The Maya vessels were Japan’s first iron-hulled gunboats, although only Maya and Chōkai had true iron hulls. Atago had a composite hull construction, whereas Akagi had a steel hull. All four vessels had auxiliary schooner-rigged sails.
The Maya-class ships had an overall length of 47.0 metres (154.2 ft), a beam of 8.2 metres (26.9 ft), and a normal draught of 2.95 metres (9.7 ft). They displaced 614 long tons (624 t) at normal load.[2] The crew numbered about 104 officers and enlisted men.[2]
Propulsion was by a coal-fired horizontal double-expansion reciprocating steam engine with two cylindrical boilers driving a double screw. The engines were rated at 614 indicated horsepower (458 kW), and designed to reach a top speed of 10.25 knots (18.98 km/h; 11.80 mph).[2]
The Maya-class ships were initially intended to be armed with one Krupp 210 mm (8 in) Krupp L/22 breech-loading gun, and one Krupp 120 mm (4.7 in) L/22 breech-loading gun, with two quadruple 1-inch Nordenfelt guns as secondary armament.[2] However, each ship later modified to carry different armament in 1906.
All four ships served in the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. In 1898, the ships were reclassified as second-class gunboats. Atago was lost in combat during the Russo-Japanese War in 1904. Maya and Chōkai were removed from the navy list in 1908 and were subsequently broken up in 1913. Akagi was removed from the navy list in 1911,[3] but survived under civilian ownership until 1953.[3]
Evans, David; Peattie, Mark R. (1997). Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887–1941. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN0-87021-192-7.
Jentschura, Hansgeorg; Jung, Dieter; Mickel, Peter (1977). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN0-87021-893-X.
