Kirishima is the third of the four Kongou-class battlecruisers reclassified into fast battleships. Kirishima was laid down in Mitsubishi Heavy Industry at Nagasaki, she was launched on December 1, 1913 and was commissioned on April 19, 1915. Her initial armaments as a battlecruiser are four twin Vickers 14 inch 45 cal. main naval guns, eight twin 6 inch 50 cal. 41st Year Type secondary turrets, eight 3-inch anti-aircraft guns and eight submerged 21 inch torpedo tubes.
During her career as battlecruiser, she was assigned to 1st BatDiv of the IJN 1st Fleet along with Haruna. Together with Haruna, they departed to Sasebo Naval Arsenal to conduct naval patrols within East China Sea. After the defeat of the Germans in WW1 and the The Treaty of Versailles, Japan is given a mandate over the ex-German islands in the Pacific with the exception of Tsingtao. Kirishima was reassigned to BatDiv 3, she departed from Sasebo along with Kongou and Nagato and conduct naval patrols off Lushun, Tsingtao and Dairen, China. On February 6, 1922, the Treaty of Washington was implemented. She conducted more naval patrols. She collided with the Japanese Destroyer Fuji on September 14, 1922, both received minor damage. She was on Changshan archipelago, Korea Bay when the Great Kantō earthquake happened on September 1, 1923. She was place on reserve on 1 December 1926 and undergoes her first reconstruction as a battleship.
During her first reconstruction, the thickness of her horizontal armor over her magazines and machinery spaces were increased. Torpedo bulges were added. The elevation of her main turrets were increased. They replace all of her 36 Yarrow boilers with 10 mixed-firing Kampon boilers. She's fitted with an equipment for her to accommodate three Type 90 model 0 floatplanes. Her funnels were reduced from three to two and four torpedo tubes were removed. The foremast was rebuilt as a pagoda and anti-torpedo net booms are removed. The reconstruction was completed on April 16, 1930, she was reclassified as a battleship.
During her career as a battleship, on April 22, 1930, the Treaty of London was implemented. She returned to Sasebo and fitted with aircraft equipments. She was reassigned again to the 1st BatDiv of the 1st Fleet. Several small skirmishes happened between China and the Empire of Japan, she departed from Sasebo and participated in the Shanghai incident of 1932. She placed on reserved afterwards, all of her 3 inch anti-aircraft guns were replaced by eight 5 inch dual-purpose guns. She departs Tateyama along with Fusou and Nagato to patrol in Mandate Islands, Kongou, Haruna, and Hyuuga joined afterwards. She departs from Lushun and assisted operations off Tsingtao. On November 15, 1934, she remained reserved again for her second reconstruction.
During her second reconstruction, her stern was lengthened by 26-feet. Her foremast is rebuilt to accommodate a new main gun director. All boilers are replaced with 8 Kampon boilers and she receives new geared turbine. Her speed is now increased to 30 knots. The elevation of her main and secondary turrets were increased. Aircraft catapult system were installed. The rest of her remaining torpedo tubes were removed. She's reequipped with two Nakajima E8N1 Type 95 and one Kawanishi E7K1 Type 94 aft floatplanes. She's fitted with a small number of 25mm Type 96 anti-aircraft auto-cannons. Her reconstruction was completed on June 8, 1936, and reclassified her as a fast battleship.
During her early career as a fast battleship, she was assigned to the BatDiv 3 of the 1st Fleet along with her sisters, Kongou, Hiei, and Haruna. She departs Terajima Channel for Tsingtao together with Haruna, Hyuuga, Nagato, and Mutsu with the CruDiv 8, DesRon 1 and 2, and SubRon 1. During the break of the Second Sino-Japanese War, she carried troops, assisted troop landings, supported ground troops and conducted naval patrols, during the war.
