Japanese battleship Kirishima " Kirishima " patrolled on occasion off the Chinese coast during World War I , and helped with rescue efforts following the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake . Starting in 1927 , " Kirishima " s first reconstruction rebuilt her as a battleship , strengthening her armor and improving her speed . From 1934 , a second reconstruction completely rebuilt her superstructure , upgraded her engine plant , and equipped her with launch catapults for floatplane s . Now fast enough to accompany Japan ' s growing carrier fleet , she was reclassified as a fast battleship . During the Second Sino - Japanese War , " Kirishima " acted primarily as a support vessel and troop transport , moving army troops to mainland China . On the eve of World War II , she sailed as part of Vice - Admiral Chuichi Nagumo ' s Combined Fleet as a heavy escort for the six carriers that attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 . As part of the Third Battleship Division , " Kirishima " participated in many of the Imperial Japanese Navy ' s early actions in 1942 , providing support for the invasion of the Dutch East Indies and in the Indian Ocean raid of April 1942 . During the Battle of Midway , she provided escort to Nagumo ' s four carriers , before redeploying to the Solomon Islands during the Battle of Guadalcanal . She escorted Japanese carrier fleets during the battles of the Eastern Solomons and Santa Cruz Islands , before sailing as part of a bombardment force under Admiral Nobutake Kondō during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal . On the evening of 13 November 1942 , " Kirishima " engaged American cruiser s and destroyer s alongside her sister ship . On the night of 14 / 15 November , in one of only two battleship duels of the Pacific War , " Kirishima " damaged before being fatally crippled in turn by the battleship . " Kirishima " capsized and sank in the early morning on 15 November 1942 in Ironbottom Sound . Design and construction . " Kirishima " was the third of the Imperial Japanese Navy ' s s , a group of capital ship s designed by the British naval engineer George Thurston . The class was ordered in 1910 in the Japanese Emergency Naval Expansion Bill after the commissioning of in 1908 . The four battlecruisers of the " Kongō " class were designed to match the naval capabilities of the other major powers at the time ; they have been called the battlecruiser version of the British ( formerly Turkish ) battleship . With their heavy armament and armor protection ( which took up 23 . 3 % of their approximately 30 , 000 ton displacement ) , " Kirishima " and her sister ships were vastly superior to any other Japanese capital ship afloat at the time . The keel of " Kirishima " was laid down at the Nagasaki shipyards of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on 17 March 1912 , with most of the parts used in her construction manufactured in Japan . Due to a shortage of available slipways , " Kirishima " and her sister ship were the first two capital ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy to be built in private Japanese shipyards . After her launch on 1 December 1913 , " Kirishima " s fitting - out began later that month . On 15 December 1914 , Captain Kamaya Rokuro was assigned as her chief equipping officer , and she was completed on 19 April 1915 . Armament . " Kirishima " s main battery consisted of eight heavy - caliber main guns in four twin turrets ( two forward , two aft ) . The turrets were noted by the US Office of Naval Intelligence to be " similar to the British 15 - inch turrets " , with improvements made in flash - tightness . Each of her main guns could fire high - explosive or armor - piercing shells a maximum distance of at a firing rate of two shells per minute . < ref name = 14 / 45 > < / ref > In keeping with the Japanese doctrine of deploying more powerful vessels before their opponents , " Kirishima " and her sister ships were the first vessels in the world equipped with guns . The ship ' s magazines could accommodate ninety rounds of ammunition for each of the main guns , which had an approximate barrel life of 250 – 280 shots . In 1941 , dyes were introduced for the armor - piercing shells of the four " Kongō " - class battleships , with " Kirishima " s shells using blue dye . Her secondary battery was originally sixteen 50 - caliber medium guns in single casemate s ( all located amidships ) , eight anti - aircraft guns , and eight submerged torpedo tubes . The sixteen 6 " / 50 caliber guns were capable of firing 5 – 6 rounds per minute , with a barrel life of 500 rounds . The 6 " / 50 caliber gun was capable of firing both antiaircraft and antiship shells , though the positioning of the guns on " Kirishima " made antiaircraft firing impractical . During her second reconstruction , the 3 " guns were removed and replaced with eight guns . These guns could fire between 8 and 14 rounds per minute , with a barrel life of 800 – 1500 rounds . Designed to fire antiaircraft , antiship , and illumination shells , the 5 " / 40 caliber had the widest variety of shot type of " Kirishima " s guns . During her second reconstruction , " Kirishima " was also fitted with a small number of Type 96 antiaircraft autocannons . Service . 