Kong-Class Battleships

The battleships of the Kong class were the oldest, smallest, and fastest battleships in the Imperial Japanese Navy during WWII. Initially classified as battle cruisers, the lead ship in the class,Kong, was built in England just prior to WWI. The remaining three ships in the classHaruna,Kirishima, andHieiwere all built and completedin Japan by 1915.All four ships were highly reconfigured in the 1920s, and they were reclassified as battleships in the 1930s. The four Kong-class ships were the most active among the 12 WWII-era Japanese battleships and saw heavy combatthroughout the war in such major campaigns as Pearl Harbor, Midway, Guadalcanal, and Leyte. All four ships were sunk by Allied forces by wars end. This book features rare Japanese primary source material, including numerous photos, line schemes, and detailed charts.[AuthorName]By Lars Ahlberg and Hans Lengerer[/AuthorName][AuthorBio]Lars Ahlberg and Hans Lengerer have coauthored books about the aircraft carrier Taih, of the Yamato class of ships. They privately publish Contributions to the History of Imperial Japanese Warships.
Hans Lengerer and Lars Ahlberg have coauthored books about the aircraft carrier Taih, the armor-clad Fus- to Kong-class battle cruisers, and the Yamato-class battleships, the last of which was recently published. They privately publish Contributions to the History of Imperial Japanese Warships.[/AuthorBio][NumIllustration]150 b/w photos[/NumIllustration][CoAuthor][/CoAuthor][SubTitle]In the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II[/SubTitle][ColorPattern]150 b/w photos[/ColorPattern]