View source for Japanese battleship Kongō

{{Short description|Kongō-class Japanese warship}}
{{Other ships|Japanese ship Kongō}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = File:The Japanese battleship Kongō on sea trials, off the coast of Tateyama, 14 November 1936 (cropped).jpg
| Ship caption = ''Kongō'' on sea trials, off the coast of [[Tateyama, Chiba|Tateyama]], 14 November 1936
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = [[Empire of Japan]]
| Ship flag = {{Shipboxflag|Empire of Japan|naval}}
| Ship name = ''Kongō''
| Ship namesake = [[Mount Kongō]]
| Ship ordered = 1911
| Ship builder = [[Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering|Vickers Shipbuilding Company]], [[Barrow-in-Furness]]
| Ship laid down = 17 January 1911
| Ship launched = 18 May 1912
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship commissioned = 16 August 1913
| Ship decommissioned = 
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship struck = 20 January 1945
| Ship homeport = 
| Ship honours = 
| Ship fate = Sunk in the Formosa Strait, 21 November 1944 ({{Coord|26|09|N|121|23|E|type:event_source:dewiki|display=title,inline}})
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = {{sclass|Kongō|battlecruiser}}
| Ship displacement = {{convert|36600|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="Conway's"/>
| Ship length = {{convert|222|m|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref name="Conway's"/>
| Ship beam = {{convert|31|m|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref name="Conway's"/>
| Ship draught = {{convert|9.7|m|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref name="Conway's"/>
| Ship propulsion = Steam turbines, 4 shafts
| Ship speed = {{convert|30|kn|mph km/h|lk=in}}<ref name="Conway's"/>
| Ship range = {{convert|10000|nmi|km|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|14|kn|km/h|abbr=on}}<ref name="Conway's"/>
| Ship complement = 1,360
| Ship sensors = 
| Ship EW = 
| Ship armament = *'''1913:'''
* 8 × [[Vickers 14 inch/45 naval gun|{{convert|356|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} naval gun]] (4×2)<ref name="Conway's"/>
* 16 × [[15 cm/50 41st Year Type|{{convert|6|in|cm|adj=on}} 50 caliber naval gun]]s (16×1)<ref name=NW6/>
* 8 × {{convert|76|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} naval guns (8×1)<ref name="Conway's"/>
* 4 × {{convert|6.5|mm|in|abbr=on}} machine gun<ref name=stille17>Stille (2008), p. 17</ref>
*'''1944:'''
* 8 × [[Vickers 14 inch/45 naval gun|{{convert|356|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} naval gun]] (4×2)<ref name="Conway's"/>
* 8 × [[15 cm/50 41st Year Type|{{convert|152|mm|in|abbr=on|0}}]] naval gun (8×1)<ref name="Conway's"/>
* 12 × [[12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval gun|{{convert|127|mm|abbr=on}}]] guns (6×2)
* 100 × [[Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun|25 mm Type 96 antiaircraft autocannon]] (15×3,8×2,40×1)
| Ship armor = * [[Belt armor|Waterline belt]]: {{convert|203|mm|in|abbr=on|0}}
* [[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|38|–|58|mm|in|abbr=on}} (later strengthened)
* [[Gun turret]]s: {{convert|229|mm|in|abbr=on|0}}
* [[Barbette]]s: {{convert|254|mm|in|abbr=on|0}}
| Ship aircraft = 
| Ship aircraft facilities = 
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}
[[File:Kongo on the ways, showing two of the propellers and the port rudder - Scientific American 1913.jpg|thumb|''Kongō'' on the ways at Barrow, showing two of the propellers and the port rudder, ''[[Scientific American]]'', 1913]]

{{Nihongo|'''''Kongō'''''|金剛|lead=yes||named after [[Mount Kongō]]}} was a warship of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] during World War I and World War II. She was the first [[battlecruiser]] of the {{sclass|Kongō|battlecruiser|4}}, among the most heavily armed ships in any navy when built. Her designer was the British naval engineer [[George Thurston]], and she was [[Keel laying|laid down]] in 1911 at [[Barrow-in-Furness]] in Britain by [[Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering|Vickers Shipbuilding Company]]. ''Kongō'' was the last Japanese [[capital ship]] constructed outside Japan. She was formally [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] in 1913, and patrolled off the Chinese coast during World War I.

''Kongō'' underwent two major reconstructions. Beginning in 1929, the Imperial Japanese Navy rebuilt her as a [[battleship]], strengthening her armor and improving her speed and power capabilities. In 1935, her superstructure was completely rebuilt, her speed was increased, and she was equipped with [[aircraft catapult|launch catapults]] for [[floatplane]]s. Now fast enough to accompany Japan's growing carrier fleet, ''Kongō'' was reclassified as a [[fast battleship]]. During the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]], ''Kongō'' operated off the coast of mainland China before being redeployed to the Third Battleship Division in 1941. In 1942, she sailed as part of the Southern Force in preparation for the [[Battle of Singapore]].

''Kongō'' fought in many major naval actions of the [[Pacific War]] during World War II. She covered the Japanese Army's [[amphibious warfare|amphibious landings]] in [[British Malaya]] (part of present-day [[Malaysia]]) and the [[Dutch East Indies]] (now [[Indonesia]]) in 1942, before engaging American forces at the [[Battle of Midway]] and during the [[Guadalcanal campaign]]. Throughout 1943, ''Kongō'' primarily remained at [[Truk Lagoon]] in the [[Caroline Islands]], [[Kure Naval District|Kure Naval Base]] (near [[Hiroshima]]), [[Sasebo Naval District|Sasebo Naval Base]] (near [[Nagasaki]]), and [[Lingga Roads]], and deployed several times in response to American [[aircraft carrier]] [[Strategic bombing|air raids]] on Japanese island bases scattered across the Pacific. ''Kongō'' participated in the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]] (19-20 June) and the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]] in 1944 (22–23 October), sinking the destroyer escort {{USS|Samuel B. Roberts|DE-413|6}} and helping to cripple the destroyer {{USS|Heermann}} in the latter engagement. ''Kongō'' was torpedoed and sunk by the submarine {{USS|Sealion|SS-315|6}} while transiting the [[Formosa Strait]] on 21 November 1944. She was the only Japanese battleship sunk by a submarine in the Second World War.<ref name=stille20/>{{efn|''Shinano'' was laid down as a ''Yamato''-class battleship, but by the time of her sinking by USS ''Archerfish'' she had been completed as an aircraft carrier.}}

