In Response To: Battleship Hatsuse?
Hatsuse was one of six pre-dreadnought battleships (Fuji, Yashima, Shikishima, Hatsuse, Asahi and last but not least Mikasa) that formed the main battle line of the IJN in the Russo-Japanese war. She was a sistership of Shikishima; the sisters could be distinguished by their three stacks, the other four having two. She was, like all six, built in Great-Britain – in her case, by Armstrong. Laid down in 1897, she was launched 27 June 1898 and completed in January 1901. At 14,850 tons normal load, she carried the usual 4x12in main guns, 14x6in, 20x12pdr., 8x3pdr. and 5x18in torpedo tubes. She could reach 18 knots at 14,500 SHP. During the 1904/05 war the Japanese usually had the Russian Far-Eastern squadron bottled up in Port Arthur and patrolled outside that harbour. Then too they adhered rather strictly to their habits, inducing a Russian officer to lay his mines in their usual patrolling route. On 15 May 1904 both Hatsuse and Yashima struck those mines, Hatsuse two if I remember well.
