29 March 1900
Completed: March 1901
Fate: Sunk by US aircraft at Kure, 24 July 1945
Idzumo at Colombo 1900
Idzumo and Iwate were built at Elswick when Philip Watts was chief constructor there. Although adhering to the strict specification from the Japanese, it was still possible to render a first-class design. As completed, they were splendid ships with excellent seagoing qualities, fair coal consumption, adequate protection for cruisers and good armament.
Iwate as completed in 1901
At the battle of Tsushima, in the late afternoon of the second day, Iwate was engaged by the old Russian battleship Admiral Oushakov which opened fire with her 9in guns. Iwate and Yakumo returned fire at once, resulting in the old coastal defence battleship being smothered in 8in shells. Within an hour, she was a total wreck and on fire, having put up a magnificent but hopeless fight. She scuttled herself to save more Russian blood from being spilt; approximately 300 of her crew escaped before she went down. The constant and accurate fire from Iwate and Yakumo was noteworthy.
Iwate in 1933
Reclassified as first-class coastal defence ship in 1921 Iwate, like her sister-ship, was used as a training ship. Her boilers were renewed during 1931 which reduced her speed to 16 knots. She is seen here in that role during a visit to Vancouver in April 1933.
Idzumo at Malta 1919
Idzumo and Iwate were part of the Japanese naval construction programme that had been put forward after the First Sino-Japanese War to greatly enhance the rather weak Japanese battle fleet. Although a cruiser-type design, the new ships’ size and firepower was substantial for the day. Based on the previous Asama design with the latest technology worked into them, they turned out rather well when completed in 1900–01. Idzumo was to see a great deal of action throughout her career, especially during the Russo-Japanese War, when at the battle of Alsan in 1904 she took over twenty hits and then subsequently about nine hits during the battle of Tsushima. The First World War saw Idzumo as part of the Pacific battle group looking after the interests of the allied navies. Later, at the end of the war, she was serving in the Mediterranean and this photograph shows her coming into the base at Malta in early 1919. She was reduced to a first-class coastal defence ship in 1921 and greatly used for training purposes, going on to serve in the Second World War before being finally sunk by US aircraft on 24 July 1945 in shallow water and lay there until scrapping started in 1947.
Displacement: 15,200 tons normal load
Dimensions: Length: 425ft oa; Beam: 75ft; Draught: 27ft 2in mean
Armament: 4 × 12in 40cal; 14 × 6in; 20 × 3in; TT: 4 × 18in
Armour: Main belt: 9in (Harvey); Barbettes: 14in–10in; Turrets: 10in–6in; Decks: 3in; Conning tower: 14in
Machinery: Two sets vertical triple-expansion engines driving two screws, twenty-five Belleville boilers
Designed SHP: 14,500 for 18 knots
Fuel: 700 tons coal normal, 1,400 tons max
Complement: 743
Laid down: July 1897, John Brown, Clydebank
Launched: 13 March 1899
Completed: July 1900
Fate: Torpedoed and sunk by USS Salmon 25 May 1942
Asahi 1900
Asahi anchored off Portsmouth during the summer of 1900. Ordered as a further unit of the post-war fleet, Asahi was the heaviest battleship built on the Clyde (John Brown) to that date. She was practically identical to the British HMS Formidable in appearance, but there were many technical differences: new-pattern 12in guns; shallow 9in armour belt with 6in above this, both belts being Harvey (HMS Formidable had a deep 9in Krupp belt); there were other armour differences. The ships had five boilers more than HMS Formidable (although both had approximately the same speed), and Asahi was a heavier coal consumer than her British contemporaries.
Asahi aground off Southsea 1900
Basically the same design as Shikishima, but with small modifications. On leaving for Japan in the summer of 1900, Asahi sailed past Southsea beach on her way out and ran fast aground, as shown here with a local Itchen ferry in the foreground. After stores and some ammunition had been removed she was pulled off and, after a thorough inspection of her hull, went on her way. Like many of the pre-dreadnoughts, she was disarmed after the First World War and used for training purposes.
Asahi as a coastal defence battleship 1920
This photograph shows her c1920 when she was relegated as a coastal defence battleship and before being disarmed and converted to general training ship etc. as part of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1921–22 (see also the previous caption). She was in constant use during the First World War as a gunnery training ship but saw no action during those years. Note that she still carries her anti-torpedo booms and is still using the Trotman anchor beds. (Most of the British pre-dreadnoughts had been fitted with stockless types during the First World War.)
Asahi off Portsmouth Harbour 1900
Whilst serving as a frontline unit she was engaged in the battle of Port Arthur in February 1904 then again in April 1904 against the Russian Battle Fleet. In action again at the battle of the Yellow Sea on 10 April 1904, she
