Agano-class cruiser

	Agano in October 1942, off of Sasebo, Nagasaki
Class overview
Name	Agano class
Builders	Sasebo Naval Arsenal (3); Yokosuka Naval Arsenal (1);
Operators	Imperial Japanese Navy
Preceded by	Sendai class
Succeeded by	Ōyodo class
Built	1940-1944
In commission	1942-1945
Completed	4
Lost	4
General characteristics
Type	Light cruiser
Displacement	6,652 t (6,547 long tons) (standard); 7,590 t (7,470 long tons) (loaded)
Length	174 m (571 ft)
Beam	15.2 m (50 ft)
Draught	5.6 m (18 ft)
Propulsion	4 shaft Gihon geared turbines; 6 Kampon boilers; 100,000 shp (75,000 kW);
Speed	35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)
Range	8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h)
Complement	730
Armament	Agano and Noshiro as built:; 6 × 152 mm Type 41 guns (3 × 2); 4 × 80 mm Type 98 DP guns (2 × 2); 6 × 25 mm AA guns (2 × 3); 4 × 13.2 mm (0.52 in) Type 93 AA machine guns (2 × 2); 8 × 610 mm torpedo tubes (2 × 4) ; 16 Type 95 or Type 2 depth charges; 3 Type 88 mines;
Armour	Machinery belt: 60 mm (2.4 in); Magazine belt: 55 mm (2.2 in); Armoured deck: 20 mm (0.8 in); Forward armoured bulkheads: 25 mm (1.0 in) to 20 mm (0.8 in); Rear armoured bulkheads: 20 mm (0.8 in);
Aircraft carried	2 × floatplanes
Aviation facilities	1 aircraft catapult

The four Agano-class cruisers (阿賀野型軽巡洋艦, Agano-gata keijun'yōkan) were light cruisers operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. All were named after Japanese rivers. Larger than previous Japanese light cruisers, the Agano-class vessels were fast, but with little protection, and were under-gunned for their size (albeit with a powerful offensive torpedo armament, able to launch up to eight Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedoes in a salvo). They participated in numerous actions throughout World War II.

The Agano class was followed by the larger Ōyodo-class cruiser, of which only a single vessel was completed.