#Japanese Imperial Fleet

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“JAPS LOST 16 OUT OF 18 BOMBERS IN ATTACK ON U.S. AIRCRAFT CARRIER,” Toronto Star. April 1, 1942. Page 37. ---- U.S. ACE BAGS SIX ENEMY BOMBERS IN PACIFIC ENGAGEMENT --- Vicious anti-aircraft fire from protecting naval vessels fills the sky marks where a Jap plane burns. After being disabled by a U.S. flier, above a United States aircraft carrier "somewhere in the Pacific," as a Lieut. Edward O'Hare, it attempted a suicide dive on the carrier, but heavy Japanese bomber raid is driven off. Sixteen out of 18 of the was stopped short of 200 yards away by concentrated anti-aircraft fire. attacking bombers were destroyed. The black smudge on the horizon O'Hare is credited with destroying six of the 18 planes shot down.

#action off bougainville #rabaul #united states navy #uss lexington #carrier air group #fleet air arm #butch o'hare #aa guns #pacific war #imperial japanese navy #world war II

[redsamuraiii]

Lord Toranaga in Shogun (2024)

Historically, following the establishment of the Shogunate, Japan was unified with 300 years of peace during *Edo Period. The same period they were isolated from the world, until the arrival of another "gaijin", Matthew Perry, and his fleet of black warships to force the opening of Japan to trading as America is expanding in the Pacific.

*The movie 47 Ronin takes place during Edo Period.

Matthew Perry in Samurai Marathon (2019)

At the time, the weakened Spanish and Portuguese are withdrawing from Asia as the new powers, Britain and America took control of Asia and the Pacific, triggering Opium Wars. This divides Japan into pro-Shogunate and pro-Imperial factions, causing Boshin War, as each side have different ideas of how to strengthen the country.

*The movie The Last Samurai takes place during this time.

You can see here for the historical timeline of Japan. A Japanese Drama hilariously sums up the Meijin Restoration here.

#shogun #shogun fx #shogun 2024 #hiroyuki sanada #yoshii toranaga #tokugawa ieyasu #tokugawa shogunate #edo period #matthew perry #samurai marathon #boshin war #japan #japanese history #47 ronin #the last samurai #period drama #jidaigeki

[just-sp-in-inginthevoid]

Flowers in Brahman (and what flower could have been Takeomi’s)

The easiest to figure out are the cherry blossoms for Senju; they’re easy to see since Senju has a close-up wearing her uniform and her image color is cherry blossom pink.

In Japan, cherry blossoms symbolize optimist, the fleeting nature of life and is a symbol of death and rebirth. Although it doesn’t seem official, cherry blossoms are Japan national flowers and have a great importance in their culture, Hanami being the best-known example.

For Wakasa and Benkei, since I’m not an expert in flowers I did my best but I might be wrong.

Wakasa seems to have camelias on his sleeves. Although red camelias symbolize love (in both the western world and japan), this is not what Wakui was going for with it. In Japan, camelias are known for their ‘noble death’ since they seem to behead themselves when they die. Yoshitsune no Minamoto born Ushiwakamaru (the irl man and myth Wakui based Wakasa on) is believed to have committed sepukku after being surrounded by enemies – sparing himself an honorableness death.

Benkei may have chrysanthemums. In Japan, they symbolize ‘imperial’ is they’re yellow or ‘truth’ if they’re white, they’re also a symbol of the imperial family. Something that should also made a nod to the irl Benkei who is said to have fought Yoshitsune’s enemies (while he was committing sepukku) and who was Yoshitune’s retainer; and chrysanthemums are also known to symbolize loyalty.

As for Takeomi, who has a dragon (or two)…

The reason behind that is that he can’t let go of Black Dragon and unlike Wakasa and Benkei he sees Brahman as that – Black Dragon but under a knew name and without Shinichiro to guide them. Still, if he didn’t, what would have been his flower?

Obviously it’s only a speculation, a supposition, but I think hydrangeas would be a great candidate. First of all, they symbolize pride, and second, they represent the rainy season and, well, ‘Rain Bringer’. Hydrangeas need a lot of water as well (‘hydrangea’ means ‘water vessel’ in Greek and ‘ajisai’ means ‘water drinker’ in Japanese).

Various websites don’t say the same thing about hydrangeas meaning in the western world so I can’t talk about it without thinking I’m wrong but one thing is sure – they symbolize heartfelt emotions, whether they be positive (gratitude, love, perseverance/patience…) or negative (arrogance, boastfulness, cold-hearted…). Some says that blue hydrangeas represent feelings of remorse and apologies but also deep gratitude and understanding. It can also be used to express regret and ask for forgiveness.

