The battleship that became a floating fortress of anti-aircraft guns

Society · Published 10 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: By the end of World War II, the Japanese battleship Fusō had been transformed into a sprawling, multi-layered defense platform. Originally built as a dreadnought, her silhouette was radically altered by successive modernizations, eventually mounting nearly 100 anti-aircraft guns to survive a changing aerial battlefield.

Launched in 1914, Fusō was a product of the dreadnought era. However, her design was quickly challenged by the rapid evolution of naval warfare. During her first major modernization (1930–1935), she received a 'pagoda mast' superstructure and torpedo bulges to improve underwater protection. Her primary armament consisted of twelve 14-inch guns arranged in an uncommon 2-1-1-2 configuration, which allowed for superfiring pairs of turrets at the front and rear.

As the threat of aircraft grew, Fusō underwent a massive transformation. Radar was added to her funnel by 1943, a feature unique among Japanese battleships. Her secondary armament shifted from 6-inch guns to a massive array of 25mm Type 96 light anti-aircraft guns. In her final configuration in July 1944, she carried a staggering 95 of these guns. Despite this, the 25mm weapons were noted by historians like Mark Stille for having severe design flaws, including excessive vibration and insufficient speed in elevation.

Fusō's career was defined by adaptation. She served as a flagship, a training ship for the Naval Academy, and even a rescue vessel, saving 353 survivors from the battleship Mutsu in 1943. Her end came in October 1944 during the Battle of Surigao Strait. While some reports claimed she broke in half, survivor accounts suggest she sank after 40 minutes of flooding and fire caused by spilled fuel bunkers. Of the many crewmen on board, only 10 survived to return to Japan.

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