So heres the new Kongo 1944 Configuration Kongo Class Battleship: Kongo Armament: 8 14in naval guns, 4 turrets 2 guns, 8 6in naval guns single turrets, 8 5in naval guns same configurations as the main guns, 122 25mm auto cannons. Armor: Deck: 1.5-2.3in plus 101mm on ammo storage and 76mm on engine room, Turrets: 9in, Barbettes: 10in, and Belt armor was 8-11in. Crew: 1360 Speed: 30 knots or 35mph Weight: 37,187 tons Named for Mount Kongo. Built in Britain by Vickers Shipbuilding Company and Barrow-in-Furness. Commissioned on August 16,1913 Struck from Navy list: January 20,1945 Sunk: November 21,1944 History WWII: At the start of the war she went to South East Asia around the Philippines and what is now Vietnam. She mainly provided cover for the troops landing in the area. In early 1942 February to April she bombarded Christmas Island near Australia and fought the British Eastern Fleet but it was mainly an air battle. On June 4,1942 she was at the Battle of Midway, but after the losses of the carriers she went back to Japan. During the Battle of Guadalcanal, at night on October 13-14,1942 she bombarded with the Haruna, 1 light crusier, and 9 destroyers the American air base Henderson Field. The bombardment destroyed all of the Marines aviation fuel, heavily damaged both runways, destroyed 48 out of 90 planes and killed 41. From January to May 1944 she stayed in Japan for refits and training. during the Battle of the Philippine Sea she escorted carriers on June 20, then returned to Japan for refit. In October during the Japanese counterattack during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, on the 25th during the Battle of Samar she engaged a fleet of small destroyers and escort carriers damaging the escort carrier Gambier Bay and destroyers Hoel and Heermann and sinking the destroyer escort Samuel B. Roberts. Withdrawing after 3 cruisers were sunk the fleet went to Brunei on October 28. November 16 they left Brunei and entered the Formosa Strait. Right after midnight the Submarine USS Sealion found and fired 3 torpedoes with 2 hitting Kongo and 1 sinking the destroyer Urakaze with all hands at 3:00. the torpedoes hit the boiler rooms and speed slowed to 16 knots (18mph) then at 5:00 slowed to 11 knots (13mph). 20 minutes later she lost power and at 5:24 she sunk with 1,200 crew in the Formosa Strait. She was the only Japanese Battleship sunk by a submarine during WWII.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Feb 2014 06:42:30 +0000
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