Atago was a Japanese heavy cruiser the keel of which was laid in 1927, launched in June 1930, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in March 1932. The length of the ship at the time of launching was 203.8 m, width 20.4 m, and the actual full displacement, after modernization - 15,200 tons. The cruiser Atago had a maximum speed of 35.5 knots. At the outbreak of World War II, the main armament was 10 203 mm guns in five turrets, two guns each, and the additional armament included: 8 127 mm guns and as many as 16 610 mm torpedo tubes!
Atago was the second Takao-class cruiser. Cruisers of this type were built respecting the limitations of the Washington Disarmament Treaty signed by the government in Tokyo in 1922. The ships of this type are clearly based on the design of the Myoko-class cruisers. The changes concerned: the use of new main artillery cannons, improved armor, expansion of the bow superstructure and better layout of the torpedo armament. Emphasis was also placed on high top speed. The pursuit of such extreme goals led to the creation of ships with powerful artillery and torpedo armament, great speed, but with a lower range than assumed, average sea bravery and with considerable stability problems. Subsequent modernizations on the first two ships of this type partially eliminated these disadvantages, but did not completely eliminate them. The cruiser Atago's combat route in World War II began as early as December 1941 with support for Japanese landings in Malaya and the Philippines. In June 1942, it took part in the Battle of Midway, but it survived without major damage. Then it operated in the Solomon Islands and took part in the Battle of Santa Cruz Island (October 1942) and the battles in the Guadalcanal area. In November 1943 it was damaged as a result of an American air raid on the base in Truk in which it was located at that time. The damage turned out to be so serious that the ship had to return to Japan for repairs. It did not enter the Atago line until the beginning of 1944. In June 1944 he took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and in October of the same year - in Leyte Bay. There she was sunk by the American submarine USS Darter on October 23, 1944.