The Ise @-@ class battleships ( 伊勢型戦艦 , Ise @-@ gata senkan ) were a pair of dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Japanese Navy ( IJN ) during World War I. Originally intended to be repeats of the preceding Fusō class , they were redesigned before construction began . Both ships carried supplies for the survivors of the Great Kantō earthquake in 1923 . They were modernized in 1934 – 37 with improvements to their armour and machinery and a rebuilt superstructure in the pagoda mast style . Afterwards they played a minor role in the Second Sino @-@ Japanese War .