Japanese cruiser Abukuma

Following the production of the five Kuma-class cruisers, an additional three 5,500-ton class light cruisers authorized under the 8-4 Fleet Program were ordered by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1920. Due to minor changes in design, primarily due to advances in torpedo technology, these three vessels were initially designated as “modified Kuma-class”, or “5500-ton class Type II”, before being re-designated as a separate class named after the lead vessel, Nagara. A second set of three vessels was authorized in late 1920.^[2]

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Kuma-class cruiser

Kuma-class cruiser

The Kuma-class light cruisers were a class of five light cruisers built for and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The Kuma-class cruisers proved useful in combat operations ranging from the Aleutian Islands to the Indian Ocean throughout World War II.

Cruiser

Cruiser

A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles.

Eight-eight fleet

Eight-eight fleet

The Eight-Eight Fleet Program was a Japanese naval strategy formulated for the development of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the first quarter of the 20th century, which stipulated that the navy should include eight first-class battleships and eight armoured cruisers or battlecruisers.

Japanese cruiser Nagara

Japanese cruiser Nagara

Nagara (長良) was the lead ship of her class of light cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was named after the Nagara River in the Chūbu region of Japan.

The Nagara-class vessels were essentially identical to the previous Kuma-class cruisers, retaining the same hull design, engines and main weaponry, with the addition of the new 610 mm Type 93 Long Lance Torpedoes, which required a larger launcher.^[3] However, in silhouette, a major difference from the Kuma class was in the configuration of the bridge, which incorporated an aircraft hangar. Initially, a 33-foot platform was mounted above the No.2 turret, extending over the forward superstructure below the bridge. This was later replaced by an aircraft catapult. Even so, the arrangement proved unwieldy, and the catapult was moved to the rear of each ship in the class, between the No.5 and No.6 turrets during retrofits in 1929-1934. Abukuma and Kinu, were scheduled to receive the new Type 93 torpedoes in early 1941. However, shortages meant that only Abukuma was refitted quadruple mounts in place of the aft twin mounts between March and May 1941, and her forward twin mounts were removed. Abukuma carried sixteen Type 93 torpedoes, including eight reloads.^[2] Abukuma was also the first vessel in her class to receive radar (in 1943) .^[2]

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Nagara-class cruiser

Nagara-class cruiser

The six Nagara-class light cruisers were a class of six light cruisers built for and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Nagara-class cruisers proved useful in combat operations ranging from the Aleutian Islands to the Indian Ocean throughout World War II. Most served as flagships for destroyer or submarine squadrons, and were deployed for transport or local defense missions. Towards the end of the war, the surviving vessels were increasingly obsolete and were retained as second-line units.

Aircraft catapult

Aircraft catapult

An aircraft catapult is a device used to allow aircraft to take off from a very limited amount of space, such as the deck of a vessel, but can also be installed on land-based runways in rare cases. It is now most commonly used on aircraft carriers, as a form of assisted take off.

Japanese cruiser Kinu

Japanese cruiser Kinu

Kinu (鬼怒) was the fifth of the six ships completed Nagara-class light cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy, named after the Kinu River in Tochigi prefecture Japan. She was active in World War II in various campaigns in Malaya, the Dutch East Indies and New Guinea before being sunk by United States Navy carrier-based aircraft in the Philippines in 1944.

Type 93 torpedo

Type 93 torpedo

The Type 93 was a 610 mm (24 in)-diameter torpedo of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), launched from surface ships. It is commonly referred to as the Long Lance by most modern English-language naval historians, a nickname given to it after the war by Samuel Eliot Morison, the chief historian of the U.S. Navy, who spent much of the war in the Pacific Theater. In Japanese references, the term Sanso gyorai is also used, in reference to its propulsion system. It was the most advanced naval torpedo in the world at the time.

Early career

Abukuma was laid down on 8 December 1921, launched on 16 March 1923 and completed at the Uraga Dock Company on 26 May 1925, her commissioning having been delayed due to the Great Kantō earthquake. From November 1927 to December 1928, she was under the command of Captain Teijirō Toyoda.

On 20 October 1930, during large-scale fleet maneuvers, Abukuma rammed the cruiser Kitakami between her No.2 and No.3 funnels. The collision only lightly damaged Kitakami, but Abukuma lost her bow and had to be towed by the battleship Mutsu to Tateyama, Chiba, and from there she was returned to Yokosuka Naval Arsenal by tugboats. Repairs with a temporary bow were completed by 22 November 1930, but a permanent bow with a slightly different design was refitted at Kure Naval Arsenal from 1 April to 30 December 1931.^[4] From December 1931 to November 1932, she was under the command of Captain Seiichi Iwamura.

In 1932, Abukuma was assigned to the Japanese Third Fleet and assigned to patrols off the coast of northern China after the Manchurian Incident. As the situation with China continued to deteriorate, Abukuma was assigned to provide coverage for Japanese transports during the Battle of Shanghai, and remained on station patrolling the China coast and the Yangtze River through 1938. Her anti-aircraft weaponry was upgraded in 1933 and 1936, and her torpedo launchers in 1938. From November 1934 to November 1935, she was under the command of Captain Takeo Kurita.

