Ise-class battleship

Originally intended as sister ships of the preceding Fusō class, the Ise-class battleships (伊勢型戦艦) of the Imperial Japanese Navy were considered sufficiently different to warrant separate classification.

Among the differences were a shorter foredeck, a more closely grouped secondary armament (with the majority of the forward guns set further astern than in the Fusōs), a different arrangement of the primary turrets (though the cumbersome six-twin arrangement was retained), more closely spaced funnels and uptakes, and eventually rear flightdecks.

Like most if not all battleships of their era, they retained the soon-to-be outmoded casemated secondary armament, the forward guns of which often proved useless in any kind of seaway, and like all Japanese warships of the period, these vessels still relied on mixed (i.e. coal and oil) firing for their boilers.

They were reconstructed in the 1930s, receiving improved powerplants, armor, fire control, and internal protection. Nonetheless, during World War II, like their cousins of the Fusō class, the Ises took part in no significant action, due to their age and slow speed. Being largely surplus to the Imperial Japanese Navy's duties, following Midway they were rebuilt with the ability to operate a small flight wing, but spent most of their time in training duties near the Inland Sea as part of Battleship Division 2.

Conversion to Aerial Battleships
During World War II, to partially compensate for the loss of carrier strength at the Battle of Midway, both battleships were partially converted to Aerial Battleships in 1943. The Ises had a slight speed advantage, so they were chosen over the Fusōs for the conversion; also the Hyūga had a turret explosion which was not repaired.

Their aft turrets were replaced with a hangar surmounted by a flight deck, and anti-aircraft guns were added. Hyūga, for example, mounted a complement of 14 Yokosuka D4Y dive-bombers and 8 Aichi E16A seaplanes. However, the lack of planes and pilots meant that neither ship was involved in combat in her carrier role.