==Design and construction==
{{See also|Kongō-class battlecruiser}}

''Kongō'' was the first of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]]'s ''Kongō''-class [[list of battlecruisers of Japan|battlecruisers]], which were almost as large, costly and well-armed as [[battleship]]s, but which traded off armored protection for higher speeds. These were designed by the British naval [[engineer]] [[George Thurston]]<ref name=kongoclass>{{cite web |url= http://combinedfleet.com/ships/kongo |title=Kongo-class Battleship |website=Combined Fleet |access-date=10 September 2010}}</ref> and were ordered in 1910 in the Japanese Emergency Naval Expansion Bill after the commissioning of {{HMS|Invincible|1907|6}} in 1908.<ref name=cfrecord>{{cite web|url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/kongo.htm |title=IJN Battleship KONGO: Tabular Record of Movement |website=Combined Fleet |access-date=10 September 2010 |author=Bob Hackett |author2=Sander Kingsepp |author3=Lars Ahlberg}}</ref> These four battlecruisers of the ''Kongō'' class were designed to match the naval capabilities of the battlecruisers of the other major naval powers at the time, and they have been called the battlecruiser versions of the British (formerly [[Ottoman Navy|Turkish]]) battleship {{HMS|Erin|1913|6}}.<ref name="Conway's">Gardiner and Gray (1980), p. 234</ref><ref name=jackson-07-27>Jackson (2008), p. 27</ref> Their heavy armament of 14-inch naval guns and their armor protection (which took up about 23.3% of their approximately 30,000-ton displacements in 1913) were greatly superior to those of any other Japanese [[capital ship]] afloat at the time.<ref name="Conway's"/><ref name=jackson-07-27/>

The [[keel]] of ''Kongō'' was laid down at [[Barrow-in-Furness]] by [[Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering]] on 17 January 1911. Under Japan's contract with Vickers, the first vessel of the class was constructed in the [[United Kingdom]], with the remainder built in Japan.<ref name="Conway's"/> ''Kongō'' was launched on 18 May 1912, and then transferred to the dockyards of [[Portsmouth, England]], where her [[fitting-out]] began in mid-1912.<ref name=jackson-07-27/> All parts used in her construction were manufactured in the U.K.<ref name="Conway's"/> ''Kongō'' was completed on 16 April 1913.<ref name="Conway's"/>

===Siemens-Vickers Scandal===
{{Main|Siemens scandal}}

In January 1914, a telegram leaked from German industrial conglomerate [[Siemens]]' Tokyo office to Reuters along with further reporting by ''The New York Times'' and ''[[The Asahi Shimbun]]'' led to an investigation by Japanese authorities which revealed a pattern of bribery and kickbacks by German and English armaments corporations. Siemens had been paying senior Japanese officials a secret 15% kickback, until British company [[Vickers]] had outbid them by offering 25%. Vickers had paid 210,000 yen to Admiral Fuji of the Imperial Japanese Navy procurement in 1911 and 1912, and 40,000 yen to Vice Admiral [[Matsumoto Kazu]], related to obtaining the contract for building ''Kongō''.  Kazu was court-martialed in May 1914, fined 400,000 yen and sentenced to 3 years in prison.  As a result of the Siemens-Vickers Scandal revolving around the contracts for building ''Kongō'', the government of Prime Minister [[Yamamoto Gonnohyōe]] resigned March 23, 1914.  Senior executives of [[Mitsui & Co.|Mitsui]] corporation, Japanese partners of Vickers, also resigned.<ref>{{cite book |last= Mitchell |first= Richard H. |date= 1996 |title= Political Bribery in Japan |publisher= [[University of Hawaii Press]] |location= Honolulu |pages= 28–31 |isbn= 978-0824818197}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!-- staff article --> |date= 14 September 2008 |title= Siemens Affäre: Dunkle Machenschaften Made in Germany |language=de |trans-title= Siemens Affair: Dark Machinations Made in Germany |magazine= [[Der Spiegel]] |url= https://www.spiegel.de/geschichte/siemens-affaere-a-947908.html |access-date= 17 May 2021}}</ref>

===Armament===
[[File:Kongō.jpg|thumb|300px|left|''Kongō'' on full power trials 8 May 1913]]

Originally, ''Kongō''{{'}}s main battery was designed to consist of ten 12-inch (305&nbsp;mm) main guns. However, her builders, [[Vickers]], convinced the Japanese to go with a larger weapon after ''Kongō'' was laid down.<ref name=":0">{{Citation |title=IJN Kongo - Guide 174 | date=11 April 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVh_BmXtfrM |access-date=2023-04-01 |language=en}}</ref> Because of this, ''Kongō''{{'}}s main armament as built consisted of eight [[Vickers 14 inch/45 naval gun|Vickers 14 inch (356 mm)/45 naval gun]] heavy-caliber main [[naval gun]]s in four twin [[gun turret|turrets]] (two forward and two aft), making her the most powerfully armed capital ship when she was commissioned.<ref name=kongoclass/> The turrets were noted by the U.S. [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] to be "similar to the British 15-inch turrets",<ref name=NW-14/> with improvements made in [[explosives#Sensitivity|flash]]-tightness. Each of her main guns could fire [[high explosive]] or [[armor]]-piercing shells {{convert|38770|yd|nmi km}} at a rate of about two shells per minute.<ref name="14/45">{{cite web |url= http://combinedfleet.com/360_45.htm|title=Japanese Naval Ordnance: 14"/45 caliber |website=Combined Fleet |access-date=11 February 2009}}</ref> In keeping with the Japanese doctrine of deploying more powerful vessels before their opponents, ''Kongō'' and her sister ships were the first vessels in the world equipped with {{convert|14|in|mm|adj=on|0}} guns.<ref name=jackson-00-48>Jackson (2000), p. 48</ref> Her main guns carried ammunition for 90 shots, and they had an approximate barrel lifetime of 250 to 280 shots.<ref name=NW-14>{{cite web | last = DiGiulian | first = Tony | title = Japanese 14"/45 (35.6&nbsp;cm) 41st Year Type | url = http://navweaps.com/Weapons/WNJAP_14-45_t41.htm| publisher=Navweaps.com |year=2009 | access-date =26 February 2009 }}</ref> In 1941, separate dyes were introduced for the armor-piercing shells of the four ''Kongō''-class battleships to assist with targeting, with ''Kongō''{{'}}s armor-piercing shells using red dye.<ref name=NW-14/>

