View source for Japanese ironclad Fusō

{{Short description|Imperial Japanese Navy's ironclad}}
{{other ships|Japanese ship Fusō}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Japanese ironclad Fusō.jpg
|Ship caption=''Fusō'' as completed
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[Empire of Japan|Japan]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Japan|naval}}
|Ship name=''Fusō'' ([[Japanese language|Japanese]]: 扶桑)
|Ship namesake=[[Names of Japan|Classical name]] for Japan
|Ship ordered=24 September 1875
|Ship builder=[[Samuda Brothers]], [[Cubitt Town]], [[London]]
|Ship laid down=24 September 1875?
|Ship launched=17 April 1877
|Ship completed=January 1878
|Ship reclassified=[[Coast defense ship]], December 1905
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=1 April 1908
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=Sold for [[ship breaking|scrap]], 1909
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(as built)
|Ship type=[[Central battery ship|Central-battery]] [[ironclad]]
|Ship displacement={{convert|3717|LT|t}}
|Ship length={{convert|220|ft|m|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship beam={{convert|48|ft|m|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship draft={{convert|18|ft|5|in|m|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship power=*{{convert|3500|ihp|lk=in|abbr=on}}
*8 cylindrical [[boiler (steam generator)|boiler]]s
|Ship propulsion=2 shafts, 2 [[Trunk engine|trunk steam engine]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|13|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|4500|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
|Ship complement=295
|Ship sail plan=[[Barque]] rigged
|Ship armament=* 4 × [[24 cm RK L/22]] (9.3 in) [[Krupp]] guns
* 2 × [[17 cm RK L/25]] (6.8 in) Krupp guns
* 4 × long {{convert|75|mm|abbr=on|1}} guns
* 2 × short {{convert|75|mm|abbr=on|1}} guns
|Ship armor=*[[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{convert|6.4|-|9|in|0|abbr=on}}
* [[Artillery battery#Naval usage|Battery]]: {{convert|9|in|0|abbr=on}}
* [[Bulkhead (partition)|Bulkhead]]s: {{convert|8|in|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
{{nihongo|'''''Fusō'''''|扶桑|}} was a [[Central battery ship|central-battery]] [[ironclad]] built for the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] (IJN) in the 1870s. She was built in the United Kingdom because such ships could not yet be constructed in Japan. The ship participated in the [[First Sino-Japanese War]] of 1894–95 where she was damaged during the [[Battle of Yalu River (1894)|Battle of the Yalu River]] in 1894 and participated in the [[Battle of Weihaiwei]] in early 1895. She collided with two Japanese ships during a storm and sank in 1897. She was [[Marine salvage|refloated]] the following year and repaired. ''Fusō'' played a minor role in the [[Russo-Japanese War]] of 1904–1905 and was reclassified as a [[coast defense ship]] after the war. She was struck from the [[Navy List]] in 1908 and sold for [[ship breaking|scrap]] the following year.

==Background==
Tensions between Japan and China heightened after the former launched its [[Japanese invasion of Taiwan (1874)|punitive expedition against Taiwan]] in May 1874 in retaliation of the murder of a number of shipwrecked sailors by the [[Paiwan people|Paiwan]] aborigines. China inquired into the possibility of buying ironclad warships from Great Britain and Japan was already negotiating with the Brazilian government about the purchase of the ironclad [[HMS Neptune (1874)|''Independencia'']] then under construction in Britain. The Japanese terminated the negotiations with the Brazilians in October after the ship was badly damaged upon [[Ceremonial ship launching|launching]] and the expeditionary force was about to withdraw from Taiwan. The crisis illustrated the need to reinforce the IJN and a budget request was submitted that same month by Acting [[Ministry of the Navy of Japan|Navy Minister]] [[Kawamura Sumiyoshi]] for [[¥]]3.9–4.2 million to purchase three warships from abroad.<ref>Lengerer, Pt. I, pp. 40–41</ref> This was rejected as too expensive and a revised request of ¥2.3 million was approved later that month. No Japanese shipyard was able to build ships of this size so they were ordered from Great Britain.<ref>Evans & Peattie, pp. 13–14</ref> Nothing was done until March 1875 when Kawamura proposed to buy one ironclad for half of the money authorized and use the rest for shipbuilding and gun production at the [[Yokosuka Naval Arsenal|Yokosuka Shipyard]]. No response was made by the [[Prime Minister of Japan|Prime Minister's]] office before the proposal was revised to use all of the allocated money to buy three ships, one iron-hulled armored warship and two armored [[corvette]]s of [[Composite ship|composite construction]] to be designed by the prominent British [[naval architect]] Sir [[Edward James Reed|Edward Reed]], formerly the [[Director of Naval Construction|Chief Constructor]] of the [[Royal Navy]]. Reed would also supervise the construction of the ships for an honorarium of five percent of the construction cost. The Prime Minister's office approved the revised proposal on 2 May and notified the Japanese [[Consul (representative)|consul]], [[Kagenori Ueno|Ueno Kagenori]], that navy officers would be visiting to negotiate the contract with Reed.<ref>Lengerer, Pt. I, pp. 41–42</ref>

