View source for Naniwa-class cruiser

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=File:Honolulu Harbor (21084 0001), photograph by Brother Bertram.jpg
|Ship caption= A ''Naniwa''-class cruiser (right) in Honolulu Harbor, 1893–1894
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Naniwa'' class
|Builders=[[Armstrong Whitworth|Armstrong Mitchell]], [[United Kingdom]]
|Operators={{navy|Empire of Japan}}
|Class before={{ship|Japanese cruiser|Izumi||2}}
|Class after={{ship|Japanese cruiser|Unebi||2}}
|Cost=
|Built range=1884&ndash;1885
|In service range=
|In commission range=1886&ndash;1914
|Total ships completed=2
|Total ships lost=2
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(as built)
|Ship type=[[Protected cruiser]]
|Ship displacement= {{convert|3727|LT|t|0|lk=on}} 
|Ship length= {{convert|320|ft|m|abbr=on|1}} ([[o/a]])
|Ship beam= {{convert|46|ft|m|abbr=on|0}}
|Ship power= *6 [[Scotch marine boiler|cylindrical boilers]]
* {{Cvt|7500|ihp|kW|0|lk=on}}
|Ship draught= {{convert|20|ft|3|in|m|1|abbr=on}} ([[full load]])
|Ship propulsion=2 shafts; 2 [[Marine steam engine#Compound engine|compound-expansion steam engines]]
|Ship speed= {{convert|18|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range= {{convert|9000|nmi|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|13|kn}}
|Ship complement=338–342
|Ship armament=*2 × single {{convert|26|cm|in|abbr=on|1}} guns
*6 × single [[15 cm MRK L/35|{{convert|15|cm|in|abbr=on|1}} guns]]
*2 × single [[QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss|6 pdr ({{cvt|57|mm}}) guns]]
*10 × quadruple [[1-inch Nordenfelt gun|{{cvt|1|in|0}} guns]]
*4 × 10-barrel {{cvt|11|mm}} guns
*4 × {{convert|14|in|mm|abbr=on|0}} [[torpedo tube]]s
|Ship armour=*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|2|-|3|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*[[Gun shield]]s: {{convert|2|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}
*[[Conning tower]]: {{convert|3|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
The two {{nihongo|'''''Naniwa''-class cruisers'''|浪速型防護巡洋艦|Naniwa-gata bōgojun'yōkan}} were [[protected cruiser]]s built for the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] (IJN) during the 1880s. As Japan lacked the industrial capacity to build such warships herself, the vessels were built in Britain. Both ships participated in numerous actions during the [[First Sino-Japanese War]] of 1894–1895 and in the [[Russo-Japanese War]] of 1904–1905.

==Background==
The 1876 [[Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876|Treaty of Gangwha]] forcibly opened up [[Joseon]] Korea to the Japanese, much like the Americans forced the Japanese [[Tokugawa Shogunate]] to sign the [[Convention of Kanagawa]] in 1854, and Joseon formally withdrew from its status as a [[Tributary system of China|tributary]] of [[Qing dynasty|Qing China]].<ref>Duus, pp. 43–48</ref> The Chinese made no significant response at that time and King [[Gojong of Korea|Gojong]] began a modest effort to modernize the country to allow it to better withstand foreign pressure. This upset conservative elements in the army and the population which led to the [[Imo Incident]] of 1882 where the rioters attacked the Japanese [[Legation]], forcing the diplomats to take refuge aboard a British ship and in the royal palace. The Chinese sent troops that crushed the rebellion and they reasserted control over Joseon, reducing it to a [[vassal state]], rather than resuming its previous pro-forma tributary status.<ref>Kim, pp. 289–293</ref>

Concerned about the rising power of [[Russian Empire|Imperial Russia]] and Japan, [[Li Hongzhang]], [[Viceroy]] of [[Zhili|Zhili Province]], and generally responsible for relations with Russia, Korea and Japan<ref>Seth, p. 235</ref> had begun a program of gradually expanding the [[Beiyang Fleet]] after the 1874 [[Japanese invasion of Taiwan (1874)|Japanese reprisal expedition to Taiwan]]. An 1880 order for two {{sclass|Dingyuan|ironclad|2}}s from the [[German Empire]] capped the program as neither the [[Imperial Russian Navy]] nor the IJN could match them once they were delivered.<ref>Wright, pp. 41–44, 50–54</ref> 