/!\ EDIT /!\

I most likely got it wrong !!! Benkei's flowers are lotus flowers, not chrysanthemums !

Meaning : purity (of the body and mind), chastity, and a whole other bunch of spiritual things (such as pink lotus flower symbolizing Buddha)

I guess it can fit irl Benkei since he used to be a monk?

Edit 2:

I dont know anymore

#tokyo revengers #tok rev #tr #tokrev #tr takeomi #takeomi akashi #tokrev takeomi #tr senju #senju kawaragi #tokrev senju #senju akashi #tr wakasa #tokrev wakasa #wakasa imaushi #tr benkei #tokrev benkei #arashi keizo #arashi keizou #brahman #tr brahman #if im wrong and someone who knows flowers want to correct me – please do

[usafphantom2]

Why, 100 years later, the power of aircraft carriers is still incomparable

The U.S. response to the recent attack on Israel highlights the lasting usefulness of aircraft carriers.

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 12/11/2023 - 18:57in Military, War Zones

On October 8, a few hours after the unprecedented attack on Israel, the Pentagon publicly resorted to its greatest military resource. While the clashes between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists continued throughout southern Israel, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to enter the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

The mobilization made it very clear that the U.S. had become aware of the crisis and was preparing to respond. He also made it clear that - despite recent pronouncements that question their value, given their surprising cost and vulnerability - aircraft carriers are still part of modern war.

HMS Argus, widely considered the first aircraft carrier in the world in the 1920s.

The aircraft carrier is just over a hundred years old. Initially conceived as a warship scout to locate the enemy fleet with its aircraft, the Imperial Japanese Navy demolished this concept during World War II, uniting several aircraft carriers to create an attack force with greater range and heavier attack capacity than a line of warships.

The attack on Pearl Harbor, when six aircraft carriers attacked the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Hawaii, catapulted the aircraft carrier to the top as the dominant weapons system in the seas.

When a weapon reaches the top of your domain, it is natural to assume that someday your reign will end. The Greek phalanx, the knight, the battleship, the warship and other weapons dominated the land and the sea, only to be set aside - violently and unceremoniously - by a new and innovative weapon. Aircraft carriers have remained at the top of the war in multiple domains for more than 80 years, and not even a new weapon has been designed that could replace them.

USS Liscome Bay transporting aircraft to San Diego on September 20, 1943. (Photo: U.S. Navy)

Admirals like to point out that a Nimitz or Ford class aircraft carrier represents "4.5 acres of American sovereign territory". Aircraft carriers are owned by the U.S. government and are so large that they are effectively American territory - a floating island of American power that can move anywhere in the world's oceans. In addition, wherever they go, American territory remains, and their actions are not limited by anyone except the U.S. government... and the enemy.

This advantage is particularly evident in the Israel-Gaza crisis. The U.S. military maintains air bases around the world, but coverage is irregular. The closest American air base to Israel is the Incirlik air base in Turkey, at a distance of 300 miles away. Aircraft flying from Turkey to Israel would also have to fly over Syria, a hostile country with its own air force. Giving Syria ample space would require flying about 160 extra kilometers and fighter escorts, increasing the complexity of reaching Israel. Another layer of complexity is that the Turkish host government may not be politically in agreement with the U.S. government on the mission.

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, on the other hand, can anchor in international waters off the coast of Israel and get as close as it wants (although not very close, since Hezbollah operates anti-ship missiles). Ford's four F/A-18E/F attack fighter squadrons have a straight and uninterrupted line to any point on the eastern Mediterranean coast. The U.S. government can order Ford to do everything it wants, including ordering it to combat, without the need for coordination with a host government. This ensures that the U.S. government, which is not exactly known for making quick decisions, can quickly take unilateral measures when necessary.

The current role of aircraft carriers includes the carrying out of air strikes against terrorist groups such as ISIS, Hezbollah and Hamas, and the dropping of guided bombs on enemies who cannot really react. This was true 20 years ago, when the end of the Cold War and September 11 changed the Pentagon's focus from the war between great powers to counter-insurgency. But although the mission has changed, the broad capabilities have remained the same and the aircraft carriers are still able to face threats on a broad spectrum, from ISIS to the People's Liberation Army of China.

