Kongō-Class Battleships: In the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II (Legends of Warfare: Naval, 16)

This is the best book I have found on the Japanese “Kongo” class battleships. Chapters 2 and 3 describe the original design development of the “Kongo” between the Japanese Navy Technical Department (NTD) and Vickers and the revisions from the original design of a 12-inch gunned / 19 000 ton ship to a 14-inch gunned / 26 000 ton ship. Chapter 4 describes the construction of the “Kongo” and also describes how the Japanese Navy disseminated design and construction technology among other Japanese warship building firms. The chapters include numerous photos of the ships under construction.Chapters 5 through 8 then describe the design details: general arrangement, armor, machinery, and armament. Later chapters then describe the major first reconstructions of the 1920s and the second major reconstructions of the 1930s. As with the original construction, there are numerous photos of these reconstructions as they were undertaken.Page 100 “General Consideration of the Effect of the Reconstruction” critiques the results of the second conversion / reconstruction. No matter what was done, there was always insufficient protection because the ships had been originally designed as battlecruisers in the pre-1914 era.

Well written. Plenty of photos that I have not seen before. Highly recommended !