Fusō - class battleship The " Fusō " - class battleships were a pair of dreadnought battleship s built for the Imperial Japanese Navy ( IJN ) during World War I . Both patrolled briefly off the coast of China before being placed in reserve at the war ' s end . In 1922 became the first battleship in the IJN to successfully launch aircraft . During the 1930s , both ships underwent a series of modernizations and reconstructions . underwent her modernization in two phases ( 1930 – 33 , 1937 – 41 ) , while " Yamashiro " was reconstructed from 1930 to 1935 . The modernization increased their armor , replaced and upgraded their machinery , and rebuilt their superstructures into the distinctive pagoda mast style . Despite the expensive reconstructions , both vessels were considered obsolescent by the eve of World War II , and neither saw significant action in the early years of the war . " Fusō " served as a troop transport in 1943 , while " Yamashiro " was relegated to training duty in the Inland Sea . Both underwent upgrades to their anti - aircraft suite in 1944 before transferring to Singapore in August 1944 . " Fusō " and " Yamashiro " were the only two Japanese battleships at the Battle of Surigao Strait , the southernmost action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf , and both were lost in the early hours of 25 October 1944 to torpedoes and naval gunfire . Some eyewitnesses later claimed that " Fusō " broke in half , and that both halves remained afloat and burning for an hour , but historian Anthony Tully has made the case that she simply sank after forty minutes of flooding . Six battleships and eight cruisers were lying in wait for " Yamashiro " ; she did not survive the encounter , and Vice - Admiral Shōji Nishimura went down with his ship . Only ten crewmembers from each ship survived . Background . The design of the " Fusō " - class battleships was shaped both by the ongoing international naval arms race and a desire among Japanese naval planners to maintain a fleet of capital ships powerful enough to defeat the United States Navy in an encounter in Japanese territorial waters . The IJN ' s fleet of battleships had proven highly successful in 1905 , the last year of the Russo - Japanese War , which culminated in the destruction of the Russian Second and Third Pacific Squadrons at the Battle of Tsushima . In the aftermath , the Japanese Empire immediately turned its focus to the two remaining rivals for imperial dominance in the Pacific Ocean : Britain and the United States . Satō Tetsutarō , a Japanese Navy admiral and military theorist , speculated that conflict would inevitably arise between Japan and at least one of its two main rivals . To that end , he called for the Japanese Navy to maintain a fleet with at least 70 % as many capital ships as the US Navy . This ratio , Satō theorized , would enable the Imperial Japanese Navy to defeat the US Navy in one major battle in Japanese waters in any eventual conflict . Accordingly , the 1907 Imperial Defense Policy called for the construction of a battle fleet of eight modern battleships , each , and eight modern armored cruiser s , each . This was the genesis of the Eight - Eight Fleet Program , the development of a cohesive battle line of sixteen capital ships . The launch of in 1906 by the Royal Navy raised the stakes , and complicated Japan ' s plans . Displacing and armed with ten guns , " Dreadnought " rendered all existing battleships obsolete by comparison . The launch of the battlecruiser the following year was a further setback for Japan ' s quest for parity . When the two new s and two armored cruisers , launched by 1911 , were outclassed by their British counterparts , the Eight - Eight Fleet Program was restarted . The first battleships built for the renewed Eight - Eight Fleet Program were the two dreadnoughts of the , ordered in 1907 and laid down in 1908 . In 1910 , the Navy put forward a request to the Diet ( parliament ) to secure funding for the entirety of the program at once . Because of economic constraints , the proposal was cut first by the Navy Ministry to seven battleships and three battlecruisers , then by the cabinet to four armored cruisers and a single battleship . The Diet amended this by authorizing the construction of four battlecruisers ( the ) and one battleship , later named " Fusō " , in what became the Naval Emergency Expansion bill . Design . " Fusō " was designed to work in conjunction with the four battlecruisers . After coordination with the British on the " Kongō " class , Japanese designers had access to the latest British design studies in naval architecture and were now able to design their own capital ships . In an effort to outmatch the American , planners called for a ship armed with twelve guns and faster than the of their rivals . Vickers files show that the Japanese had access to the designs for double - and triple - gun turrets , yet opted for six double turrets over four triple turrets . The final design — designated A - 64 by the IJN — called for a displacement of with twelve guns in six double turrets ( two forward , two aft , two separated amidships ) with a top speed of . This design was superior to its American counterparts in armament , armor and speed , thus following the doctrine the Japanese had used since the First Sino - Japanese War of 1894 – 95 of compensating for quantitative inferiority with qualitative superiority . Description . The ships had a length of overall . They had a beam of and a draft of . They displaced at standard load . Their crew consisted of 1 , 198 officers and enlisted men in 1915 and 1 , 396 in 1935 . During World War II , the crew probably totalled around 1 , 800 – 1 , 900 men . During the ships ' modernization during the 1930s , their forward superstructures were enlarged with multiple platforms added to their tripod foremasts . The rear superstructures were rebuilt to accommodate mounts for anti - aircraft ( AA ) guns and additional fire - control directors . Both ships were also given torpedo bulge s to improve their underwater protection and to compensate for the weight of the additional armor . In addition , their sterns were lengthened by . These changes increased their overall length to , their beam to and their draft to . Their displacement increased nearly to at deep load . Propulsion . The " Fusō " - class ships had two sets of Brown - Curtis direct - drive steam turbines , each of which drove two propeller shafts . The medium - pressure turbines drove the wing shafts while the high - and low - pressure turbines drove the inner shafts . The turbines were designed to produce a total of , using steam provided by 24 Miyahara - type water - tube boilers , each of which consumed a mixture of coal and oil . The ships had a stowage capacity of of coal and of fuel oil , giving them a range of at a speed of . Both ships exceeded their designed speed of during their sea trials ; " Fusō " reached from and " Yamashiro " exceeded that with from . During their 1930s modernization , the Miyahara boilers on each ship were replaced by six new Kanpon oil - fired boilers , fitted into the former aft boiler room , and the forward funnel was removed . The Brown - Curtis turbines were replaced by four geared Kanpon turbines with a designed output of . On her trials , " Fusō " reached a top speed of from . The fuel storage of the ships was increased to a total of of fuel oil that gave them a range of at a speed of . Armament . The twelve 45 - calibre 14 - inch guns of the " Fusō " class were mounted in six twin - gun turrets , numbered from front to rear , each of which weighed . The turrets had an elevation capability of −5 / + 20 degrees . They were arranged in an uncommon 2 - 1 - 1 - 2 style with superfiring pairs of turrets fore and aft ; the middle turrets were not superfiring , and had a funnel between them . The decision to use six twin turrets rather than four triple turrets greatly affected the entire design of the class because the two extra turrets required a longer ship and increased the amount of armor required to protect the ship to a given standard . The location of the third and fourth turrets proved particularly problematic to the design of the class because the amidships turrets were not superfiring as in the subsequent s . This further increased the length of the ships because the barrels of the upper turret protruded over the lower turret , requiring more space than a pair of superfiring turrets . Mounted amidships along the centerline of the ship , they had restricted arcs of fire , and their position forced the boiler rooms to be placed in less than ideal locations . Another complication was the need to fit extra insulation and air conditioning in the magazine s of the amidships turrets to protect them from the heat generated in the adjacent boiler rooms . Originally both amidship gun turrets faced to the rear , but " Fusō " s turret No . 3 was moved to face forward during her reconstruction in order to accommodate additional platforms around her funnel . The main battery of the " Fusō " class underwent multiple modernizations throughout the ships ' careers . During the first reconstruction of both vessels , the elevation of the main guns was increased to −5 / + 43 degrees , giving a maximum firing range of . The recoil mechanism of the guns was also changed from a hydraulic to pneumatic system , which allowed for a faster firing cycle of the main guns . By World War II , the guns used Type 91 armor - piercing , capped shells . Each of these shells weighed and had a muzzle velocity of . They had a maximum range of at + 30 degrees of elevation and at + 43 degrees after modernization . Also available was a high - explosive shell that had a muzzle velocity of . A special Type 3 " Sankaidan " incendiary shrapnel shell was developed in the 1930s for anti - aircraft use . As built , the " Fusō " class was fitted with a secondary armament of sixteen 50 - caliber six - inch guns mounted in single casemate s along the sides of the hull at the level of the upper deck . Eight guns were mounted per side , and each had an arc of fire of 130 degrees and a maximum elevation of + 15 degrees . Each gun could fire a high - explosive projectile a maximum distance of at a rate of between four and six shots per minute . During their reconstruction in the 1930s , the maximum elevation of the guns was increased to + 30 degrees , which increased their maximum range by approximately . The ships also mounted five or six 40 - caliber 76 mm anti - aircraft ( AA ) guns . The high - angle guns were in single mounts on both sides of the forward superstructure , both sides of the second funnel , and each side of the aft superstructure ( " Fusō " lacked the starboard side aft gun ) . Each of these guns had a maximum elevation of + 75 degrees , and could fire a projectile with a muzzle velocity of to a maximum height of . Both ships were equipped with six submerged torpedo tube s , three on each broadside . The " Fusō " class ' s secondary armament changed significantly over time . During the modernizations of the 1930s , all of the 76 mm guns were replaced with eight 40 - caliber dual - purpose gun s . These guns were fitted on both sides of the fore and aft superstructures in four twin - gun mounts . When firing at surface targets , the guns had a range of ; they had a maximum ceiling of at their maximum elevation of + 90 degrees . Their maximum rate of fire was 14 rounds a minute , but their sustained rate of fire was around eight rounds per minute . During reconstruction , the two foremost 152 mm guns were also removed . The light AA armament of the " Fusō " class changed dramatically from 1933 to 1944 . During the first reconstruction , " Fusō " was fitted with four quadruple machine - guns , while " Yamashiro " was fitted with eight twin gun mounts . Both weapons were license - built French Hotchkiss designs . The 25 mm guns were mounted on the " Fusō " class in single , double and triple mounts . This model was the standard Japanese light anti - aircraft gun during World War II , but it suffered from severe design shortcomings that rendered it a largely ineffective weapon . The twin and triple mounts " lacked sufficient speed in train or elevation ; the gun sights were unable to handle fast targets ; the gun exhibited excessive vibration ; the magazine was too small , and , finally , the gun produced excessive muzzle blast " . The configuration of the anti - aircraft guns varied significantly ; by the end of their final reconstruction , the " Fusō " class mounted eight twin mounts . In 1943 , seventeen single and two twin - mounts were added for a total of 37 . In August 1944 , both were fitted with another twenty - three single , six twin and eight triple - mounts , for a total of 95 anti - aircraft guns in their final configuration . Armor . When the " Fusō " class was completed , the ships ' armor was " typical for a pre - Jutland battleship " . As built , the armor accounted for a displacement of , approximately 29 % of the class ' s total displacement . Their waterline armor belt was thick ; below it was a strake of armor . The deck armor ranged in thickness from . The turrets were protected with an armor thickness of on the face , on the sides , and on the roof . The barbette s of the turrets were protected by armor 305 mm thick , while the casemates of the 152 mm guns were protected by 152 mm armor plates . The sides of the conning tower were thick . Additionally , the vessels contained 737 watertight compartments ( 574 underneath the armor deck , 163 above ) to preserve buoyancy in the event of battle damage . During their reconstruction , the armor of the battleships was substantially upgraded . Their deck armor was increased to a maximum thickness of , and a longitudinal bulkhead of of high - tensile steel was added to improve the underwater protection . This brought the total armor tonnage up to , approximately 31 % of the total displacement of the " Fusō " class . Even after these improvements , the armor was still incapable of withstanding 14 - inch shells . Aircraft . " Yamashiro " was briefly fitted with an aircraft flying - off platform on Turret No . 2 in 1922 . She successfully launched Gloster Sparrowhawk and Sopwith Camel fighters from it , becoming the first Japanese ship to launch aircraft . When she was modernized in the 1930s , a catapult and a collapsible crane were fitted on the stern , and both ships were equipped to operate three floatplane s , although no hangar was provided . The initial Nakajima E4N2 biplanes were replaced by Nakajima E8N2 biplanes in 1938 and then by Mitsubishi F1M biplanes from 1942 on . Fire control and sensors . When completed in 1915 , the ships had two and two rangefinder s in the forward superstructure , a rangefinder on the roof of Turret No . 2 , and 4 . 5 - meter rangefinders in Turrets 3 , 4 , and 5 . In late 1917 a fire - control director was installed on a platform on the foremast . The 4 . 5 - meter rangefinders were replaced by instruments in 1923 . During " Fusō " s first modernization , four directors for the 12 . 7 mm AA guns were added , one on each side of the fore and aft superstructures , and an eight - meter rangefinder was installed at the top of the pagoda mast . This was replaced by a rangefinder during 1938 . At the same time , the two 3 . 