[[Commander]] Matsumura Junzō arrived in London on 21 July and gave Reed the specifications for the ships. Reed responded on 3 September with a proposal that exceeded the amount allocated in the budget. Ueno signed the contracts for all three ships on 24 September despite this issue because Reed was scheduled to depart for a trip to Russia and the matter had to be concluded before his departure. Ueno had informed the Navy Ministry about the costs before signing, but Kawamura's response to postpone the order for the armored frigate did not arrive until 8 October. The totals for all three contracts came to £433,850 or ¥2,231,563 and did not include the armament. These were ordered from Krupp with a 50 percent down payment of £24,978. The government struggled to provide the necessary money even though the additional expenses had been approved by the Prime Minister's office on 5 June 1876, especially as more money was necessary to fully equip the ships for sea and to provision them for the delivery voyage to Japan.<ref>Lengerer, Pt. I, pp. 43–46</ref>

==Description==
The design of ''Fusō'' was based on a scaled-down version of {{HMS|Iron Duke|1870|6}}, an {{sclass|Audacious|ironclad|0}} central-battery ironclad, familiar to the Japanese as the [[flagship]] of the [[Royal Navy]] [[China Station]] from 1871 to 1875.<ref name=jif1>Japanese Ironclads Fuso and Hiei, p. 201</ref> The ship was {{convert|220|ft|m|1}} [[Length between perpendiculars|long between perpendiculars]] and had a [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|48|ft|m|1}}.<ref name=j7>Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 13</ref> She had a forward [[Draft (hull)|draft]] of {{convert|17|ft|9|in|m|1}} and drew {{convert|18|ft|5|in|m|1}} aft.<ref name=jif>Japanese Ironclads Fuso and Hiei, p. 202</ref> She [[Displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|2248|LT|t}} and had a crew of 26 officers and 269 enlisted men.<ref name=l50>Lengerer, Pt. III, p. 50</ref>

===Propulsion===
''Fusō'' had a pair of two-cylinder, double-expansion [[Trunk engine|trunk steam engine]]s made by [[John Penn and Sons]], each driving a two-bladed {{convert|15|ft|6|in|m|1|adj=on}} propeller. Eight cylindrical [[boiler (steam generator)|boilers]] provided steam to the engine at a working pressure of {{convert|4.09|bar|kPa psi|0|abbr=on|lk=on}}. The engines were designed to produce {{convert|3500|ihp|lk=in}} to give the ships a speed of {{convert|13|kn|lk=in}}.<ref>Lengerer, Pt. II, p. 41</ref> During her [[sea trial]]s on 3 January 1878, she reached a maximum speed of {{convert|13.16|kn}} from {{convert|3824|ihp|abbr=on}}.<ref>Lengerer, Pt. I, p. 48</ref> The ship carried a maximum of {{convert|350|LT|t}} of coal,<ref name=l50/> enough to steam {{convert|4500|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|knots}}.<ref name=j7/> The three-masted ironclad was [[barque]]-rigged and had a sail area of {{convert|17000|sqft|sqm|0}}.<ref name=jif/> To reduce wind resistance while under sail alone, the [[funnel (ship)|funnel]] was semi-retractable.<ref name=l35>Lengerer, Pt. II, p. 35</ref>

