IJN Katori class Training Cruiser, Kashii (1944): Hunter Killer Cruiser

[aizenns 3,587]

香取型練習巡洋艦 香椎 (昭和十九年)

Katori class Training Cruiser, Kashii (1944)

Kashii, 1941

History

Kashii (香椎) is the third ship of Katori class training cruiser. Name taken from "Kashii-Gu", one of the Shinto shrine for Emperor Chūai and Emperres Jingū (Japanese ancient emperors in the mythologies) that located on Fukuoka city, Japan.

As the class name, she was a training vessel, she completed in July 1941 so she was not used for training cruise. Same type of ship, Katori and Kashima was joined to training cruise but it was only one time.

 

After completed, she deployed to Southern Expeditionary Fleet(南遣艦隊). In this fleet, she join Southern Operation (also called "Operation A-Go" or "Operation First Stage"). During this operation, Kashii join campaign on Malaya and Dutch East Indies. Her mission was escort landing forces to Bandung, Singora, Chumphon etc. After Maraya operation completed, she was used for patrol and transportation at Singapore naval base.

Since January 1944, she deployed to Kure Training Squadron(呉練習戦隊). During this period, she tow Yasoshima (ex ROCN Ping Hai) from Sasebo to Kure.

In March 25, 1944 she transferred to "Maritime Escort General Headquarter" (海上護衛総司令部) for replacement of Katori (She sunk in February 17). It was general headquarter for escort convoy that organized in November 1943. In that time they had only small Coastal Defense Ship or destroyers, so they want to use more larger ship for flagship of  escort force.

For this mission, they do modification on Katori class. On Kashii, they remove torpedo tubes, add AA gun and depth charges and flood control sections.

In this mission she escort several Hi convoys. Hi-convoy was the most important convoys that consisted by high-speed large oil tankers between Singapore to Kita-Kyushu port.,But Japanese weapons are worthless so lots of cargo ships and aircraft carriers were lost. To improve the situation, they decided to organize squadron dedicated for escort. In November 15, 1944 Kashii become flagship of No.101 Squadron. These escort squadrons were consisted by one Training cruiser or destroyer and six coastal defense ships.

The end of Kashii was escort mission of Hi-86. After the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Imperial Navy Combined Fleet was disappeared and US navy carrier task forces start to commerce rides. Some Japanese convoys were cancelled, but Hi-convoy was continued after the battle and slow tankers are joined to compensate lack of good oil tankers.

The Hi-86 Convoy consisted by 10 merchant ship, 1 cruiser (Kashii) and 5 coastal defense ships.

USN Task Force 37 had 8 aircraft carriers, 5 escort aircraft carriers and escort vessels.

In January 12, 1945, Task Force 37 start air raid on Hi-86. Total over 150 aircraft attack them. In this air raid, all merchant ships, Kashii, No.23 and No.51 coastal defense ship were lost. Some merchant vessel was aground, but after it they still bomb them and all cargo were lost, too.

Quote

Kashii, January 12, 1945

 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Over 300 Depth Charges!
• Powerful auxiliary caliber gun (3x 12.7 cm twin AA gun)
• Good AA armaments (total 30x 25 mm AAMG and 8x 13.2 mm AAMG)
• Depth Charge Storage protected by concrete
• If funnel damaged, power of Diesel engines will not decline
• If one boiler destroyed, power of turbines was not changes

Cons

• No armor
• Slow speed (only 18 kt ≒ 33.3 km/h)
• There are only four 14 cm gun
• Slow main turret turning speed
• Does not have ammo hoist
• Merchant ship structure (reinforced in 1944)
• Torpedo tubes were removed

 

Specification

Quote

Spoiler

Kashii, 1944

Notes

• Deck of Katori class was wood
• Both mast get shorter
• Submarine seeking post was added on the fore mast
• Torpedo tubes on both side of funnel was replaced to AA gun
• AA gun was added (single MG was not showed on this figure)
• Depth charge equipment were added

