MIKASA&TOGO.jpg
Mikasa in Yokosuka, Japan in 2004.
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| Career
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| Builder:
| Vickers, Great Britain
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| Ordered:
| 26 September 1898
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| Launched:
| 8 November 1900
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| Commissioned:
| 1 March 1902
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| Decommissioned:
| 20 September 1923
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| Fate:
| Transformed as a memorial ship
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| General Characteristics
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| Displacement:
| 15,140 t
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| Length:
| 132 m LOA
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| Beam:
| 23.2 m
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| Draught:
| 13.2 m
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| Propulsion:
| 15,000 hp triple expansion
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| Fuel:
| Coal
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| Speed:
| 18 knots
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| Complement:
| 860
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| Armament:
| 4 x 300 mm (12 inches) guns
14 x 150 mm (6 inches) guns
20 x 80 mm (3 inches) guns
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| Torpedoes:
| 4 x 400 mm underwater tubes
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Mikasa (三笠) was a battleship of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the flagship of Admiral Togo Heihachiro during the battle of Tsushima (1905) in the Russo-Japanese War.
Background
Following the 1894–1895 Sino-Japanese conflict, and the forced return of the Liatung peninsula to China under Russian pressure, Japan began to build up its military strength in preparation for further confrontations. In particular, Japan promulgated a ten-year naval build-up program, with the construction of six battleships and six armored cruisers at its core.
One of these battleships, Mikasa, was ordered from the Vickers shipyard in the United Kingdom at the end of 1898, for delivery to Japan in 1902. She took three years to complete, at the great cost of £880,000 (8.8 million yen).
That same year Japan also secured diplomatic and strategic support, by concluding the 1902 Anglo-Japanese Alliance with the world's first naval power. The UK shared Japan's wish to contain Russian expansionism in the far east, especially to protect her Chinese interests.
A state-of-the-art battleship
The 12" forward guns of the Mikasa. At the time of her delivery, Mikasa was a state-of-the-art pre-dreadnought battleship, achieving an unprecedented combination of firepower and protective strength. She was adapted from the Royal Navy's latest Majestic class design, with increased displacement (15,140 tonnes against 14,900), improved speed (18 knots against 17), slightly stronger armamenent (two more 6-inch guns), and much stronger armour: she kept the same armour thicknesses but used high performance Krupp armour, around 50% stronger compared to the Harvey armour used by the Majestic class.
Her main guns, grouped in armoured turrets in a central position, allowed for the rest of the ship to be evenly protected with the heavy Krupp protective steel plates. Thanks to this design, Mikasa was able to withstand a large number of direct hits: she received around 20 hits during the battle of the Yellow Sea on 10 August 1904, and around 30 hits during the battle of Tsushima, with only limited damage. The firepower and the longer range of the guns of Mikasa were also fully exploited by highly trained and effective Japanese gunners.
At Tsushima, the Mikasa led the combined Japanese fleet into what has been called "the most decisive naval battle in history". The Russian fleet was almost completely anihilated: out of 38 Russian ships, 21 were sunk, 7 captured, 6 disarmed, 4,545 Russian servicemen died and 6,106 were taken prisoner. On the other hand, the Japanese only lost 116 men and 3 torpedo boats.
Historical significance
The performance of the Japanese fleet was observed and analysed by Western powers, and played an important role in the definition of the next generation of battleships (the Dreadnoughts), since the conflict "confirmed the greater efficiency of heavy guns and the importance of long-range gunfire." ("The Battleship Dreadnought" Conway Marine).
Also, the defeat of the Russian fleet and the signature of the Treaty of Portsmouth (signed September 5), intensified unrest in Russia. In 1905 there were naval mutinies at Sevastopol, Vladivostok and Kronstadt, peaking in June, with the mutiny aboard the Battleship Potemkin. The Russian Revolution of 1905 culminated in October, when the Tsar was compelled to renounce his absolutist powers, and sign the October Manifesto.
Finally, the Japanese victory confirmed Japan's emergence as the pre-eminent power in east Asia, and a force to be reckoned with on the international scene.
Later developments
Ironically, after the peace treaty with Russia was signed on September 5, 1905, Mikasa suffered a fire while in harbour in south Japan, at Sasebo. A magazine exploded and she sank in 11 meters of water. She was later salvaged to continue service, but she soon became obsolete following the development of newer types of vessels, especially the Dreadnoughts.
Mikasa was decommisionned following the Washington Naval Treaty of 1921. In 1925, she was put on display in Yokosuka, Japan, as a memorial ship.
Following Japan's defeat in World War II, the American occupation forces confiscated Mikasa and dismantled her guns, leaving her in very poor state. By 1948 however, she was reverted to the mayor of Yokosuka. A preservation movement resumed in 1958, to which the US participated through financial support and the direct involvement of Admiral Chester Nimitz. The restoration was completed on May 27, 1961, at a cost of 180 million yen.
Mikasa has been designated as one of the "Three Great Historical Warships of the World", together with Victory in Portsmouth, UK, and Constitution in Boston, USA.
See also
References
- Memorial Ship Mikasa, The Mikasa Preservation Society, Yokosuka, Japan.
- "The origins of Japanese trade supremacy. Development and Technology in Asia from 1540 to the Pacific War" by Christopher Howe ISBN 0226354857
- "The Battleship Dreadnought" Conway Marine ISBN 085177895X
External links
- The Mikasa (http://www.oz.net/~markhow/pre-dred/mikasa.htm)
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