I am building Atago 1944 late from Aoshima kit 1/350 w/many PE for Takao + resin
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=216604And now I am drawing/modifying new plans of Takao, Atago and Chokai, using late plans of Janusz Skulski from Kagero 3D Takao 1945 and many photos from Japanese books Maru/Gakken and others.
So I know the answers for many questions.
Degaussing cable was removed from all IJN heavy cruisers at spring or summer 1944 (last modification at the end of June 1944 and beginning of July 1944)
For example - degaussing cable was removed from Maya at modernization before April 1944. Because, at photo taken 15 May 1944 when Maya arrived at Tawitawi, Maya didn't have degaussing cable.
If we will look at R/V Petrel photos - we will not find cable.
Now we can look at photos of Mogami, Chokai, Maya at the sea bottom - and they all don't have degaussing cable from October 1944
We can look at photos of Aoba, Tone, Myoko, Takao and uncompleted Ibuki in Late 1945-1946 - they didn't have degaussing cable too.
I have some photos of Atago and Chokai from May 1944 at Lingga and Takao in March 1944 at Palau, but shadows on board on a sunny day or the size and quality of photos doesn't allow me to see the cable or its absence on board. Only at one photo of Maya in Tawitawi I don't see the shadow from degaussing cable on board
Only Ashigara, Chikuma and Atago weren't discover at sea bottom. Haguro was discovered many years ago (The ship was heavily overgrown with algae and shells. Therefore, all the small details on it are extremely difficult to consider) and Nachi was raised from bottom of Manila Bay in 1960s.