Gijang-class cruiser

File:CL Gijang 1924.png The Gijang as she looked shortly after commissioning. Note the dark paint characteristic of Menghean light vessels of the time.
Class overview
Name:	Gijang-class light cruiser
Operators:	Greater Menghean Empire
Preceded by:	Janghŭng-class cruiser
Succeeded by:	Ichŏn-class cruiser
Built:	1922-1927
In service:	1924-1945
Planned:	6
Completed:	4
Cancelled:	2
Lost:	4
General characteristics Gijang, 1924
Type:	light cruiser
Displacement:	5,021 tonnes standard 5,948 tonnes full load
Length:	165.1 m at waterline 167.7 m overall
Beam:	14.1 m
Draught:	5.18 m (normal) 5.45 m (full load)
Propulsion:	2 steam turbines, 84,000 shp total 16 Yarrow three-drum boilers 2 shafts
Speed:	35 knots
Range:	6,000 nm (11,000 km) at 14 knots
Complement:	395
Armament:	8 × 125mm MP-125 Model 1910 LA gun 4 × 7.5cm anti-air gun 4 × 2 550mm trainable torpedo tube

The Gijang-class cruisers (Menghean: 기장급 경순양함 / 機張級輕巡洋艦, Gijang-gŭb Gyŏngsunyangham) were a group of four light cruisers operated by the Imperial Menghean Navy. Contemporary Allied sources referred to them as the Ki-Chang class. Designed and built in the 1920s, they were nearly obsolete by the time the Pan-Septentrion War began, and were mainly used for escort duties and fleet reconnaissance. In 1943, the two surviving hulls were converted into anti-aircraft fleet escorts. All ships in the class were sunk or heavily damaged by the war's end.

Design

Armament

Compared to their predecessors, the Janghŭng class, the Gijang and her sister ships actually carried fewer guns - eight Model 1910 125mm naval rifles, as opposed to nine. Yet the centerline placement of these meant that the Gijang-class ships could fire seven guns in a broadside as opposed to five. The guns' firing arcs in a broadside were fairly good, in that all seven broadside barrels could be brought to bear on a target more than 23 degrees off the centerline. Outside that arc, offensive capabilities degraded; the Gijang-class could only aim two to three guns directly ahead, and two directly astern.

Deficient torpedoes had been another complaint about Menghe’s preceding cruiser classes. Both the Dalsŏng and the Janghŭng classes had carried only four torpedoes, with one twin launcher on each side. Just as importantly, these were 450-millimeter torpedoes, common in the early 20th century but now giving way to 21-inch (533-millimeter) torpedoes in other major navies. The Gijang design sought to close this gap, carrying new 550-millimeter torpedoes of an indigenous design in four twin mounts – two pairs to port, two to starboard. No torpedo reloads were carried.

Anti-aircraft armament was initially modest, with two (four as built) 7.5cm high-angle guns mounted amidships just aft of the boats. In the initial design, these were intended to be used against reconnaissance planes and airships.

Armor

Mainly intended as scout and patrol vessels, the Gijangs were only lightly protected, with a 50mm main belt and a 25mm armored deck. Both of these only covered the boilers and turbine machinery, and did not extend to the magazines, which were located below the waterline with 25mm armor sections overhead.The two conning towers, one forward and one aft, had 100 millimeters of armor. The ships had no built-in protection against torpedoes, and only some perpendicular bulkheads could be sealed in the event of flooding.

Propulsion

The Gijang-class were unique in that they were the first Menghean cruisers to feature an all-oil powerplant; the preceding types had both used a mixed powerplant in which the coal was sprayed with heavy oil. Sixteen oil-burning boilers were fitted in all, grouped beneath four funnels. These provided high-pressure steam to two turbines, which in turn drove two geared propeller shafts. At full steam, the ships could reach a speed of 35 knots, five knots faster than their predecessors.

Later modifications

Damyang subclass

<imgur thumb="yes" w="400" comment="Damyang in 1926, showing the alternate final construction form with floatplane platform and crane.">JBAe5bR.png</imgur> The second two ships of the class, Damyang and Uljin, were built in a slightly different configuration from the first two. The most notable change was an elevated platform aft of the rear mast, which could be used to carry a reconnaissance floatplane while in transit. This configuration of the ship did not include a catapult, and instead the floatplane was lowered into the water by means of a crane while the ship was stationary. Other minor changes in the Damyang subclass included new stereoscopic rangefinders and a different arrangement of the rear searchlights.

Interwar refits

<imgur thumb="yes" w="400" comment="The light cruiser Uljin as she looked at the Battle of the Portcullia Strait.">CceIX6q.png</imgur> Around 1930, all four Gijang-class cruisers were taken into port for extensive refits as part of the Imperial Menghean Navy's fleet upgrade program. The forward superstructure was entirely rebuilt with a larger bridge, more observation platforms, and an enclosed observation deck, as well as new fire-control equipment. These changes were intended to improve comfort for the officers and reconnaissance personnel, especially in rough conditions.

Aft of the funnels, the ships were given a gunpowder-driven catapult for a reconnaissance seaplane with greater range, and a heavier rear mast to lift it back on deck during recovery. The new catapult required relocating the rear fire-control center, which in turn meant moving one of the gun turrets further aft.

Originally, the four-gun high-angle AA armament was kept the same, though two 12.5mm machine guns were added for close-range defense. Four more 12.5mm MGs were added in 1935, in response to combat experience during the conflict with Sylva. Later, in 1938, the ships were fitted with four single-barrel 37mm anti-air autocannons in place of the 7.5cm guns.

Ships in class

The Imperial Menghean Navy initially planned to build six Gijang-class cruisers, but the last two were cancelled and replaced by the improved Ichŏn-class light cruiser design. In keeping with Navy nomenclature of the period, all were named after Menghean prefectures.

Gijang (기장 / 機張)

Laid down 1922, commissioned 1924. Sunk at the Battle of the Portcullia Strait in 1938 while scouting with the light cruiser Uljin.

Jangsu (장수 / 長水)

Laid down 1923, commissioned 1925. Converted to an anti-aircraft escort ship. Sunk by Allied carrier aircraft in 1944.

Damyang (담양 / 潭陽)

Laid down 1924, commissioned 1926. Torpedoed by a Tyrannian submarine in 1940.

Uljin (울진 / 蔚珍)

Laid down 1925, commissioned 1927. Engaged in the first day of fighting at the Battle of the Portcullia Strait, sinking one Tyrannian destroyer. Converted to an anti-aircraft escort ship. Sunk by Allied carrier aircraft in 1945.