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IJN YUBARI,
夕張
Yubari, a
3141-ton light cruiser of innovative design by Captain
Hiraga Yuzuru, was laid down at Sasebo, Japan. Some of
her design elements were later incorporated in future
heavy cruisers of the fleet. Commissioned at the end of
July 1923, she was generally employed as flagship for
destroyer squadrons. In the years before World War II,
she made frequent cruises to China in that capacity and
on independent missions or in company with other light
cruisers.
In 1925,
she steamed through the western Pacific and visited
Australia. Yubari saw combat action against Chinese
shore batteries in 1932. She visited Java in 1937 and
patrolled off China after war began with that nation
later in the year. Assigned to the central Pacific in
1941 as a destroyer squadron flagship, she was there
when Japan attacked the United States in December.
Yubari's
initial World War II combat operation was the attempt to
capture Wake on 10-11 December 1941. Though that attack
was repulsed, she participated in the capture of the
island base later in the month. During January-March
1942, Yubari helped seize Allied positions in the New
Britain and New Guinea area, but was damaged by U.S.
carrier plane attacks during the Lae-Salamaua operation
on 10 March. She was repaired in time to serve as
flagship of the Port Moresby Attack Force during the
Battle of the Coral Sea in May and later supported the
Japanese buildup on Guadalcanal.
When the
Allies landed on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in August,
Yubari was sent south with other cruisers to
counter-attack, an assignment that led to victory
against U.S. and Australian warships in the 9 August
1942 Battle of Savo Island. Later in August, she covered
landings at Nauru and Ocean Islands and spent the
following three months on escort and patrol duties.
After
overhaul, the cruiser returned to the south Pacific in
April 1943. Yubari led destroyers in a bombardment of
the U.S. invasion beaches at Rendova in early July, and
was damaged by a mine on the 5th of that month,
requiring her to return to Japan for repairs. She was
back in the south Pacific combat zone from October to
December 1943, and was slightly damaged by U.S. carrier
planes off Rabaul on 11 November. Yubari was refitted in
December 1943 - March 1944, receiving enhanced
anti-aircraft firepower at the expense of two of her
heavier guns, and was then sent to the central Pacific.
After completing a transport mission to Sonsorol Island
on 27 April 1944, she was hit by a torpedo from the U.S.
submarine Bluegill (SS-242). Efforts to control
progressive flooding were unsuccessful, and Yubari sank
the following morning.
(from Global Security.org)
Technical specification:
- Laid down at Sasebo Naval yard 5.
Jun. 1922
- Launched 5. Mar. 1923
- Completed 31. Jul. 1923
- Reconstruction and rearmament:
1924, 1927, 1943, 1944
- Sunk 27 Apr. 1944 (Torpedoed) by
US submarine USS Bluegill off Palau with 19 sailors lost.
- displacement: 4,448 tons full load
- length: 138.9 m
- beam: 12.04 m
- draught: 3.58 m
- ship horse power: 57,900shp
- speed : 32 knots
- crew: 328
Armament:
- Main guns 4 (2x2) 5.5' = 14 cm
- 1 (1x1) 5' = 12 cm HA gun
- 25 25mm AA guns (3x3) + (4x2) +
(8x1)
- 2 twins 24' torpedo tubes with
extra torpedoes carried in spare containers
- 2 racks of depth charges of 6 DC
each
Building the model of TAMIYA YUBARI
in scale 1:700
For me the light cruiser of Yubari
along with the heavy cruisers of Takao -class stand out as a
milestone regarding power and beautiful lines! Yubari nearly looks
as she was intended as a yacht and not as a warship, with her swept
funnel and sheer lines in the hull. In the early days of aviation
there is a saying: If it looks good - It will fly good! ........
Here we can say - She looks fabulous, and sail fantastic!..... There
are choices to be made before I start on the model - shall I made her
as build in 1923 with low stack and high masts ?, alternative just
before the opening of WWII with a fine and more "modern looks" .
Another choice is as
with the beautiful foldout drawing seen in the book of ModelArt-13 -
At last or as I
choose ......in 1944 timeframe. with her new armament of 25 25mm AA guns and
closed portholes, closed torpedo shields etc. Tamiya has opted
as for a late war build as the extra platforms of 25mm AA guns is
ready, but have failed to make the platform between the torpedo
tubes right (they have the platform from the earlier period). This
is not a severe problem as a new is made easily, but will require some study of drawings in differed books as in "Profile Morskie #21
Yubari" and also a good reference is "Vanguard" website as well!.
