Kagero K3D-16034-EN The Japanese Cruiser Chikuma

English Version
Waldemar Góralski
The Japanese Cruiser Chikuma
According to the provisions of the London Treaty, light cruisers could be armed with guns with a maximum caliber of 155 mm, in the number of up to 15 pieces. Japanese designers, Admirals Fujimoto and Fukuda, developed a ship design classified as a "medium-type cruiser". Its task was to protect the main forces of the fleet against attacks by enemy light forces and to fight cruisers. The ship was ordered under the Second Fleet Expansion Program of 1934. The funds for the construction of the cruiser were entered in the budget for 1935/1936. The ship, named Chikuma (a river in Nagano Prefecture on the island of Honshu), was built at the Mitsubishi shipyard in Nagasaki. Keel laid on October 1, 1935, launched on March 19, 1938. Put into service on May 20, 1939.