Combat is not the only mission that aircraft carriers can perform. Aircraft carriers can carry out humanitarian assistance and humanitarian aid missions in real time, such as those carried out by the USS Ronald Reagan after the Fukushima earthquake in 2011. While Japan and the United States mobilized to rescue survivors and assess the damage, the Reagan served as a floating helipad for helicopters from both countries in an area where local airports and airfields were destroyed by earthquakes and tsunamis. Nothing else can function as a mobile and disaster-proof airfield as an aircraft carrier.

The U.S. government uses aircraft carriers to communicate with both friends and enemies, both as an instrument of assurance and intimidation. Although the aircraft carriers had not yet been invented when Teddy Roosevelt first said, "speak softly and carry a big club", they are the great club exemplified. Nothing draws more attention than a full-fledged aircraft carrier attack group arriving in the neighborhood, with 44 attack fighters, a cruiser and two destroyers in tow, and a nuclear-powered attack submarine prowling somewhere nearby.

Aircraft carriers can signal the intention like no other weapons system. If an attack submarine appears on your shore, you will probably have no idea that it is there. If a B-2 stealth bomber crew is training to attack targets in your country, you won't know unless they execute the mission. But if an aircraft carrier appears on your coast, it's impossible not to know. It is also a clear sign that you are on Washington's radar - and not in a good way.

From time to time the usefulness of aircraft carriers is questioned. Usually, it is only a matter of months before something, such as the ongoing crisis in Israel and Gaza, proves its usefulness again.

Aircraft carriers have their problems: they are expensive to buy, expensive to operate and expensive to discard when they end their useful life. Still, in a crisis, there is no other weapon system that can do so much before even firing a shot. Someday, something will replace the aircraft carrier - but that day is not today.

Source: Popular Mechanics

Tags: Military Aviationaircraft carrierUSN - United States Navy/U.S. NavyWar Zones - Middle East

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has work published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[captain-price-unofficially]

Officers of the Imperial Japanese Navy cruiser Nisshin pose on the quarterdeck of USS Missouri (BB-11) with their American counterparts. The visit occurred during Missouri's visit to Yokohama during the voyage of the Great White Fleet.

#naval #pre-1914

[pixelgrotto]

Top-down Planes Galore

Over the last few years, thanks to my wife's English side of the family, I've visited a fair share of interesting British museums. One of these is the Shuttleworth Collection, a neat place that features an array of planes from the early half of the 20th century. If you're ever in Bedfordshire and have a hankering to see biplanes from the 1920s, I really can't recommend a visit enough. I wouldn't call myself an aviation geek, but there's something about seeing a World War II aircraft in person that stirred my imagination, and one of the souvenirs I bought from my visit was a cool pair of socks that had pixelated biplanes on them.

I specifically bought the socks because they reminded me of Capcom's 1942, the first entry in the 19XX series of shoot 'em ups, AKA shmups. Honestly, I hadn't played much of 1942 at the time, but I've always known enough about shmups to think of the game when I see pixelated biplanes. It probably stands out in my head as an interesting example of a Japanese company making a product where the whole goal is to blow up the Japanese. Yep, 1942 puts the player in the role of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning pilot maneuvering his aircraft through the skies of the Pacific Theater, on a mission to reach Tokyo and blast the heck out of everything. Apparently the game was made with Western audiences in mind, so I suppose we have capitalism to thank for a game that is both historically accurate and not historically accurate at all. (Yes, Japan lost the war, but I don't think any of the Lockheeds in the Battle of Midway had spray guns capable of shooting a billion bullets at once.)

I recently dove into 1942 and almost all of the other games in the 19XX series, mostly because I was inspired by my British nephew, who's recently been going on about planes for hours on end. You can play almost all of them via the Capcom Arcade Stadium compilations on Steam, which repackage classic arcade games and make them easily playable without the hassle of needing to fiddle with MAME emulation. (The decision to make each game DLC that you have to buy is probably questionable, but putting that aside, these packages are pretty okay.)

Anyway, I soon discovered that the original 1942 is the epitome of a 1980s arcade quarter gobbler, with a staggering 32 levels of monotony and some of the most annoyingly tinny background music known to man. It's fun to do loops around Japanese bombers for the first ten minutes, and I've always loved the power-up that gives you two flanking planes that help soak up extra damage, which would go on to be a series staple. Beyond that, 1942 grates at the soul and has not aged well.

