Ise and Hyuga before the carrier conversion

Ise and Hyuga were First World War-era battleships with twelve 14-inch guns in six twin turrets. The design critique concerns both the calibre, when other navies were building 15- and 16-inch guns, and a crowded arrangement that concentrated too much weight amidships. Four triple turrets could have preserved the broadside while freeing internal space and allowing a more sensible armour profile. During interwar reconstruction, twenty-four large-tube boilers gave way to eight small-tube boilers, power rose from roughly 45,000 to 80,000 shaft horsepower, and maximum speed increased from about 23 to 25 knots. Displacement grew substantially, the main battery stayed in place, and the secondary and anti-aircraft batteries changed. The result was a pair of decent but unexceptional battleships without the speed or internal arrangement of an ideal aviation platform.