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The were a class of two heavy cruisers which saw service with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Both vessels of this class were sunk in 1942. ==Design== The ''Furutaka''-class cruisers were the first heavy cruisers in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), also referred to as “A class” cruisers by the IJN. Like the cruiser , their design was the work of Constructor Captain Yuzuru Hiraga, assisted by Lt. Cmdr. Fujimoto Kikuo.〔Lacroix, ''Japanese Cruisers'', pp. 52-53〕 Designed to beat the U.S. and the British s, they were as fast as the ''Omaha''s (and nearly 4 knots faster than the ''Hawkins'' class), while firing a heavier broadside, and carrying a larger torpedo battery than either one.〔Lacroix, ''Japanese Cruisers'', pp. 15-16,52〕 Their flush deck resulted in both weight savings and increased strength by allowing the hull's longitudinal members to be continuous. As with ''Yūbari'', the design featured side and deck armour integrated into the ship's structure, saving additional weight.〔Lacroix, ''Japanese Cruisers'', pp. 55-56〕 Despite the weight-saving efforts, as built ''Kako'' was more than 900 tons heavier than its design weight. As a result, draft was increased by more than 1 metre, subsequently reducing top speed, and the height of the belt armour above the waterline.〔Lacroix, ''Japanese Cruisers'', pp. 58〕 The portholes of the lowest-level crew quarters were near enough to the waterline that they needed to be closed when the ships were at sea, reducing ventilation and making the living spaces less habitable.〔Lacroix, ''Japanese Cruisers'', pp. 74〕 They were the first of the IJN cruisers to feature a substantial bridge, with 6 distinct levels, providing support for navigation, fire control, communication and command.〔Lacroix, ''Japanese Cruisers'', pp. 68〕 Due to the high freeboard of these ships, mounting the torpedo tubes on the main deck would have caused the torpedoes to enter the water at too steep an angle. Instead, they were mounted on the middle deck in 3 pairs of fixed tubes on each side. Captain Hiraga argued against this kind of mounting, concerned that during battle either a direct hit or fires could detonate the torpedoes, causing severe damage,〔Lacroix, ''Japanese Cruisers'', pp. 64〕 as indeed happened with of this class during World War II; additionally, the cruisers , and , all of which featured similar arrangements, would all be sunk or severely damaged by their own exploding torpedoes. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Furutaka-class cruiser」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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