The [[Gun turret#Wing turrets|secondary battery]] of ''Kongō'' originally consisted of sixteen [[15 cm/50 41st Year Type|{{convert|6|in|mm|adj=on|0}} 50 calibre]] guns in single [[casemate]]s located amidships ("50 calibre" means that the lengths of the guns were 50 times their bore, or 300&nbsp;inches),<ref name=jackson-07-27/> eight {{convert|3|in|mm|adj=on|0}} guns, and eight submerged {{convert|21|in|mm|adj=on|0}} torpedo tubes.<ref name=kongoclass/> Her six-inch naval guns could fire five to six rounds per minute, with a barrel lifetime of about 500 rounds.<ref name=NW6>{{cite web | last = DiGiulian | first = Tony | title = Japanese 6"/50| url =http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNJAP_6-50_t41.htm| publisher=Navweaps.com |year=2010 | access-date =26 February 2009 }}</ref> The 6-inch/50-calibre gun was capable of firing both antiaircraft and antiship shells, though the positioning of these guns on ''Kongō'' made antiaircraft firing mostly impractical.<ref name=jackson-07-27/> During her second reconstruction, the older three-inch guns were removed and then replaced with eight [[5-inch/40-caliber gun|5-inch (127 mm) 40-calibre]] dual purpose guns. These guns could fire from eight to 14 rounds per minute, with a barrel lifetime of between 800 and 1,500 rounds.<ref name=NW5>{{cite web | last = DiGiulian | first = Tony | title = Japanese 5"/40| url = http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNJAP_5-40_t89.htm| publisher=Navweaps.com |year=2008 | access-date =26 February 2009 }}</ref> Of ''Kongō''{{'}}s guns, the 5-inch guns had the widest variety of [[artillery shell|shell]] types: antiaircraft, antiship, and illumination shells.<ref name=NW5/> ''Kongō'' was also armed with many {{convert|1|in|mm|adj=on|0}} antiaircraft machine guns. By October 1944, ''Kongō''{{'}}s secondary armament was reconfigured to eight {{convert|6|in|mm|adj=on|0}} guns, eight {{convert|5|in|mm|adj=on|0}} guns, and 122 [[Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun|Type 96]] antiaircraft [[autocannon|rapid-fire cannons]].<ref name=stille16>Stille (2008), p. 16.</ref>

=== Armor ===
Being a battlecruiser, ''Kongō''{{'}}s armor was fairly thin. She was equipped with a 6- to 8-inch (152–203&nbsp;mm) main belt. ''Kongō'' deck armor consisted of armor plating ranging from 1-inch (25&nbsp;mm), 1.5-inches (38&nbsp;mm), to 2.75-inches (7&nbsp;cm), depending on the area. She was equipped with nine-inch (229&nbsp;mm) barbette armor protecting the ammunition to her main guns, as well as turret armor consisting of 10-inch (254&nbsp;mm) turret faces, and 9-inch (229&nbsp;mm) plating over the sides and rear.<ref>{{Cite web |last=dreadnaughtz |date=2021-02-24 |title=Kongō class Fast Battleships (1912) |url=https://naval-encyclopedia.com/ww2/japan/kongo-class-fast-battleships.php |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=naval encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Service history==
===1913–1929: Battlecruiser===
[[File:HIJMS Kongo.jpg|thumb|Japanese battlecruiser ''Kongo'' as first built]]

On 16 August 1913, ''Kongō'' was completed and commissioned into the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). Twelve days later, she departed from Portsmouth headed for Japan.<ref name=stille14>Stille (2008), p. 14</ref> She was docked at [[Singapore]] from 20 to 27 October, before arriving at [[Yokosuka Naval Arsenal]] on 5 November, where she was placed in First Reserve.<ref name=cfrecord/> In January 1914, she docked at [[Kure Naval Base]] for armament checks. On 3 August 1914, the [[German Empire]] declared war on France and then invaded via Belgium, sparking the beginning of [[World War I]] in the West. Twelve days later, Japan issued a warning to [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]] of the [[German Empire]], ordering him to withdraw the German troops from their base at [[Qingdao]], China. When the German Empire did not respond, Japan declared war on Germany on 23 August, occupying the former German possessions in the [[Caroline Islands]], [[Palau Islands]], [[Marshall Islands]], and [[Marianas Islands]].<ref name=cfrecord/> ''Kongō'' was quickly deployed towards the [[Pacific Ocean|Central Pacific]] to patrol the sea lines of communication of the German Empire. ''Kongō'' returned to the port of [[Yokosuka (city)|Yokosuka]], Japan, on 12 September, and one month later, she was assigned to the First Battleship Division. In October, ''Kongō'' and her new sister ship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Hiei||2}} sortied off the Chinese coast in support of Japanese army units during the [[Siege of Tsingtao]]. Then ''Kongō'' returned to [[Sasebo, Nagasaki|Sasebo Naval Base]] for upgrades to her searchlights. On 3 October 1915, ''Kongō'' and ''Hiei'' participated in the sinking of the old {{ship|Russian battleship|Imperator Nikolai I|1889|2}} as a practice target. She was a Russian pre-[[dreadnought]] that had been captured in 1905 during the [[Russo-Japanese War]] that had next served as an IJN [[warship]].<ref>McLaughlin (2003), pp. 44–45</ref> With the defeat of the German [[East Asia Squadron]] by the [[Royal Navy]] at the [[Battle of the Falkland Islands]] in December 1914, there was little or no need for IJN operations in the Pacific Ocean. ''Kongō'' spent the rest of World War I either based at Sasebo or on patrol off the coast of China.<ref name=cfrecord/> In December 1918, following the end of the hostilities of World War I, ''Kongō'' was placed in "Second Reserve". In April 1919, she was fitted with a new seawater flooding system for her ammunition magazines.<ref name=cfrecord/>

With the conclusion of World War I, and the signing of the [[Washington Naval Treaty]] on 6 February 1922, the size of the IJN was significantly limited, with a ratio of 5:5:3 required between the capital ships of the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Japanese Empire, since the latter was responsible for only one ocean, rather than the two of the other countries, and fewer warships for France and [[Kingdom of Italy|Italy]].<ref name=jackson-00-67>Jackson (2000), p. 67.</ref> This treaty also banned the signatories from building any new capital ships until 1931, with no capital ship permitted to exceed {{convert|35000|LT|t}} in [[displacement (ship)|displacement]].<ref name=jackson-00-68>Jackson (2000), p. 68.</ref> Provided that new additions did not exceed 3,000 tons of displacement, the existing capital ships were allowed to be upgraded with improved [[anti-torpedo bulge]]s and [[armor]]ed main decks.<ref name=jackson-00-68/> By the time that the Washington Naval Treaty had been fully implemented in Japan, only three classes of World War I type capital ships remained active: the {{sclass|Ise|battleship|2}}s, the ''Kongō''-class battlecruisers, and the {{sclass|Fusō|battleship|2}}s.<ref>Jackson (2000), p. 69</ref>

