assigned to the 12th Squadron of the 3rd Support Fleet from 1 February 1940. Despite her antiquated age, she was briefly re-classified as a 1st-class cruiser on 1 July 1942 before she was reclassified as a training ship in 1943. On 19 March 1945, Iwate was attacked by American carrier aircraft, killing one crewman, although they failed to inflict any significant damage. Shortly afterwards, her 8-inch guns were replaced by four Type 89 dual-purpose guns in two twin mounts and four of her remaining 6-inch guns were removed. Her light anti-aircraft armament was significantly reinforced by the addition of nine license-built Hotchkiss 25-millimeter Type 96 light AA guns in one triple, two twin, and two single-gun mounts and two 13.2-millimeter Hotchkiss machine guns in single mounts. The ship was bombed during the American aerial attack on Kure on 24 July 1945. While not hit by any bombs, the three near misses sprang the ship's seams and the resulting flooding caused her to sink in shallow water at coordinates the following day. She was removed from the navy list on 30 November and her hulk was raised and scrapped in 1946–47 by the Harima Dock Company. Notes Footnotes References External links Izumo-class cruisers Ships built on the River Tyne 1900 ships Russo-Japanese War cruisers of Japan World War I cruisers of Japan Second Sino-Japanese War cruisers of Japan World War II cruisers of Japan Cruisers sunk by aircraft Shipwrecks in the Inland Sea World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean Maritime incidents in July 1945 Ships sunk by US aircraft Ships built by Armstrong Whitworth