The ship was modernized at [[Yokosuka Naval Arsenal]] beginning in 1891. Her masts were removed and the fore- and [[mizzenmast]]s were replaced by two [[military mast]]s also fitted with [[Top (sailing ship)|fighting tops]]. Her funnel was fixed in height and she received four new cylindrical boilers. To offset the reduced number of boilers, the new ones were fitted with [[forced draught]] which increased their working pressure to {{convert|6.13|bar|kPa psi|0|abbr=on}}. The space made available by removal of the boilers was used to increase her coal storage by {{convert|36|LT|t}}.<ref>Lengerer, Pt. II, pp. 35, 43</ref>

===Armament and armor===
''Fusō'' was fitted with four [[Krupp]] [[24 cm RK L/22]] [[Rifled breech loader|rifled breech-loading]] (RBL) guns with had an actual [[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] of {{convert|235.4|mm|in|adj=on|1|sp=us}}. These were 22 calibers (L/22) long and weighed {{convert|15.5|t|lt|adj=on|1|sp=us}}. There were also two Krupp [[17 cm RK L/25]] RBLs. These had an actual caliber of {{convert|172.6|mm|in|adj=on|1|sp=us}}, were 25 calibers (L/25) long and weighed {{convert|5.6|t|lt|adj=on|1|sp=us}}.{{sfn|The London and China Telegraph 16 April|1877|p=353}} The 24&nbsp;cm guns were mounted at the corners of the armored citadel on the main deck at an angle of 65 degrees to the centerline of the ship. Each gun could traverse 35 degrees to the left and right. Only the 60-degree arc at the bow and stern could not be fired upon. The two [[pivot gun|pivot-mounted]] 17-centimeter guns were positioned on the sides of the upper deck, each with three [[Glossary of nautical terms (A-L)#G|gun ports]] that allowed them to act as [[chase gun]]s, firing fore and aft, as well as on the broadside. The ship also carried four long and two short {{convert|75|mm|adj=on|sp=us}} guns, the latter intended for use ashore or mounted on the ship's boats.<ref>Lengerer, Pt. II, pp. 33–34</ref>

The [[armor-piercing shot and shell|armor-piercing]] shell of the 24-centimeter gun weighed {{convert|160|kg|lb|1|order=flip}}. It had a [[muzzle velocity]] of {{convert|475|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on|order=flip}} and was credited with the ability to penetrate {{convert|393|mm|1|order=flip}} of [[wrought iron]] armor at the [[muzzle (firearms)|muzzle]]. The {{convert|60|kg|lb|1|order=flip|adj=on}} 17-centimeter shell had a muzzle velocity of {{convert|460|-|487|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on|order=flip}} and could penetrate {{convert|262|-|290|mm|1|order=flip}} of armor. The only data available for the 75-millimeter guns is their muzzle velocities of {{convert|473|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on|order=flip}} and {{convert|292|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on|order=flip}} for the long and short-barreled guns respectively.<ref>Lengerer, Pt. II, p. 39</ref>

During the 1880s the armament of ''Fusō'' was augmented several times. In June 1883 seven quadruple-barreled {{convert|25.4|mm|in|adj=on|1|sp=us}} [[1-inch Nordenfelt gun|Nordenfelt]] [[machine gun]]s were added for defense against [[torpedo boat]]s. Five were positioned on the upper deck and one each in the fighting tops. Three years later two quintuple-barreled {{convert|11|mm|in|adj=on|1|sp=us}} Nordenfeldt machine guns were mounted in the fighting tops. Slightly earlier, ''Fusō'' became the first ship in the IJN to mount {{convert|356|mm|in|adj=on|1|sp=us}} [[torpedo tube]]s for [[Schwartzkopff torpedo]]es when two above-water, traversable tubes, one on each [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]], were added in late 1885. She first fired these weapons on 14 January 1886 although further testing revealed that the torpedoes were often damaged by the impact with the water. Upon the recommendation of the prominent French naval architect [[Louis-Émile Bertin]], a "spoon" was added to the ends of the tubes to make the torpedoes strike the water horizontally which better distributed the shock of impact. The modifications were made and successful tests were conducted before the end of the year.<ref>Lengerer, Pt. II, pp. 34–35</ref>

