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IJN-BC-竜門

IJN-BC-竜門（りゅうもん）

高速戦艦 - 竜門

公試排水量 Displacement 81,500.0 t
全長 Length 285.0 m (935.04 ft)
最大幅 Beam 40.4 m (132.55 ft)
水线幅 Waterline Width 35.0 m (113.83 ft)
吃水 Draft 9.00 m (29.53 ft )
出力 Propulsion 350,000 hp
速力 Speed 32.5 knots (37.40 mph; 60.19 km/h)
乗員 Complement 2980

兵装 Armament
8 x 480 mm Type L45 gun ( 2 × 4 )
24 x 140 mm (5.5 in) 56single 3rd Year Type CP DPgun ( 1 x 24 )
16 x 100 mm 65 caliber 98 Type A2 gun ( 8 x 2 )
29 x 25 mm type 96 (single)
22 x 25 mm type 96 (triple)
10 x 37 mm / 69 Rheinmetall-Type1 gun
5 x 25 mm / 62 quad Type 2 mod 42 prototype AAgun
10 x 25 mm / 62 twin Type 2 mod 42 prototype AAgun

The Ryumon-class battlecruiser is a type of heavy battlecruiser (called a high-speed battleship by the Empire) developed by the Empire in the late period of the ocean war. Two ships were planned and built, one of which sank in the war, and the other was used as a demobilization ship after the war and then dismantled. Its name is taken from Ryumon Mountain in Nara Prefecture.

The Ryumon-class can be regarded as an upgraded version of the Settsu-class battleship built by the Empire before. It is equipped with more powerful boilers, engines and artillery, but also weakens the armor to a certain extent to improve its speed and maneuverability. Due to its overly large hull, even if its armor is reduced on the basis of the Settsu-class, its displacement still reaches an astonishing 85,000 tons, which is almost one of the heaviest displacements among the warships built by the Empire except for the Yashima-class.

A major feature of the Ryumon-class is its extremely sufficient armament, including a large number of Casemate guns and experimental high-precision 480mm caliber artillery, as well as enhanced anti-aircraft defense performance to cope with the increasing anti-aircraft pressure. This makes the Ryumon-class almost a mobile fortress that can sail at high speed on the sea. The most noteworthy thing is that it is one of the few battleships in the entire history of naval shipbuilding equipped with 2 rear guns that can rotate 360 ​​degrees. This feature allows it to have high flexibility in close combat and fighting. With such exaggerated firepower, it can still travel at a maximum speed of 32.5 knots on the sea, which is why it can always escort aircraft carrier formations in the later stages of the war. However, the powerful firepower and new engine also make it the most expensive warship in the Imperial Navy besides the Yashima-class, which makes some officers and soldiers and post-war enthusiasts nickname this type of battleship "The Noblewoman of Nara".

In the post-war evaluation, people found that the Ryumon-class was the most prominent battleship in the Empire during the entire war period. It almost achieved full attendance during its service career and appeared on the front line of the war from beginning to end until the end of the war. During their service, the two ships sank 12 destroyers, 8 cruisers, 3 battleships and a large number of coastal military facilities. This was an almost impossible record for battleships after aircraft carriers gradually became the core role of naval warfare. According to postwar experts, such a record was achieved largely due to its high-precision artillery and the experimental new radar and radar installed on the ship.Some people regarded the Ryumon-type as the first meritorious ship in the war, while others regarded it as a model of the aesthetic paradigm of Japanese battleships because of its beautiful appearance and coordinated proportions.

It is worth mentioning that due to the high center of the ship caused by the tall bridge and various other reasons and the excessive mass of the ship itself, if the Ryumon-type is turned at full rudder during navigation, its hull will tilt greatly. This has caused three accidents in history in which observers on the upper deck of the bridge accidentally fell from the bridge when the battleship turned to avoid torpedoes.