She is present during the Attack of Pearl Harbor, she accompanied the 1st CarDiv, 2nd CarDiv, and 5th CarDiv which part of the Combined Fleet along with her sister Hiei. She launched her E8N1 floatplane and patrolled south of the striking force. After Pearl Harbor she was participated for the invasion of Rabaul and Kavieng. She supported the Striking Force during the bombing of Port Darwin. She's also present on the battle of Java Sea were she launched a E8N1 floatplane and dropped two 60-kg bombs on a fleeing Allied merchant ship. They encountered a USN destroyer, USS Edsall DD-219, Kirishima and Hiei together with Chikuma opened fire at the destroyer but all miss, Edsall was under attacked from Japanese aircraft from Kaga, Hiryuu and Souryuu, the destroyer was damaged. Then the battleship finished her off, Kirishima fired a total of 87 from her 14 inch turrets and 62 on her 6 inch guns. She's also present during the raids in the Indian Ocean where they attacked Ceylon. Her floatplanes manage to spot and strafed a fleeing British oil tanker during the raid. After the attack, her floatplanes managed to spot the British carrier HMS Hermes together with Haruna, HMS Hermes sunk afterwards together with Australian destroyer HMAS Vampire due from a massive areal attack from the striking force. She returned to Sasebo and fitted with additional twin 25mm AA guns.
During the Battle of Midway, she escorted the carrier Akagi, they were attacked by four B-26 Marauders, she fired with main guns and managed to shot down two B-26s. She was sighed by USN submarine USS Nautilus SS-168, the submarine fires a MK-14 torpedo but misses, Nautilus attempted to fire a second but it malfunctioned and never leaved the tube. Kirishima open fires but misses the submarine, Nagara attacked the submarine with depth charges but misses, the submarine escapes. After the battle, Kirishima attempted to two back the damage Hiryuu but Hiryuu suddenly went a blaze and abandoned Hiryuu. Kirishima rescued survivors from Souryuu, Kaga, Akagi and Hiryuu.
After Midway, she was reassigned to BatDiv 11 of the 3rd Fleet together with Hiei, she received one Aichi E13A1 recon floatplanes and two Mitsubishi Type F1M2 floatplanes. She was assigned in Guadalcanal. She participated in the battle of the Eastern Solomons as part of the main body of the Carrier Strike Force. She was assigned to the Vanguard Force, she chased away PBY Catalinas using two of F1M2 floatplanes, and was attacked by six B-17 Flying Fortresses but all bombs missed her. She's present during the Battle of Santa Cruz Island as part of the vanguard force, they spotted two Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bombers from USS Enterprise CV-6, they were ordered to screen the Carrier Strike Force and they were attacked by Allied aircraft from both Enterprise and USS Hornet CV-8. Three dauntless dive-bombers attacked Kirishima but couldn't damage her. The IJN Carrier Strike Force countered and the USN fleet withdraws afterwards.
She played an important role during the first naval engagement of Guadalcanal, the BatDiv 11 main objective is to fire Tyoe-3 shells at Henderson Field. She assisted damaging USS San Francisco CA-38, fired one shot at USS Helena CL-50, and assisted on the sinking of the USN Destroyers, USS Laffey DD-459 and USS Monssen DD-436 she also engaged the USN destroyer USS Aaron Ward DD-483 on a one-on-one duel which damaged the destroyer. Kirishima fired 21 Type-1 Armor Piercing Shells, 22 Type-3 and 8 Type-0 incendiary 14-in shells and an additional 313 from her secondary turrets, while she received one 8-inch shell from San Francisco during the exchange of gunfire. She attempted to tow Hiei but it was too late.
Her last engagement was during the second naval engagement of Guadalcanal, and engaged the Task Force 64. Before the battle she was sighted by another USN submarine, USS USS Trout SS-202, but unable to gain an attack, but from their second engagement, Trout fires five MK-14 torpedoes, a dud hit Kirishima. She engaged the USN battleships, USS Washington BB-56 and USS South Dakota BB-57, Kirishima and Ayanami illuminated at the battleship South Dakota, realizing that they are not cruisers but battleships, Ayanami engaged the enemies but she sunk afterwards. Kirishima fires 68 Type-3 incendiaries, 22 Type-0 Commons and 27 Type-1 APCs, one Type-1 APC explodes on South Dakota's No. 3 turret's barbette. Takao and Atago joined and fires at South Dakota. Battleship Washington approached Kirishima undetected, Washington fires 5,800 yards away from her, she received nine primary and forty secondary battery salvos, she couldn't return fire against Washington since her forward turrets were disabled from the gunfire. Washington resumes and fired an additional 36 from her main turret and caused from her amidships and stern area and her rudder was already damaged. Nagara attempted to tow the battered battleship but it was too late. At 03:25, Kirishima capsized and sunk, destroyers Asagumo, Teruzuki, and Samidare rescued Captain Iwabuchi and 1,098 survivors, 212 crewmen were lost.
Kirishima sunk November 15, 1942, she rests within the Ironbottom Sound.