In response the Japanese [[Ministry of the Navy (Japan)|Navy Ministry]] submitted a budget for the Fourth Naval Expansion Program in 1881, but it was rejected as too expensive. The Ministry then attempted to purchase existing warships from European shipyards after the Imo Incident, but was only able to buy the [[unprotected cruiser]] {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Tsukushi||2}} from [[Chile]] because its delivery had been embargoed by the builder because of the ongoing War of the Pacific between Chile, [[Bolivia]] and [[Peru]]. It then proposed the Fifth Naval Expansion Program that was approved in early 1883 after negotiations to reduce its expense. This included funds for one ironclad and a protected cruiser, but the designs for the former proved to be too expensive and the IJN decided to follow the recommendation of [[Armstrong Mitchell]]'s chief [[naval architect]], [[William Henry White|William White]], to build two improved versions of the pioneering Chilean protected cruiser {{ship|Chilean cruiser|Esmeralda|1883|2}} (later purchased by the IJN and renamed ''Izumi'').<ref>Milanovich, pp. 32–34, 36, fn. 20, 26, 32</ref> 

The "Elswick"-type protected cruisers, of which ''Esmeralda'' was the first example, had been designed by White's predecessor, [[George Wightwick Rendel|George Rendel]], for Armstrong Mitchell as a private venture. It was of great interest to Japan because of her high speed, powerful armament, armor protection and relatively low cost, especially since the IJN lacked the resources at the time to purchase ironclads.<ref>Brook, pp. 58–60</ref>

Pioneering Japanese [[naval architecture|naval architect]] [[Sasō Sachū]] requested that Armstrong Whitworth make modifications to the ''Esmeralda'' design to customize it for Japanese requirements, and two vessels, {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Naniwa||2}} and {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Takachiho||2}} were ordered under the 1883 fiscal year budget, by Naval Minister [[Kawamura Sumiyoshi]]. When completed, ''Naniwa'' was considered the most advanced and most powerful cruiser in the world. However, the extremely fast development of technology, weaponry and armor in this field of ship design meant that the supremacy of this design was very short.

The two cruisers together cost [[pound sterling|£]]546,980. [[Prince Yamashina Kikumaro]] attended the launch, and afterwards had dinner with Baron [[William George Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong|William Armstrong]], who made a toast that "the ship was destined to the service of a country which was likely never to come into collision with our own peace-loving country".

==Design and description==
[[File:Naniwa class cruiser left elevation and deck plan Brasseys 1888.jpg|thumb|left|Plan and right elevation line drawings as shown in [[Brassey's Naval Annual]] 1888]]
 
The ''Naniwa''-class ships [[Displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|3727|LT|t|lk=on}} at normal load. They had a [[length between perpendiculars]] of {{convert|300|ft|m|1}} and an [[length overall|overall length]] of {{convert|320|ft|m|1}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|46|ft|m}} and a [[draft (ship)|draft]] of {{convert|20|ft|3|in|m|1}} at [[deep load]].<ref name=b8>Brook 1999, p. 58</ref> They were fitted with a plough-shaped [[naval ram]] of [[mild steel]] below the [[waterline]]<ref>Milanovich, p. 37</ref> and had a partial [[double bottom]] extending between the forward and aft [[magazine (artillery)#Naval magazines|magazines]].<ref name=b8/> 

