How a World War I battlecruiser became a fast battleship for the Pacific War

Wars & Conflicts · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Originally built as a 1910s battlecruiser, the Japanese ship Kirishima underwent two massive reconstructions to survive the Pacific War. By replacing coal boilers with oil-fired engines and rebuilding her superstructure into a towering pagoda, the Imperial Japanese Navy transformed this aging vessel into a high-speed battleship capable of escorting modern carriers.

Commissioned in 1915, Kirishima was one of four Kongō-class battlecruisers designed by British naval architect Sir George Thurston. Initially, the ship relied on 36 coal-fired boilers to reach speeds of 27.5 knots. However, the constraints of the Washington Naval Treaty, which limited capital ship construction, forced the Imperial Japanese Navy to modernize existing hulls rather than build new ones. During her first major refit starting in 1927, the navy replaced her coal boilers with mixed-firing and oil-burning units, significantly increasing her range while sacrificing some speed.

The second reconstruction, completed in 1936, was far more radical. To achieve a target speed of 30 knots, engineers lengthened her stern and installed powerful geared turbines, more than doubling her original shaft horsepower. Her superstructure was rebuilt into a distinctive pagoda mast to house advanced fire-control equipment, including gyrostabilized rangefinders. These modifications allowed the ship to act as a fast battleship, capable of keeping pace with Japan's carrier fleets. Despite these upgrades, the navy opted against adding significant side armor to avoid weight penalties that would compromise her new speed.

Kirishima's combat career culminated in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in November 1942. On the night of 14/15 November, she engaged in a rare battleship-versus-battleship duel. After severely damaging the American battleship USS South Dakota, Kirishima was struck by gunfire from the USS Washington. Fatally wounded, she capsized and sank in Ironbottom Sound on 15 November 1942. Her evolution from a WWI-era cruiser to a modernized fast battleship reflects the desperate, innovative efforts of the Imperial Japanese Navy to maintain parity in the Pacific theater.

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