:Katori-class battleship

The Katori-class ships were ordered under the 1903 Third Fleet Extension Program. As with the earlier battleships, Japan lacked the technology and capability to construct its own battleships, and turned again to the United Kingdom, placing orders with Armstrong and Vickers in January 1904.Brook 1985, p. 279 The next class of battleships, the {{sclass|Satsuma|battleship|4}}, were built in Japan.Preston, p. 195

File:Katori class drawing.jpg

The design of the Katori class was a modified and improved version of the {{sclass|King Edward VII|battleship}}s of the Royal Navy.Brook 1999, p. 128 The Vickers-built {{ship|Japanese battleship|Katori||2}} was slightly smaller than her sister ship, {{ship|Japanese battleship|Kashima||2}}. They had an overall length of {{convert|456.25|-|470.6|ft|m|1}}, a beam of {{convert|78|-|78.16|ft|m|1}}, and a normal draught of {{convert|26.6|-|27|ft|m|1}}. They displaced {{convert|15950|-|16383|LT|t|lk=on}} at normal load. The crew consisted of 864 officers and enlisted men.Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 22

The ships were powered by a pair of four-cylinder vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one propeller, using steam generated by 20 Niclausse boilers using a mixture of coal and fuel oil. The engines were rated at {{convert|15600|-|16600|ihp|lk=on}} and designed to reach a top speed of {{convert|18.5|kn}} although they proved to be faster during their sea trials. Kashima reached a top speed of {{convert|19.2|kn}} using {{convert|17280|ihp|abbr=on}} and Katori made {{convert|19.5|kn}} from {{convert|18500|ihp|abbr=on}}. The ships carried a maximum of {{convert|2150|t|LT}} of coal and {{convert|377|-|750|LT|t}} of fuel oil which allowed them to steam for {{convert|12000|nmi|lk=in}} at a speed of {{convert|11|kn}}.

The armament of the Katori class ships differed due to being built by competing shipyards. Kashima had Armstrong-built guns, while Katori had Vickers-built guns. The primary armament of both ships was four 45-caliber 12-inch (305 mm) guns in twin-gun turrets fore and aft of the ships superstructure. Kashima had four EOC 12-inch Type 41 guns, while Katori had four Vickers 12-inch Type 41 guns. These were more powerful than the 40-caliber guns on {{ship|Japanese battleship|Mikasa||2}} and earlier Japanese battleships. They fired {{convert|850|lb|kg|0|adj=on}} projectiles at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|2800|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}.Friedman, p. 272

The secondary armament of the King Edward VII class introduced an intermediate caliber of BL 9.2 inch gun Mk IX–X guns between the primary 12-inch guns and the tertiary 6-inch guns and the Japanese upgraded these to 45-caliber 10-inch (254 mm) guns in four single turrets mounted at the corners of the superstructure. Kashima had four EOC 10-inch Type 41 guns, while Katori had four Vickers 10-inch Type 41 guns. The guns had a muzzle velocity of {{convert|2707|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}} when firing {{convert|500|lb|kg|adj=on|0}} shells.Friedman, p. 274

The tertiary armament of both ships was twelve 45-caliber 6-inch (152 mm) guns, compared to the ten of the King Edward VIIs. Kashima had twelve EOC 6-inch Type 41 guns, while Katori had twelve Vickers 6-inch Type 41 guns. Ten of these guns were mounted in the hull and the remaining two were placed in the superstructure between the 10-inch gun turrets. Their {{convert|100|lb|kg|adj=on|0}} shells had a muzzle velocity of {{convert|2300|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}.Friedman, p. 276

Protection against torpedo boat attacks was provided by twelve to sixteen QF 12-pounder 12-cwt"Cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight, 12 cwt referring to the weight of the gun. guns and three {{convert|47|mm|adj=on}} QF three-pounder Hotchkiss guns. The 12-pounders fired {{convert|3|in|adj=on|0}}, {{convert|12.5|lb|adj=on}} projectiles at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|2359|ft/s|m/s|abbr=on}}.Friedman, p. 114 The ships were also equipped with five submerged 18-inch torpedo tubes, two on each broadside and one in the stern.Brook 1999, p. 127

The waterline main belt of the Katori-class vessels consisted of Krupp cemented armour {{convert|7|ft|6|in|m|1}} high, of which {{convert|2|ft|6|in|m|1}} was above the waterline at normal load. It had a maximum thickness of {{convert|9|in|mm|0}} amidships. It was only {{convert|2.5|in|mm|0}} inches thick at the ends of the ship and was surmounted by a six-inch, {{convert|15|ft|m|1|adj=on}} strake of armour that ran between the main gun barbettes and protected most of the secondary guns. The barbettes for the main guns were {{convert|5|-|12|in|0}} thick and those for the intermediate turrets were protected by six inches of armour. The armour of the main gun barbette hoods had a maximum thickness of nine inches and those of the intermediate barbettes were {{convert|6|-|8|in|0}} thick. The sides of the superstructure between the intermediate barbettes had {{convert|4|in|0}} of armour.Brook 1999, pp. 127–128

The flat portion of the deck armour was {{convert|2|in|mm|0|spell=in}} thick and three inches thick amidships where it sloped down to the bottom of the armour belt. This significantly improved the ships' protection as any shell that penetrated their vertical armour also had to penetrate the sloping deck before it could reach the machinery compartments or magazines. Outside the central armoured citadel, the sloped deck had a thickness of {{convert|2.5|in|mm|0|spell=in}}. The conning tower was protected by nine inches of armour.

