To shore up losses incurred during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) was given approval for the construction of new warships. In June 1904, the Emergency Fleet Replenishment Budget gave resources to this initiative and the cruiser Tsukuba, and her sister Ikoma, were realized from the venture. The warships were used to replace IJN Yashima and IJN Hatsuse lost to Russian naval mines in the early going.
Tsukuba was laid down on January 14th, 1905 and commissioned on January 14th, 1907 - too late to see service in the conflict with Russia. Nevertheless the two-strong group continued service into the post-war period. However, by this time, ever-more powerful battlecruisers were being completed for the IJN and this forced a reclassification of Tsukuba to that of "battlecruiser" on August 28th, 1912.
As completed, Tsukuba displaced 14,000 tons under normal load and 15,600 tons under full load. She showcased a length of 450 feet with a beam of 75 feet and a draught of 26 feet. Power was from 20 x Miyabara boilers feeding 2 x vertical triple expansion steam engines driving 20,500 horsepower to 2 x shafts. Maximum speed could reach 20.5 knots with ranges out to 5,000 nautical miles. The crew complement numbered 879. Armor protection ranged from 7" at the belt and turrets to nearly 8" at the conning tower. Decks were covered in 3" of protection.
Armament was led by 4 x 12" main guns with 12 x 6" secondary guns. 12 x 4.7" guns were also carried as were 4 x QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss weapons. A torpedo-laying element was also installed by way of 3 x 450mm launch tubes - a common feature of warships of the period.
Throughout the decade, Tsukuba undertook several peacetime voyages to America and Europe. It participated in the United States Navy's "Great White Fleet" passage through Japanese waters during October 1908. The warship remained in service by the time of World War 1 (1914-1918) and was used to blockade Tsingtao, China as it remained under German control (by treaty). She was then used to hunt the German East Asiatic Squadron which was ultimately destroyed at the Battle of the Falklands in December of 1914. From then on, Tsukuba was recalled home and remained there for the duration of the war.
On January 14th, 1917, her magazine ignited when she berthed at Yokosuka which killed between 200 and 300 of her crew. The blast was blamed on aging shell powder which combusted unexpectedly. The vessel sunk but not completely, leading her to be raised after some effort. The warship then served as a target for IJN aviators before being removed from the Naval Register on September 1st, 1917, stripped of her war-making usefulness and sold for scrapping in 1918.
Her sister, IJN Ikoma, was scrapped in 1923 under the terms of the Washington Naval Agreement of 1922.
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Offshore Bombardment
Offshore bombardment / attack of surface targets / areas primarily through onboard ballistic weaponry.
✓Land-Attack
Offshore strike of surface targets primarily through onboard missile / rocket weaponry.
✓Maritime Patrol
Active patroling of vital waterways and maritime areas; can also serve as local deterrence against airborne and seaborne threats.
✓Airspace Denial / Deterrence
Neutralization or deterrence of airborne elements through onboard ballistic of missile weaponry.
✓Fleet Support
Serving in support (either firepower or material) of the main surface fleet in Blue Water environments.
Length
450.0 ft 137.16 m
Beam
74.8 ft 22.80 m
Draught
26.0 ft 7.92 m
Displacement
14,000 tons
Installed Power:
20 x Miyabara boilers feeding 2 x Vertical triple expansion steam engines developing 20,500 horsepower to 2 x Shafts.
Surface Speed
20.5 kts (23.6 mph)
Range
5,001 nm (5,755 mi | 9,262 km)
4 x 12" (305mm) main guns
12 x 6" (152mm) secondary guns
12 x 4.7" (120mm) guns
4 x QF 3-pounder (47mm) Hotchkiss guns
3 x 18" (450mm) torpedo tubes
Supported Types
(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)
None.
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective naval campaigns / operations / periods.
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Imperial Japan
