The Imperial Japanese Navy battleships of the Nagato-class

The two Nagato-class super-dreadnought were launched during the First World War and completed just after it. The sisterships were named Nagato and Mutsu, and they were the largest battleships in the Imperial Japanese Navy until the Yamato-class super battleships entered service.

Before and during the First World War the Imperial Japanese and Royal Navies retained official and unofficial links, and it is hardly surprising that the design of the Nagatos was heavily influenced by that of the Queen Elizabeth-class battleships. This can be seen by comparing the silhouettes of both classes of ships as built:

The Queen Elizabeth-class as built.

The Nagato-class as designed. They were completed with a hexapod foremast (see below).

The Nagato-class as built. The hexapod foremast can clearly be seen in this photograph.

The Nagato-class as built.

The class's characteristics as built were:

• Displacement: 32,200 tons (deep load)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 215.86m (708ft)
• Beam: 29.02m (95ft 3in)
• Draught: 9.08m (29ft 9in)
• Propulsion: 21 x Kampon water-tube boilers providing steam to 4 x Gihon steam turbines, each driving a propellor
• Speed: 26.5 knots
• Range: 4,500 nautical miles at 16 knots
• Complement: 1,333
• Armament: 4 × twin 410mm (16-inch) guns; 20 x single 140mm (5.5-inch) guns; 4 x single 76.2mm (3-inch) anti-aircraft guns; 8 × 533mm (21-inch) torpedo tubes
• Armour: Belt: 100mm to 305mm (3.9-inch to 12-inch); Deck: 69mm (2.7-inch) plus 75 mm (3-inch; Gun turrets: 190mm to 356mm (7.5-inch to 14-inch); Barbettes: 305mm (12-inch); Conning tower: 369mm (14.5-inch)

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During their service they were rebuilt/reconstructed several times.

1924-25:

• The fore funnel was rebuilt into an S shape to prevent smoke interference.

The silhouette of the Nagato-class with their remodelled fore funnel.

The remodelled S-shaped funnel fitted to the Nagato-class battleships can be clearly be seen in this photograph.

1926:

• The four above-water torpedo tubes were removed, and the anti-aircraft armament was reinforced by three additional 3-inch/76mm anti-aircraft guns.

1932:

• The 3-inch/76mm anti-aircraft guns were removed and replaced by eight 5-inch/127mm in four twin dual-purpose mountings.
• The existing rangefinders fitted to the two superfiring main gun turrets were replaced by new 10m ones.

1933:

• A catapult was fitted between the mainmast and X turret and storage and maintenance facilities for 2 or 3 floatplanes was installed.

1934 to 1936:

• The bow was remodelled to reduce spray when steaming into a head sea.
• The stern was lengthened by 7.55 meters to improve speed.
• The forward superstructure was rebuilt into a pagoda mast.
• Torpedo bulges were added for better underwater protection.
• The main battery's elevation was increased to 43 degrees for improved range.
• The number of casemate-mounted 5.5-inch/140mm guns was reduced from eighteen to fourteen and their elevation was increased to 35 degrees for improved range.
• Twelve twin-mounted 1-inch/25mm Hotchkiss anti-aircraft machine guns were fitted. 
• Additional armour was added to gun turrets and barbettes, increasing the ship's overall armour protection.
• The existing twenty-one mixed coal-fired and oil-fired water-tube Kampon boilers were replaced by ten lighter and more powerful oil-fired Kampon boilers.
• The fore funnel was removed and the remaining funnel was rebuilt in a different position.
• Newer, lighter steam turbines were fitted in place of the original geared turbines.

The silhouette of the Nagato-class after they were reconstructed in the mid-1930s.

1938:

• A new, much more powerful catapult was installed.

By 1944:

• Nagato: Additional 1-inch/25mm Hotchkiss anti-aircraft machine guns in twin and triple mountings were fitted to the IJNS Nagato, bringing her total to 98 barrels.

By 1945:

• Nagato: All the of casemate-mounted 5.5-inch/140mm guns were removed and two twin 5-inch/127mm in four twin dual-purpose mountings were added.

