Grave Sells, Esq.

KASUGA.

The Bayan is the product of La Seyne. She is somewhat faster, better protected by 2 ins. on the water-line, but less protected on the guns, and with only half as many. She would take more punishment than the Nisshin and Kasuga; but, given equal crews and tactics, the heavy fire of the Nisshin type would seem to convey an immense advantage.