1/350 Fast Battleship IJN Kongo (Fujimi)

Construction and Modernization:

On 16 August 1913, Kongo was completed and commissioned into the Imperial Japanese Navy.

By September 1929 Kongo underwent extensive modernization and modification and In March 1931, Kongo-now capable of a speed of 29 knots (54 mph)-was reclassified as a battleship.

On 1 June 1935, Kongo was dry-docked and this reconstruction was finished on 8 January 1937. Capable of greater than 30 knots (56 km/h), Kongo was now reclassified as a fast battleship.

Specs (1944):

Displacement    :32050 (standard) 40250 (full)
Length                 :222.05m (overall)
Beam                    :31.04 (max)
Draught               :10.05m
Speed                  :29 knots
Range                   :10.000nm at 18 knots

Armament         :8 356mm/L45 guns (4x2) 8 152mm/L50 guns (casemates) 12
127mm guns (4x2) 63 25mm AA guns (21x3) 8x25mm AA guns (4x2) 36 25mm guns
(single mounts) 1 aircraft catapult, 3 seaplanes

Complement     :1441 - 1490

Fate

On 20 November 1944 Kongo entered the Formosa Strait (now Taiwan Strait) as part of the first fleet. Shortly after midnight on 21 November, the submarine  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sealion_(SS-315)> USS Sealion made radar contact with the fleet at 44,000 yards (40,000 m).  At  02:45 Sealion fired six bow torpedoes at Kongo, two of the torpedoes were seen to hit Kongo on the port side.  At 05:24 she blew up when her forward
magazine exploded, taking 1200 of her crew.

Photography     : Nikon D5100, Helicon Focus, Photoshop CS4.
 

IJN Kongo is depicted here while her crew is performing an air attack drill

Sources :
Wikipedia
Kagero

Gallery updated 11/10/2021

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