Design B-65 cruiser
Proposed class of Japanese WWII-era super-heavy cruisers / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Design B-65 was a class of cruisers planned by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) before and during World War II. The IJN referred to this design as a 'Super Type A' cruiser; It was larger than most heavy cruisers but smaller than most battlecruisers.[A 1] As envisioned by the IJN, the cruisers were to play a key role in the Night Battle Force portion of the "Decisive battle" strategy which Japan hoped, in the event of war, to employ against the United States Navy.
A line drawing of the proposed Design B-65. | |
Class overview | |
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Name | Design B-65 |
Operators | Imperial Japanese Navy |
Preceded by | Amagi-class battlecruiser |
Planned | 2 |
Cancelled | 2 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Super Type A cruiser |
Displacement |
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Length |
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Beam | 27.2 m (89 ft)[1] |
Draft | 8.8 m (29 ft) (trial)[1] |
Propulsion | Four sets of geared turbines and eight Kampon boilers would yield 170,000 metric horsepower (167,674 shaft horsepower); this would have been able to drive the ship at 33 kn (38 mph; 61 km/h)[2] |
Endurance | 8,000 mi (13,000 km) at 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h)[1] |
Armament |
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Armor |
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Begun in 1939, plans were far enough along that tests were conducted with the main armament and against the underwater protection. Even though the ships were approved for construction under a 1942 fleet replenishment program, the prioritizing of aircraft carriers and smaller ships due to the war, followed by Japan's defeat, ended any chance of the B-65's construction.
Design B-65 would have been similar to the United States' Alaska-class cruiser in terms of displacement, armament, and role. Both designs also straddled the line between heavy cruisers and battlecruisers. The envisioning of the 'large cruiser' or 'super-heavy cruisers' and, ultimately, the design of the Alaska-class itself may have been at least partly inspired by the Design B-65, or at least earlier proposals.[4][5][6][7] However, unlike the never-built Design B-65, the Alaska-class would see two ships completed.