Framed Black and White Photograph of H.I.J.M.S. Yahagi

The Yahagi was a Chikuma class cruiser that fought in the First World War under the Anglo-Japanese Alliance deployed against the German East Asia. The ship was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki and was commissioned on 27 July 1912. The Yahagi first joined the hunt for the 'Emden' in the Indian Ocean in 1914. Then Hirado and Yahagi with the battleship 'Satsuma' sailed as the Second South Sea Squadron to search the Philippines, Palau Islands and East Indies area, in the hunt for Admiral von Spee’s East Asiatic Squadron.
On 7 February 1917, the I.J.N. First Special Squadron formed with the cruisers Yahagi, Tsushima, Suma and Niitaka. The composite squadron was based at Singapore under Rear Admiral Kozaburo Oguri. By 26 March 1917, the British Admiralty asked to deploy them to Australia and New Zealand, in order to continue the protection of shipping against German raiders. Yahagi and Suma were also deployed in the Indian Ocean in close cooperation with the British China Squadron. Yahagi patrolled the eastern coasts of Australia and New Zealand until October 1917 and was the last ship deployed to defend Australia and New Zealand.
She only went back to Japan, on 21 October 1918. Its crew however was struck with influenza in December 1918 leading to a quarantine at Manila harbour. During her 46 days of immobilization, 300 of her crew were ill and 48 died.