Japanese cruiser Tsukuba

nihongo|"Tsukuba"|筑波 was the lead ship of the two-ship "Tsukuba"-class of heavy cruisers in the Imperial Japanese Navy. "Tsukuba" was named after Mount Tsukuba located in Ibaraki prefecture north of Tokyo. On 1912-08-28, "Kurama" and its sister ship "Ikoma" were re-classified as battlecruisers by the Japanese navy.

Background

"Tsukuba" was intended to be Japan's answer to the British Royal Navy's [HMS Invincible (1907)|HMS "Invincible] "] and was intended to be the lead ship of a class of six vessels. As construction began before the end of the Russo-Japanese War, construction progressed at a rapid pace, and contemporary American military observers were surprised (and concerned) that Japan had learned to build such large and powerful warships so quickly, and in such a short time. However, with rapid advances in naval technology and with increasing budget constraints on the Imperial Japanese Navy in the period immediately after the end of the Russo-Japanese War, the project was scaled back, and in the end, only "Tsukuba" and "Ikoma" were built.

ervice record

Shortly after commissioning at Kure Naval Arsenal in 1907, and with Admiral Goro Ijuin on board, "Tsukuba" was sent on a voyage to the United States to attend the tricentennial celebrations marking the founding of the Jamestown Settlement. It then traveled on to Portsmouth, England and returned to Japan via the Indian Ocean, thus circumnavigating the globe.

After its return to Japan, "Tsukuba" was assigned to the escort fleet during the visit of the United States Navy’s Great White Fleet through Japanese waters on its around-the-world voyage in October 1908.

"Tsukuba" participated in numerous missions in World War I in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean as part of Japan's contribution to the Allied war effort under the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, protecting the sea lanes from German raiders. "Tsukuba" was also at the Battle of Tsingtao.

On 1915-12-04, "Tsukuba" was in an Imperial Navy Fleet Review off of Yokohama, attended by Emperor Taishō in which 124 ships participated; a similar Navy Fleet Review was held again off Yokohama on 1916-10-25.

On 1917-01-14, "Tsukuba" exploded while in port at Yokosuka, and sank with a loss of 305 men. The cause was later attributed to a fire in its ammunition magazine.

Afterwards, the hulk was raised, as used as a target for naval aviation training. It was formally removed from the navy list on 1917-09-01 and broken up in 1918.

Gallery

References

*cite book
last = Evans
first = David
authorlink =
year = 1979
title = Kaigun : Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-87021-192-7
*cite book
last = Howarth
first = Stephen
authorlink =
year = 1983
title = The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895-1945
publisher = Atheneum
location =
id = ISBN 0-68911-402-8
*cite book
last = Jentsura
first = Hansgeorg
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1976
chapter =
title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-87021-893-X

External links

* [http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0114.htm Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9F0DE1D6163AE433A25756C1A9679C946696D6CF&oref=slogin New York Times article on loss of Tsukuba]