The design of the Ibuki class was a minor improvement over the last pair of the Mogami class after those ships had been upgraded during the late 1930s. The main improvement was the replacement of the triple torpedo tube mounts in the older ships with quadruple mounts. They cost 60,000,000 yen each and had a crew of 54 officers and 822 enlisted men.[1]
The ships had a length of 200.6m (658.1feet) overall. They had a beam of 20.2m (66.3feet) and a draft of 6.04m (19.82feet). They displaced 12220t at standard load and 14828t at (full load).[2]
They were fitted with four Kampon geared steam turbine sets with a total of 152000shp, each driving a 3.9m (12.8feet) propeller. Steam was provided by eight Kampon Ro Gō-type three-drum water-tube boilers that operated at a pressure of 22kg/cm2 and temperature of . The ships had a designed speed of 35kn. They carried 2163t of fuel oil which gave them an estimated range of 6300nmi at . Electrical power was supplied by three 300kW turbo generators and two 200kW diesel generators.[3]
The main armament of the Ibuki class was intended to be ten 50-caliber 20 cm 3rd Year Type No. 2 guns mounted in twin turrets, three forward and two aft of the superstructure, numbered one through five from the bow to the stern. The first two forward turrets were on the same level, but the third turret could superfire over the first two.[4] The guns could depress to −5° and had a maximum elevation of 55°. They fired 125.85kg (277.45lb) projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 840m/s. They had a maximum range of 29400yd at an elevation of 45°[5] and the ship carried 128 rounds per gun.[6] The secondary armament was to consist of eight 40-caliber 12.7 cm Type 89 anti-aircraft (AA) guns in twin mounts. They fired 23.45adj=onNaNadj=on projectiles at a rate between 8 and 14 rounds per minute at a muzzle velocity of 700-; at 45°, this provided a maximum range of 14800m (48,600feet), and a maximum ceiling of 9400m (30,800feet).[7] The ships were also intended to be equipped with four twin 25 mm Type 96 light AA guns abreast the funnel.[8] They fired 0.25adj=onNaNadj=on projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 900m/s; at 50°, this provided a maximum range of 7500sp=usNaNsp=us, and an effective ceiling of 5500m (18,000feet). The maximum effective rate of fire was only between 110 and 120 rounds per minute due to the frequent need to change the fifteen-round magazines.[9] Two twin 13.2 mm Type 93 machine gun mounts were supposed to be mounted on the bridge with 2,000 rounds per gun.[10]
The Ibuki-class ships were intended to be armed with four rotating quadruple 61cm (24inches) Type 92 torpedo tubes, two on each broadside. The ship carried 24 Type 93 torpedoes, 16 in the tubes and 8 in reserve. Quick-reloading gear was installed for every mount that allowed the reserve torpedoes to be loaded in three to five minutes in ideal conditions.[11] The Type 93 torpedo, fueled by compressed oxygen and widely referred to in post-war literature as the "Long Lance", had three range/speed settings. It had a range of 20000m (70,000feet) at a speed of, 32000m (105,000feet) at, or 40000m (130,000feet) at a speed of .[12] Before Ibuki was launched, one proposal was made to replace the aircraft and their equipment with five quintuple Type 0 torpedo tube mounts. Two of these would be mounted on each side and the last on the centerline, but nothing was done.[13]
Two Type 94 fire-control directors, one atop the bridge and the other abaft the funnel, were going to be fitted to control the main guns. They used range data received from three 8adj=onNaNadj=on coincidence rangefinders. Two of these were to be installed in turrets Nos. 3 and 4 while the primary rangefinder was mounted above the bridge. A pair of Type 94 high-angle directors, one on each side of the bridge, were intended to control the Type 89 guns. Each director was fitted with a 4.5adj=onNaNadj=on rangefinder. The 25 mm guns would have been controlled by two Type 95 directors mounted on the bridge.[14]
Early warning would have been provided by a Type 2, Mark 2, Model 1 air search radar mounted at the top of the foremast. A Type 93 passive hydrophone system would have been fitted in the bow. The ships were designed to carry three aircraft on a platform between the funnel and the mainmast. These would have consisted of one three-seat Aichi E13A and two two-seat Yokosuka E14Y floatplanes. They would have been launched by a pair of Kure Type 2 aircraft catapults, one on each side of the aircraft platform. The ships would have carried a total of 122 powder charges for the catapults as well as four 250kg (550lb) bombs for the aircraft.[15]
The ships' armor scheme was only slightly modified from the Mogami-class cruisers. Their waterline armoured belt extended all the way down to the double bottom. It extended from the forward to the rear magazines below the fore and aft turrets and was angled inwards at the top 20° from the vertical to improve its resistance to horizontal shellfire. Over the machinery spaces, it was 1001NaN1 thick at the top and tapered to 30mm at the bottom. The outer ends of the fore and aft machinery compartments was protected by a 105sp=us1sp=us transverse bulkhead. On the sides of the magazines, the belt was 140mm thick and tapered to 30 mm at the bottom. The magazines were protected by fore and aft transverse bulkheads 95- thick. The steering gear and the rudder compartments had sides that consisted of 100sp=us1sp=us plates and their ends were protected by 50mm of armor.[4]
The deck above the steering gear and rudders was 30sp=usNaNsp=us thick. The thickness of the armored deck ranged from 35- on the flat and 60mm on the slope. The sides of the conning tower were 100 millimeters thick while its roof was 50mm thick. The main gun turrets had 251NaN1 of armor on all sides and on the roof. The barbette armor ranged from 25to in thickness. The ammunition hoists for the secondary armament were protected by 75to of armor. The funnel uptakes were provided with 70to of armor. There was no separate anti-torpedo bulkhead as that function was performed by the lower extension of the belt armor.[16]
The two Ibuki-class cruisers were ordered in November 1941 as part of the IJN's Rapid Naval Armaments Supplement Programme. Both ships were laid down without names, just as Warships No. 300 and No. 301, but the former was named Ibuki on 5 April 1943.[17]
| + align=center style="background:#BFD7FF" | Ibuki-class heavy cruisers | ||||
| Builder | Laid down | Launched | Notes | Fate | |
| Kure Naval Arsenal, Kure[18] | 24 April 1942 | 21 May 1943 | Converted to a light aircraft carrier, December 1943[19] | Scrapped, 22 September 1946 | |
| No. 301 | Mitsubishi Shipyard, Nagasaki | 1 June 1942 | Scrapped, 30 June 1942 | ||