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The were a class of two heavy cruisers constructed for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) which saw service during World War II. ==Design== The of heavy cruisers (also called “A class” cruisers in the Imperial Japanese Navy) was originally planned to include and her sister ship . The two ships were laid down in early 1924 with that intent. In 1924 the IJN Naval General Staff pressured the acting head of the Basic Design Section, Fujimoto Kikuo, to use the newly designed twin gun turrets on the ''Furutaka''-class ships. Fujimoto agreed to modify ''Aoba'' and ''Kinugasa'', but it was already too late to retrofit and , which had been laid down in late 1922.〔Lacroix, ''Japanese Cruisers'', p.52〕 The two ships were subsequently renamed as a separate class. The modifications were significant. The six semi-turrets, 1 through 6, were replaced by three twin turrets, two fore and one aft. The main superstructure was also modified to accommodate the different fire control requirements of the twin turrets.〔Lacroix, ''Japanese Cruisers'', p.68-70〕 Other design modifications included using /45-cal HA guns rather than the guns. The airplane takeoff platform, part of which mounted atop the number 4 semi-turret, was replaced with a catapult fitted just fore of the No.3 twin turret. The superstructure aft of the funnels was extensively modified due to the new catapult.〔Lacroix, ''Japanese Cruisers'', p.52-54〕 The catapults weren't ready before the ships were commissioned. ''Kinugasa'' had an compressed-air unit mounted in March 1928, while ''Aoba'' had a gunpowder-propelled model mounted in March 1929.〔Lacroix, ''Japanese Cruisers'', p.68〕 ''Aoba'' and ''Kinugasa'' were otherwise built on the same hull as ''Furutaka'' and ''Kako'', with identical machinery and armor.〔Lacroix, ''Japanese Cruisers'', p.800-806〕 As built the ''Aoba'' was more than 900 tons heavier than its design weight, with negative effects on the performance of the ships similar to that of the ''Furutaka'' class overweight condition.〔Lacroix, ''Japanese Cruisers'', p.58〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Aoba-class cruiser」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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