Early stages of the Pacific War

Abukuma set sail from Hitokappu Bay on Etorofu in the Kurile Islands on 26 November 1941 with Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo's Carrier Striking Force. She served as the flagship of Rear Admiral Sentarō Ōmori's Destroyer Squadron 1 ("DesRon1"), consisting of the destroyers Shiranui, Arare, Kagerō, Kasumi, Tanikaze, Hamakaze, Isokaze, and Urakaze.^[4]

DesRon1 served as the anti-submarine escort for the six aircraft carriers (Akagi,Kaga, Sōryū, Hiryū, Shōkaku, Zuikaku), two battleships (Hiei and Kirishima) and two heavy cruisers (Tone and Chikuma) that carried the offensive power of the Carrier Striking Force.^[4] Nearly 360 aircraft were launched against Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, inflicting heavy damage: sinking four American battleships, damaging three others, destroying more than 100 aircraft. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Abukuma led DesRon1 with most of the Carrier Striking Force on the return to Japan, and received a hero's welcome on 23 December 1941.^[5]

Actions in the South Pacific

In January 1942, DesRon1 escorted the Japanese invasion fleet for the invasion of Rabaul, New Britain and Kavieng, New Ireland from its forward base at Truk in the Caroline Islands.

In early February, DesRon1 accompanied the Carrier Striking Force in an unsuccessful pursuit of Vice Admiral William F. Halsey Jr's Task Force 8, after the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise raided Kwajalein and Wotje in the Marshall Islands. Abukuma was then ordered to Palau, from which it accompanied the Carrier Striking Force on the attack on Port Darwin, Australia.

At the end of February and into April, DesRon1 escorted the Carrier Striking Force in attacks on Java in the Dutch East Indies, and Colombo and Trincomalee in Ceylon and against other targets in the Indian Ocean, including the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Hermes as part of the Indian Ocean raids. The fleet returned to Singapore on 11 April 1942.^[4]

Battle of the Aleutian Islands

In May, Abukuma and its destroyer squadron were reassigned to the Northern Force under Vice Admiral Boshirō Hosogaya, and escorted the light aircraft carriers Ryūjō and Jun'yō, supporting the invasion of Attu and Kiska in the Battle of the Aleutian Islands.

In June and July, DesRon1 returned to Japan to escort a convoy of reinforcements to the two freshly captured islands in the Aleutians. After uneventful patrolling in the Aleutian Islands and Kurile Islands, DesRon1 escorted three more reinforcement and supply convoys to the Aleutians in October, November and December.^[4]

Abukuma returned to Sasebo Naval Arsenal for refit on 12 December 1942, during which time two triple-mount Type 96 25 mm AA guns were installed, and the No. 5 14 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval gun and the quad 13.2 mm machine gun mount in front of the bridge were replaced by a twin 13.2 mm machine gun mount. After refit, Abukuma returned to northern waters to continue reinforcement operations to Attu and Kiska in January, February and March 1943.^[4]

Abukuma participated in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands on 26 March 1943, during which time she fired 95 rounds from her 140mm guns and four torpedoes.^[2] Abukuma was undamaged during the battle, but the heavy cruiser Nachi was badly damaged and the Japanese Fifth Fleet was forced to abort its supply mission to the Aleutians. The fleet commander, Vice Admiral Hosogaya, disgraced because he had been forced to withdraw by the weaker American fleet, was forced to retire.

From April through May 1943, Abukuma underwent refit at the Maizuru Naval Arsenal, during which time a Type 21 air-search radar was installed, and it was thus not present during "Operation Landcrab", during which American forces recaptured Attu.

In July, Abukuma and DesRon1 provided support for the evacuation of Kiska. On 26 July 1943, the kaibokan Kunashiri collided with Abukuma, hitting her starboard quarter, but causing little damage. On 12 September 1943, while cruising off Paramushiro, Abukuma suffered slight damage by near misses by bombs from USAAF B-24 Liberator and B-25 Mitchell aircraft.^[4]

In dry dock once again at Yokosuka from October through November 1943, Abukuma's No. 7 gun mount was removed, and a twin mount of 40 caliber Type 89 127 mm HA guns (unshielded) was fitted, as was a triple-mount Type 96 25 mm AA gun and four single-mount 25 mm AA guns. After refit, Abukuma returned to northern waters in December for antisubmarine patrol off Hokkaidō and the Kurile Islands to June.^[4]

On 21 June 1944, during yet another refit at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, a Type 22 surface-search radar was fitted, together with ten more single-mount Type 96 25 mm AA guns. Five single-mount Type 93 13.2 mm machine guns were also added. Work was completed by 13 July 1944, after which Abukuma had a total of thirty 25-mm and ten 13-mm AA guns.^[4]