1943: The Battle of Midway, and its slightly remixed semi-sequel 1943 Kai, are much better. Here, we bear witness to screen-filling tsunami attacks that can instantly wreck all enemies, a more forgiving difficulty level, and varied stages that don't consist of simply flying over the ocean and rice paddies. Everything's faster and a good deal more fun, and instead of solely taking down planes, now you've got boss battles against Imperial Japanese naval fleets, ending in a fight against the battleship Yamato. And thankfully, the tinny music is gone and replaced by battle-ready tracks that are nicely catchy.

This formula is refined even further in the later games, all of which loosen up on the feeling of "one American plane versus Japan" for a progressively zanier feel. 1941: Counter Attack ditches the Pacific Theater for firefights over European skies, and despite taking place in the earlier years of WWII, your pilot goes up against enemy crafts that are so extreme in size and flavor that they border on science fiction. You'll fire away at German rockets that look like they're designed to fly to the moon and tanks that take up a quarter of the screen. The end boss is a Horten Ho 229, the German prototype bomber that never went into mass production, yet is a formidable foe in this game that is sleek and almost alien-like in its movements.

19XX: The War Against Destiny takes that science fiction appeal to the maximum and says, "To hell with a historical shmup, let's go to the future with two X's, baby!" In an amusing move that would later be replicated by the Call of Duty series two decades later (when they jumped from WWII to the arena of Modern Warfare - and later Advanced Warfare), 19XX sees you taking on the Outer Limits, a terrorist organization that somehow has a futuristic army with hundreds of expendable fighter pilots. For the first time, you can choose between three different planes: the old school Lockheed P-38 Lightning (the well-balanced one), the de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito (the heavy firepower one), and the Kyushu J7W Shinden (the speedy one). All of these planes are worthy options against enemies that scale in a ludicrous fashion, and one of the bosses in the later levels is basically a mech. It's great. And because the game runs on Capcom's CPS-2 arcade board, which also powered the Street Fighter Alpha/Zero series, the action is fast and clean to a degree that's very reminiscent of the company's fighting game output.

1944: The Loop Master is the last 19XX game I played, because it's the last one available in the Capcom Arcade Stadium. It takes the action back to WWII, but the gusto and fury of all the futuristic stuff exhibited in 19XX: The War Against Destiny is present and accounted for. Hello, my biplane can shoot lasers? Sure, why not! Technically, this one was developed by Eighting and not by Capcom, and all I know about Eighting is that they made the Bloody Roar games and Battle Garegga, another shmup with a cool soundtrack that samples the techno track "Jupiter Jazz," by Underground Resistance. They did a good job, and while 1943 and 19XX: The War Against Destiny stick out in my memory more than The Loop Master, I can safely say that this one features a little dude who parachutes out of your plane when you die. About time I finally saw my pilot!

Honestly, I'm not a great shmup player. I played all of these casually on my Steam Deck, and I never would've made a dent in them in the arcades. But there's something about the 19XX series that's appealing to me, at the very least on an aesthetic level. It's probably the highly detailed 2D pixelated artistry that goes into the top-down depiction of these warplanes, which are given the same slavish fanboyism that you see in Japanese mecha franchises. I think back to the several times I've visited Japan and been to antiwar exhibits like the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. Minus a few groups of nationalist nutjobs, Japan's by far and large a deeply antiwar country - but there do exist otaku who nerd out over WWII-era tech, usually not in a "the Imperial Japanese Army was right" sort of way, but in a way that basically says, "the Yamato was one of the biggest battleships ever constructed at 70,000+ tons, I shall now proceed to write an essay about why that was cool." And you know, I can appreciate that attention to technical detail, just like how I can respect the planes on exhibit in the Shuttleworth Collection. So give the 19XX games a whirl if you like planes or simply dig fine artistry - and go visit the Shuttleworth and buy those socks while you're at it.

#pixel grotto #now playing #1942 #1943: the battle of midway #1941: counter attack #19xx: the war against destiny #1944: the loop master

[freetheshit-outofyou]

"You cannot invade mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass." Attributed to Japanese Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet Isoroku Yamamoto.