• Standard displacement: 5,890 t
• Trial displacement: 6,300 t
• Length overall: 133.50 m
• Waterline length in trial state: 119.77 m
• Length between perpendicular: 123.50 m
• Max width: 15.95 m
• Depth: 10.50 m
• Draft (trial state): 5.75 m
• Main engine
  • 2x Kanhon-type Steam-turbine
  • 2x Kanhon-type Mark 22 Model 10 Diesel
• Main boiler
  • 3x Ho-Go Kanhon-type heavy oil boiler
• Power and Speed
  • Diesel engine
    • Cruise
      • Power: 2,000 HP
      • Speed: 12 kt
    • Maximum
      • Power: 3,000 HP
      • Propeller: 210 RPM
      • Speed: 13.5 ~ 14 kt
  • Steam-turbine
    • Cruise
      • Power: 2,500 HP
      • Propeller: 200 RPM
      • Speed: 13 kt
    • Maximum
      • Power: 4,000 HP
      • Propeller: 230 RPM
      • Speed: 14.5 kt
  • Combined diesel and steam-turbine
    • Maximum
      • Total power: 8,000 HP
      • Propeller: 280 RPM
      • Speed: 18 kt
• Number of shaft: 2
• Cruise range: 7,000 miles at 12 knots
• Fuel: Heavy oil, 600 t
• Aircraft equipment
  • 1x Type Go Mark 2 Model 5 catapult
  • No seaplane
• Boat equipment
  • 3x 12 meter motor launch
  • 2x 9 meter cutter
  • 1x 6 meter tsusen (Japanese traditional style boat)
• Armaments
  • 2x 50 caliber 3rd Year Type 14 cm twin naval guns
    • Gun elevating speed: 6°/s
    • Gun swinging speed: 4°/s
  • 3x 40 caliber Type 89 12.7 cm twin AA guns
  • 4x Type 96 25 mm triple AA machine guns
  • 4x Type 96 25 mm twin AA machine guns
  • 10x Type 96 25 mm single AA machine guns
  • 8x Type 93 13 mm single AA machine guns
  • 8x Depth charge throwers (K-gun)
  • 2x Depth charge drop rails
  • 326x Type 95 or Type 2 depth charges
• Radar
  • 1x Mark 2 Radio Locator Model 2 (Mk.22 Radar)
  • 1x Radio Detector (E27)
• Armor
  • Additional concrete around depth charge storage on stern
  • Additional bulletproof steels around the bridge?

Layout

Quote

Spoiler

 

Photos

Spoiler

Quote

Kashii, April 17, 1943

Seletar Naval Base, Singapore 

In this photo, there are bulletproof steels around the compass bridge.

Quote

Mast of Kashii, after 1943

There are modified rear mast.

Quote

Kashii, under training

July 14, 1942

 

 

Sources

Editorial department of magazine "Maru" (1990) "THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY vol9 Light Cruisers II / Gunboats" Kojin-sha publishers pp.161-181

 

The Society of Naval Architects of Japan (1975) "Plans of ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, History of shipbuilding in Showa era separated volume", published by Hara-shobo, p. 65

JP title: 日本造船学会編 (1975) ｢日本海軍艦艇図面集 昭和造船史別冊｣ 原書房 p. 65

 

Fukui Shizuo "<Military Secrets> Current status survey of machine gun, radar, IFF etc on each vessels, from ""Blueprints about placement of additions of weapons after operation A-Go"" ", Ushio shobo Kojinsha

JP title: 福井静夫「〈軍極秘〉各艦 機銃、電探、哨信儀等現状調査表―「あ号作戦」後の兵装増備位置青図集」潮書房光人社

Edited November 8, 2019 by aizenns

[leroyonly 4,300]

Open for discussion. 

 

However please do add a poll to your suggestion as per rules & guidelines. As this makes it easier and quicker for people to support suggestions as well as making it easier for us to see how much support a suggestion recieves over time.

This topic will remain visible for 48 hours before being moved to a hidden archive if no poll is added as per previously linked rules and guidelines.

[aizenns 3,587]

4 hours ago, leroyonly said:

Open for discussion. 

 

However please do add a poll to your suggestion as per rules & guidelines. As this makes it easier and quicker for people to support suggestions as well as making it easier for us to see how much support a suggestion recieves over time.

This topic will remain visible for 48 hours before being moved to a hidden archive if no poll is added as per previously linked rules and guidelines.

Sorry, I forgot it again...

Now I add it!