After their reconstruction, the class's characteristics were:

• Displacement: 38.510 tons (deep load)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 224.94m (738ft)
• Beam: 34.6m (113ft 6in)
• Draught: 9.49m (31ft 2in)
• Propulsion: 10 x Kampon oil-fired boilers providing steam to 4 x Gihon steam turbines, each driving a propellor
• Speed: 25 knots
• Range: 8.650 nautical miles at 16 knots
• Complement: 1,734
• Armament: 4 × twin 410mm (16-inch) guns; 18 x single 140mm (5.5-inch) guns; 4 x twin 127mm (5-inch) anti-aircraft guns; Up to 98 x 25mm anti-aircraft guns
• Armour: Belt: 100mm to 305mm (3.9-inch to 12-inch); Deck: 69mm (2.7-inch) plus 100 mm (3.9-inch; Gun turrets: 280mm to 460mm (11-inch to 18.1-inch); Barbettes: 457mm (18-inch)
• Aircraft: 3 x floatplanes; 1 x catapult

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Nagato's wartime service:

• December 1941: Formed part of the distant force covering the retirement of the aircraft carrier that attacked Pearl Harbour.
• June 1942: Battle of Midway.
• June 1944: Battle of the Philippines Sea.
• October 1944: Battle of Leyte Gulf.
• October 1944: Battle of Sibuyan Sea.
• November 1944: Due to a shortage of fuel, she was reduced to the role of a floating anti-aircraft battery. Her mainmast and funnel were removed to improve the arcs-of-fire of the ship's anti-aircraft guns.
• July 1945: Badly damaged by an attack by US carrier-borne aircraft whilst at anchor.
• Post-war: Used as a target during the Bikini Atoll nuclear weapon test.

The IJNS Nagato in 1944.

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Mutsu's wartime service:

• December 1941: Formed part of the distant force covering the retirement of the aircraft carrier that attacked Pearl Harbour.
• June 1942: Battle of Midway.
• August 1942: Battle of the Eastern Solomons.
• June 1943: Destroyed by an explosion in the magazine of No.3 turret.

Wargaming and the 'cult of prettiness': An interesting discussion

This is by way of a THANK YOU to everyone who read and commented on my recent blog post about the 'cult of prettiness'.

The range and depth of comments I received was astounding and many of the commenters made points that I had not considered when I wrote my blog post. I came away from this discussion feeling much more positive than I did when I first began to outline my ideas.

In the end, I came to the conclusion that the 'cult of prettiness' represents the attitude of a minority but possibly disproportionally influential sector within the hobby ... and that the majority of wargamers enjoy painting their figures as well as they can and using them on a tabletop as often as the opportunity arises. They want things to look nice, but they also want to have fun. If this is true – and I think that it is – then the hobby will continue to prosper and grow.

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I did have a couple of emails asking why I didn't put my money where my mouth is and set up my own wargame magazine. The answer is simple ... I've sort of been doing that since 1980 in the form of THE NUGGET. If I've not been the editor – and I've performed that role twice in the last forty-six years – I've acted as its publisher and distributer.

ANZACS TV series

Last week I discovered that the entire ANZACS TV series was available to watch on YouTube … and I’ve been watching it ever since.

This five-part miniseries was first broadcast in 1985 and it follows the story of a number of young Australian men who enlist in the 8th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force in 1914.

After undergoing basic training, the battalion took part in the ANZAC landings and fighting on Gallipoli. After the withdrawal from Gallipoli, they were deployed to France and took part in the fighting around Pozières during the Battle of the Somme. The battalion subsequently fought at Ypres before returning to the Somme during the winter of 1916. It then participated in the attack on the Hindenburg Line and the 3rd Battle of Ypres (1917). When the Germans mounted their spring offensive in 1918, the battalion helped to defend the area near Amiens before taking part in the Allied counter-offensive from August to September 1918.

The five episodes are entitled:

• The Great Adventure
• The Big Push
• The Devil's Arithmetic
• Fields of Fire
• Now There Was A Day

The battles are depicted with commendable accuracy and I thoroughly recommend this series to anyone with an interest in the fighting that took place at Gallipoli and on the Western Front.

Wargaming and the 'cult of prettiness': Some thoughts and questions

The comment made by John Treadaway as an aside to the review of the Fourth Portable Wargame Compendium that was published in the August issue of MINIATURE WARGAMES really got under my skin ... and what follows are some thoughts about what I think of as the cult of prettiness' in wargaming.

