Mogami

Mogami Class Heavy Cruisers(最上型) were built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during the years of 1931 to 1937.  Seen by naval architects as a design failure, they were so unstable seaboats due to excessive topweight and their welded seams cracked under the stress of firing their own main guns. All 4 that were built had to be reconstructed to remain the seaworthy.

Mogami Class Heavy Cruisers served between the years of 1935 to 1944.

Preceded by: Takao class

Succeeded by: Tone class

Mogami Class Heavy Cruisers Mogami, Mikuma, Suzuya & Kumano participated in the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies. Mogami and Mikuma were present at the Battle of Sunda Strait and contributed to the sinkings of the cruisers HMAS Perth and USS Houston. All four were in the Battle of Midway, where Mogami and Mikuma collided while trying to avoid a submarine attack. Mikuma was sunk on 6 June 1942 by aircraft from aircraft carriers USS Enterprise and Hornet. In October 1944, the survivors were reunited at the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Mogami, heavily damaged by a collision with the cruiser Nachi, cruiser gunfire, and aerial attack, was scuttled by the destroyer Akebono, while Kumano stumbled into Manila harbor on one boiler, to be put out of her misery by Halsey's aviators on 25 November 1944; the US escort carrier planes mauled Suzuya at Leyte, and she was scuttled by the destroyer Okinami on 25 October.