[Tasty95215 2,097]

Oh, this is interesting - I knew about the Katori-class before, but I didn't realize one of them ended up trading their torpedo tubes for more AA guns. Kashii seems interesting, having more firepower and AA guns than most Rank II ships but slower speed and no torpedoes compared to the destroyers at Rank III. I'm not sure where she should be, though I did end up voting for Rank III.

 

The only problem I could see with implementing her is that there isn't really a clear picture of where all of the single 25mm and 13.2mm AA guns are.

[aizenns 3,587]

47 minutes ago, Tasty95215 said:

 

The only problem I could see with implementing her is that there isn't really a clear picture of where all of the single 25mm and 13.2mm AA guns are.

Yes, this is one of the most curious Japanese warship I believe. Katori was sunk before reinforcements, but Kashima also remove torpedoes to equip twin AA gun. She also add depth charge equipment for escort mission, but she load about 100 depth charges.

There are her drawing on “Japanese warships at the end of war”.

 

About AA gun, I will go to library to scan book about blueprints about AA weapon reinforcement after operation A-go 1944.
In the book I showed often omit single machine guns on drawings

Edited November 7, 2019 by aizenns

[aizenns 3,587]

Layout of engine room was updated!

Curiously, steam turbines need to use only two boilers. During the cruise, one boiler was not active for cleaning etc.

Spoiler

 

[aizenns 3,587]

@Tasty95215

I add Blueprints of Kashii 1944! In that blueprint there are placements of single machine guns.

[Fireraid233 4,252]

+1

[DukeNukem64 2,326]

+1 I want more japanese crusiers

[Optical_Ilyushin 5,553]

+1, I'd love to see this, would help fill out lower end BRs for cruisers quite nicely.

[Milocat 4,829]

This would be a good starter cruiser for sure.  +1.

[OKAZAQI 165]

+1

[ZackZooter 55]

On 07/11/2019 at 12:04, Tasty95215 said:

Kashii seems interesting, having more firepower and AA guns than most Rank II ships but slower speed and no torpedoes compared to the destroyers at Rank III. I'm not sure where she should be, though I did end up voting for Rank III.

Based on these quote, it definitely should be rank 3 at BR 4.7 like IJN Yubari since Gaijin makes Yubari as premium instead of either Squadron or Event-based vehicle from my opinion.... To have 2 twin 140mm guns in game to face off against 5.0 and most DD match would be decent enough to survive in 4.7 to 5.3 match level BUT if placed at 5.0, chances for newbies to face 5.7 and higher with this ship is definitely gonna get this ship OVERKILLED... Yubari itself in game been proven got shot off easily against weaker 5.7 ship, not to mention most 5.3 cruisers...

 

FYI... From other post that i wrote earlier, Isuzu, Kuma & Sendai should be placed at 4.7 itself is considered all factor that even though they can aim 5 of 140mm guns on broadside, it only give it a decent advantage against DD with 127mm guns or cruisers using 138mm guns at best UNLESS this guns RoF is 10 shot per minute and have 60degree to give decent AA counter if equipped with decent AA shell

[ZackZooter 55]

Forgot to mention this, Katori-class if added, either this AA refit or initial one also should be placed at 4.7 despite having 3 twin 127mm AA gun which traded from 2 torpedo tube.... I would support any Katori-class that have decent firepower compared to IJN Isuzu.. also... late refit IJN Kashii for AA/sub-killer role or IJN Katori itself is what i prefer to use than Isuzu or Kuma or Sendai if i had to face 5.3 cruisers or facing against br 5.0 fighter bomber/torpedo bomber or even high altitude bomber itself

 

In term of AA defense from this ship capability, its much better than IJN Isuzu (AA cruiser, not JDS Isuzu DE211) since Isuzu main guns only good for DD level match... against cruisers of 5.0 and higher, its gonna be real tough UNLESS its 5inch guns have some sort of AP shell

 

Just one thing that been bothering me, Based on Wiki, IJN Kashima had last refit which gives it 38 barrel of Type 96 25mm AT/AA gun similar to Kashii BUT does it replace its 13mm MG or Not is what im not sure whether to support this ship.. Honestly, for Japanese cruisers with weak AA guns against high level plane, cruisers using these 25mm gun should have at least 30 barrel since its secondaries (76mm gun or 127mm one) are not even a deterrent for players that know the basics of piloting skill

[CokeSpray 7,257]

Suggestion passed to the developers for consideration.