Ise-Class Japanese Battleships: End of the War

While waiting for their air groups, the two sister ships were used to ferry troops and material to Japanese bases.  They participated in the  Battle off Cape  Engano in late 1944 where they decoyed the American fleet supporting the invasion of  Leyte away from the landing beaches.

Afterwards, both ships were transferred to Southeast Asia and in early 1945 participated in  Operation Kita, where they transported petrol and other  strategic materials to Japan.  They were then reduced to reserve until they were sunk during American airstrikes in July.

On 19 March, they were in Kure Navy Base and both were hit by bombs.  After that, they were turned into floating anti-aircraft batteries.  On 24 July, the Ise was struck by five bombs and began to sink  The Hyuga was hit by ten bombs and began foundering, both sustaining heavy casualties.

After the war, they were  scrapped in 1946-1947.

--GreGen

Ise-Class Japanese Battleships: The Ise and Hyuga, Hybrid Battleship/Aircraft Carriers

The front was all battleship.  The back was all aircraft carrier.

From Wikipedia.

These two battleships are of particular interest because they became hybrid ships: half battleship, half carrier.

They were a pair of dreadnaught battleships built for the Japanese Navy during World War I.  Both ships carried supplies for the survivors of the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923.  They were modernized in 1934-1937 with improvements to armor and machinery and a rebuilt superstructure in the pagoda mast style.

Afterwards they played a minor role in the Second Sino-Chinese War.

Despite the expensive and extensive reconstructions, both were considered obsolete by the eve of the Pacific War and neither saw significant action in the early years of the war.  Following the loss of most of Japan's large aircraft carriers in the Battle of Midway, they were rebuilt once again with a flight deck replacing the rear  gun turrets to give them  the ability to operate an air group of float planes.

However, a lack of  aircraft and qualified pilots meant that they never  actually launched aircraft in battle.

Strange Looking Contraptions Indeed.  --GreGen

Japanese Battleships During WW II-- Part 1

From Wikipedia:  "List of Japanese Navy ships and war vessels in World War II.

After writing about the Kongo and her three sister ships which were converted from battlecruisers to battleships, I got to wondering about how many battleships Japan actually had.  It seemed to me that there were a whole lot of them.

I started searching and good old Wikipedia had a complete list of Japanese warships during the war.

I was surprised to see that Japan only had ten battleships other than the Kongo-class.

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FUSO-CLASS:  There was a plan to convert these ships into  Aviation Battleships in 1943.  The plan was cancelled  and the two Ise-Class battleships were converted instead.  

FUSO

YAMASHIRO

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ISE-CLASS  Converted into Aviation Battleships in 1943.  (I'll write more on these interesting ships later this month.)

ISE

HYUGA

--GreGen