First, some personal history …

I bought my first metal wargame figures (20mm Crimean War infantry and cavalry) from Hinton Hunt in 1968. I painted them with the only model paints that were available to me back then ... Humbrol gloss enamel paint! To be honest, they were pretty awful ... but I still have them although they now live in storage.

My next figures were Miniature Figurine Prussian Napoleonic infantry, and these were painted with Humbrol matt enamel paint ... and were far more presentable (I had developed some skill with a paintbrush by then!). In fact, I am still using them although they have now been given a coat of gloss varnish to protect them from damage.

All these figures had bases that were painted green and the Hinton Hunt figures were glued to balsa wood unit bases. My rules were based on those written by Donald Featherstone (WAR GAMES) and Brigadier Peter Young and Colonel James Lawford (CHARGE!) although over time I did buy other rule books … which were almost universally produced in small batches and sold with simple card covers. If they had illustrations, these card-covered rule books had line drawings – possibly including one on the cover – and diagrams.

The first wargame magazine I bought was MINIATURE WARFARE … and after the first few issues, that had some colour printed on the cover but only ever included monochrome photographs.

The cover of the third issue of MINIATURE WARFARE (April 1968).

It was not until the late Duncan MacFarlane edited and published the first issue of MINIATURE WARGAMES in 1983 that colour photographs became the norm in wargame magazines … and from that day onward, I feel that the invidious 'cult of prettiness' began to creep into the hobby.

The cover of the first issue of MINIATURE WARGAMES (March 1983).

Some people in the hobby seemed very keen to get photographs of their figures and terrain – often on display at shows around the country – published in magazines … and I in no way condemn this as I enjoy seeing other people’s wargame stuff in use. However, over time this appeared to have a deleterious effect on some of the wargames one saw at shows, with more and more seemingly becoming dioramas on which figures occasionally moved. Alongside them were other games that were played on simpler terrain and simple rules, and these often attracted participants rather than spectators.

I well remember attending a major wargame show in London twenty years ago (It was SALUTE!) and overhearing members of the ‘best in show’ judging team say – as they passed the participation game I was running – that my game was all right for a club night, but really wasn’t what they wanted to see at such a prestigious wargame show. The game attracted over thirty players during the course of the day; the ‘best in show’ had no participants as it was classed as a demonstration wargame (i.e. members of the club staging the game were the only people allowed to take part)

I therefore pose the following question … which of these two games generated more fun and enjoyment? I leave the answer up to you, the reader of this blog post.

Now, regular blog readers will know that I follow the BUDGET MODEL RAILWAYS channel on YouTube. Its creator is an ex-wargamer who now builds model railways as cheaply as he can, and several times he has said something about railway modelling that is equally applicable to our hobby. He has identified a trend among some railway modellers to collect locomotives, rolling stock, buildings etc., for a grand project that they plan to undertake when they retire … and that they never manage to achieve. He advocates building and using small layouts – some of which are capable of expansion at a later date – rather than waiting until you’ve got time to build your grand project.

Isn’t there a similar phenomenon in wargaming? How many wargamers plan for years to fight some massive battles using beautifully painted figures on sculpted terrain in their dedicated wargame room … and never actually manage it? It’s a wonderful dream … but that dream can easily become a nightmare that absorbs large amounts of time and money. Wouldn’t it be better for them to spend that time and money fighting smaller wargames and having fun?

There are some wargamers who do achieve their ambition to build up large collections of beautifully painted figures that they can use on wonderful terrain in their wargame room … but I wonder if the 'cult of prettiness' has rather given the impression to many wargamers that this is THE ideal they should be aiming for? If so, is that actually putting some of them off the hobby?

Again, I leave the answers up to you, dear blog reader.

When I look at the list of wargame blogs that I follow, I am struck by several thoughts. Firstly, that the hobby is a wide church and has room for a wide spectrum of wargamers, ranging from people who wargame with superb figures on magnificent terrain to those who use homemade cardboard counters or wooden blocks on a hand-drawn terrain map. Secondly, that a fun but scruffy-looking wargame that uses simple rules will always be preferable to a pretty-looking wargame that is tedious and/or boring to take part in. Thirdly, that some wargamers need to be a bit more realistic in their aspirations and fight wargames that they have the time and finances to achieve and not to aim for the unattainable.