When the ship was being refitted from 1891 to 1894, her anti-torpedo boat armament was reinforced by the replacement of three 25.4-millimeter Nordenfelt guns by a pair of [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss#Japanese service|2.5-pounder]] [[Hotchkiss gun]]s and a single 3-pounder Hotchkiss gun. Two additional 11-millimeter Nordenfelt guns in the fighting tops were also added at that time. After the Sino-Japanese War, a small [[poop deck]] was added in 1896 and a [[List of British ordnance terms#QF|quick-firing]] (QF) {{convert|12|cm|adj=on}} gun was mounted there as the stern chase gun. Another such gun was mounted on the [[forecastle]] as the forward chase gun and the two 17-centimeter guns were replaced by another pair of 12-centimeter quick-firers. In addition twelve 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns were added and the 11-millimeter guns were replaced by 25.4-millimeter Nordenfelts. In March 1900 the 12-centimeter chase guns were superseded by two QF {{convert|15|cm|adj=on}} guns and the former chase guns were shifted to make room for them. The final change to ''Fusō''{{'}}s armament was made in July 1906 when her obsolete 24-centimeter guns were replaced by two QF 15-centimeter guns and two more 3-pounders were added.<ref>Lengerer, Pt. II, pp. 35–38</ref>

''Fusō'' had a [[wrought iron|wrought-iron]] [[waterline]] [[Belt armor|armor belt]] {{convert|229|mm|0|order=flip}} thick [[amidships]] that tapered to {{convert|162|mm|1|order=flip}} at the ends of the ship.<ref name=l50/> The sides of the central [[Artillery battery#Naval usage|battery]] were 9 inches thick and the transverse [[bulkhead (partition)|bulkheads]] were {{convert|8|in|0}} thick.<ref name=jif/><ref name=l50/>{{#tag:ref|A number of sources say that the armor of the ship's battery was 8 inches thick and that of the transverse bulkheads was {{convert|7|in|0}} thick and even Lengerer himself quotes both sets of figures in different places.<ref name=j7/><ref>Bogart, p. 277; Chesneau & Kolesnik, p. 219; Jane, p. 44; Silverstone, p. 308</ref><ref>Lengerer, Pt. II, p. 40</ref>|group=Note}}

==Construction and career==
Given a [[Names of Japan#Classical|classical name for Japan]],<ref>Silverstone, p. 328</ref> ''Fusō'' was built at the [[Samuda Brothers]] [[shipyard]] in [[Cubitt Town]], [[London]]. Japanese sources universally give the date for ''Kongō''{{'}}s [[keel]]-laying as 24 September 1875&mdash;the same as that for the awarding of the contract&mdash;but historian Hans Langerer describes this as improbable, arguing that no shipyard would order enough material to begin construction without cash in hand. ''Fusō'' was launched on 14 April 1877 when Ueno Ikuko, wife of the Japanese consul, cut the retaining rope with a hammer and chisel.<ref>Lengerer, Pt. I, pp. 43, 46–47</ref> Completed in January 1878,<ref name=l50/> the ship sailed for Japan before 22 March under the command of a British captain and with a British crew because the IJN was not yet ready for such a long voyage. While transiting the [[Suez Canal]], she was lightly damaged when she [[Ship grounding|ran aground]]<!-- on 27 April - hidden because it was before 6 April, see talk-->. She received temporary repairs at a local dockyard and arrived in [[Yokohama]] on 11 June. She was classified as a second-class warship while still in transit. She was transferred to Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on 17 June for permanent repairs. On 10 July a formal ceremony was held in Yokohama for the receipt of the ship that was attended by the [[Meiji Emperor]] and many senior government officials. The ship was then opened for tours by the [[Kazoku|nobility]], their families and invited guests for three days after the ceremony. Beginning on 14 July, the general public was allowed to tour the ship for a week.<ref>Lengerer, Pt. I, pp. 49–52</ref>

