 Yahagi off ofSasebo, Nagasaki in December 1943 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Yahagi |
| Namesake | Yahagi River |
| Ordered | 1939 Fiscal Year |
| Builder | Sasebo Naval Arsenal |
| Laid down | 11 November 1941 |
| Launched | 25 October 1942 |
| Commissioned | 29 December 1943[1] |
| Stricken | 20 June 1945 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Agano-classcruiser |
| Displacement | 6,652 t (6,547long tons) (standard); 7,590 t (7,470long tons) (loaded) |
| Length | 174.5 m (573 ft) |
| Beam | 15.2 m (50 ft) |
| Draught | 5.63 m (18.5 ft) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 35 knots (65 km/h) |
| Range | 6,300 nautical miles (11,670 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h) |
| Complement | 736 |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | |
| Aircraft carried | 2 xfloatplanes |
| Aviation facilities | 1 aircraftcatapult |
Yahagi (矢矧) was anAgano-classcruiser which served with theImperial Japanese Navy (IJN) duringWorld War II.[2]
Yahagi was the third of four vessels completed in theAgano class oflight cruisers, which were intended to replace increasingly obsolete light cruisers in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Funding was authorized in the4th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme of 1939, although construction was delayed due to lack of capacity in Japanese shipyards. Like other vessels of her class,Yahagi was intended for use as the flagship of adestroyer flotilla.[3]
The design for theAgano class was based on technologies developed by the experimental cruiserYūbari, resulting in a graceful and uncluttered deck line and single smokestack.[3]
Yahagi was armed with six152 mm Type 41 guns in threegun turrets.[3] Secondary armament included four8cm/60 Type 98 naval guns designed specifically for the class, in two twin turrets amidships. Anti-aircraft weapons included two triple25 mm AA guns in front of the bridge, and two twin13 mm mounts near the mast.[3]Yahagi also had two quadruple torpedo launchers forType 93 torpedoes located below the flight deck, with eight reserve torpedoes.[3] The torpedo tubes were mounted on the centerline, as was more common with destroyers, and had a rapid reload system. Being mounted on the centerline allowed the twin launchers to fire to either port or starboard, meaning that a full eight-torpedo broadside could be fired, whereas a ship with separate port and starboard launchers can only fire half of its torpedoes at a time. Twodepth charge rails and 18 depth charges were also installed aft.Yahagi was also equipped with twoAichi E13A aircraft and had a flight deck with a 26-foot catapult.[3]
The engines were a quadruple-shaft geared turbine arrangement with six boilers in five boiler rooms, developing 100,000 shp (75,000 kW) for a maximum speed of 35 knots (65 km/h).
Built atSasebo Naval Arsenal,Yahagi waslaid down on 11 November 1941,launched on 25 October 1942 and completed on 29 December 1943.[4] On completion, she was assigned as flagship of Destroyer Squadron 10 of theIJN 3rd Fleet. In February 1944 she was dispatched toSingapore for training and for patrols of theLingga Islands.
In May,Yahagi departed Singapore forTawi Tawi with theaircraft carriersTaihō,Zuikaku andShōkaku and cruisersMyōkō andHaguro as part of AdmiralJisaburo Ozawa's "First Carrier Striking Force" to oppose the AmericanFifth Fleet in a "decisive battle" offSaipan.Yahagi was command ship for DesDiv 10'sAsagumo, DesDiv 17'sUrakaze,Isokaze andTanikaze, and DesDiv 61'sWakatsuki,Hatsuzuki,Akizuki andShimotsuki, screening the aircraft carriers.[5]
TheBattle of the Philippine Sea began on 19 June 1944. The "First Carrier Striking Force" attackedUSNTask Force 58, but suffered overwhelming aircraft losses in what was later nicknamed the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot".Yahagi escaped the battle unharmed, and together withUrakaze rescued 570 crewmen from the carrierShōkaku after it was torpedoed byUSS Cavalla (SS-244).[5]
Afterdry dock and refitting atKure Naval Arsenal from late June to early July 1944,Yahagi was fitted with two additional triple-mountType 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun mounts amidships (bringing its total to 48 barrels) and a Type 13 air-search and a Type 22 surface-searchradar set. On 8 July 1944,Yahagi departed Kure with troops, and numerous battleships, cruisers and destroyers and returned to Singapore via Manila.[5]
On 22 October 1944,Yahagi was in theBattle of Leyte Gulf in the Second Section of Force "A" of Vice AdmiralTakeo Kurita's First Mobile Striking Force: (Center Force), commanding DesRon 10's DesDiv 2'sKiyoshimo, DesDiv 4'sNowaki and DesDiv 17'sUrakaze,Yukikaze,Hamakaze andIsokaze. She was accompanied by battleshipsKongō andHaruna and cruisersTone,Chikuma,Kumano andSuzuya. During theBattle of the Sibuyan Sea on 24 October 1944, the fleet endured 11 raids by over 250Task Force 38 carrier aircraft from theUSS Enterprise,Essex,Intrepid,Franklin,Lexington andCabot. Although the battleshipMusashi was sunk andYamato andNagato were hit,Yahagi was unscathed.[5]
Likewise in theBattle off Samar on 25 October 1944,Yahagi fought her way through the battle without damage. On 26 October 1944, Force A was attacked by 80 carrier aircraft offPanay, followed by 30USAAFB-24 Liberator heavy bombers and an additional 60 carrier-based aircraft. Throughout these attacksYahagi was not hit and returned toBrunei safely.[5]
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On 16 November 1944, DesRon 10 was deactivated andYahagi was assigned as the flagship of Rear AdmiralKeizō Komura's new DesRon 2.Yahagi was ordered back to Japan on the same day for refit, returning safely to Sasebo on 24 November. She remained in Japanese home waters until March 1945.[5]
On 6 April 1945,Yahagi received orders for "Operation Ten-Go", to attack the American invasion force offOkinawa.Yahagi was ordered to accompanyYamato on its final suicide mission against the American fleet. The operation also included the destroyersIsokaze,Hamakaze,Yukikaze,Kasumi,Hatsushimo,Asashimo,Fuyutsuki andSuzutsuki.[5]
At 1220 on 7 April 1945 theYamato force was attacked by waves of 386 aircraft (180 fighters, 75 bombers, 131 torpedo planes) from Task Force 58.
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At 12:46, during the first wave, a torpedo hitYahagi directly in her engine room, killing the entire engineering room crew and bringing her to a complete stop. Dead in the water,Yahagi was hit by at least six more torpedoes and 12 bombs by succeeding waves of air attacks.Isokaze attempted to come toYahagi's aid but was attacked, heavily damaged, and sank sometime later.Yahagi capsized towards her starboard side, and sank at 14:05 at30°47′N128°08′E / 30.783°N 128.133°E /30.783; 128.133 taking 445 crewmen with her. Rear Admiral Komura and CaptainTameichi Hara were among the survivors rescued byHatsushimo andYukikaze. Her survivors could seeYamato in the distance, still steaming south as U.S. aircraft continued their attacks. However, in reality,Yamato was only minutes away from sinking.[7]Yahagi was removed from thenavy list on 20 June 1945.[4]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) — First-hand account of the battle by the captain of the Japanese cruiserYahagi.