[pinturas-sgm-aviacion]

1942 06 04 Midway, Turning of the Tide - Richard Taylor

This stunning aviation panorama vividly brings to life the minutes just prior to the Battle of Midway, the decisive battle that wrote the name of the SBD Dauntless dive-bomber into military history. The date was 4 June 1942; the time was 10.10 hours; and the place was 20,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean, 200 miles north-west of Midway Island. It was the calm before the storm. The Dauntless pilots are in luck; by a stroke of fortune they have found the Japanese carrier fleet at its most vulnerable, decks packed with aircraft re-fuelled, re-armed and almost ready for take-off, But as the Akagi, Kaga, Hiryo and Soryu begin to turn into the wind to range the flight decks for take-off, the unthinkable happens. Plummeting out of the skies above them came the SBD Dauntless dive-bombers, flown by many of the most experienced pilots in the US Navy. Within seconds they will devastate the Japanese fleet, destroying half of the entire enemy carrier force. It was the beginning of the end for the Imperial Japanese Navy.Midway turned out to be one of the most strategically decisive victories fought in the Pacific, and this truly great collector’s piece carries the signatures of four outstanding Dauntless pilots who flew in that historic Midway attack: Commander Dick Best, Captain Edward Anderson, Commander Don Ely and Rear Admiral Wilbur Roberts. This never-to-be-repeated combination of dramatic image, distinguished pilots and historical accuracy means that ‘Midway – Turning of the Tide’ is greatly sought after on the secondary market and can therefore reach high values.

#richard taylor

[paktderpakte]

IJN Musashi at anchor outside Hong Kong. The landmass visible in the background is the Dapeng Peninsula. Note the forward trim of the patrol boat near her funnel. This was the vessel that carried an envoy from Hong Kong Governor Mark Young, supposedly to negotiate evacuations.

Japanese sailors later reported that British emissaries explained their boat's trim by saying it had a leaky hull prone to taking on water. In fact, it was loaded with several tons of high explosive. Shortly after Musashi engaged her cranes to take the enemy boat on board, it exploded, damaging her upper decks, destroying the long-range comms antenna and several anti-aircraft guns, and causing the turret at her stern to list to one side. The damage looked more serious than it really was, and initial observers reported that the armored portions of the hull had been damaged, as well as the primary superstructure. In fact, the flagship remained seaworthy and capable of combat— though in an extended engagement such as the British Exile leadership had planned, the damage to her main guns and AA complement would no doubt have left her vulnerable to further attack.

Some historians speculate that the bombs were supposed to explode at the waterline, which, judging by the damage that was done to the battleship's more lightly armored upper decks, could have inflicted a wound necessitating immediate repair and possibly even one that would sink the ship. Alternately, penetrating the stern turret's magazine and causing a secondary explosion could have broken the ship in half.

Besides the pilot and purported British negotiator, both of whom were killed by the blast, seven Japanese sailors died instantly and twenty-six were seriously injured. Of those 26, one was the ship's captain and commander of the overall blockade fleet, Admiral Mineichi Koga, who had left the bridge to meet the negotiators. His injury, and the reluctance of Vice Admiral Shigeru Fukudome to order a retaliatory bombardment, kept the fleet immobilized for over an hour before Admiral Koga's passing.

— Extract from The Imperial Japanese Navy, 1918-1948, by E. Herbert Norman

Original images

#alternate history #photobash and img2img #warship #ijn #hong kong #war photography #initially the sea and background were the EXACT same between both images and it was really uncanny #fukudome sitting in the bridge with veins bulging out of his head because the players have to save the city #in fact he didn't want to do it because koga wouldn't want it but it was a contrivance #writing

[warsofasoiaf]

After attacking Pearl Harbor, why didn’t the imperial Japanese navy move to damage or destroy the Panama Canal? Wouldn’t that have given them longer to entrench themselves and build up their forces in the pacific?

A lack of craft capable of performing the attack. Surface ships would have been intercepted and attacked by ground-based air assets and coastal defense fleets, so the IJN designed a solution. The Japanese tried to develop a truly massive submarine capable of launching a floatplane. The plan was designed and several I-400 gigantic submarines were built with the intent to bomb the Gatun Lock, but the plans were scrapped because by the time everything was ready to go, it was 1945 and the Japanese were scrambling to attack the USN fleet assets amassing to attack the Home Islands.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

#history #world war 2 #world war ii #ww2 #wwii #japan

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“DOMINION'S AIR CREWS HELPED TO DEAL BLOW ON JAPS AT COLOMBO,” Toronto Star. April 10, 1942. Page 38. ---- Nipponese Planes Sink 22-Year-Old Aircraft Carrier Hermes Off Ceylon, But Most of Crew Believed in London to Have Been Saved ---- BRITISH FLIERS DAMAGE JAP CARRIER AND COUNT 18 FOE PLANES SHOT DOWN ---- H.M. AIRCRAFT CARRIER HERMES ---- London, April 10 - Canadian air crews are manning huge flying boats over the Bay of Bengal and already have performed heroic service against the Japanese, it was learned today. 