In April 1923, ''Kongō'' gave transportation to [[Hirohito|Crown Prince Hirohito]] during his official visit to the Japanese possession of [[Taiwan under Japanese rule|Taiwan]]. On 14 June 1924, she collided with ''[[Japanese submarine Ro-28|Submarine No. 62]]'' during maneuvers.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=w3SwjKNvUUcC&q=ondo&pg=PA56 ''Airship Investigation: Report of Col. Henry Breckenridge'', Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1933, p. 56.]</ref> In November 1924, ''Kongō'' docked at Yokosuka, where modifications were made to her main armament, increasing the elevation of her main guns and improving her fire-control systems. In 1927, ''Kongō'' underwent major modifications to her superstructure, rebuilding it into the [[pagoda mast]] style to accommodate the growing number of fire-control systems for her main guns.<ref name=stille15>Stille (2008), p. 15</ref> In May 1928, her steering equipment was upgraded, before she was placed in reserve in preparation for major modifications and reconstruction in 1929–31.<ref name=cfrecord/>

===1929–1935: Reconstruction into battleship===
[[File:Kongo after reconstruction.jpg|thumb|left|''Kongō'' in 1931, following her first reconstruction]]

Prohibited by the Washington Treaty from constructing new capital ships until 1931, Japan resorted to upgrading their World War I-era battleships and battlecruisers. Beginning in September 1929, ''Kongō'' underwent extensive modernization and modification in drydock at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal.<ref name=jackson-07-27/> Over the next two years, ''Kongō''{{'}}s horizontal armor near her ammunition magazines was strengthened, and the machinery spaces within the hull given increased torpedo protection.<ref name=stille16/> [[Anti-torpedo bulges]] were added along the waterline, as permitted by the Washington Treaty.<ref name=jackson-07-27/> She was refitted to accommodate three Type&nbsp;90 Model&nbsp;0 floatplanes, though no [[aircraft catapult]]s were fitted.<ref name=stille16/> To increase her speed and power, all 36 of her Yarrow boilers were removed, and then replaced with 16 newer boilers, and Brown-Curtis direct-drive turbines were installed.<ref name=stille16/> ''Kongō''{{'}}s forward funnel was removed, and her second funnel was enlarged and lengthened. The modifications to her hull increased her armor weight from 6,502 to 10,313 [[long ton]]s, directly violating the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty.<ref name=jackson-07-27/> In March 1931, ''Kongō''—now capable of a speed of {{convert|29|knot|km/h}}—was reclassified as a battleship.<ref name=stille16/>

On 22 April 1930, Japan signed the [[London Naval Treaty]], placing further restrictions on the signatories' naval forces. Several of her older battleships were scrapped, and no new capital ships were built as replacements.<ref name=jackson-00-72>Jackson (2000), p. 72.</ref> After minor fitting-out work, ''Kongō''{{'}}s reconstruction begun in September 1929 and was declared complete on 31 March 1931. On 1 December 1931, two months after the [[Japanese invasion of Manchuria]], ''Kongō'' was assigned to the First Battleship Division and also designated the flagship of the Combined Fleet. Additional rangefinders and searchlights were fitted to her superstructure in January 1932, and Captain [[Nobutake Kondō]] assumed command of the vessel in December. In 1933, aircraft catapults were fitted between the two rear turrets.<ref name=cfrecord/>

On 25 February 1933, following a report by the [[Lytton Commission]], the [[League of Nations]] agreed that Japan's invasion of China had violated Chinese sovereignty.<ref name=jackson-00-72/> Refusing to accept the judgement of this organization, Japan withdrew from the League of Nations on the same day.<ref name=jackson-00-72/> Japan also immediately withdrew from the Washington Naval Treaty and the London Naval Treaty, thus removing all restrictions on the numbers and sizes of her capital warships.<ref>Willmott (2002), p. 35</ref> In November 1934, ''Kongō'' was placed in Second Reserve in preparation for further modifications. On 10 January 1935, ''Kongō'' was toured by the [[Nazi German]] naval attaché to Japan, Captain [[Paul Wenneker]], as part of a gunnery demonstration.<ref name=cfrecord/>

===1935–1941: Fast battleship===
[[File:Kongo off Amoy China (cropped).jpg|thumb|340px|''Kongō'' off the coast of Amoy (present day Xiamen) in 1938]]
[[File:Kongo-cruiser.jpg|thumb|''Kongō'' and the light cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Ōi||2}} departing Sasebo for eastern China, 10 August 1937]]
On 1 June 1935, ''Kongō'' was dry-docked at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in preparation for upgrades that would enable her to escort Japan's growing fleet of [[aircraft carrier]]s. Her stern was lengthened by {{convert|26|ft|m}} to improve her [[fineness ratio]] and her 16 older boilers were removed and then replaced with 11 oil-fired Kampon Boilers and newer geared turbines.<ref name=jackson-07-27/> In addition, her bridge was completely reconstructed according to Japan's pagoda mast style of forward superstructure,<ref name=stille16/> and [[catapult]]s were added to support three [[Nakajima E8N]] or [[Kawanishi E7K]] reconnaissance and spotter floatplanes.<ref name=stille18>Stille (2008), p. 18</ref>
[[File:Fxj5goFaYAAD7Vo.jpg|thumb|A view taken from the aircraft carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Zuikaku||2}}, 30 March 1942. ''Kongō'' is closest to the camera, following {{ship|Japanese battleship|Haruna||2}}, {{ship|Japanese battleship|Kirishima||2}}, and {{ship|Japanese battleship|Hiei||2}}. ]]
''Kongō''{{'}}s armor was also extensively upgraded. Her main belt was strengthened to a uniform thickness of eight inches (up from varying thicknesses of six to eight inches), and also diagonal bulkheads of depths ranging from {{convert|5|to|8|in|mm|0}} were added to reinforce the main armored belt.<ref name="mccurtie185">McCurtie (1989), p. 185.</ref> The turret armor was strengthened to {{convert|10|in|mm|0}}, while {{convert|4|in|mm|0}} were added to portions of the deck armor.<ref name="mccurtie185" /> ''Kongō''{{'}}s ammunition magazine protection was also strengthened to {{convert|4.0|in|cm}}.<ref name="jackson-07-27" /> This reconstruction was finished on 8 January 1937.<ref name="Conway's" /> Capable of greater than {{convert|30|knots|km/h}}, despite the significant increase in her hull displacement, ''Kongō'' was now reclassified as a fast battleship.<ref name="stille16" /> Despite this reclassification, however, ''Kongō'' could still very much be considered a battlecruiser in nature. ''Kongō'' still only carried an 8-inch (203 mm) belt, 9-inch (229 mm) barbettes, and 10-inch (254 mm) turret armor, none of which were enough to stop even her own 14-inch (356 mm) guns.<ref name=":0" />