1914 – 1927 : Battlecruiser . " Kirishima " was formally commissioned on 19 April 1915 , and along with was assigned to the 1st Battleship Division of the First Fleet . After seven months of trials , she was reassigned to the 3rd Battleship Division of the Second Fleet , with Captain Shima Takeshi in overall command of the ship . In April 1916 , " Kirishima " and " Haruna " departed Sasebo Naval Base to patrol the East China Sea for ten days . She remained in Sasebo until April 1917 , when she again deployed to the Chinese coast with her sister ships " Haruna " and . Her last patrol operation of World War I was off the Chinese and Korean coast in April 1918 . In July 1918 , " Kirishima " acted as the transport of Prince Arthur of Connaught for his extended cruise to Canada , before returning to Japan . Following the end of World War I , the Japanese Empire gained control of former German possessions in the central Pacific per the terms of the Treaty of Versailles . Due to Japan ' s warm relations with the British Empire and the United States at the time , " Kirishima " and other Japanese warships became significantly less active than during the war . On 1 December 1920 , she was reassigned to the Third Division of the Second Fleet . Other than a patrol alongside " Kongō " and off the Chinese coast in August 1921 , " Kirishima " remained in Sasebo . On 10 September 1922 , she collided with the destroyer during fleet maneuvers , with both ships sustaining minor damage . Following the Great Kantō Earthquake of September 1923 , the capital ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy assisted in rescue work until the end of the month . She was placed in reserve in December 1923 . With the conclusion of World War I and the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty , the size of the Imperial Japanese Navy was significantly lessened , with a ratio of 5 : 5 : 3 required between the capital ships of the United Kingdom , the United States , and Japan . The treaty also banned Japan from building any new capital ships until 1931 , with no capital ship permitted to exceed 35 , 000 tons . Provided that new additions did not exceed 3 , 000 tons , existing capital ships were allowed to be upgraded with improved torpedo bulges and deck armor . By the time the Washington Treaty had been fully implemented in Japan , only three classes of World War I - era capital ships — the " Yamashiro " and s , and the " Kongō " - class battlecruisers — remained active . 1927 – 1934 : Battleship . Stripped of the ability to construct new capital ships , the Imperial Japanese Navy instead opted to significantly upgrade and reconfigure their existing battleships and battlecruisers . " Kirishima " was placed in Third Reserve in December 1926 , before beginning her first reconstruction in early 1927 . Horizontal armor over the ammunition magazines was strengthened , and she was also fitted with anti - torpedo bulges , as permitted by the Washington Treaty . To upgrade " Kirishima " s speed , the 36 coal - fired Yarrow boilers were removed and replaced with ten new mixed - firing Kampon boilers . To allow for more equipment to be installed on board , her forward superstructure was reconstructed in the Pagoda mast style , facilitating the removal of one of her three funnels . The reconstruction of the " Kongō " - class battlecruisers added an additional 4 , 000 tons of armor to the ships , directly violating the terms of the Washington Treaty . On 16 April 1930 , the reconstruction was declared complete . Six days after " Kirishima " s reconstruction was completed , Japan pledged to scrap several battleships and signed the London Naval Treaty , which placed further bans on capital ship construction until 1937 . From August to October 1930 , she was outfitted with the equipment necessary to equip reconnaissance seaplanes . " Kirishima " patrolled the coast of China near Shanghai in April 1932 , before she was again placed in the Third Reserve . In September 1931 , Japan invaded Manchuria . On 25 February 1933 , based on a report by the Lytton Commission , the League of Nations agreed that Japan had violated Chinese sovereignty in its invasion of Manchuria . Refusing to accept the organization ' s judgment , Japan withdrew from the League of Nations the same day . Immediately following , Japan also withdrew from the Washington and London Naval Treaties , thus removing all restrictions on the number and size of her capital ships . 