"They have played an exceptionally important and heroic part in recent air operations against the enemy," the air minister said. 

It was a Canadian air crew that played a primary role in the disastrous defeat dealt Japanese bombing squadrons in the enemy attack on Colombo, Ceylon, last Sunday, the air ministry revealed. 

At the same time the admiralty announced that Japanese planes have sunk the 22-year-old, 10,850-ton aircraft carrier Hermes off the coast of Ceylon, and that British fliers materially damaged a Japanese aircraft carrier and knocked down 18 planes in the same waters.

One informed source said the attacks in which the Hermes, Dorsetshire and Cornwall were sent to the bottom cost the Japanese fully 75 planes. He said the Hermes was sunk by bombs, not plane-launched torpedoes.

A Canadian-manned aircraft first spotted the Japanese bomber fleet headed for Colombo and "hence was instrumental in thwarting the attack," said an air ministry spokesman.

The reconnaissance crew flashed word enabling the city to prepare for the raid, with the result that a large portion of the 75 enemy aircraft were destroyed for certain. The admiralty said that Japanese claims of cruisers in addition to the Cornwall and Dorsetshire sunk off Trincomalee were known to be "quite untrue."

[AL: This is very slanted reporting, as we should expect war reporting. Colombo was not a disastrous defeat and the Japanese airplane losses were very low - Hermes was caught with its planes on deck, for one. A disastrous loss for sure.]

#hms hermes #colombo #trincomalee #aircraft carrier #eastern fleet #carrier air group #war propaganda #air raid #imperial japanese navy #royal navy #death from the air #indian ocean #pacific war #world war ii #sunk

[lonestarbattleship]

"After World War I, the victorious Allied powers signed the Washington Naval Treaty in 1922 which sought to limit a new naval race. Japan was allocated 60% of the tonnage allowed to the United States or Great Britain. The Imperial Japanese Navy saw the United States Navy as their most likely opponent for the future and concluded they would have to defeat a numerical superior foe.

The IJN pursued a number of avenues to achieve this between the wars. They included building individually superior ships armed with guns and torpedoes that could strike the enemy at ranges beyond his abilities to reply. Long range submarines and twin-engine naval attack aircraft were built to attack the American fleet as it approached to reduce its strength. The battleships trained to fire from behind a smoke screen with their salvos spotted by aircraft protected by carrier fighters. An accidental discovery led to the development of the Type 91 Armor Piercing Shell (APC).

During the Russo-Japanese War of 1905-05, the Japanese fired 'common' shells which were designed to explode on contact and not pierce heavy armor. The explosive filler was 'Shimose' which was based on a piric acid formula. The results had been spectacular. The shells ripped large holes in high sided Russian battleships whose narrow belts were submerged due to being overloaded. The results impressed RN observers which developed their own common shells using a piric acid-based explosive called 'Lyddite'. While very powerful, Shimose and Lyddite were sensitive and often exploded on contact.

During World War I, the Japanese were impressed by the performance of German APC shells which used TNT as a filler. TNT was less sensitive to shock allowing the shell to remain intact as it passed through armor and explode behind inside the ship. The Japanese obtained samples of these shells post war and worked to develop their own version.

In the summer of 1924, the Japanese Navy conducted tests against the old battleship Aki (安芸, Aki Province) and the new, but incomplete battleship Tosa (土佐, Tosa Province) slated for disposal under the new naval treaty. Both ships were subjected to 16 inch shell fire at a range of 20,000 meters (21,872). Of the shells fired at Tosa yards, two struck the water short of the ship and travelled underwater and into the ship under her armor belt.

The first hit 25 meters short of the ship on her port side and penetrated the hull 6 feet below her armor belt. The shell passed through several torpedo bulkheads and exploded in her after engine room. Over 3,000 tons of water entered the ship. Another hit farther forwards hit 10 meters short of the ship and passed under her armor belt and exploded near her centerline. 2,300 tons of water flooded into the ship. A similar hit on the old battleship Aki sank her."

Trajectories of shells underwater.

"The Japanese sought to capitalize on this effect by developing a shell that could have a consistent underwater path. They estimated the ability to hit underwater effectively doubled the 'danger space' of the target and cause greater damage than normal shells. The Japanese term for this was 'Suichudan'.

The shells used in the Tosa test was adopted in June 1925 as the No. 5 APC shell. The first shell specifically designed for underwater hits was the Type 88 or No. 6 adopted on November 7, 1928 in 8 inch, 14 inch, and 16 inch calibers. The Type 88 featured a blunt nose for a more stable underwater trajectory."

