Mark Stille, the twin and triple mounts "lacked sufficient speed in train or elevation; the gun sights were unable to handle fast targets; the gun exhibited excessive vibration; the magazine was too small, and, finally, the gun produced excessive muzzle blast". During the reconstruction the forward pair of 14-centimetre guns in the forecastle were removed and the maximum elevation of the remaining guns was increased to +30 degrees. Protection The Ise-class ships' waterline protective belt had a maximum thickness of of Vickers cemented armour amidships; below it was a strake of armour. The upper armoured deck consisted of two layers of high-tensile steel totaling thick and the lower armoured deck also consisted of two layers of high-tensile steel, but only thick in total. The turrets were protected with an armour thickness of on the face and 76 mm on the roof. The casemate armour was thick and that of the barbettes was 299 mm thick rather than the originally planned 305 mm. Fire control and sensors While the details of the ship's fire-control instruments are not fully available, Ise was fitted with a gunnery director after completion. In the late 1920s the fire-control systems were upgraded and additional platforms were added to the foremast to accommodate them. A pair of directors for the 12.7 cm AA guns were added in the early 1930s, one on each side of the forward superstructure. The fire-control systems were again upgraded in the mid-1930s and directors were added for the 2.5 cm AA guns. The ship had a rangefinder installed at the top of the pagoda mast at that time. Type 21 air-search radars were installed aboard the ship in mid-1942. Aircraft Ise was briefly fitted with an aircraft flying-off platform for a Mitsubishi 1MF3 fighter on Turret No. 2 in 1927. It was replaced by a platform on Turret No. 5 for a Yokosuka E1Y reconnaissance floatplane in 1928–1929. A catapult and a collapsible crane were fitted on the stern during the mid-1930s modernisation, and the ship was equipped to operate three floatplanes, although no hangar was provided. The initial Nakajima E4N2 biplanes were replaced by Nakajima E8N2 biplanes in 1938. Construction and career Ise, named after Ise Province, one of the traditional provinces of Japan, was laid down at the Kawasaki Heavy Industries shipyard in Kobe on 5 May 1915 and launched on 12 November 1916. Captain Akizawa Yoshima assumed command on