Design B-65 cruiser

A line drawing of the proposed Design B-65.
Class overview
Name	Design B-65
Operators	Imperial Japanese Navy
Preceded by	Amagi-class battlecruiser
Planned	2
Cancelled	2
General characteristics
Type	Super Type A cruiser
Displacement	Standard: 31,905 t (31,401 long tons)[1] Full-load: 35,000 t (34,000 long tons)
Length	240 m (790 ft) length at the waterline[1] 246.2 m (808 ft) length overall[1]
Beam	27.2 m (89 ft)[1]
Draft	8.8 m (29 ft) (trial)[1]
Propulsion	Four sets of geared turbines and eight Kampon boilers would yield 170,000 metric horsepower (167,674 shaft horsepower); this would have been able to drive the ship at 33 kn (38 mph; 61 km/h)[2]
Endurance	8,000 mi (13,000 km) at 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h)[1]
Armament	9 × 310 mm (12.2 in)/50 caliber guns (3 × 3)[1] 16 × 100 mm (3.9 in)/65 caliber Type 98 dual-purpose guns (8 × 2)[1] 12 × 25 mm (1 in) Type 96 anti-aircraft guns (6 × 2)[1] 4 × 13 mm (0.5 in) Hotchkiss machine guns (2 × 2)[1]
Armor	Belt: 190 mm (7.5 in) inclined 20 degrees Barbettes: 210 mm (8.3 in) to 190 mm (7.5 in) Conning tower sides: 180 mm (7.1 in) Conning tower roof: 125 mm (4.9 in) Deck: 125 mm (5 in)[3]

Design B-65 was a class of cruisers planned by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) before and during World War II. The IJN referred to this design as a 'Super Type A' cruiser; It was larger than most heavy cruisers but smaller than most battlecruisers, and as such, has been variously described as a 'super-heavy cruiser,' a 'super cruiser,' or as a 'cruiser-killer.'^{[A 1]} As envisioned by the IJN, the cruisers were to play a key role in the Night Battle Force portion of the "Decisive battle" strategy which Japan hoped, in the event of war, to employ against the United States Navy.

Begun in 1939, plans were far enough along that tests were conducted with the main armament and against the underwater protection. Even though the ships were approved for construction under a 1942 fleet replenishment program, the prioritizing of aircraft carriers and smaller ships due to the war, followed by Japan's defeat, ended any chance of the B-65's construction.

Design B-65 would have been similar to the United States' Alaska-class cruiser in terms of displacement, armament, and role. Both designs also straddled the line between heavy cruisers and battlecruisers. The envisioning of the 'large cruiser' or 'super-heavy cruiser' and, ultimately, the design of the Alaska-class itself may have been at least partly inspired by the desire to counter the Design B-65, or at least earlier IJN proposals.^[4][5][6][7] However, unlike the never-built Design B-65, the Alaska-class would see two ships completed.

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