In February 1937, ''Kongō'' was assigned to the [[Sasebo Naval District]], and in December she was placed under the command of [[Takeo Kurita]] in the Third Battleship Division. In April 1938, two float planes from ''Kongō'' bombed the Chinese city of [[Fuzhou]] during the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]].<ref name=cfrecord/> Throughout 1938 and 1939, ''Kongō'' steamed off the Chinese coast in support of Japanese Army operations during the war. In November 1939, Captain [[Raizo Tanaka]] assumed command of ''Kongō''. From November 1940 to April 1941, additional armor was added to ''Kongō''{{'}}s armament barbettes and [[ammunition]] tubes, while ventilation and firefighting equipment was also improved. In August 1941, she was assigned to the Third Battleship Division under the command of Vice Admiral [[Gunichi Mikawa]] alongside her fully modified sister warships ''Hiei'', {{ship|Japanese battleship|Kirishima||2}} and the {{ship|Japanese battleship|Haruna||2}}.<ref name=cfrecord/>

===1942: Pacific War service===
[[File:F9NI1rvaIAAH-pN.jpg|thumb|''Kongo'' refueling the destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Arare|1937|2}} during the [[Indian Ocean raid|Indian Ocean Raid]], 7 April 1942]]
[[File:Kongo-destroyer.png|thumb|''Kongo'' refueling the destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Shiranui|1938|2}}]]
''Kongō'' and ''Haruna'' departed from the [[Hashirajima]] fleet anchorage on 29 November 1941 to begin the [[War in the Pacific]] as part of the Southern (Malay) Force's Main Body, under the overall command of Vice-Admiral [[Nobutake Kondō]].<ref name=stille19>Stille (2008), p. 19</ref> On 4 December 1941, the Main Body arrived off the coast of southern [[Thailand]] and northern Malaya in preparation for [[Battle of Malaya|the invasion of Thailand and the Malayan Peninsula]] four days later.<ref>Willmott (2002), p. 56</ref> When Britain's "Force Z"—consisting of the battleship {{HMS|Prince of Wales|53|2}} and the battlecruiser {{HMS|Repulse|1916|2}}—was [[Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse|quickly defeated]] by Japan's land-based aircraft from southern Vietnam, ''Kongō''{{'}}s battlegroup withdrew from Malayan waters. This battlegroup subsequently sortied from [[Indochina]] for three days in mid-December to protect a reinforcement convoy traveling to Malaya, and again on 18 December to cover the Japanese Army's landing at [[Lingayen Gulf]], [[Luzon]], in the Philippines. The Main Body departed [[Cam Ranh Bay]] in [[French Indochina]] on 23 December bound for Taiwan, arriving two days later.<ref name=cfrecord/> In January 1942, ''Kongō'' and the [[heavy cruiser]]s {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Takao|1930|2}} and {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Atago||2}} provided distant cover for air attacks on [[Ambon Island]].<ref name=cfrecord/>

On 21 February, ''Kongō'' was joined by ''Haruna'', four fast [[aircraft carrier]]s, five [[heavy cruiser]]s and numerous support ships in preparation for "Operation J", Japan's invasion of the [[Dutch East Indies]]. On 25 February, the Third Battleship Division provided cover for air attacks on the [[Java, Indonesia|island of Java]].<ref name=jackson-07-27/> ''Kongō'' bombarded [[Christmas Island]] off the western coast of Australia on 7 March 1942, and then she returned to [[Staring-baai]] for 15 days of standby alert.<ref name=cfrecord/> In April 1942, ''Kongō'' joined five fleet carriers [[Indian Ocean raid|in attacks]] on [[Colombo]] and [[Trincomalee]] on [[Ceylon]].<ref>Boyle (1998), p. 368</ref> Following the destruction of the British heavy cruisers {{HMS|Dorsetshire|40|6}} and {{HMS|Cornwall|56|6}} on 5 April 1942, this [[Task force#Naval|naval task force]] moved southwest to locate the remainder of the [[British Eastern Fleet]], then under the command of [[James Somerville (admiral)|Admiral James Somerville]].<ref name=boyle370>Boyle (1998), p. 370</ref> On 7 April, the Japanese oil tankers were a ways off from the main formation, resulting in ''Kongō'' refueling multiple destroyers, photographing {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Arare|1937|2}} and {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Shiranui|1938|2}} being refueled. On 9 April, one of ''Haruna''{{'}}s reconnaissance seaplanes spotted the aircraft carrier {{HMS|Hermes|95|6}} south of Trincomalee. On the same day, Japanese air attacks sank the carrier,<ref name=boyle370/> and ''Kongō'' was attacked but missed by nine British medium [[bomber]]s. Having crippled the offensive capability of Britain's Eastern Fleet, the Third Battleship Division returned to Japan. ''Kongō'' reached Sasebo on 22 April. From 23 April to 2 May, ''Kongō'' was drydocked for reconfiguration of her antiaircraft armament.<ref name=cfrecord/>

On 27 May 1942, ''Kongō'' sortied with ''Hiei'' and the heavy cruisers ''Atago'', {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Chōkai||2}}, {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Myōkō||2}}, and {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Haguro||2}} as part of Admiral [[Nobutake Kondō]]'s invasion force during the [[Battle of Midway]].<ref name=cfrecord/><ref name=stille19/> Following the disastrous loss of four of the Combined Fleet's fast carriers on 4 June 1942, Kondō's force withdrew to Japan.<ref>Schom (2004), p. 296</ref> On 14 July she was assigned as the flagship of the restructured Third Battleship Division. In August, ''Kongō'' was drydocked at Kure to receive surface-detection radar and additional range finders.<ref name=stille18/> In September, ''Kongō'' embarked with ''Hiei'', ''Haruna'', ''Kirishima'', three carriers, and numerous smaller warships in response to the [[U.S. Marine Corps]]'s [[amphibious landing]] on [[Guadalcanal]] in the [[Solomon Islands]]. On 20 September, this [[task force#Naval|task force]] was ordered to return to the [[Truk Lagoon|Truk Naval Base]] in the Central Pacific north of the [[equator]].<ref>Willmott (2002), p. 100</ref>

