Mikasa

Ballistics

Armor Model

Overview

The last of the four battleships ordered under the 1896 ten-year program. In terms of design, it was similar to its predecessors, with its main distinction being improved armor for the secondary battery casemates. The battleship was designed and built by Armstrong in Elswick, and this ship surpassed the latest British battleships. During the Russo-Japanese War, as the flagship of Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō, Mikasa participated in the Battle of the Yellow Sea and the Battle of Tsushima. The ship was sunk in September 1905 in Sasebo due to an explosion in its aft magazines, after which it was raised, repaired, and armed with new main battery guns. By the start of World War I, the battleship was obsolete, and in September 1921, it became a first-class coastal defense ship. In accordance with the Washington Naval Treaty, the ship was decommissioned from the fleet. From 1926 to 1945, Mikasa operated as a floating museum but was later abandoned. In 1960–61, the ship was restored and installed on land as a memorial.