IJN Ikoma.
The Tsukuba Class vessels were very powerful
armored cruisers, but were immediatly made
obsolete by the battlecruiser type. They
carried battleship-caliber main guns, and
cruiser level protection, but were quite
slow compared to contemporary battlecruisers.They
rate only a passing mention here, only because
their designation was changed from "armored
cruisers" to 'battlecruisers" in
1912.
In 1921, their designation was changed to
"first class cruisers".
Displ: 13,750 tons normal; 15,400 tons full
load
Dim: 450 x 75 x 26 feet
Prop: VTE engines, 20 boilers, 20,500 hp,
2 shafts, 20.5 knots
Arm: 2 dual 12/45, 12 6/45, 12 4.7/40, 4
3.1/40, 2 40 mm, 3 18 inch TT (sub)
Armor: 4-7 inch belt, 3 inch deck, 7 inch
barbettes and turrets, 8 inch CT
Crew: 879
Tsukuba
Built by Kure Navy.
Laid down 14 Jan 1905, launched 26 Dec 1905,
completed 14 Jan 1907.
Suffered from numerous defects, probably
due to very rapid construction.
Sunk by magazine explosion in Yokosuka Bay
14 Jan 1917, later raised and scrapped.
Ikoma
Built by Kure Navy.
Laid down 15 March 1905, launched 9 April
1906, completed 24 March 1908.
Converted to gunnery training ship in 1919,
armed with 10 6 inch, 8 4.7 inch, 6 3.1 inch.
Disarmed 1922 under the Washington Treaty,
scrapped at Nagasaki 1923.
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