Type 91 AP shell, large caliber.

"The Type 91 APC was adopted in 1931 and featured a two-piece armor piercing cap under a streamlined windshield. On striking the water or light armor, the windshield and upper cap were torn away. The flatter lower cap and blunt shell body would be stable underwater and shoulder of the blunt shell bit into the armor surface struck while the rotating torque from the impact turned the shell into rather than away from the armor surface. The rear of the shell body was tapered into a 'boat tail' shape which extended the shells range and stability in flight. in 1941, a dye pack was added to assist in spotting the fall of shot.

Optimal performance was obtained at an angle of fall of 17 degrees and hitting the water about 40 meters short of the target. The blunt shell body allowed strikes up to 80 meters short to still retain enough energy to penetrate the hull. Shells falling at an angle from 17 to 25 degrees could still make an underwater hit if hitting the water 20-25 meter from the ship. Ballistic differences with different guns gave different ranges for optimal operation.

The Japanese sought to keep the Type 91 and Suichudan secret. However, the British learned about this threat during firing tests to the old battleship Emperor of India in 1931 and a deeper vertical belt was adopted for the new KG V class. The North Carolina class was to have included a lower 3.5 inch belt to protect against such hits, but the 750 ton weight penalty was too much for the treaty limited 35,000 ton design. 3.5 inch armor patches to protect her magazines were added to her inner torpedo holding bulkhead. The follow on South Dakotas and lowas featured an internal belt sloping belt that tapered as it went towards the ship's bottom. In 'Naval Firepower', Friedman speculates that knowledge of the Type 91 may have been obtained through the same radio intelligence that revealed the rebuilt Nagato's trial speed of 26.5 knots late in 1938. In his earlier 'US Battleships: An Illustrated Design History' he notes that tests in the early 30s revealed the threat."

Fragment damage from hit No.6 to bulkhead No. 35, as seen from magazine A-507-M onboard USS Boise.

"In combat, there was only one incident where the Type 91 performed as designed. A Type 91 struck short of the light cruiser USS Boise and penetrated her 6 foot magazine. The shell exploded, but flooding prevented a magazine detonation. In her duel with Bismarck and Prinz Eugen, one 15 inch and three 8 inch shells struck Prince of Wales underwater. The 15 inch shell passed under her belt and ended up against her inner holding bulkhead but did not explode. The 8" hit caused minor flooding through holes in the shell plating."

Information posted by Michael Makanaphy on the Battleships and Battlecruisers Facebook page: link

source, source, source, source, source, source

#Japanese Battleship Tosa #Tosa #Tosa Class #Battleship #Dreadnought #16 inch gun #16 inch shell #Imperial Japanese Navy #IJN #long post #1926 #undated #August #my post

[just-sp-in-inginthevoid]

Analyzing volume covers

Number 15 – Kawata twins

The first volume cover Wakui did that carries a lot of symbolism is the 15th – the Kawata twins’. It’s also the one with the most symbolism (alongside Wakasa & Benkei’s) - they have so much stuffs on their clothes.

To start with the obvious – where one wears white, the other wears black and vice versa ; there’s also the fact Angry’s clothes patterns are mostly red whereas Smiley’s are mostly blue. It contrasts with their hair color, of course, but also with each other’s image color (Smiley’s amber, Angry’s light blue). Red-blue, light blue-peach, and amber-(although it seems to be neon and not light)blue are complementary colors.

Angry has pine trees (longevity, perseverance), cherry blossoms (optimist, the fleeting nature of life and is a symbol of death and rebirth), the flowers are perhaps morning glories and daisies (i’m not sure about these, do correct me if you know better), and a crane (or more) which symbolize longevity in Japanese culture.

Smiley has chrysanthemums (imperial family) (or dahlias ?, in which case it would mean ‘(of) good taste’)), red spider lilies (death, never to meet again, departure, final farewell), what I assume is water (renewal, cleansing, the flow of life), and this which is a traditional Japanese pattern. I assume it’s fans (prosperity) (it doesn’t look like typical waves patterns).

And now, the most interesting part : the masks.

The ones with the horns are Hannya, masks commonly used in Noh theater, the ones looking humans are masks used in Noh theater to depict young women (in Noh theater, all actors wear masks and have to rely more on body language to express emotions).

Hannya are vengeful ghosts of jealous and resentful women.

