Hasegawa 49112 1/700 IJN Battleship Kirishima

Kirishima was laid down in 1912 as the fourth Kongo-class battlecruiser. While the first Kongo was ordered from the Vickers Shipyard in the UK and the second Hiei from the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, the third ships, Haruna and Kirishima, were to be built at the private shipyards of Kobe Kawasaki Shipyard and Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard. Mitsubishi Nagasaki began construction after extending the slipway and installing new gantry cranes to accommodate the massive ship. Construction of Kirishima progressed in a spirit of rivalry with Kobe Kawasaki, and both ships were eventually completed on the same day, April 19, 1915. In December of that year, the 2nd Fleet's 3rd Squadron was formed, consisting of four Kongo-class battlecruisers, including Kirishima and Haruna, creating the world's most powerful battlecruiser fleet. However, the Battle of Jutland between the British and German fleets in 1918 revealed that battlecruisers, which sacrificed armor for speed, were extremely vulnerable to shells falling at high angles. Furthermore, the importance of waterline defense was also a factor, and in 1927, Kirishima, following Haruna, underwent its first modernization. The renovation, which took three full years, primarily consisted of replacing boilers with heavy oil-fired boilers and strengthening defenses. As a result, the ship's displacement increased and its speed decreased due to the addition of bulges, and its classification was changed from battlecruiser to battleship. However, the Navy remained committed to the speed and maneuverability that were the original strengths of battlecruisers, and embarked on a second modernization just a few years later. This renovation was primarily spent on strengthening the boilers, and its aviation and anti-aircraft armament was also strengthened to counter increasingly sophisticated aircraft. Kirishima's refit was completed in June 1936, the second after Haruna. It was immediately combined with Haruna to form the 3rd Squadron of the 1st Fleet, forming a force of fast battleships capable of 30 knots. While slow battleships were often out of use during the Pacific War, the four Kongo-class ships performed heroically thanks to their high speed. On December 8, 1941, at the start of the war, during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Kirishima utilized her speed to escort Nagumo's fleet, and continued to serve with the fleet until the Battle of Midway in June 1942. After failing to fulfill its escort mission and suffering a disastrous defeat at Midway, Kirishima rehabilitated and deployed to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. During the Battle of the South Pacific in August 1942, she again served as escort for Nagumo's fleet (though the newly formed 3rd Fleet was comprised of the Shokaku and Zuikaku). In late 1942, the Battle of Guadalcanal became increasingly critical. On November 12, 1942, Vice Admiral Abe Koki's suicide attack on Guadalcanal was thwarted by the U.S. Navy, resulting in the loss of the Hiei. The Combined Fleet Command immediately ordered Vice Admiral Kondo Nobutake to launch another bombardment of Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, dispatching the 4th Squadron, centered on the Kirishima, Atago, and Takao. Sensing this, the U.S. Navy deployed a superior fleet, including two battleships (South Dakota and Washington) under Rear Admiral Lee, near Savo Island, forming a blocking line. Here, the two large Japanese and American ships once again clashed, igniting a close-quarters nighttime artillery battle. The first act begins with the destroyer Ayanami. She charges, launching a gun and torpedo attack that disables two U.S. destroyers and inflicts heavy damage on others. Ayanami herself was sunk by concentrated enemy fire. With the destroyers removed, the US battleship South Dakota was left exposed and absorbed the Japanese attacks, taking a total of 27 shell hits and suffering heavy damage. However, the ship sustained no fatal damage, with only the destruction of its superstructure keeping it out of action for about six months, returning to the front lines in March 1943. While South Dakota was absorbing the fire, the following battleship Washington, unscathed, began its radar-targeted bombardment. Every single one of these 40cm shells hit Kirishima, causing a devastating fire. Desperate firefighting efforts were futile, and with every part of the ship's interior destroyed, Kirishima sank into the southern seas at 1:25 AM. As a result, the plan to bombard Guadalcanal was completely thwarted, and the Japanese Navy, having lost the Hiei two days earlier and the Kirishima in just three nights, was forced to abandon Guadalcanal, and the tide of the battle quickly turned in favor of the Allied forces. It was a heroic end for the Kirishima, a fast battleship. (Specifications) At the start of the war: Standard displacement: 32,980 tons Overall length: 222.00m Waterline length: 219.61m Maximum beam: 31.02m Main engine: 4 Kanpon turbines, 4 shafts Output: 136,000 horsepower Speed: 29.8 knots Cruising range: 18 knots, 10,000 nautical miles Armament: 8 x 4 twin 36cm guns, 14 x 15cm single guns, 8 x 4 twin 12.7cm anti-aircraft guns, 20 x 10 twin 25mm machine guns

Specification

• Combined Fleet 1st Air Fleet 1st Carrier Division (December 8, 1941)
• Model Length: 745mm