In the aftermath of the [[Battle of Cape Esperance]], the Japanese Army opted to reinforce its troops on Guadalcanal. To protect their transport convoy from enemy air attack, Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]] sent ''Haruna'' and ''Kongō'', escorted by one [[light cruiser]] and nine [[destroyer]]s, to bombard the American [[air base]] at [[Henderson Field (Guadalcanal)|Henderson Field]]. Because of their high speeds, these two battleships could bombard the [[airfield]] and then withdraw before being subjected to air attack from either land-based warplanes or American aircraft carriers.<ref name=schom382>Schom (2004), p. 382</ref> On the night of 13–14 October, these two battleships shelled the area of Henderson Field from a distance of about {{convert|16000|yd|m}}, firing 973 14-inch high-explosive shells. In the most successful Japanese battleship action of the war,<ref name=stille19/> the bombardment heavily damaged both runways, destroyed almost all of the U.S. Marines' aviation fuel, destroyed or damaged 48 of the Marines' 90 warplanes, and killed 41 Marines.<ref>Swanston (2007), p. 220</ref> A large Japanese troop and supply convoy reached Guadalcanal on the next day.<ref name=schom382/>

During the [[Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands]] on 26 October 1942, ''Kongō'' was attacked by four [[Grumman TBF Avenger]] torpedo bombers, but she received no hits. In mid-November, this battleship and other warships provided distant cover for the unsuccessful mission by the IJN to bombard Henderson Field again and to deliver more Army reinforcements to Guadalcanal. On 15 November 1942, following the Japanese defeat and the sinking of ''Hiei'' and ''Kirishima'' during the [[Naval Battle of Guadalcanal]], the Third Battleship Division returned to Truk, where it remained for the rest of 1942.<ref name=cfrecord/>

===1943: Movement between bases===
Throughout 1943, ''Kongō'' engaged no enemy targets. In late January 1943, she participated in "[[Operation Ke]]" as part of a diversionary and distant covering force to support IJN destroyers that were evacuating Army troops from Guadalcanal.<ref>Swanston (2007), p. 223</ref> From 15 February through 20 February 1943, the Third Battleship Division was transferred from [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]] to the Kure Naval Base. On 27 February, ''Kongō'' was drydocked to receive upgrades to her antiaircraft armament, with the additions of two triple 25&nbsp;mm gun mounts and the removal of two of her 6-inch turrets, while additional concrete protection was added near her steering gear.<ref name=stille18/> On 17 May 1943, in response to the [[U.S. Army]]'s invasion of [[Battle of Attu|Attu Island]], ''Kongō'' sortied alongside the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Musashi||2}}, the Third Battleship Division, two fleet carriers, two [[cruiser]]s, and nine destroyers. Three days later, the American submarine {{USS|Sawfish|SS-276|6}} spotted this [[task force|naval task force]], but she was unable to attack it. On 22 May 1943, the task force arrived at [[Yokosuka]], where it was joined by an additional three fleet carriers and two [[light cruiser]]s. This force was disbanded when Attu fell to the U.S. Army before the necessary preparations for a counterattack had been finished.<ref name=cfrecord/>

On 17 October 1943, ''Kongō'' again left Truk as part of a larger task force consisting of five battleships, three fleet carriers, eight heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, and numerous destroyers. These sortied in response to U.S. Navy [[Strategic bombing|air raids]] on [[Wake Island]]. No contact between the two forces was made, and the Japanese task force returned to Truk on 26 October 1943. She soon left Truk for home waters, and on 16 December 1943, ''Kongō'' arrived at Sasebo for refits and training in the [[Seto Inland Sea|Inland Sea]].<ref name=jackson-07-27/>

===1944: Combat and loss===
[[File:Kongo1944.png|thumb|''Kongō'' in her 1944 configuration|alt=a drawing of ''Kongō'' from the starboard side]]
[[File:Kongo under attack.jpg|thumb|right|''Kongō'' under attack during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, 20 June 1944]]

In January 1944, ''Kongō'' was dry-docked for a reconfiguration of her anti-aircraft suite. Four 6-inch guns and a pair of twin 25&nbsp;mm mounts were removed and replaced with six twin 5-inch guns and four triple 25&nbsp;mm mounts.<ref name=stille18/> The Third Battleship Division departed from Kure on 8 March 1944. Arriving at Lingga on 14 March 1944, the division remained for training until 11 May 1944.<ref name=cfrecord/> On 11 May 1944, ''Kongō'' and Admiral Ozawa's Mobile Fleet departed from Lingga bound for [[Tawitawi]], where they were joined by Vice-Admiral [[Takeo Kurita]]'s "Force C". On 13 June, Ozawa's Mobile Fleet departed from Tawitawi bound for the [[Mariana Islands]].<ref>Willmott (2002), p. 141</ref> During the [[Battle of the Philippine Sea]], ''Kongō'' escorted Japanese fast carriers, and remained undamaged in counterattacks from US carrier aircraft on 20 June.<ref name=stille20>Stille (2007), p. 20</ref> When she returned to Japan, 13 triple and 40 single 25-mm mounts were added to her anti-aircraft armament, for a total of over 100 mounts. In August, two more 6-inch guns were removed and another eighteen single mounts installed.<ref name=stille18/>

=== Battle of Leyte Gulf ===
{{Main|Battle of Leyte Gulf}}

On 22 October 1944, ''Kongō'' departed from Lingga in preparation for "Operation Sho-1", Japan's counterattack during the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]], the largest naval engagement in history, as part of Admiral Kurita's center force intent on destroying Allied troop convoys destined for the Philippines. However, the day afterwards the force was located by the submarines {{USS|Darter|SS-227|6}} and {{USS|Dace|SS-247|6}}, which sank the heavy cruisers {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Atago||2}} and {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Maya||2}} respectively, before ''Darter'' crippled the heavy cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Takao|1930|2}}, forcing her out of the battle with the destroyers {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Naganami||2}} and {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Asashimo||2}} to escort her.<ref>Steinberg (1980), p. 49</ref> The next day, a massive air wave from American aircraft attacked, and ''Kongō'' took light damage from bomb near misses, but nothing that could have handicapped her combat ability. This was due to the vast majority of the air attacks being focused on ''Musashi'', which sank after nine hours to at least 17 bombs and 19 torpedo hits. Admiral Kurita ordered a false retreat – successfully fooling the Americans – then two hours later raced his ships back in the direction of the Leyte Gulf landings.<ref name="cfrecord" />

