Cruisers - Japan: Books - History, Ships and Deployment

Cruisers : Selected Photos from the Archives of the Kure Maritime Museum

Selected photos from the archives of the Kure Maritime Museum showing cruisers used by the Japanese Navy.

Originally published in Japan in 2005, each album in The Japanese Naval Warship photo album series contains official photographs taken by the Kure Maritime Museum, as well as those taken by private individuals. These pictorial records document the main types of Japanese vessels, from battleships to submarines, based on the best images from Shizuo Fukui, a former Imperial Japanese Navy commander and technician.

These photos include the ones Fukui began collecting as a young boy and continued after he worked as a naval shipbuilder, and those that he was given in order to complete a photographic history of the Imperial Japanese Navy's ships, which include those gathered by Nagamura Kiyoshi, a shipbuilder who proactively collected photos, and the collection of machinist Amari Yoshiyuki. These images are especially valuable because of the massive destruction of official documents at the end of the war.

Imperial Japanese Navy Light Cruisers 1941-45 (Osprey)

The Imperial Japanese Navy went to war with 17 light cruisers and another three cruiser-sized training ships. Of these, most were 5,500-ton ships designed to act as destroyer squadron flagships. This made them much different in capabilities and mission from their American counterparts.

During the war, the Japanese built another five light cruisers, all but one of which maintained the design premise of being able to serve as destroyer squadron flagships. Japanese light cruisers were active throughout the Pacific performing many missions in addition to their flagship duties.

Mark Stille continues Osprey's coverage of the IJN of WWII with this concise and complete study of all 25 ships, from their design and development to their ultimate fates. Detailed artwork and rare period photographs from the Fukui collection held in Kure, Japan illustrate this discussion.

Imperial Japanese Navy Heavy Cruisers 1941-45 (Osprey)

Designed with little more than a passing nod to the international naval treaties of the inter-war period, the Imperial Japanese Navy's heavy cruisers were fast and heavily armed.
Like the other vessels of the Japanese Navy, the heavy cruisers were technologically superior to and far more innovative than their Allied rivals, whom they met in many of the major Pacific Theatre battles, including Midway and Leyte Gulf.

Mark Stille continues his study of the IJN of WWII with this fascinating topic, addressing the design and development of all 18 ships in the six heavy cruiser classes, from pre-war construction and mid-war alterations, to their operational histories and eventual fates.

USN Cruiser Vs IJN Cruiser : Guadalcanal 1942 (Osprey)

Although the war in the Pacific is usually considered a carrier war, it was the cruisers that dominated the early fighting. This thrilling duel presents the cruiser clashes during the battles for Guadacanal , highlighting the Battle of Savo Island and the Battle of Cape Esperance. The first was a Japanese victory that resulted in the loss of four Allied cruisers.
However, in the latter, the Americans managed to turn the tables despite the battle being fought throughout the night.

This book presents a view of the design and development of the opposing weapons systems, illustrated with newly commissioned digital artwork. It uses firsthand accounts to bring the battles to life and explain why the Americans suffered early on, but eventually had their revenge.