Yat Sen



Yat Sen (Chinese: 逸仙), named after the founding father of the Republic of China and completed in 1931, was a light cruiser— having more in common with the small cruisers of pre–World War I era—in the ROC Navy before World War II. An enlarged design was laid down but never completed due to the Japanese occupation of Kiangnan shipyard.

Yat Sen was launched and began its sea trials in 1931. On August 5, 1933, Yat Sen received orders to move to the Bohai Sea for patrolling missions. Yat Sen later headed to Fujian when the 19th Route Army rebelled there. In 1936, Yat Sen was ordered to keep a close eye on Japanese ships drilling near Fuzhou and showed a strong mobility on the sea during the progress. After the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out, Yat Sen participated in the defense of Kiangyin Fortress, Yangtze River, near Nanking and took over flagship duties after both Ning Hai and Ping Hai were sunk by Japanese aircraft. Yat Sen was sunk as well on 25 September 1937 after shooting down two of the 16 attacking aircraft, losing 14 of its crew.

The Japanese salvaged the ship after the fall of Kiangyin Fortress. After having its stern deck added by one level and receiving radar, sonar, and Japanese weapons, it was renamed Atada (阿多田) and employed as a training ship for naval academy cadets destined for submarine service. It survived World War II and was returned to its former owner on 9 August 1946. Before its departure, however, the Japanese installed all the German-made wooden furniture taken from the armored cruiser Yakumo (which by then had been sold for scrapping) into its cabins.

After reverting to its old name and rejoining the ROCN, Yat Sen remained active during the Chinese Civil War and the ROC government's subsequent withdrawal to Taiwan. It participated in numerous patrol cruises but was not involved in any major action until being decommissioned on 1 June 1958 and sold for scrapping on 19 May the following year.

Appearance
Despite being far lighter than Ning Hai and Ping Hai (Yat Sen displaced approximately 1650 tons to their 2500) and 25% smaller (270 feet vs 360 feet), Yat Sen is depicted as older and more matronly than the two cruisers. This could possibly be a reference to the fact that Yat Sen ultimately outlived her counterparts, surviving World War II (being returned to ROC hands after the conflict) and the Chinese Civil War before being scrapped in 1959.

Abilities
Her bonus against the Sakura Empire is a reference to her last stand in defense of Nanjing with Ning Hai, Ping Hai, and Ying Rui on the Yangtze River against Japanese forces. Yat Sen outlived Ning Hai and Ping Hai, but was shortly thereafter sunk after being attacked by 16 Japanese aircraft (destroying 2 of them) and running out of anti-aircraft ammunition.

Lines
Her classification as a cruiser is probably due to her designation and usage, though her displacement and armament was incredibly limited (some sources contend that she was a gunboat). As built, she had a single Dutch 6" gun forwards and a single Japanese 5.5" (140mm) gun aft; this was changed to a single 120mm DP gun during her subsequent salvage and service by the Japanese as Atada.