Interestingly, there is one sector of the hobby where I've seen players having lots of fun using small numbers of well-painted figures on excellent terrain ... and in this instance, I'm not referring to those wargamers who are using THE PORTABLE WARGAME, ONE-HOUR WARGAME, or DOMINION OF ... , DE BELLIS ANTIQUITATIS, or  HORDES OF THE THINGS rules!

The wargamers I am thinking about are those who are fighting skirmish-level battles and Fantasy/Science Fiction/Role-Play games. Until recently, I never seriously looked at these sorts of games, but joining a local games club made me reassess my attitude to them ... and I realised that I had – through my ignorance and some degree of historical wargaming snobbery – been misjudging this style of games.

So, has the 'cult of prettiness' gone some way toward creating an ideal within the hobby that is actually counter-productive to its long-term viability ... and is there a significant movement within the hobby that is moderating or ignoring its influence?

Finally, I leave the answer to that question up to my regular blog readers.

Thinking about the Fifth Portable Wargame Compendium

Now that my life seems to be returning to some degree of stability after the recent upheavals due to the renovation of our main bedroom and my hospital treatment, I think that it’s time that I gave some thought to putting together the next Portable Wargame Compendium.

As those of my regular blog reader who follow the Portable Wargame Facebook page will already know, the Fourth Portable Wargame Compendium was reviewed in the August issue of MINIATURE WARGAMES magazine ... some nine months after it was published! This review – which I thought was very balanced and honest – was accompanied by an aside from John Treadaway, the magazine’s editor. A screenshot of this is shown below:

I must admit that when I first read it, this comment rather annoyed me. I thought that is was sarcastic and represented an attitude to wargaming that considers pretty – and sometimes rather tedious and unimaginative wargames that emphasis style over content – as being somehow superior to the PORTABLE WARGAME and similar wargames (e.g. The DOMINION OF ... rules and Neil Thomas's ONE-HOUR WARGAMES).

Well, I can assure my regular blog readers and purchasers of the previous compendia that I will be ignoring the 'advice' that the next issue should have a picture on the cover and sticking to the existing house-style.

The covers of the first four Portable Wargame Compendia. A 'scholarly tome'? I don't know about that ... but to date, they have sold quite well, even though the cover don't have any pretty pictures on them.

I have no idea what is going to be in the next compendium ... but I'll certainly be writing regular progress reports as it comes together.

My toy/wargame room is almost back to normal

Back in June my toy/wargame room I wrote a blog post about my toy/wargame room being taken over to store clothes etc., during the renovation of our main bedroom. That project is now complete, and as the hot weather has cooled somewhat, we have been able to clear the room of everything that was stored in there and I am able to use it again.

Hooray!

Here are some before ...

... and after photographs.

New YouTube video: Funny Little Wars Lawn Games with 54mm figures

I have just uploaded a new YouTube video to the Wargaming Miscellany YouTube channel.

It lasts approximately twelve and a half minutes.

The video can be found here on the Wargaming Miscellany YouTube channel.

The Imperial Japanese Navy in 1/1200th-scale ... another addition

At the recent COW20026, my old friend Nigel Drury very kindly gave me a model of the INS Nagato to add to my collection of 1/1200th-scale Imperial Japanese Navy ships.

(38,510 tons; 25 knots; 8 x 16-inch guns, 18 x 5.5-inch guns; 8 x 5-inch AA guns; 98 x 25mm AA guns; a catapult; 3 floatplanes)

This will now serve as my fleet flagship, rather as she did for Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.

My 1/1200th-scale collection of Imperial Japanese Navy warships now comprises:

Battleships

• Nagato-class: Nagato
• Fuso-class: Fuso
• Kongo-class: Kongo; Haruna

Aircraft Carriers

• Kaga-class: Kaga
• Akagi-class: Akagi

Heavy Cruisers

• Myoko-class: Myoko
• Mogami-class: Mogami
• Aoba-class: Aoba

Light Cruisers

• Yubari-class: Yubari
• Isuzu-class: Nagano
• Sendai-class: Sendai
• Chikuma-class: Chikuma; Hirado

Destroyers

• Kagero-class: Kagero; Shiranui; Kuroshio; Oyashio
• Mutsuki-class: Mutsuki; Kisaragi; Uzuki
• Asashi-class: Asashio; Ōshio
• Fubuki-class: Fubuki; Amagiri; Asagiri; Shirayuki; Hatsuyuki; Murakumo; Shinonome; Oboro
• Hatsuharu-class: Hatsuharu
• Shimakaze-class: Shimakaze
• Kaba-class: Kaba, Kashiwa

Quite an impressive little collection, even though I say it myself!