''Fusō'' was assigned to the [[Kure Naval District|Tokai Naval District]] and the [[Standing Fleet]] in 1880. That same year she transported the [[Ministry of the Navy of Japan|Naval Lord]], [[Enomoto Takeaki]], on a tour of [[Hokkaido]]. On 10 August 1881 she departed with Emperor Meiji on a tour of [[Aomori Prefecture]] and [[Otaru, Hokkaido]] that lasted until 30 September. The ship was transferred to the Medium Fleet in 1882 and made port visits in [[Kyushu]] and [[Pusan, Korea]] the following year. ''Fusō'' visited [[Hong Kong]] and [[Shanghai]], China in 1884. She hosted [[Empress Shōken]] for the launching ceremony of the corvette [[Japanese corvette Musashi|''Musashi'']] on 30 March 1886 and was transferred to the Small Standing Fleet in 1887. The ship made a lengthy cruise in the Western Pacific in 1888 and visited ports in Korea, Russia and China the following year. ''Fusō'' participated in the fleet maneuvers on 25 March 1880 and then hosted Emperor Meiji for his visits to [[Kure, Hiroshima|Kure]], [[Sasebo, Nagasaki|Sasebo]], and [[Etajima]].<ref>Lengerer, Pt. III, pp. 45–46</ref> From November 1891 to July 1894, ''Fusō'' was extensively refitted and partially modernized at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal.<ref name=l35/>

[[File:Fuso.jpg|thumb|left|''Fusō'' at anchor after her reconstruction]]
During the Battle of the Yalu River on 17 September 1894, ''Fusō'' was assigned to the rear of the Japanese main body and was heavily engaged by the Chinese ships. Although hit many times by {{convert|6|in|mm|0|adj=on}} shells, not one penetrated her armor; of her crew only five were killed and nine wounded.<ref>Jane, pp. 132, 148</ref> During the battle her crew fired twenty-nine 24&nbsp;cm, thirty-two 17&nbsp;cm, one hundred thirty-six 75&nbsp;mm, one hundred sixty-four 2.5- and 3-pounder shells and over fifteen hundred shells from her machine guns.<ref>Lengerer, Pt. II, p. 36</ref> The ship was present during the Battle of Weihaiwei in January–February 1895,<ref name=l46/> although she did not see any significant combat.<ref>Wright, pp. 100–04</ref> On 29 October 1897, ''Fusō''{{'}}s [[anchor]] chain broke during a strong [[gale]] off [[Nagahama, Ehime]] and she collided with the [[naval ram|ram]] of the [[protected cruiser]] [[Japanese cruiser Matsushima|''Matsushima'']] at 16:30. She then struck ''Matsushima''{{'}}s [[sister ship]], {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Itsukushima||2}}, and sank at 16:57.<ref name=l46/> Re-classed as a second-class [[battleship]] on 21 March 1898
and refloated on 7 July,<ref name=l46>Lengerer, Pt. III, p. 46</ref> ''Fusō'' was repaired at [[Kure Naval Arsenal]] and ran her trials on 8 April 1900.<ref name=jif1/>

