Most of Japan's light cruisers, 11 units, were sunk by Allied aircraft. It’s a paradox, but in 1942, Japan’s oldest light cruisers turned out to be the most armed in terms of air defense. Each of them carried 4 twin 25 mm. installations type 96 and 80 mm. universal gun type 3. 5500-ton cruisers of the Kuma, Nagara and Sendai types in 1942 carried only 2 twin type 96 installations and two twin 13.2 mm machine guns. Type 93. Strengthening the air defense of 5500-ton cruisers began only in 1943...
All the more interesting are the projects of converting Tenryu-class cruisers into air defense cruisers. The project was developed in 1935-1936. assumed the replacement of the main caliber guns with 4 twin 127 mm guns. installations Type 89 and 4 triple installations of 25 mm machine guns Type 95 installed in the corners of the middle superstructure. To control the fire, it was planned to install two type 94 anti-aircraft directors. At the stern, it was planned to install depth charge bomb releasers. The project took into account the replacement of boilers with more efficient ones and the combination of all three chimneys into a single pipe, modeled on the cruiser Yubari. In 1938-1939 A second project for an air defense cruiser based on Tenryu was proposed. It resembled the 1936 project. but the main caliber was replaced by experimental 76 mm. type 98 guns. None of the projects were implemented. But in Blender, everything is possible. Without any problems, I assembled the air defense cruiser Tenryu according to the 1936 project.
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Topic: Light cruisers of Japan. (Read 3314 times)
