The mystery about lost ship "Unebi" - What was happen on her?

Unebi at doc in Le Havre, building by  Forges et Chantiers de la Gironde

In 9th December 1886, Japanese newspaper Choya-Shimbun report about Japanese shipbuilding plan. The newspaper said that Japan had ordered 2 cruisers, first one "Takachiho" was building by Armstrong Mitchell in Britain, and second one "Unebi" was built finish in France few days ago. And this article alerted a weak point and defect in Unebi because of abandonment plan about implementing double bottom.

Unebi at Le Havre

After a week, the prophecy came true. Then, Unebi and crew, including 79 French and few Japanese officers charged with bringing out this ship, lost contact in South China Sea without delivering to Imperial Japanese Navy at Yokohama. Nobody knows where the new high speed cruiser went after stop at Singapore.

Japanese official gazette in 2nd March 1887 mentioned Unebi lost contact 

What was happen on her? Meiji new government, which took over building westernized navy from Shogunate, got flurried. In 23rd December 1886, after a week from ETA at Yokohama, Ministry of the Navy commanded Admiral Sukeyuki Ito and his fleet to search the lost ship. The search fleet backward and forward from Japan mainland to Hachijo island, but there were no trace any wreck, repaired ship, and intact cruiser. In 2nd March 1887, Japanese officials wrote explanation at official gazette. And that October, they confirmed sink of Unebi.

An opinion paper in 1891 said "Sir Saigo Senior Third Rank is still alive"

Why was she lost?  The most dominant opinion is defect of construction like Choya-Shimbun alerted, for example, top heavy as tradition of French ship and over loading guns by Japanese Navy. But some people in this age believed another one that General Takamori Saigo, who is one of popular activists at Meiji restoration and insurrectionist of Satsuma rebellion in 1877, is still alive and hijacked this cruiser. But until today, nobody see Unebi, Saigo on board.

IJN "Chiyoda", she was built for replacement of Unebi by J&G Thomson in Britain.

Anyway, Japanese Navy shifted those ships made in Britain, for example, IJN Chiyoda, after Unebi lost.