Whilst conducting gunnery training in Hiroshima Bay on 16 September 1907, brown powder propellant in Kashima{{'}}s starboard rear 10-inch gun mount ignited when it came in contact with burning residue from the previous shot. The fire killed seven officers and 27 enlisted men; wounding two officers and six enlisted men.Brook 1985, pp. 279–281 When World War I began, Kashima was refitting while Katori was assigned to the 1st Battleship Squadron. The former was assigned to the 2nd Battleship Squadron when her refit was completed in 1915 and became the squadron's flagship in 1916. Katori began a refit in 1914 that lasted until late 1916 and was assigned to the 5th Battleship Squadron upon its completion. Kashima joined her sister in the 5th Battleship Squadron as its flagship in 1918 and both ships covered the landing of Japanese troops in Siberia in August of that year as Japan decided to intervene in the Russian Civil War.Preston, p. 191; Brook 1985, p. 282

In 1921, Katori, escorted by Kashima, carried Crown Prince Hirohito on his tour of Europe where he met King George V.Seagrave & Seagrave, p. 105 Both ships were disarmed in 1923 and later scrapped to comply with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty.Brook 1985, p. 292 All of their guns were turned over to the Imperial Japanese Army for use as coastal artillery; two of Katori{{'}}s main-gun turrets were installed around Tokyo Bay and on Iki Island in the Strait of Tsushima.Gibbs, p. 217 The rest of their guns were placed in reserve and scrapped in 1943.Gibbs & Tamura, pp. 192, 194

{{reflist|group=Note}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• {{cite journal|last=Brook|first=Peter|year=1985|title=Armstrong Battleships for Japan|journal=Warship International|publisher=International Naval Research Organization|location=Toledo, Ohio|volume=XXII|issue=3|pages=268–282|issn=0043-0374}}
• {{cite book|last=Brook|first=Peter|title=Warships for Export: Armstrong Warships 1867 – 1927|publisher=World Ship Society|location=Gravesend, Kent, UK|year=1999|isbn=0-905617-89-4}}
• {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=Naval Weapons of World War One|publisher=Seaforth|location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK|year=2011|isbn=978-1-84832-100-7}}
• {{cite journal|last1=Gibbs|first1=Jay|year=2010|title=Question 28/43: Japanese Ex-Naval Coast Defense Guns|journal=Warship International|volume=XLVII|issue=3|pages=217–218 |issn=0043-0374}}
• {{cite journal |last1=Gibbs |first1=Jay|last2=Tamura|first2=Toshio |title=Question 51/80 |journal=Warship International |date=1982 |volume=XIX |issue=2 |pages=190, 194–195|issn=0043-0374|name-list-style=amp}}
• {{cite book| last1 = Jentschura| first1 = Hansgeorg| first2 = Dieter |last2=Jung|first3=Peter |last3=Mickel| year = 1977| title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945| publisher = United States Naval Institute| location = Annapolis, Maryland| isbn =0-87021-893-X |name-list-style=amp}}
• {{cite book |last1=Lengerer |first1=Hans |last2=Ahlberg |first2=Lars |title=Capital Ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1868–1945: Ironclads, Battleships and Battle Cruisers: An Outline History of Their Design, Construction and Operations|volume=I: Armourclad Fusō to Kongō Class Battle Cruisers |date=2019 |publisher=Despot Infinitus |location=Zagreb, Croatia |isbn=978-953-8218-26-2|name-list-style=amp}}
• {{cite book|last=Preston|first=Antony|title=Battleships of World War I: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Battleships of All Nations 1914–1918|publisher=Galahad Books|location=New York|year=1972|isbn=0-88365-300-1}}
• {{cite book|last1=Seagrave|first1=Sterling|authorlink1=Sterling Seagrave|last2=Seagrave|first2=Peggy|title=The Yamato Dynasty: The Secret History of Japan's Imperial Family|url=https://archive.org/details/yamatodynastysec00seag|url-access=registration|year=1999|publisher=Broadway Books|location=New York|isbn=9780767904964 |name-list-style=amp}}
• {{cite book|last=Silverstone|first=Paul H.|title=Directory of the World's Capital Ships|year=1984|publisher=Hippocrene Books|location=New York|isbn=0-88254-979-0}}

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