Japanese cruiser Takao (1888)

Takao was laid down on 30 October 1886, launched on 15 October 1888 and completed on 16 November 1889. Takao's first captain was Commander Yamamoto Gonnohyōe.

Takao was active in the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895, protecting troop transports to Korea, and covering the landing of Japanese forces at Port Arthur. It was subsequently involved in patrols of the Yellow Sea and was present at the Battle of Weihaiwei.^[3]

In 1900, Takao's rigging was removed, and weaponry modernized.^[4] Takao was assigned to assist in escorting transports supporting Japanese naval landing forces which occupied the port city of Tianjin in northern China during the Boxer Rebellion, as part of the Japanese contribution to the Eight-Nation Alliance, and subsequently patrolled the coasts off Amoy and Shanghai.

Considered obsolete by the time of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, Takao was assigned to rear guard patrols of Chemulpo harbor and Tsushima Strait, but was present with the rest of the Japanese fleet at the final decisive Battle of Tsushima.

The advent of wireless communication made the use of dispatch vessels obsolete, and Takao was removed from the navy list on 1 April 1911 ^[2] and was demilitarized and sold on 27 March 1912. The ship was used as a survey vessel until being broken up in 1918.

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