Japan orders Kongo class carriers, not BC

IOTL, the Japanese battlecruiser Kongo was laid down in January 1911 and completed in August 1913. Thereafter, her three sisters were constructed with some British assistance/components in Japan from Nov 1911 to April 1915.

What if Japan decides to order carriers instead of battlecruisers? Is it not feasible to have the concept developed from 1911 onwards, with Kongo entering service by 1915?

The beginnings of the concept were in place; here's the first carrier landing in January 1911.

First_carrier_landing_1911-01-18.jpg
 
It would be foolish, in this timeframe, to spend that kind of funds on an experiment. Britain has an outrageous number of hulls available, and Japan doesn't. Convert something less powerful, like the obsolescent Ibuki's. It's fast enough to keep up with the fleet, big enough to carry a decent number of planes, and if you keep the 6" guns, tough enough to deal with a light cruiser. It would take true foresight to invest that sort of funds into an untried design. Even if they know what's coming, it will be a long time before a fleet of carriers is worth building at the expense of battleships and battlecruisers.
 
Why all the talk about war with GB? Kongo was built in GB!!!

That and fleet CVs laid down in 1911 will only take the next 30 years (ie entire normal none treaty lifetime) to become the dominate weapons....
 
Extremely improbable, as it was said the first carrier planes that were capable of being a credible threat to a capital ship date from the mid 30's, before then all they were useful for was scouting, engaging lighter units, air cover or harassment. Using a 25,000 ton hull for carrying only scout and harassment planes is a waste

Until 1930 at the absolute earliest, the Battlecruiser would be more valuable to Japan, and in 1911 Japan cannot know they will avoid direct conflict with a major power until 1941, they have to assume that war may come within a few years

That said converting one or more of the Chikuma hulls under construction in 1911 could give a fast and useful scout plane carrier, until aircraft become too large for a 5000 ton hull in ~15 years, and would not be too expensive
 

cpip

Gone Fishin'
Basic question, when was did Japan start to plan for war with the US and the UK?

About 1907 or so, the first Imperial Defense Plans at least considered the possibility of war with the United States. By 1913 and the second California war scare, they were planning in earnest. However, as @RamscoopRaider points out above, in 1911, the battlecruiser was still far more useful to a fleet, and the Kongos were perhaps the best battlecruiser of their time.

Simultaneously, though, it must be noted that Japan was the first to have a land bombing attack from a seaplane carrier, with a seaplane from Wakamiya dropping bombs during the invasion of German Qingdao.
 

cpip

Gone Fishin'
Did the hit anything?

According to the British naval attaché: "The 'WAKAMIYA MARU', with 4 seaplanes, arrived on September 1st and later on the Aeroplane Corps was established ashore in Lo Shan Harbour. It was found that three of these machines of 75 h.p. were not powerful enough to rise to the height required, and until another 100 h.p. machine arrived from Japan one seaplane did all the work. The Seaplanes did very good work, they were constantly up reconnoitring and dropping bombs, though the damage done by the latter was probably very little. They were, invariably, fired at by shrapnel, but never received any damage, neither did they have any accidents. The Aeroplane Corps may be said to have done very useful work."
 
IOTL, the Japanese battlecruiser Kongo was laid down in January 1911 and completed in August 1913. Thereafter, her three sisters were constructed with some British assistance/components in Japan from Nov 1911 to April 1915.

What if Japan decides to order carriers instead of battlecruisers? Is it not feasible to have the concept developed from 1911 onwards, with Kongo entering service by 1915?

The beginnings of the concept were in place; here's the first carrier landing in January 1911.

First_carrier_landing_1911-01-18.jpg

You would have to change a lot in order for the Japanese to want CVs instead of the Kongo's

For a start there was no carrier aviation when they were ordered OTL and as has been discussed already there would have been a lack of suitable aircraft

Also BCs were an integral part of the Battle fleets and tactics of the day and the Kongos where very advanced designs at the time (Think HMS Tiger) so I don't think the Japanese are going to want to not build them
 
Whoever proposed that idea would have been laughed out of the room - or possibly asked to commit sepukku. Aircraft - not sea-based aircraft, aircraft in general - were still in the experimental stages, and most definitely not ready for any sort of combat. Sacrificing four capital ships for an extremely untried technology would have been foolish in the extreme.
 
It would take too much foresight about naval future and yet will not make sense.

Kongou Bongou would be an archer them....
 
Building a couple of seaplane carriers, navalized merchant designs with cranes, support facilities, aviation fuel etc. Until the 20s no way any naval aircraft are even partially effective against naval vessels, so in 1911 taking a real warship and making it a carrier is simply foolish.
 
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