Originally being the 14 inch guns produced by Vickers, the Imperial Japanese Navy localized the gun under license and it subsequently equipped some of the earliest battleships of Japan, namely the Fuso, Kongou and Ise classes. The final main gun firing of the Imperial Japanese Navy during the war was recorded by this gun during the Kure air raid in July 1945, where a grounded Ise, Hyuga and Haruna fired their main guns in an anti-air role. Constantly modified and modernized throughout its lifespan, this was the very weapon that witnessed the Imperial Japanese Navy's rise and fall. | Originally being the 14 inch guns produced by Vickers, the Imperial Japanese Navy localized the gun under license and it subsequently equipped some of the earliest battleships of Japan, namely the Fuso, Kongou and Ise classes. The final main gun firing of the Imperial Japanese Navy during the war was recorded by this gun during the Kure air raid in July 1945, where a grounded Ise, Hyuga and Haruna fired their main guns in an anti-air role. Constantly modified and modernized throughout its lifespan, this was the very weapon that witnessed the Imperial Japanese Navy's rise and fall. |