Hull:
In Yubari late war config. mostly all
of her former low portholes is closed. I did that with small slices
of styrene bars attached with normal plastic-glue, next day I sanded
the plates down to just a very thin plate, to been shown when
painted later. The hull comes with nearly no details of the anchor
placement or the degauss cable added in 1940 period, so here I used
the PE-set from Lion Roar. The well for the anchor and hause-pipe was
drilled out too. Prop guards, booms for boats (at anchor) and old
tracks from former DC devices as added. In the very front (bow) of the
ship a new plate was made of paper to accommodate the PE-set
Imperial symbol, as well as new fair leads and anchor watch stands.
Deck:
The most work on the deck was on the
new anchor chains. Also the DC device and diamond deck-plate at the
very rear (stern) of the ship, This was easy made be PE-set (Lion Roar) and
styrene plastic. Also more details of vents and cranes was added as
well as containers to house spare torpedoes carried on the ship. Yubari
carried eight single 25mm AA guns along with the twins and triple,
the single I used was the fantastic Pit-Road spare parts from earlier
builds, those guns are very well made and adds more realism to my
model, as the PE-set often used! Pit-Roads guns is detailed well
and this emerge as they are handled with a little weathering and
tear. Also I added a lot of Ammo cases on the deck and
superstructure. A pair of cable drums was made of styrene plastic
and copper wire. Tamiya has giving Yubari davits in standard
"J-style" but the ship had the "Swan neck-type" show on every
picture I have of the ship. This is easy corrected by scratch build
of silver wire or Lion Roar PE-set.
Super structure:
The most notably feature added to the
super structure, is the small details of PE-set of IJN watertight
doors (Voyager) as well as the amount of cables an small lockers
running on the side of the structure, easily made of copper wire and
plastic. Added was the new pipes running
along the stack (made of silver wire) and also the many handrails on
the stack itself (made by IJN PE-set railing from Tom's Model Works)
I think it gave the ship a new level of details! The stack was
modified with a lattice support between it's "legs" and also more
pipes as fog horns was added. The top of the stack (grill) was
drilled out instead of made the grill of copper wire, as tried
before. I choose this because the in-mould plastic grill from Tamiya
is made so beautiful, and my home made will not be of same level
of detail. A small tower beside the radio room was added -this tower
is shown in the drawings of the earlier periods as well on Mr. Jef
Linn remarkable model.
Details in general:
Added to the PE-set's of Tom's Model
Works (IJN Light cruiser), Lion Roar (25mm twin and triple AA guns
an boat davits), etc. I have "open" the windows in the bridge and
upper observations area. made small navigation lanterns, signaling
platforms, emergency woods, ropes, scratch build masts of silver
wires, signal flags of metal foils. Binoculars and ladders
-windbreakers made of white glue and paint. And spare parts of Pit Road
Conclusion:
As said in the beginning in this
article I was looking forward to build this little fast IJN cruiser,
because she has always had a soft spot in my hart. Tamiya has made a
very fine kit here, also bare in mind the age is now over 25 years
(it is remarkable how few alternation is needed to make such fine
model of today) I can highly recommend some enjoyable days of building
to others.
Reference:
Books
form my own library :
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Japanese
Naval Warship Photo Album Cruisers
from
Diamond Sha books.
(Japan)
Reference: Pictures |

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Model Art no. 26 Takao-class
cruisers (Japan)
Reference: Signal flag code |
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Model Art no. 13
5,500-ton
cruisers (Japan)
Reference: Drawings, models |
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Profile Morskie no.
21
Japanese light cruiser YUBARI
(Poland)
Reference: Drawings
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Japanese
Cruisers of the Pacific War by Lacroix / Wells
(USA)
Reference: History, tables,
drawings, background
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Maru IJN Warship
Photo File n°13 (Japan)
Reference: Drawings |
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Warships in Action #
4025: Japanese Light Cruisers WW 2 in Action
by: Squadron Signal Publications
(USA)Reference: History,
background, pictures |
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Japanese Warship at
War, Vol. 2 - Yamato Special
by: Trojca, Waldemar, Lengerer / Hans
(Germany)
Reference: Pictures
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Websites:
Nihon kaigun:
http://www.combinedfleet.com/yubari_t.htm
Vanguard's model of Yubari:
yubari1.htm Gray Power by
lastss:
http://blog.roodo.com/lastss/archives/2616399.html
The building time was only 11
days.
Aeronautic Sep. 2008.
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