IJN Kako

IJN Kako

IJN Akizuki

IJN Furutaka

IJN Kako

IJN Akizuki

IJN Furutaka

Japan

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.7	4.7	4.7

Class:

Heavy cruiser

Research:48 000

Purchase:180 000

Show in game

This page is about the Japanese heavy cruiser IJN Kako. For other members of the class, see Furutaka (Family).

Description

The Furutaka-class, IJN Kako, (1935) is a rank III Japanese heavy cruiser with a battle rating of 4.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy".

General info

Survivability and armour

Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.

Mobility

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Armament

Primary armament

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Secondary armament

Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control Select secondary weapon. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.

Anti-aircraft armament

An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control Select anti-aircraft weapons. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.

Torpedo armament

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Usage in battles

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Modules

Tier	Seakeeping	Unsinkability		Firepower
I	Dry-Docking	Tool Set		Anti-Air Armament Targeting	200 mm Type 88 APC
II	Rudder Replacement	Fire Protection System	Smokescreen	Auxiliary Armament Targeting	120 mm Type 0 HE
III	Propeller Replacement	Shrapnel Protection	Ventilation	Primary Armament Targeting	Improved Rangefinder
IV	Engine Maintenance	New Pumps	Ammo Wetting	Torpedo Mode

Pros and cons

Pros:

• 6 x 203 mm cannons allow the Kako to compete against other ships effectively
• Very durable against destroyers

Cons:

• Torpedo launchers are fixed, unable to be traversed without moving the hull
• Guns have a slow traverse speed

History

Created as a counter to the American Omaha and British Hawkins class cruisers, the Furutaka class was designed to act as a scouting cruiser capable of protecting the main fleet from enemy scouts. While the ship was designed before the Washington Naval Treaty, she still fell within the displacement and calibre limits with 7,500 tons of displacement and the main armament of six 7.9 in/20 cm cannons mounted in single turrets; she also had a torpedo armament of 12 x 21-inch torpedo tubes mounted in the hull. These armaments would change as both Furutaka and Kako were modernized shortly after being completed, with their single mounted guns being replaced with three twin turrets and two quad-torpedo launchers being added near the aft.

During the first months of the Pacific War against the United States, Kako was assigned to Sentai 6 and tasked in covering the invasions of several islands including Guam, Wake, and New Guinea. Sentai 6 was then assigned to Operation MO, the invasion of Port Morseby, and partook in the Battle of the Coral Sea on May 7, 1942. Their next major action would not be until August, but would also be their largest. Kako and Sentai 6 had been assigned to the new Eighth Fleet. In response to the American invasion of Guadalcanal, the Eighth Fleet sortied out to counter the invasion force. On the night of August 8-9, 1942, Kako and the fleet of 4 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, and a destroyer surprised the Allied Fleet in a night attack off Savo Island.

Fighting at close ranges with searchlights, flares, and star shells, Japanese naval artillery devastated the Allied fleet, sinking 4 heavy cruisers and forcing the American support ships to abandon the Marines on the island. While the battle was a stunning victory for the Japanese, they failed to sink any of the landing ships and fled the area for fear of retaliation from American carrier planes; However, it was the American submarine S-44 who got revenge. On August 10, while the Eighth fleet was returning to Rabaul, the S-44 fired four torpedoes at Kako, scoring three hits. The Kako quickly took on a list before her boilers detonated, sinking the cruiser but only taking 68 sailors with her. Kako was struck from the Japanese Naval list a month later.

Media

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See also

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• reference to the series of the ship;
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External links

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Japan heavy cruisers
Furutaka-class	IJN Furutaka · IJN Kako
Aoba-class	IJN Aoba
Myōkō-class	IJN Myoko · IJN Haguro
Mogami-class	IJN Mogami
Tone-class	IJN Tone