The ships were powered by a pair of horizontal, two-cylinder, [[Marine steam engine#Compound engine|double-expansion steam engines]], each driving a single three-bladed {{convert|4.27|m|ft|0|adj=on|order=flip}} propeller using steam produced by six [[Scotch marine boiler|cylindrical boilers]] that operated at a pressure of {{convert|6.3|atm|kPa psi|0|abbr=on|lk=on}}. The engines were designed to produce a total of {{convert|7500|ihp|lk=on}} with [[Draft (boiler)|forced draught]] to give the ships a maximum speed of {{convert|18|kn|lk=in}}. During their speed trials, the cruisers reached speeds of {{convert|18.72|–|18.77|kn}} from {{cvt|7235|–|7604|ihp}}. They carried a maximum of {{convert|800|LT|t}} of coal which gave them a range of about {{convert|9000|nmi|lk=in}} at a speed of {{convert|13|kn}}.<ref name=m1>Milanovich, p. 51</ref> The ships' crew consisted of 338–342 officers and [[naval rating|ratings]].<ref name=b8/>

As built, the [[main battery]] of the ''Naniwa''-class cruisers consisted of two 35-[[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] {{convert|260|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} [[Elswick Ordnance Company]] cannon of 28 ton in [[barbette]]s fore and aft of the [[superstructure]].{{sfn|Barnes|Laird-Clowes|1895|p=255}} Each barbette was fitted with a fixed loading station in its rear and the guns had to return to this position to reload. Two hundred [[Cartridge (firearms)|rounds]] per gun were stored.<ref name=b8/>

The [[secondary armament]] was initially six 35-caliber [[15 cm MRK L/35|{{convert|150|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} Krupp cannon]] mounted in semi-circular [[sponson]]s on the main deck, with 450 rounds per gun.{{sfn|Barnes|Laird-Clowes|1895|p=255}}<ref name=b8/> All of these guns were protected against the weather by [[gun shield]]s. Defense against [[torpedo boat]]s was provided by six [[QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss]] guns, ten [[1-inch Nordenfelt gun]]s and four 11-mm, 10-barrel [[Nordenfelt gun]]s. In addition, there were four {{convert|356|mm|in|abbr=on|0}} [[Whitehead torpedo]] tubes mounted on the main deck.<ref name=m1/> After the First Sino-Japanese War, both ''Naniwa'' and ''Takachiho'' were re-armed with eight Elswick [[QF 6 inch /40 naval gun]]s in order to increase stability and standardize on ammunition for the fleet.

==Ships in class==
Two ''Naniwa''-class cruisers were purchased from Armstrong Whitworth in England. ''Naniwa'' was lost before the start of [[World War I]], ''Takachiho'' was lost soon after hostilities commenced.<ref name=Brooke>Brook, p. 58-60.</ref>

;{{ship|Japanese cruiser|Naniwa||2}}
Ordered in 1883, launched 18 March 1885, and completed 1 December 1885, ''Naniwa'' played a major role in the [[First Sino-Japanese War]], notably at the [[Battle of Pungdo]] and the [[Battle of Yalu River (1894)|Battle of the Yalu River]]. During the [[Russo-Japanese War]] she was present at the opening [[Battle of Chemulpo Bay]], but was subsequently assigned a reserve role. After the war, she was lost after running aground on 26 July 1910 on the coast of [[Urup]], in the [[Kurile Islands]] .<ref name="Brooke"/>

;{{ship|Japanese cruiser|Takachiho||2}}
Ordered in 1883, launched 16 May 1885, and completed 1 December 1885, ''Takachiho'' participated in the [[Battle of Yalu River (1894)|Battle of the Yalu River]] in the [[First Sino-Japanese War]]. In the [[Russo-Japanese War]] she was present at the opening [[Battle of Chemulpo Bay]], but was subsequently assigned a reserve role. In [[World War I]], while covering the invasion of German-held [[Qingdao]], she was torpedoed by the German [[torpedo boat]] ''S90'' on 14 October 1914 and sank with the loss of 271 officers and men.<ref name="Brooke"/>

