Japanese cruiser Kinu

Kinu (鬼怒) was the fifth of the six ships completed Nagara-class light cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy, named after the Kinu River in Tochigi prefecture Japan. She was active in World War II in various campaigns in Malaya, the Dutch East Indies and New Guinea before being sunk by United States Navy carrier-based aircraft in the Philippines in 1944.

Kinu in 1931
History
Empire of Japan
Name	Kinu
Namesake	Kinu River
Ordered	1920 Fiscal Year (1918 "8-6 Fleet" Plan)
Builder	Kawasaki Shipyards, Kobe
Laid down	17 January 1921
Launched	29 May 1922
Commissioned	10 November 1922[1]
Stricken	20 December 1944
Fate	Sunk 26 October 1944 bombed by USN aircraft SW of Masbate, Visayan Sea 11°45′N 123°11′E
General characteristics
Class & type	Nagara-class cruiser
Displacement	5088 tons (standard) 5832 tons (full load)
Length	534 ft 9 in (162.99 m)
Beam	48 ft 5 in (14.76 m)
Draught	16 ft (4.9 m)
Propulsion	4 shaft Gihon geared turbines 12 Kampon boilers 90,000 shp (67,000 kW)
Speed	36 knots (41 mph; 67 km/h)
Range	9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Complement	438
Armament	(Initial) 7 × 14 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval guns 2 × 8 cm/40 3rd Year Type naval gun s 8 × 610 mm (24 in) torpedo tubes (4x2) 48 naval mines (Final) 5 × 14 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval guns 2 × 12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval gun s 2 × triple, 2x twin Type 96 25 mm AA guns 10 × Type 93 13.2 mm machine guns 8 × 610 mm (24 in) torpedo tubes (4x2)
Armor	Belt: 60 mm (2.4 in) Deck: 30 mm (1.2 in)
Aircraft carried	1 x floatplane
Aviation facilities	1x aircraft catapult

Background

Following the production of the five Kuma-class cruisers, an additional three 5,500-ton class light cruisers authorized under the 8-4 Fleet Program were ordered by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1920 as flagships for submarine squadrons. Due to minor changes in design, primarily due to advances in torpedo technology, these three vessels were initially designated as "modified Kuma-class", or "5500-ton class Type II", before being re-designated as a separate class named after the lead vessel, Nagara. A second set of three vessels was authorized in late 1920.^[2]

Design

Main article: Nagara-class cruiser

The Nagara-class vessels were essentially identical to the previous Kuma-class cruisers, retaining the same hull design, engines and main weaponry, with the addition of the new 610 mm Type 93 Long Lance Torpedoes, which required a larger launcher.^[3] However, in silhouette, a major difference from the Kuma class was in the configuration of the bridge, which incorporated an aircraft hangar. Initially, a 33-foot (10 m) platform was mounted above the No.2 turret, extending over the forward superstructure below the bridge. This was later replaced by an aircraft catapult. Even so, the arrangement proved unwieldy, and the catapult was moved to the rear of each ship in the class, between the No.5 and No.6 turrets during retrofits in 1929-1934. Abukuma and Kinu, were scheduled to receive the new Type 93 torpedoes in early 1941. However, shortages meant that only Abukuma was refitted quadruple mounts in place of the aft twin mounts.^[2]