Imperial Japanese Navy Heavy Cruiser HAGURO

Water Line Series

The conditions of the Washington Naval Limitation Treaty signed by Japan, America, England, France, and Italy in 1922 limited both the size, and number of battleships and carriers of all of these nations. According to the terms of the treaty, all other naval ships that didn’t fall into these categories were referred to as “support vessels”, limited to 10,000 tons of displacement, and the main armament not to exceed 8 inch (20.3cm) bore guns.

The number of these “support vessels” which could be maintained by each nation, however, was not covered by the treaty at all...Taking full advantage of this loop-hole, the Japanese Navy began an ambitious endeavor creating what came to be called “treaty cruisers”. The Myoko-class of 10,000 ton “treaty cruisers” included, including the Myoko herself, the Nachi, Haguro, and the Ashigara. The actual displacement of these vessels exceeded the treaty limit, but of course, the information was not made public at this time.

The Keel of the Haguro, sister ship of the Myoko, was laid on 16 March, 1925, and she was finished at the Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard on 25 April, 1929. After two re-fittings in preparation for the outbreak of hostilities in the Pacific, the Haguro set sail for the Philippines in November 1941, with the Myoko and Nachi, as part of the 5th Squadron of the second fleet. She saw subsequent action in the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Aleutian and Marianas campaigns, suffering a direct bomb hit to turret #2 in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, 1944 October. The Haguro was sent to her final rest by torpedos in the Malacca Strait, 16 May, 1945 during combat with Royal Navy vessels.

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