IJN Kaga Class Battleships

The Kaga class battleships were designed by Hiraga Yuzuru of the Imperial Navy and were larger modified form of the Nagato. Two ships were laid down for the class known as Design A-127, the Kaga and the Tosa, and were identifiable from the Nagato class by their flush deck. The Kaga were equipped with 24 inch torpedo tubes, which with a break from past design, were placed above the water line.

The ships were outfitted with downward sloping belt armor configured to handle 16 inch shells and their lower armor deck was almost completely removed in favor of a heavier flat deck over the belt. Ultimately, the two Kaga class battleships were forbidden under the jurisdiction of the Washington Naval Treaty with the result that that both were canceled. The Tosa was used for target practice and armor experimentation, while the Kaga was converted into an aircraft carrier.