5 - meter rangefinders on the forward superstructure were replaced by directors for the 25 mm AA guns . Additional 25 mm directors were installed on platforms on each side of the funnel . While the ships were in drydock in July 1943 , Type 21 air search radar was installed on the roof of the 10 - meter rangefinder at the top of the pagoda mast . In August 1944 , two Type 22 surface search radar units were installed on the pagoda mast and two Type 13 early warning radar units were fitted . " Yamashiro " mounted hers on the mainmast , while " Fusō " was the only Japanese battleship to mount radar on her funnel . Ships . Two advanced versions of the class were planned , but the final design differed so markedly from " Fusō " that they became the " Ise " class . When she was completed in 1915 , " Fusō " was considered the first modern battleship of the Japanese Navy . She outclassed her American counterparts of the in firepower and speed , and was considered the " most powerfully armed battleship in the world " . Despite extensive modernization in the 1930s , both battleships were considered obsolescent by the commencement of World War II . Following the loss of much of Japan ' s aircraft carrier fleet by 1943 , a proposal was floated that would have converted both vessels into hybrid battleship - carriers . Work was scheduled to commence in June 1943 , but the plan was cancelled and the two " Ise " - class battleships were converted instead . Service . " Fusō " was commissioned on 8 November 1915 and assigned to the 1st Division of the 1st Fleet on 13 December . The ship did not take part in any combat during World War I , as there were no longer any forces of the Central Powers in Asia by the time she was completed . She served as the flagship of the 1st Division during 1917 and 1918 , and patrolled off the coast of China during that time . The ship aided survivors of the Great Kanto Earthquake between 9 and 22 September 1923 . In the 1920s , " Fusō " conducted training off the coast of China and was often placed in reserve . After assignment as a training ship in 1936 and 1937 , she briefly operated in Chinese waters in early 1939 . " Yamashiro " was completed on 31 March 1917 and assigned to the 1st Division of the 1st Fleet in 1917 – 18 , though she had no combat role in World War I . Like her sister , she patrolled off the coast of China during the war and assisted during the Great Kanto Earthquake . Little detailed information is available about her activities during the 1920s , although she did make a port visit to Port Arthur , China , on 5 April 1925 and also conducted training off the coast of China . " Yamashiro " became flagship of the Combined Fleet in 1935 . In early 1941 , the ship experimentally launched radio - controlled Kawanishi E7K2 floatplanes . World War II . In April and May 1941 , " Fusō " and " Yamashiro " were attached to the 2nd Division of the 1st Fleet , but the two ships spent most of the war around Japan , mostly at the anchorage at Hashirajima in Hiroshima Bay . When the war started for Japan on 8 December , the division sortie d from Hashirajima to the Bonin Islands as distant support for the 1st Air Fleet attacking Pearl Harbor , and returned six days later . On 18 April 1942 , they pursued but did not catch the American carrier force that had launched the Doolittle Raid . Commanded by Vice - Admiral Shirō Takasu , the division set sail with the Aleutian Support Group on 28 May , at the same time that most of the Imperial Fleet began an attack on Midway Island ( Operation MI ) . Afterwards , " Yamashiro " returned to home waters , where she stayed until August 1943 ; the next month , she became a training ship for midshipmen . In July 1943 , " Yamashiro " was at the Yokosuka drydock , then was briefly assigned as a training ship on 15 September before loading troops on 13 October bound for Truk Naval Base , arriving on the 20th . She sailed for Japan on 31 October . On 8 November , the submarine fired torpedoes at " Junyo " that missed , but hit " Yamashiro " with a torpedo that failed to detonate . Returning to Japanese waters , " Yamashiro " resumed her training duties . During the US invasion of Saipan in June 1944 , Japanese troop ships attempting to reinforce the defenses were sunk by submarines . Shigenori Kami , chief of operations of the Navy Staff , volunteered to command " Yamashiro " to carry troops and equipment to Saipan . If the ship actually reached the island , he intended to deliberately beach the ship before it could be sunk and to use its artillery to defend the island . After Ryūnosuke Kusaka , Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet , also volunteered to go , Prime Minister Hideki Tōjō approved the plan , known as Operation " Y - GO " , but the operation was cancelled after the decisive defeat in the Battle of the Philippine Sea on 19 and 20 June . " Fusō " was assigned to the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy at Etajima , Hiroshima , for use as a training ship between 15 November 1942 and 15 January 