1934 – 1941 : Fast Battleship . On 18 November 1934 , " Kirishima " was drydocked in Sasebo Naval Arsenal in preparation for her second reconstruction , which would enable her to function alongside Japan ' s growing fleet of fast carriers . Her stern was lengthened by , while her superstructure was rebuilt to allow for new fire - control mechanisms . Her boilers were removed and replaced with eight new oil - fired Kampon Boilers , and she received newer geared turbines . The elevation of her main and secondary battery was increased , and she was equipped with two Nakajima E8N " Dave " and Kawanishi E7K " Alf " reconnaissance floatplane s . To this end , aircraft catapult s and launch - rails were also refitted . Her older 3 - inch guns were removed and replaced with eight 5 - inch dual - purpose guns . She was also outfitted with twenty Type 96 25 mm antiaircraft guns in twin turrets , while two of her 6 inch guns and her remaining torpedo tubes were removed . " Kirishima " s armor was also extensively upgraded . Her main belt was strengthened to a uniform thickness of 8 inches ( as opposed to varying thicknesses of 6 – 8 inches before the upgrades ) , while diagonal bulkheads of a depth ranging from reinforced the main armored belt . The turret armor was strengthened to , while were added to portions of the deck armor . The armor around her ammunition magazines was also strengthened over the course of the refit . The reconstruction was declared complete on 8 June 1936 . Capable of speeds of up to , " Kirishima " was reclassified as a fast battleship . In August 1936 , " Kirishima " departed Sasebo alongside to patrol the Chinese coast off Amoy . From March 1937 to April 1939 , she was frequently deployed as a support vessel and troop transport during the Second Sino - Japanese War . In November 1938 , " Kirishima " was designated the command vessel of the Third Battleship Division , and was under the command of Rear Admiral Chuichi Nagumo . In November 1939 , she was placed in reserve and fitted with additional armor on the front faces of her turrets and barbettes . 1941 - 1942 : Carrier Escort . On 11 November 1941 , after a series of transfers between Japanese naval bases , " Kirishima " was outfitted in preparation for coming hostilities and assigned — alongside her sister ships — to the Third Battleship Division . On 26 November , " Kirishima " departed Hitokappu Bay , Kurile Islands in the company of " Hiei " and six Japanese fast carriers of the First Air Fleet Striking Force ( , , , , , and ) . On 7 December 1941 , aircraft from these six carriers attacked the United States Pacific Fleet at their home base of Pearl Harbor , sinking four U . S . Navy battleships and numerous other vessels . Following the attack and the declaration of war by the United States , " Kirishima " returned to Japan . On 8 January 1942 , " Kirishima " departed Japan for Truk Naval Base in the Caroline Islands alongside the Carrier Strike Force . She provided escort during the invasion of New Britain on 17 January before returning to Truk . She sortied again in response to American carrier raids in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands . In March 1942 , while supporting fleet operations off of Java in the Dutch East Indies , one of " Kirishima " s floatplanes bombed an enemy merchant vessel . South of Java , the Japanese fleet was surprised by the appearance of the destroyer . " Hiei " and initially opened fire on the ship but failed to score any hits . After dive - bomber s from three of Admiral Nagumo ' s carriers immobilized the destroyer , " Kirishima " and the other two ships resumed firing on the " Edsall " until she sank . In April 1942 , " Kirishima " and the Third Battleship division joined five fleet carriers and two cruisers in an attack against British naval bases in the Indian Ocean . On 5 April — Easter Sunday — the Japanese fleet attacked the harbor at Colombo in Ceylon , while seaplanes from the spotted two fleeing British cruisers , both of which were later sunk by aerial attack . A floatplane from " Kirishima " also strafed a withdrawing oil tanker . On 8 April , Japanese carrier aircraft attacked the Royal Navy base at Trincomalee in Ceylon , only to find that all of Admiral James Somerville ' s remaining warships had withdrawn the previous night . Returning from the attack , a floatplane from " Kirishima " s sister ship " Haruna " spotted the aircraft carrier , which was quickly sunk by a massive aerial attack . Upon returning to Japan , " Kirishima " was drydocked and her secondary armament configuration modified with the addition of 25 mm antiaircraft guns in twin mounts . 1942 : Guadalcanal . In June 1942 , " Kirishima " sailed as part of the Carrier Strike Force during the Battle of Midway , providing escort for Admiral Nagumo ' s four fast carriers alongside " Haruna " . Following the disastrous battle , during which all four Japanese carriers were sunk or scuttled , she took on survivors from the four flattops before returning to Japan . In August 1942 , she departed Japan for the Solomon Islands in the company of " Hiei " , three carriers , three cruisers and eleven destroyers , in response to the American invasion of Guadalcanal . She escorted Japanese carriers during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons , during which the light carrier was sunk . Following the battle , the fleet returned to Truk Naval Base . During the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands , " Kirishima " was part of Rear Admiral Hiroaki Abe ' s Vanguard Force , which provided distant cover to Nagumo ' s carrier groups . She was attacked by American dive - bombers on 26 October , yet remained undamaged . On 10 November 1942 , " Kirishima " departed Truk alongside " Hiei " and eleven destroyers in preparation to shell American positions on Guadalcanal in advance of a major transport convoy of Japanese troops . U . S . Navy reconnaissance aircraft spotted the Japanese fleet several days in advance , and deployed a force of two heavy cruisers , three light cruisers and eight destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Daniel J . Callaghan in Ironbottom Sound to meet them . At 01 : 24 on 13 November , the Japanese force was detected out by the light cruiser . In the ensuing First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal , the American task force concentrated the majority of their firepower on the battleship " Hiei " . This enabled " Kirishima " to score multiple hits on the heavy cruiser and " Helena " , while " Hiei " crippled the light cruiser , killing Rear Admiral Norman Scott . Both " Hiei " and " Kirishima " then raked " San Francisco " with shellfire , killing Rear Admiral Callaghan . However , " Hiei " was in turn crippled by " San Francisco " and several American destroyers . With " Hiei " effectively out of the battle , " Kirishima " and the surviving destroyers withdrew to the north . On the morning of 13 November , she was ordered to tow " Hiei " to safety . However , the heavily damaged battleship came under air attack , and was eventually abandoned and scuttled . Loss . On the evening of 13 November , " Kirishima " and her escorting destroyers were joined by the Fourth Cruiser Division , of and , and prepared to reenter Ironbottom Sound under the command of Admiral Nobutake Kondō . In the early morning of 14 November , the Japanese bombarded Guadalcanal before withdrawing . Aware of the damage suffered by his ships the previous night , Admiral William Halsey reinforced the American naval units with the new battleships and . The two fleets made contact on 14 November at 23 : 01 . They exchanged gunfire and torpedoes , with four American destroyers disabled ( three would later sink ) , while the was crippled by " Washington " and " South Dakota " . At 23 : 40 , " South Dakota " suffered a series of electrical failures , crippling her radar , radios and gun batteries . " Kirishima " and the heavy cruiser illuminated the battleship with searchlights , and almost all of Kondō ' s force opened fire . " Kirishima " managed to hit " South Dakota " with one salvo of 14 - inch shells and numerous salvos from her secondary battery , which knocked out the battleship ' s fire control systems and communications . " Washington " , undetected , managed to evade the Japanese fleet , and at midnight fired on " Kirishima " from . " Kirishima " was hit by nine primary and forty secondary battery salvos , jamming her rear 14 - inch turrets and steering , and causing the battleship to list 18 degrees to starboard . Initially , the light cruiser " Nagara " attempted to tow her out of Ironbottom Sound . When it became clear she could not be salvaged , the surviving Japanese destroyers evacuated CO Captain Iwabuchi Sanji and 1 , 098 survivors . " Kirishima " capsized at 03 : 25 on the morning of 15 November 1942 , with 212 crewmen lost . The official U . S . Navy history of the engagement , based on an interview with a single surviving crewmember , states that the " Kirishima " was scuttled . However , more recent analysis based on an underwater survey of the wreck and the accounts of other survivors including " Kirishima " s damage control officer has led at least one author to conclude that " Kirishima " was struck by up to 22 heavy shells , and capsized as a result of progressive flooding exacerbated by poor damage control . The analysis stated that " Kirishima " s protective scheme was designed in mind with 1914 - era AP shells with a non - delay fuse that would have detonated on her exterior armor . This would have been inadequate against the deep penetration AP shells that went through her armor ( considered " incredible thin by World War II standards " ) before exploding , compromising her watertight integrity , as well as sending shell fragments to the boilers , and causing further damage by detonating the ready ammunition lockers for the casemate batteries . The author opined that the damage control team followed a " script " to counter flood every time that the ship listed , however this was rendered ineffective as it made the ship lower in the water and allowed the progressive flooding of the middle deck and cause her to list again . In August 1992 , Robert Ballard found and photographed the wreck of a " Kongō " - class battleship that is almost certainly the " Kirishima " in about 4000 feet of water laying completely upside down with her bow blown off ahead of the approximate location of her superstructure , suggesting an explosion of her forward 14 - inch magazines .