''Fusō'' served as the [[flagship]] of Rear Admiral [[Sukeuji Hosoya]], Seventh Division, Third Squadron, during the Russo-Japanese War and was held in reserve south of [[Tsushima Island]] during the [[Battle of Tsushima]] in case the battle drifted her way.<ref name=jif1/> On 7 September 1904, her 15-centimeter guns were dismounted for use in the [[siege of Port Arthur]]. They were replaced by guns transferred from the damaged {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Akashi||2}} at [[Maizuru Naval Arsenal]] on 28 December.<ref>Lengerer, Pt. II, pp. 37–38</ref> She was reclassified as a [[coast defense ship]] in December 1905, and stricken on 1 April 1908. Relegated to the status of a "miscellaneous service craft", she was assigned to the Yokosuka Harbor Master until she was ordered to be sold on 15 February 1909. Yokosuka reported her sale on 30 November, but provided no information on the date of sale or the name of the winning bidder.<ref name=l46/>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
*{{cite journal|last=Bogart|first=C. H.|year=1972|title=Fu-so|journal=Warship International|publisher=International Naval Records Organization|location=Toledo, Ohio|volume=IX|issue=3|pages=276–79}}
*{{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor1-first=Roger|editor2-last=Kolesnik|editor2-first=Eugene M.|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=Greenwich, UK|year=1979|isbn=0-8317-0302-4|name-list-style=amp|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2}}
* {{cite book
  | last = Evans
  | first = David| first2 = Mark R. |last2=Peattie
  | year = 1997
  | title = Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887–1941
  | publisher =Naval Institute Press
  | location =Annapolis, Maryland
  | isbn = 0-87021-192-7|name-list-style=amp
}}
*{{cite book
 | last = Jane
 | first = Fred T.|authorlink=Fred T. Jane
 | year = 1904
 | title = The Imperial Japanese Navy
 | publisher =W. Thacker
 | location =London
 | oclc=66148499
 |url=https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=yIqNNiNxhRoC&rdid=book-yIqNNiNxhRoC&rdot=1
}}
*{{cite journal|date=30 June 1971|title=Japanese Ironclads Fuso and Hiei|journal=Warship International|publisher=International Naval Records Organization|location=Toledo, Ohio|volume=VIII|issue=2|pages=201–02}}
*{{cite book| last = Jentschura| first = Hansgeorg| first2 = Dieter |last2=Jung|first3=Peter |last3=Mickel| year = 1977| title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945| publisher = United States Naval Institute| location = Annapolis, Maryland| isbn = 0-87021-893-X|name-list-style=amp}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Lengerer|first1=Hans|title=The 1884 Coup d'État in Korea — Revision and Acceleration of the Expansion of the IJN: A Contribution to the Pre-History of the Chinese-Japanese War 1894–95 |journal=Warship International |date=December 2020 |volume=LVII |issue=4 |pages=289–302 |issn=0043-0374}}
* {{Cite news |url=https://books.google.nl/books?id=M4Gkecs0s9QC |work=The London and China Telegraph |title=Launch of a Japanese ironclad |date=16 April 1877 |ref={{sfnref|The London and China Telegraph 16 April|1877}} }}
* {{cite journal
  | last1        = Lengerer
  | first1       = Hans
  | editor1-last = Ahlberg
  | editor1-first= Lars
  | title        = The IJN's First Warship Order to a Foreign Country: Armoured Frigate Fusô and Belted Corvettes Kongô and Hiei – Part I
  | date         = September 2006
  | pages        = 40–53
  | journal      = Contributions to the History of Imperial Japanese Warships
  | issue        = Paper I}}{{subscription required}}(contact the editor at lars.ahlberg@halmstad.mail.postnet.se for subscription information)
* {{cite journal
  | last1        = Lengerer
  | first1       = Hans
  | editor1-last = Ahlberg
  | editor1-first= Lars
  | title        = The IJN's First Warship Order to a Foreign Country: Armoured Frigate Fusô and Belted Corvettes Kongô and Hiei – Part II
  | date         = March 2007
  | pages        = 31–43
  | journal      = Contributions to the History of Imperial Japanese Warships
  | issue        = Paper II}}{{subscription required}}
* {{cite journal
  | last1        = Lengerer
  | first1       = Hans
  | editor1-last = Ahlberg
  | editor1-first= Lars
  | title        = The IJN's First Warship Order to a Foreign Country: Armoured Frigate Fusô and Belted Corvettes Kongô and Hiei – Part III
  | date         = September 2007
  | pages        = 45–54
  | journal      = Contributions to the History of Imperial Japanese Warships
  | issue        = Paper III}}{{subscription required}}
*{{cite book|last=Silverstone|first=Paul H.|title=Directory of the World's Capital Ships|year=1984|publisher=Hippocrene Books|location=New York|isbn=0-88254-979-0}}
*{{cite book|last=Wright|first=Richard N. J.|title=The Chinese Steam Navy 1862–1945|year=2000|publisher=Chatham Publishing|location=London|isbn=1-86176-144-9}}

{{Ironclads of Japan}}
{{IJNOrder1894-95}}
{{1878 shipwrecks}}
{{1897 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuso}}
[[Category:Ironclad warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy]]
[[Category:Naval ships of Japan]]
[[Category:Ships built in Cubitt Town]]
[[Category:1877 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1878]]
[[Category:Ships sunk in collisions]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Inland Sea]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1897]]