Product Review

The ship originated as an experimental scout cruiser, which would have the combat potential of the standard 5,000 t (4,900 long tons) Japanese light cruisers on a much lighter ship. The ship was designed by Admiral Yuzuru Hiraga. The guns were mounted on the centre line in turrets and armor was integrated into the hull structure. The forecastle was given significant flare to improve seakeeping. Destroyer-type machinery was used to save weight, with eight oil-fired Kanpon boilers trunked into a single large funnel.The ship was completed 419 t (412 long tons) (13%) over the designed displacement, this resulted in an extra foot of draft and a loss of 1.5 kn (2.8 km/h; 1.7 mph) in designed speed. The ship was considered successful, however, and many of its features were used in subsequent Japanese warships.The ship had a significant refit in early 1944 when the two single 140 mm (5.5 in) guns were removed, one 120 mm (4.7 in) AA gun (in the "A" position) and six twin and one triple 25 mm (0.98 in) AA guns were added together with a search radar and depth charges.