==== Battle off Samar ====
The next day, ''Kongō'' was continuing on her way when Kurita noticed enemy ships in the distance. This was Taffy 3, a group of six US [[escort carrier]]s, three destroyers, and four [[destroyer escort]]s supporting the Leyte landings, with Kurita mistaking them for full sized fleet carriers. At 6:59, ''Kongō'' received permission to fire and unloaded several full broadsides from her main guns at {{convert|35000|yd|m}}, thus starting the [[battle off Samar]], but the extreme range meant that none hit.<ref>Lundgren (2014) p. 22</ref> At 7:13, she took a bomb near miss to her stern, then five minutes later spotted the destroyer {{USS|Johnston|DD-557|6}} and fired three salvos. One of her 14-inch (356 mm) shells landed mere inches from ''Johnston'', spraying red dye on the bridge. However, this was followed at 7:22 by aircraft strafing which disabled her main battery rangefinder.<ref name=":1">Lundgren (2014) p 79-81</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWkYEHoLrcs&t=347s |title=USS Johnston's Last Stand |date=2022-08-05 |last=Yarnhub |access-date=2025-05-11 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

At 7:25, ''Kongō'' entered a rain squall which completely blinded her guns, taking her out of the action. She then noticed a spread of five torpedoes a distance ahead of her, fired from the destroyer {{USS|Hoel|DD-533|6}}. She did not need to evade these torpedoes as is commonly stated in American narratives and simply watched them pass ahead.<ref name=":1" /> It was only at 8:02 that ''Kongō'' left the rain squall and prepared to fire her guns. At 8:23, at a distance of {{convert|26300|yd|m}}, ''Kongō'' fired her first shots in over an hour, her target being the escort carrier {{USS|Gambier Bay}}. A pair of battleship caliber shell hits were scored, inflicting heavy damage, but these hits were also claimed by ''Yamato'', which scored the matching firing angle, bearing, and range. At 8:50, ''Kongō'' fired on the destroyer {{USS|Heermann}} at {{convert|28000|yd|m}} and finally successfully damaged an enemy vessel as a pair of under the keel explosions completely flooded ''Heermann''{{'}}s bow, helping to cripple her alongside gunfire from the heavy cruisers {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Tone|1937|2}} and {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Chikuma|1938|2}}.<ref>Lundgren (2014) pp. 162165</ref>

Finally, at 9:20, ''Kongō'' located the destroyer escort {{USS|Samuel B. Roberts|DE-413|6}}, which was out of torpedoes and almost entirely out of ammo after heavy fighting, and was an easy target for the Japanese battleship. Mistaking her for a destroyer, she switched to high explosive rounds and fired off several salvos from her secondary battery, and scored a pair of 6-inch (152 mm) shell hits, one hitting below the waterline and destroying ''Samuel B Roberts''{{'}}s forward fire room, cutting her speed to 17 knots, and the other exploding in her aft superstructure. Permission to fire the main guns was given, and a single broadside scored three or four 14-inch (356 mm) shell hits which destroyed the rest of her engines and all power. The abandon ship order was issued shortly afterwards, and ''Samuel B Roberts'' sank by the stern just after 10:00.<ref name=":2">Lundgren (2014) p 192-193</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Samuel B. Roberts I (DE-413) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/samuel-b-roberts-de-413-i.html |access-date=2025-05-11 |website=public1.nhhcaws.local |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== Miscredited hits ====
Many Western narratives on the battle off Samar have unfortunately vastly overexaggerated ''Kongō''{{'}}s battle performance during the engagement, with some crediting her with either sinking or helping to sink every ship Taffy 3 lost. During the 7:30 timeframe, ''Kongō'' has been credited with three 14-inch (356 mm) shell hits to the destroyer ''Johnston'' at {{convert|13300|yd}}, cutting her speed to 17 knots and destroying three of her five 5-inch (127 mm) guns, enabling the crippled destroyer to be finished off by the light cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Yahagi|1942|2}} leading the destroyers {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Yukikaze|1939|2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Isokaze|1939|2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Urakaze|1940|2}}, and {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Nowaki|1940|2}}. However, ''Kongō'' was blinded by rain squalls, had her main battery rangefinder disabled by aircraft, and was much farther than American reports. Evidence points to the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Yamato||2}} crippling and helping to sink ''Johnston''. Similarly, ''Kongō'' has been identified with badly damaging the destroyer ''Hoel'' early into the battle, enabling her to be further crippled then finished off by other vessels. For the same reasons for why she could not help to sink ''Johnston'', ''Kongō'' was also not in a position to help to sink ''Hoel'' given she could not even see the destroyer at {{convert|9000|yd|m}}. All evidence points towards the heavy cruiser ''Haguro'' scored the initial devastating damage which wounded ''Hoel'' for the rest of her time afloat.<ref name="cfrecord" /><ref name=":1" />

Later into the battle, ''Kongō'' has been given credit for helping to sink the escort carrier ''Gambier Bay'', but she was at a distance far too great to realistically hit an enemy ship, and all battleship caliber hits on the jeep carrier match with ''Yamato''. Neither did ''Kongō'' assist in finishing off the crippled ''Hoel''; it was the battleships ''Yamato'' and {{ship|Japanese battleship|Nagato||2}} which sank the destroyer.<ref name="cfrecord" />

However, mixed air and surface attacks sank three Japanese heavy cruisers, which mixed with the losses of previous battles, the increasing intensity of the air attacks, and Kurita discovering the true identity of his enemy via a radio message at the very end of the battle, a retreat was ordered. During the action, ''Kongō'' dumped 211 14-inch (356 mm) shells and 272 6-inch (152 mm) shells. The next day, air attacks pestered the Japanese ships, and ''Kongō'' took a pair of bomb hits to the starboard side of her bow and five near misses, inflicting minor damage. After multiple days of fighting, ''Kongō'' and the rest of Kurita's center force finally returned to Brunei on the 28th.<ref name="cfrecord" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>Lundgren (2014) p 245</ref><ref>Boyle (1998), p. 508</ref>

