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| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Abukuma |
| Ordered | 1920 Fiscal Year (1918 “8-6 Fleet” Plan) |
| Builder | Uraga Dock Company |
| Laid down | 8 December 1921 |
| Launched | 16 March 1923 |
| Commissioned | 26 May 1925[1] |
| Stricken | 20 December 1944 |
| Fate | Sunk 26 October 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Nagara-classcruiser |
| Displacement | 5,570long tons (5,659 t) normal |
| Length | |
| Beam | 14.2 m (46 ft 7 in) |
| Draft | 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 36knots (41 mph; 67 km/h) |
| Range | 6,000 nmi (11,000 km) at 14 kn (26 km/h) |
| Complement | 450 |
| Sensors & processing systems | Type 21 air-search radar |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | |
| Aircraft carried | 1 xfloatplane |
| Aviation facilities | 1x aircraftcatapult |
Abukuma (阿武隈) was the sixth and last of theNagara class oflight cruisers completed for theImperial Japanese Navy (IJN), and like other vessels of her class, she was intended for use as theflagship of adestroyer flotilla. She was named after theAbukuma River in theTōhoku region of Japan. She saw action duringWorld War II in theAttack on Pearl Harbor and in the Pacific, before being disabled in theBattle of Surigao Strait in October 1944, then bombed and sunk by theUnited States Army Air Forces (USAAF) off the coast of thePhilippines.
Following the production of the fiveKuma-classcruisers, an additional three 5,500-ton class light cruisers authorized under the8-4 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]
TheNagara-class vessels were essentially identical to the previousKuma-class cruisers, retaining the same hull design, engines and main weaponry, with the addition of the new 610 mmType 93 Long Lance Torpedoes, which required a larger launcher.[3] However, in silhouette, a major difference from theKuma class was in the configuration of thebridge, 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 anaircraft 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 andKinu, were scheduled to receive the newType 93 torpedoes in early 1941. However, shortages meant that onlyAbukuma 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]
Abukuma waslaid down on 8 December 1921,launched on 16 March 1923 and completed at theUraga Dock Company on 26 May 1925, hercommissioning having been delayed due to theGreat Kantō earthquake. From November 1927 to December 1928, she was under the command of CaptainTeijirō Toyoda.
On 20 October 1930, during large-scale fleet maneuvers,Abukuma rammed the cruiserKitakami between her No.2 and No.3 funnels. The collision only lightly damagedKitakami, butAbukuma lost herbow and had to be towed by thebattleshipMutsu toTateyama, Chiba, and from there she was returned toYokosuka 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 atKure Naval Arsenal from 1 April to 30 December 1931.[4] From December 1931 to November 1932, she was under the command of CaptainSeiichi Iwamura [jp].
In 1932,Abukuma was assigned to theJapanese Third Fleet and assigned to patrols off the coast of northern China after theManchurian Incident. As the situation with China continued to deteriorate,Abukuma was assigned to provide coverage for Japanese transports during theBattle of Shanghai, and remained on station patrolling the China coast and theYangtze 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 CaptainTakeo Kurita.
Abukuma set sail from Hitokappu Bay onEtorofu in theKurile Islands on 26 November 1941 withVice AdmiralChuichi Nagumo's Carrier Striking Force. She served as the flagship ofRear AdmiralSentarō Ōmori's Destroyer Squadron 1 ("DesRon1"), consisting of the destroyersShiranui,Arare,Kagerō,Kasumi,Tanikaze,Hamakaze,Isokaze, andUrakaze.[4]
DesRon1 served as theanti-submarine escort for the sixaircraft carriers (Akagi,Kaga,Sōryū,Hiryū,Shōkaku,Zuikaku), two battleships (Hiei andKirishima) and twoheavy cruisers (Tone andChikuma) that carried the offensive power of the Carrier Striking Force.[4] Nearly 360 aircraft were launched againstPearl 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]
In January 1942, DesRon1 escorted the Japanese invasion fleet for the invasion ofRabaul,New Britain andKavieng,New Ireland from its forward base atTruk in theCaroline Islands.
In early February, DesRon1 accompanied the Carrier Striking Force in an unsuccessful pursuit of Vice AdmiralWilliam F. Halsey Jr's Task Force 8, after the aircraft carrierUSS Enterprise raidedKwajalein andWotje in theMarshall Islands.Abukuma was then ordered toPalau, from which it accompanied the Carrier Striking Force on theattack on Port Darwin, Australia.
At the end of February and into April, DesRon1 escorted the Carrier Striking Force in attacks onJava in theDutch East Indies, andColombo andTrincomalee inCeylon and against other targets in theIndian Ocean, including theRoyal Navy aircraft carrierHMS Hermes as part of theIndian Ocean raids. The fleet returned toSingapore on 11 April 1942.[4]
In May,Abukuma and its destroyer squadron were reassigned to the Northern Force under Vice AdmiralBoshirō Hosogaya, and escorted the light aircraft carriersRyūjō andJun'yō, supporting the invasion ofAttu andKiska in theBattle 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 theAleutian Islands andKurile Islands, DesRon1 escorted three more reinforcement and supply convoys to the Aleutians in October, November and December.[4]
Abukuma returned toSasebo Naval Arsenal for refit on 12 December 1942, during which time two triple-mountType 96 25 mm AA guns were installed, and the No. 514 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 theBattle 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 cruiserNachi 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 theMaizuru Naval Arsenal, during which time a Type 21 air-searchradar 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, thekaibokanKunashiri collided withAbukuma, hitting her starboard quarter, but causing little damage. On 12 September 1943, while cruising offParamushiro,Abukuma suffered slight damage by near misses by bombs from USAAFB-24 Liberator andB-25 Mitchell aircraft.[4]
Indry 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 offHokkaidō and the Kurile Islands to June.[4]
On 21 June 1944, during yet another refit atYokosuka Naval Arsenal, a Type 22 surface-search radar was fitted, together with ten more single-mount Type 96 25 mm AA guns. Five single-mountType 93 13.2 mm machine guns were also added. Work was completed by 13 July 1944, after whichAbukuma had a total of thirty 25-mm and ten 13-mm AA guns.[4]
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 offTaiwan in October 1944. However, she was re-directed fromMako in thePescadores toManila to support Vice AdmiralShoji Nishimura against the U.S. Navy in the Philippines.Abukuma was joined by the heavy cruisersNachi,Ashigara and seven destroyers in a flotilla commanded by Vice AdmiralKiyohide Shima. During 15–22 October, thisflotilla was spotted by six different Americansubmarines, 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 theLuzon 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 theBattle of Surigao Strait, part of the overall campaign of four naval battles collectively referred to as theBattle 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 AmericanPT boats. Lieutenant (jg) Mike Kovar'sPT-137 fired a torpedo at a destroyer, but it ran deep and passed beneath the target to strikeAbukuma at 0325 near the No. 1boiler 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 toDapitan for repairs, escorted by the destroyerUshio.
On 26 October,Abukuma andUshio departed Dapitan forCoron, 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-centimetre (5.5 in)gun mount; at 1020 two more hits by B-24 bombers of the33rd 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, fourType 93 "Long Lance" torpedoes in the aft torpedo room exploded with devastating effect. The crew abandoned ship between 1200 and 1230 offNegros Island. At 1242, she sank by the stern at09°20′N122°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 theNavy List on 20 December 1944.[2]