Nothing to see here … and a big ‘Thank You’!

Well, firstly a big THANK YOU to both the staff at University Hospital, Lewisham for the excellence of their treatment and their second-to-none care and to all my regular blog readers who sent me best wishes. The latter was greatly appreciated and I have tried to personally acknowledge all the messages I have received.

So, what happened?

After a very disturbed night’s sleep (I was genuinely worried about what they might find), I awoke at 5.00am (!) on Friday 17th July and by 6.00am I had showered, taken my daily meds, and got dressed … and was waiting for my pre-booked mini-cab to arrive. It arrived bang on time, and by 6.15am we had travelled down Shooters Hill Road (the old Roman Watling Street), across Blackheath, through the centre of Lewisham, and towards Catford. The hospital is located in Ladywell, which is about halfway between Lewisham and Catford.

The entrance to the building where the day surgery takes place was closed, and a notice stated that the doors would be unlocked at 6.30am ... but they weren't until 7.00an, by which time people who had come via the main hospital building entrance were seated in the reception area. So, although I had arrived first, I was towards the back of the queue to be booked in. Luckily, the receptionist booked everyone in before anyone was allowed through to the treatment area/Day Ward waiting room. There we were called forward in the order in which our procedures were going to take place and not in the order we were booked in.

I was called through and shown into a cubicle in the Day Ward, where I was interviewed by the anaesthetist and then the surgeon before signing the consent form. This was followed by the usual tests – blood pressure, body temperature, body weight, height, urine, oxygen blood level, and heart rate – and then I was given a gown and a pair of disposable paper underpants. I changed ... and then waited … and waited … and waited.

Just after 11.30am, the anaesthetist escorted me to the theatre and a local anaesthetic was administered into my spinal area. This took effect very quickly, and by just before midday the procedure – a rigid cystoscopy – began.

The surgeon kindly arranged for me to watch everything on a monitor, and I was struck by the fact that as the cystoscope moved in and out of my body, the pictures of my urethrae, prostate, and  bladder entrance resembled images of planets, particularly Mars!

By 12.20pm my procedure was over and I had been removed to the Recovery Ward, where I underwent yet another set of tests – blood pressure, body temperature, oxygen blood level, and heart rate. Their only concern was my slow heart rate (it was around 60) but they decided that it was not something that needed further investigation. They regularly used a cold spray on the anaesthetised area to check if and when feeling began to return, and once that began, they moved me back to my cubicle in the Day Ward.

Once there, I was given a much-needed cup of tea and an egg mayo sandwich (the first food and drink I'd had since the previous night!) and waited until the feeling fully returned to my midriff and legs. Once it had, I managed to walk to the toilet and have a rather painful pee ... but as this was the last barrier I needed to pass before I could be allowed home, it was very welcome.

The hospital phoned Sue to tell her to come to collected me. She immediately ordered a taxi, and by 5.15am I had thanked all the staff in the Day Ward and walked to the hospital's main vehicle entrance to await the arrival of the taxi. I only had to wait a few minutes, and by 6.00pm I was sitting in my armchair having something cool to drink.

I now have to take things reasonably easy for a few days and to keep well hydrated. I know that having a pee is going to be painful, especially when I have to pass the inevitable blood clots ... but it is a small price to pay to be given an all-clear.

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I wrote this blog post on Friday evening, fully intending to upload it on Saturday, but when I awoke late on Saturday morning I was feeling extremely fatigued and decided to leave it for a day or two whilst I recovered, hence the delay.

Things are going to be quiet for a few days

I won’t be writing any blog posts for the next few days as I will be going into hospital today to have a minor operation on my prostate. (It was originally scheduled to take place in January and then in June but was postponed om both occasions for medical reasons.)

With luck, I will only be in for twenty-four to thirty-six hours ... and then I should be recovering in the comfort of my own home.