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Japanese Battleships of WWII Trivia Quiz

A short, fairly straightforward quiz on Japanese battleships that served in the Second World War. Enjoy!

A multiple-choice quiz by sparticus44. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
sparticus44

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
297,143

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
672

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which class of Japanese battleship were the first to be constructed using material and weapons entirely sourced from Japan itself? Hint

Yamato class

Nagato class

Fuso class

Kongo class

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Which Japanese battleship was the last to be constructed abroad? Hint

IJNS Kongo

IJNS Haruna

IJNS Hiei

IJNS Kirishima

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Question 3 of 10

3. Japan was the first nation to utilise the 16" gun as a main armament for a class of her battleships. Which class was this? Hint

Kongo class

Yamato class

Nagato class

Fuso class

4. Two Japanese battleships were converted into hybrid battleship-aircraft carriers during 1943 and 1944 in an attempt to make up for heavy aircraft carrier losses inflicted on the Imperial Japanese Navy at the Battle of Midway. Which ships were these? Hint

IJNS Yamato and IJNS Musashi

IJNS Nagato and IJNS Mutsu

IJNS Ise and IJNS Hyuga

IJNS Fuso and IJNS Yamashiro

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Question 5 of 10

5. The IJNS Yamato and her sister ship, the IJNS Musashi, were the largest battleships ever built by any nation in history. Her 18.1" guns were also the most powerful ever carried by a warship. But how much did the shell from each of these massive guns weigh? Hint

1,219 lbs

4,219 lbs

2,219 lbs

3,219 lbs

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Question 6 of 10

6. A third Yamato class battleship was to be added to the Japanese fleet, named IJNS Shinano. Why did she never enter service? Hint

She was destroyed while under construction by US bomber aircraft

She was completed as an aircraft carrier but was sunk before she could complete fitting out.

She was destroyed by her own crew at the end of the war to prevent her capture by the Allies

While being launched a fire broke out which destroyed the ship

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. What was the single largest cause of Japanese battleship losses during the Second World War? Hint

Accidental explosions

Surface action

Air attack

Torpedo attack from submarines

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Question 8 of 10

8. The fast battleship IJNS Kirishima was sunk by gunfire from which US battleship? Hint

USS Iowa

USS Texas

USS North Carolina

USS Washington

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Question 9 of 10

9. Two Japanese battleships were sunk at which battle in October 1944? Hint

Coral Sea

Midway

Suriago Strait

Philippine Sea

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Question 10 of 10

10. Only one Japanese battleship survived the war. Which was it? Hint

IJNS Mutsu

IJNS Ise

IJNS Nagato

IJNS Kongo

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which class of Japanese battleship were the first to be constructed using material and weapons entirely sourced from Japan itself?

Answer: Fuso class

IJNS Fuso, and her sister IJNS Yamashiro, were completed on the 8th November 1915 and the 31st March 1917 respectively.

2. Which Japanese battleship was the last to be constructed abroad?

Answer: IJNS Kongo

The IJNS Kongo was ordered in 1910 from Vickers, based at Barrow-in-Furness in the UK, laid down in 1911 and launched in 1912, finally entering service in 1913. Her sisters, IJNS Kirishima, IJNS Hiei and IJNS Haruna were built in Japan.

3. Japan was the first nation to utilise the 16" gun as a main armament for a class of her battleships. Which class was this?

Answer: Nagato class

The 16" guns of the IJNS Nagato and her sister the IJNS Mutsu were arranged in four twin turrets. Designed by Hiraga Yuzuru, a famous Japanese naval architect, these ships were considered the most powerful in the world when commissioned from November 1920 onwards.

Answer: IJNS Ise and IJNS Hyuga

The IJNS Ise was converted from Feburary to August 1943 and the IJNS Hyuga from May to November 1943. The after two turrets were removed and a flight deck added in its place. The design allowed up to 22 aircraft to be embarked on each ship.

Answer: 3,219 lbs

Nine shells of this size could be fired, one per gun, every one and half minutes. Each gun weighed 162 tons and one of her three triple turrets weighed 2,774 tons, the equivalent in weight to a fleet destroyer!

6. A third Yamato class battleship was to be added to the Japanese fleet, named IJNS Shinano. Why did she never enter service?

Answer: She was completed as an aircraft carrier but was sunk before she could complete fitting out.

After commissioning in November 1944 the IJNS Shinano departed from Yokosuka and headed south to Kure to complete fitting out. She was incomplete, missing damage-control pumps, waterproofing and counter-flooding pumps. The submarine USS Archerfish hit her with four torpedoes on November 29th and her incomplete state, coupled with an inexperienced crew, led to her take on water until she eventually capsized, drowning more than 1,400 of her crew.

7. What was the single largest cause of Japanese battleship losses during the Second World War?

Answer: Air attack

Five Japanese battleships were lost to air attacks with another finished off by an air attack. Three were lost to surface action with another heavily damaged. One was lost to torpedo attack from submarines and one was lost to an accidental magazine explosion. Only one survived the war.

8. The fast battleship IJNS Kirishima was sunk by gunfire from which US battleship?

Answer: USS Washington

While attempting to lead a Japanese bombardment attack on Henderson Field in November 1942 the IJNS Kirishima and her escorts entered Ironbottom Sound, where they were intercepted by the US battleships USS Washington and USS South Dakota. The USS South Dakota suffered heavy damage but the USS Washington soon sank the IJNS Kirishima with her 16" guns.

9. Two Japanese battleships were sunk at which battle in October 1944?

Answer: Suriago Strait

IJNS Fuso and IJNS Yamashiro were caught at night by six battleships of the US 7th fleet at the Battle of Suriago Strait in October 1944. Using deadly radar-guided gunfire and destroyer torpedo attacks the American ships sank both vessels in alittle over an hour. IJNS Fuso blew up taking with her all her crew after a fire spread to her magazines, and IJNS Yamashiro capsized after being hit countless times taking with her all but three of her 1,400 strong crew.

10. Only one Japanese battleship survived the war. Which was it?

Answer: IJNS Nagato

The IJNS Nagato survived the war, although she was damaged. She was given temporary repairs before being towed to Bikini Atoll in 1946 and expended in the atomic bomb tests.

The IJNS Ise was sunk by aircraft from US Task Force 38 on July 28th 1945.

The IJNS Kongo was sunk by torpedoes from US submarine USS Sealion on November 21st 1944.

The IJNS Mutsu was lost to an accidental magazine explosion in Hiroshima Bay on June 8th 1943.

Source: Author sparticus44

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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