I’ll take a risk and say the other masks are ‘Murasame’ and ‘Matsukaze’, which are two Noh play characters who are sisters as well (I didn’t find any other relevant information to link to the twins) . If that’s the case, then Angry (who probably has Murasame, the younger sister) has a Ko-omote and Smiley (who probably has Matsukaze, the older sister) has a Waka-onna. There are not much differences in the design of the mask.

Let’s look at the mask details now.

Smiley’s Waka-onna is the one with cracks, whereas Angry has cracks on his Hannya. Looks like an angel is a demon vs looks like a demon is an angel. Angry’s Ko-omote seems to be really smiling (notably with her eye) whereas Smiley’s Waka-onna actually seems still/to hold a neutral expression – but that could only be an angle matter. As for the Hannyas.. One thing about Noh theater is that the masks are made in a way they can convey more than one expression depending on which angle you look at ; the Hannya is known for having two main : frightening and angry or sorrowful and crying. Angry’s Hannya’s eye seems to be frowing more than Smiley’s (again, that could be an angle thing/not made on purpose), his mouth seems to grimace and not smile (unlike Smiley’s) AND. There’s a tear. (You can't convince me it's just a shadow thing. You can't. It's a tear and I know it.)

Also, like Wakasa & Benkei, the fact Angry’s mouth is almost always open showing his teeth, and Smiley is almost never since he’s always smiling, reminds me of the Kumainus (always in pair, ward off evil spirits, deities’ protectors, one has its mouth close while the other has its open)

#tokyo revengers #tok rev #tokrev #tr #i have too many tabs open making those #but its fun #kawata twins #souya kawata #nahoya kawata #tr smiley #tr angry #tokrev smiley #tokrev angry #tokrev nahoya #tokrev souya #btw im doing my best to find the japanese symbolism of everything #trying my best not to look at any western (or other culture) meaning #looking at the kawata is the same as playing 'spot the difference(s)' #love it. they really make you believe they at least have the same back design and then. angrys hannya is crying and smileys isnt

[captain-price-unofficially]

An Imperial Japanese Navy Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bomber is burning, as it is shot down by a U.S. Navy Fleet Air Wing 2 (FAW-2) Consolidated PB2Y-3 Coronado in the Central Pacific. May 1944

#aviation #wwii #Pacific theater

[1solone]

On a quiet morning 82 years ago today, Imperial Japanese forces attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More than 2,400 Americans were killed and 1,100 more wounded. Twenty-one ships of the Pacific Fleet were sunk or damaged, including the USS Arizona. Shocked and angered by the attack, the country joined the Allied forces to fight World War II, inspired by the call of “Remember Pearl Harbor.” A moving reminder of the service and sacrifice of those who fought, the USS Arizona Memorial is jointly administered by the U.S. Navy and the National Park Service. Photo by National Park Service.

[necarion]

The absolute clusterfuck journey of the Russian Baltic Fleet around the world to fight in the Russo-Japanese War, culminating in them being sunk at the Tsushima Straights before even reaching Port Arthur. It's a tragedy, but also really funny how dismal the performance was.

The ship was infamous for its actions during the voyage of the Second Pacific Squadron, where it precipitated the Dogger Bank incident.[1] It also was involved in numerous other incidents including misidentifications of neutral vessels as Japanese torpedo boats and mistakenly firing at [and hitting] the Russian cruiser Aurora [killing one Russian sailor and an Orthodox priest]. While stopping in Madagascar several ships in the fleet acquired several local predatory animals, Kamchatka being no exception. The ship was lost with all hands when it was sunk in 1905 during the Battle of Tsushima to Japanese shell fire.

The Dogger Bank incident:

The Dogger Bank incident (also known as the North Sea Incident, the Russian Outrage or the Incident of Hull) occurred on the night of 21/22 October 1904, when the Baltic Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy mistook a British trawler fleet from Kingston upon Hull in the Dogger Bank area of the North Sea for Imperial Japanese Navy torpedo boats[1] and fired on them, also firing on each other in the chaos of the melée.[2] Two British fishermen died, six more were injured, one fishing vessel was sunk, and five more boats were damaged.[3] On the Russian side, one sailor and a Russian Orthodox priest aboard the cruiser Aurora caught in the crossfire were killed.[3]

Short video with more random "comedy" bits:

Long video by Drachinifel, which goes into more detail about the many, many clusterfucks (disproportionately caused by the Kamchatka). Watchable at least 1.5x (he speaks slowly) and still okay at 2x.

#history #navy #drachinifel #youtube #russian baltic fleet #russian pacific fleet #russo japanese war #Youtube