Fuso Class Battleship Summary

The Fusō battlehship was the lead ship of the Fusō class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Fuso was commissioned in 1915 and Yamashiro, the second ship, was commissioned in 1917. When completed in 1915, Fusō was considered the first modern battleship of the Japanese Navy. She outclassed her American counterparts of the New York class in firepower and speed, and was considered the "most powerfully armed battleship in the world". Two advanced versions of the class were planned, but the final design differed so markedly that they became the Ise class.

Despite extensive modernization in the 1930s, with only 14-inch (356 mm) guns, the class was outdated by current battleships at the beginning of World War II, and both ships played auxiliary roles for most of the war.

Fusō and Yamashiro were the only two Japanese battleships at the Battle of Surigao Strait in 1944. Both ships were lost in the battle to torpedoes and naval gunfire, and both only had 10 survivors.

Note: The Fuso class battleship is an HBG game piece and availability is dependent upon this external source.

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