Mikasa, Pre-dreadnought battleship museum in Yokosuka, Japan
Mikasa is a pre-dreadnought battleship built by Vickers in Barrow-in-Furness and completed in 1902, now fixed on a concrete foundation in Mikasa Park in Yokosuka. Its light-grey hull carries a gold chrysanthemum crest at the bow, two twin 12-inch gun turrets forward, two tall funnels with black tops, and a bronze statue of a uniformed man on a stepped stone pedestal amidships.
Built by Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness, Mikasa was launched on 8 November 1900 and completed on 1 March 1902, the last ship of the Six-Six Fleet programme. As flagship of Admiral Tōgō's Combined Fleet she fought at Port Arthur, the Yellow Sea and Tsushima in 1904–1905. Days after the war, on 11 September 1905, her magazine exploded at Sasebo and she sank with 339 dead; she was refloated in 1906 and repaired by 1908.
The name comes from Mount Mikasa in Nara and was chosen in the late 19th century when Japan adopted Western naming conventions for its warships. Many Japanese visitors come today to understand the link between their maritime history and the technological leap the country made at that time.
The decks are accessible by stairs, with some areas featuring narrow passages unsuitable for wheelchairs or strollers. A tour through the cabins and exhibition spaces takes roughly an hour, depending on your interest in naval history.
Mikasa is the last surviving pre-dreadnought battleship and the last British-built battleship anywhere in the world. During the Occupation, a cabaret called "Cabaret Tōgō" opened aboard her, and an aquarium was later installed where the aft main turret had stood.
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