==Notes==
{{Commons category|Naniwa class protected cruisers}}
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite journal |last1=Barnes |first1=F.K. |last2=Laird-Clowes |first2=W.|year=1895|journal=Brassey's Naval Annual |title=Tables and plans of British and foreign armoured and unarmooured ships |publisher=J. Griffin & Co, Portsmouth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mZJIAQAAMAAJ }}
*{{cite book|last=Brook|first=Peter|title=Warship 2000–2001|editor=Preston, Antony|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|year=2000|chapter=Armoured Cruiser vs. Armoured Cruiser: Ulsan 14 August 1904|isbn=0-85177-791-0|author-link=Antony Preston|pages=34–47}}
* {{cite book|last= Brook|first= Peter|title=Warships for Export: Armstrong Warships 1867-1927 |publisher= World Ship Society |location= Gravesend |year=1999|isbn=0-905617-89-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Campbell|first=N.J.M.|title=Warship|chapter=The Battle of Tsu-Shima, Part 2|editor=Preston, Antony|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|year=1978|volume=II|pages=127–135|isbn=0-87021-976-6}}
*{{cite book |last1=Corbett |first1=Julian S. |title=Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War, 1904–1905 |year=2015a |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-1-59114-197-6|volume=1|orig-year=1914}}
*{{cite book |last1=Corbett |first1=Julian S. |title=Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War, 1904–1905 |year=2015b |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-1-59114-198-3|volume=2|orig-year=1915}}
*{{cite book|last=Duus|first=Peter|title=The Abacus and the Sword: The Japanese Penetration of Korea |publisher=University of California Press|year=1998|location=Berkeley, California|isbn=0-52092-090-2}}
* {{cite book|last1=Evans|first1=David C.|last2=Peattie |first2= Mark R.|author2-link=Mark Peattie|title=Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1997|isbn=0-87021-192-7|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&ndash;1945| publisher = United States Naval Institute| location = Annapolis, Maryland| isbn = 0-87021-893-X|name-list-style=amp}}
*{{cite book|last=Kim|first=Jinwung|title=A History of Korea: From "Land of the Morning Calm" to States in Conflict|year=2012|location=New York|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-00024-8}}
* {{cite journal
  | last1        = Lengerer
  | first1       = Hans
  | editor1-last = Ahlberg
  | editor1-first= Lars
  | title        = Naval Operations in the Sino-Japanese War – Part III: Weihaiwei and the End of the War
  | date         =March 2017
  | pages        = 28–44
  | journal      = Contributions to the History of Imperial Japanese Warships
  | issue        = Paper XIV}}{{subscription required}}(contact the editor at lars.ahlberg@halmstad.mail.postnet.se for subscription information)
*{{cite book |last1=Milanovich |first1=Kathrin |editor1-last=Preston |editor1-first=Antony |title=Warship 2004 |date=2004 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=London |isbn=0-85177-948-4 |pages=29–56 |chapter=''Naniwa'' and ''Takachiho'': Elswick-built Protected Cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy|editor-link=Antony Preston}}
*{{cite book |last1=Olender |first1=Piotr |title=Sino-Japanese War 1894–1895 |date=2014 |publisher=Stratus |location=Sandomierz, Poland |isbn=978-83-63678-30-2|series=Maritime Series|volume=3105}}
* {{cite book|last= Roksund |first= Arne |title=The Jeune École: The Strategy of the Weak|publisher= Brill |location= Leiden |year=2007|isbn=978-90-04-15723-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Schencking|first=J. Charles|title=Making Waves: Politics, Propaganda, And The Emergence Of The Imperial Japanese Navy, 1868-1922|publisher=Stanford University Press|year=2005|isbn=0-8047-4977-9}}
*{{cite book|last=Seth|first=Michael J.|title=A Concise History of Modern Korea: From the Late Nineteenth Century to the Present|year=2010|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-0-742-56713-9}}
*{{cite book |editor-last1=Todaka |editor-first1=Kazushige |title=Cruisers: Selected Photos from the Archives of the Kure Maritime Museum; the Best from the Collection of Shizuo Fukui's Photos of Japanese Warships |date=2020 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-1-59114-635-3 |series=Japanese Naval Warship Photo Album}}
*{{cite book|last=Wright|first=Richard N. J.|title=The Chinese Steam Navy 1862–1945|year=2000|publisher=Chatham Publishing|location=London|isbn=1-86176-144-9}}

{{Naniwa class cruiser}}
{{Russo-JapaneseWarJapaneseShips}}
{{WWI Japanese ships}}

[[Category:Cruiser classes]]
[[Category:Naniwa-class cruisers| ]]