1943 . On 8 June , she rescued 353 survivors from " Mutsu " when that ship exploded at Hashirajima . After carrying supplies to Truk Naval Base in August , " Fusō " made for Eniwetok two months later to be in a position to intercept an anticipated attack , returning to Truk on October 26 . She arrived on 21 February at Lingga Island , and was employed there as a training ship , before refitting at Singapore between 13 and 27 April and returning to Lingga . She was transferred to Tawi - Tawi on 11 May , and provided cover for the abortive attempts to reinforce Biak Island at the end of the month . " Fusō " sailed to Tarakan Island off Borneo to refuel in early July before returning to Japan , escaping an attack by the submarine . She was refitted in early August at Kure . Both ships were transferred to Battleship Division 2 of the 2nd Fleet on 10 September . " Yamashiro " and " Fusō " alternated in the role of division flagship under Vice Admiral Shōji Nishimura . They departed Kure on 23 September for Lingga Island , carrying the Army ' s 25th Independent Mixed Regiment , and escaped an attack by the submarine the next day . They arrived on 4 October , then transferred to Brunei to offload their toops and refuel in preparation for Operation " Shō - Gō " , the attempt to destroy the American fleet conducting the invasion of Luzon . Battle of Surigao Strait . Nishimura ' s " Southern Force " left Brunei at 15 : 30 on 22 October 1944 , heading east into the Sulu Sea and then to the northeast into the Mindanao Sea . Intending to join Vice - Admiral Takeo Kurita ' s force in Leyte Gulf , they passed west of Mindanao Island into Surigao Strait , where they met a large force of battleships , cruisers and destroyers lying in wait . The Battle of Surigao Strait would become the southernmost action in the Battle of Leyte Gulf . At 09 : 08 on 24 October , " Yamashiro " , " Fusō " and the heavy cruiser spotted a group of 27 planes , including TBF Avenger torpedo bomber s and SB2C Helldiver dive bomber s escorted by F6F Hellcat fighters , that had been launched from the carrier . Around 20 sailors on " Yamashiro " were killed by strafing and rocket attacks . " Fusō " catapult and both floatplanes were destroyed , and another bomb hit the ship near Turret No . 2 and penetrated the decks , killing everyone in No . 1 secondary battery . Nishimura issued a telegram to Admiral Soemu Toyoda at 20 : 13 : " It is my plan to charge into Leyte Gulf to [ reach ] a point off Dulag at 04 : 00 hours on the 25th . " At 22 : 52 , his force spotted three or four Motor Torpedo Boat s and opened fire , damaging and and forcing all of them to retreat before they could launch their torpedoes . One or two torpedoes , possibly fired by the destroyer , hit " Fusō " amidships on the starboard side at 03 : 09 on the 25th ; she listed to starboard , slowed down , and fell out of formation . Some Japanese and American eyewitnesses later claimed that " Fusō " broke in half , and that both halves remained afloat and burning for an hour , but they specifically mentioned only the size of the fire on the water , and not any details of the ship . Historian John Toland agreed in 1970 that " Fusō " had broken in two , but according to historian Anthony Tully in 2009 , " Fuso was torpedoed , and as a result of progressive flooding , upended and capsized within forty minutes . " She sank between 03 : 38 and 03 : 50 ; only a few dozen men survived her rapid descent and massive oil fire , and only ten reached shore . At 03 : 52 , " Yamashiro " was attacked by a large formation to the north commanded by Rear Admiral Jesse Oldendorf . First came 6 - and shells from a line of eight cruisers , then and shells from a line of six battleships . The main bombardment lasted 18 minutes , and " Yamashiro " was the only target for seven minutes . The first rounds hit the forecastle and pagoda mast , and soon the entire battleship appeared to be ablaze . " Yamashiro " two forward turrets targeted her assailants , and the secondary armament targeted the American destroyers plaguing " Mogami " and the destroyer . There was a big explosion at 04 : 04 , possibly from one of the middle turrets . She was hit between 04 : 03 and 04 : 09 near the starboard engine room by a torpedo , and Nishimura wired to Kurita : " We proceed till totally annihilated . I have definitely accomplished my mission as pre - arranged . Please rest assured . " At the same time , Oldendorf issued a cease - fire order to the entire formation after hearing that the destroyer was taking friendly fire , and the Japanese ships also ceased fire . " Yamashiro " increased speed , but she had been hit by two to four torpedoes , and after two more torpedo hits near the starboard engine room , she was listing 45 degrees to port . Shinoda gave the command to abandon ship , but neither he nor Nishimura made any attempt to leave the conning tower as the ship capsized within five minutes and quickly sank , stern first , vanishing from radar between 04 : 19 and 04 : 21 . Only 10 crewmembers of the estimated 1 , 636 officers and crew on board survived .