=== Sinking ===
On 16 November, following a US air raid on Brunei, ''Kongō'', along with ''Yamato'', ''Nagato'' and the rest of the First Fleet, departed from Brunei bound for Kure in preparation for a major reorganization of the fleet and battle repairs. On 20 November, they entered the [[Formosa Strait]]. Shortly after midnight on 21 November, the submarine {{USS|Sealion|SS-315|6}} made radar contact with the fleet at {{convert|44000|yd|m}}.<ref name=wheeler183>Wheeler (1980), p. 183</ref> Maneuvering into position at 02:45, ''Sealion'' fired six bow torpedoes at ''Kongō'' followed by three stern torpedoes at ''Nagato'' fifteen minutes later. One minute after the first salvo was launched, two of the torpedoes were seen to hit ''Kongō'' on the port side, while a third sank the destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Urakaze|1940|2}} with all hands.<ref name=cfrecord/> The torpedoes flooded two of ''Kongō''{{'}}s boiler rooms, but she was still able to make {{convert|16|kn|abbr=on}}. By 05:00, she had slowed to {{convert|11|kn|abbr=on}} and was given permission to break off from the fleet and head to the port of [[Keelung]] in [[Formosa]] along with the destroyers {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Hamakaze|1940|2}} and ''Isokaze'' as escort.<ref name=wheeler183 /> Within fifteen minutes of detaching from the main force, ''Kongō'' was listing 45 degrees and flooding uncontrollably. At 5:18 the ship lost all power and the order was given to abandon ship.<ref name=wheeler184>Wheeler (1980), p. 184</ref> At 5:24, while the evacuation was under way, the forward 14-inch magazine exploded, and the broken ship sank quickly, with the loss of over 1,200 of her crew, including the commander of the Third Battleship Division and her captain.<ref name=stille20/>

''Kongō'' is believed to have sunk in {{convert|350|ft|m}} of water approximately {{convert|55|nmi}} northwest of Keelung. She was one of only three British-built battleships sunk by submarine attack during World War II. The other two were the British {{sclass|Revenge|battleship|2}} {{HMS|Royal Oak|08|6}} and the {{sclass|Queen Elizabeth|battleship|2}} {{HMS|Barham|04|6}}. ''Kongō'' is the only Japanese battleship from World War II whose wreck has not been located or surveyed.

==See also==
* [[List by death toll of ships sunk by submarines]]

==References==
===Footnotes===
{{notelist}}

===Citations===
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Boyle, David (1998). ''World War II in Photographs''. London. Rebo Productions. {{ISBN|1-84053-089-8}}.
* {{cite journal |last1=Brennan |first1=Joe |title=Question 36/51: Japanese 14-in Sub-Caliber Shells |journal=Warship International |date=2017 |volume=LIV |issue=4 |page=289 |issn=0043-0374}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Gardiner |editor1-first=Robert |editor2-last=Gray |editor2-first=Randal |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921 |year=1985 |location=Annapolis |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=0-87021-907-3|name-list-style=amp}}
* Jackson, Robert (2000).  ''The World's Great Battleships''. Dallas: Brown Books. {{ISBN|1-897884-60-5}}.
* Jackson, Robert, ed. (2008). ''101 Great Warships''. London: Amber Books. {{ISBN|978-1-905704-72-9}}.
* {{cite book |last1=Lengerer |first1=Hans |last2=Ahlberg |first2=Lars |title=Capital Ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1868–1945: Ironclads, Battleships and Battle Cruisers: An Outline History of Their Design, Construction and Operations|volume=I: Armourclad ''Fusō'' to ''Kongō'' Class Battle Cruisers |date=2019 |publisher=Despot Infinitus |location=Zagreb, Croatia |isbn=978-953-8218-26-2|name-list-style=amp}}
*{{cite book |last1=Lengerer|first1=Hans |editor1-last=Jordan |editor1-first=John |title=Warship 2025 |date=2025 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|location=London |isbn=978-1-4728-6854-1 |pages=8–21 |chapter=The Reconstruction of the Battle Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy Between the Wars, Part I}}
* {{Cite book |last=Lundgren |first=Robert |title=The World Wonder'd: What Really Happened Off Samar |publisher=Nimble Books |date=2014 |isbn=978-1-60888-046-1}}
* McCurtie, Francis (1989) [1945]. ''Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II''. London: Bracken Books. {{ISBN|1-85170-194-X}}.
* {{cite book|last=McLaughlin|first=Stephen|title=Russian & Soviet Battleships|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2003|isbn=1-55750-481-4}}
* Schom, Alan (2004). ''The Eagle and the Rising Sun: The Japanese-American War, 1941–1943''. New York: Norton & Company. {{ISBN|0-393-32628-4}}.
* Steinberg, Rafael (1980) ''Return to the Philippines''. New York: Time-Life Books Inc. {{ISBN|0-8094-2516-5}}.
* Stille, Cdr Mark (2008). ''Imperial Japanese Navy Battleship 1941–1945''. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. {{ISBN|978-1-84603-280-6}}.
* Swanston, Alexander & Swanston, Malcolm (2007). ''The Historical Atlas of World War II''. London: Cartographica Press Ltd. {{ISBN|0-7858-2200-3}}.
* {{cite book|last=Wheeler|first=Keith|title=War Under the Pacific|location=New York |publisher=Time-Life Books|year=1980|isbn=0-8094-3376-1}}
* Willmott, H. P. & [[John Keegan|Keegan, John]] (2002) [1999]. ''The Second World War in the Far East''. Smithsonian Books. {{ISBN|1-58834-192-5}}.

== External links ==
{{Commons|HIJMS Kongō|Kongō}}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=qXcSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1106 "The Japanese Battle Cruiser ''Kongo''{{-"}}] (''Journal of the American Society of Naval Engineers'' technical article, 1912)

{{Kongō class battlecruiser}}
{{1924 shipwrecks}}
{{November 1944 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kongo}}
[[Category:1912 ships]]
[[Category:Kongō-class battlecruisers]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1924]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in November 1944]]
[[Category:Naval magazine explosions]]
[[Category:Second Sino-Japanese War naval ships of Japan]]
[[Category:Ships built in Barrow-in-Furness]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by American submarines]]
[[Category:Battleships sunk by submarines]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Taiwan Strait]]
[[Category:Vickers]]
[[Category:World War II battleships of Japan]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the South China Sea]]