 Takachiho in Sasebo, 14 February 1905
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Takachiho |
| Namesake | Takachiho-gawara |
| Ordered | 22 March 1884 |
| Builder | Armstrong Mitchell, South Tyneside |
| Laid down | 10 April 1884 |
| Launched | 16 May 1885 |
| Completed | 26 March 1886 |
| Reclassified | As a minelayer, 1911 |
| Stricken | 29 October 1914 |
| Fate | Sunk by torpedo, 17–18 October 1914 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class and type | Naniwa-class protected cruiser |
| Displacement | 3,727 long tons (3,787 t) |
| Length | 320 ft (97.5 m) (o/a) |
| Beam | 46 ft (14 m) |
| Draft | 20 ft 3 in (6.2 m) (full load) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion | 2 shafts; 2 double-expansion steam engines |
| Speed | 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Range | 9,000 nmi (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) |
| Complement | 342 |
| Armament |
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| Armour |
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Takachiho (高千穂) was the second and last Naniwa-class protected cruiser built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in the 1880s. As Japan lacked the industrial capacity to construct such vessels, the ship was designed and built in the United Kingdom. She participated in the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895, playing a major role in the Battle of the Yalu River and lesser roles in the Battles of Port Arthur, Weihaiwei, the Pescadores Campaign and the invasion of Taiwan. Takachiho played a minor role in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905 where she participated in the Battle of Chemulpo Bay, briefly helped to blockade Port Arthur at the beginning of the war, helped to sink a Russian armored cruiser during Battle off Ulsan and participated in the climatic defeat of the Imperial Russian Navy in the Battle of Tsushima.
The ship was relegated to auxiliary roles as a depot ship and a training ship after the war and was converted into a minelayer in 1911. Takachiho was torpedoed and sunk by a German torpedo boat in 1914 during the Siege of Tsingtao in World War I with the loss of most of her crew.