In 1908 , Asahi was part of the Japanese fleet that escorted the American Great White Fleet through Japanese waters during its round @-@ the @-@ globe voyage . The ship was assigned to the 1st Fleet in 1908 and 1910 – 11 . Asahi became a gunnery training ship in 1914 , and was re @-@ armed in 1917 with Japanese guns replacing her original British @-@ made guns . The same year , she was assigned to the 5th Division of the 3rd Fleet . In 1918 , Asahi became flagship of her division and participated in the Japanese intervention in the Russian Civil War . She escorted troop convoys to the Russian Far East and was guard ship at Kamchatka from January to August 1918 . Asahi was reclassified as a first @-@ class coastal defence ship on 1 September 1921 , and began disarmament in 1922 at Yokosuka in compliance with the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty . She was reclassified as a training and submarine depot ship on 1 April 1923 and her disarmament was completed in July of that same year . Her displacement dropped to 11 @,@ 441 long tons ( 11 @,@ 625 t ) with the loss of her armour and guns , and her speed was limited to 12 knots ( 22 km / h ; 14 mph ) .