Battle of Surigao Strait

Abukuma remained in Japanese home waters through the middle of October 1944, when she was reassigned to sortie with its seven destroyers against the U.S. fleet off Taiwan in October 1944. However, she was re-directed from Mako in the Pescadores to Manila to support Vice Admiral Shoji Nishimura against the U.S. Navy in the Philippines. Abukuma was joined by the heavy cruisers Nachi, Ashigara and seven destroyers in a flotilla commanded by Vice Admiral Kiyohide Shima. During 15–22 October, this flotilla was spotted by six different American submarines, but only one was able to maneuver close enough to fire torpedoes: USS Seadragon. The flotilla was cruising at 19 knots (35 km/h) and zigzagging through the Luzon Strait on 22 October. Seadragon fired four torpedoes through her stern tubes, but all missed. All six submarines reported the flotilla's course, position and speed to American fleet units approaching the area.

Abukuma met her fate at the Battle of Surigao Strait, part of the overall campaign of four naval battles collectively referred to as the Battle of Leyte Gulf. In the pre-dawn hours of 25 October 1944, as Shima's force entered the strait, the flotilla was attacked by a squadron of American PT boats. Lieutenant (jg) Mike Kovar's PT-137 fired a torpedo at a destroyer, but it ran deep and passed beneath the target to strike Abukuma at 0325 near the No. 1 boiler room, killing 37 crewmen.

Abukuma was disabled and fell behind the rest of the flotilla, but after emergency repairs, was able to get under way and by 0445, she was making 20 knots (37 km/h). By 0535, Abukuma had caught up to the rest of the flotilla. However, she was down at the bow and shipping at least 500 tons of seawater; at 0830 she was ordered to Dapitan for repairs, escorted by the destroyer Ushio.

On 26 October, Abukuma and Ushio departed Dapitan for Coron, Palawan but was spotted and attacked repeatedly by B-24 Liberator bombers of the 5th Group, 13th Air Force armed with 500 lb (227 kg) bombs. At 1006 she took a direct hit near the No. 3 14 cm Gun Mount; at 1020 two more hits by B-24 bombers of the 33rd Squadron 22nd Group, 5th Air Force were scored further aft that started fires. The fire spread to the engine rooms and aft torpedo rooms. Power was lost and the ship's speed decreased. At 1037, four Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedoes in the aft torpedo room exploded with devastating effect. The crew abandoned ship between 1200 and 1230 off Negros Island. At 1242, she sank by the stern at 09°20′N 122°32′E / 9.333°N 122.533°E / 9.333; 122.533Coordinates: 09°20′N 122°32′E / 9.333°N 122.533°E / 9.333; 122.533 with 250 of her crew. Ushio rescued her captain and 283 crewmen.

Abukuma was removed from the Navy List on 20 December 1944.^[2]

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Keel laying

Keel laying

Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.

Uraga Dock Company

Uraga Dock Company

Uraga Dock Company was a major privately owned shipyard in Uraga, Japan, which built numerous warships for the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Ship commissioning

Ship commissioning

Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship in active duty with its country's military forces. The ceremonies involved are often rooted in centuries-old naval tradition.

1923 Great Kantō earthquake

1923 Great Kantō earthquake

The Great Kantō earthquake struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshū at 11:58:44 JST on Saturday, September 1, 1923. Varied accounts indicate the duration of the earthquake was between four and ten minutes. Extensive firestorms and even a fire whirl added to the death toll. The Kantō Massacre began on the day of the earthquake.

Teijirō Toyoda

Teijirō Toyoda

Teijirō Toyoda was a career naval officer who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1941 and as admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.

Japanese cruiser Kitakami

Japanese cruiser Kitakami

Kitakami (北上) was a Kuma-class cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy, named after the Kitakami River in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.

Battleship

Battleship

A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Japanese battleship Mutsu

Japanese battleship Mutsu

Mutsu (陸奥) was the second and last Nagato-class dreadnought battleship built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) at the end of World War I. It was named after the province. In 1923 she carried supplies for the survivors of the Great Kantō earthquake. The ship was modernized in 1934–1936 with improvements to her armour and machinery, and a rebuilt superstructure in the pagoda mast style.

Tateyama, Chiba

Tateyama, Chiba

Tateyama is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 November 2020, the city had an estimated population of 44,865 in 20,558 households and a population density of 410 persons per km2. The total area of the city is 110.05 square kilometres (42.49 sq mi).

Kure Naval Arsenal

Kure Naval Arsenal

Kure Naval Arsenal was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Battle of Shanghai

Battle of Shanghai

The Battle of Shanghai was the first of the twenty-two major engagements fought between the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Republic of China (ROC) and the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) of the Empire of Japan at the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War. It lasted from August 13, 1937, to November 26, 1937, and was one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the entire war, later described as "Stalingrad on the Yangtze", and is often regarded as the battle where World War II started. After over three months of extensive fighting on land, in the air and at sea, the battle concluded with a victory for Japan.

Takeo Kurita

Takeo Kurita

Takeo Kurita was a vice admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. Kurita commanded IJN 2nd Fleet, the main Japanese attack force during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history.