Japanese Cruiser Ashigara
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

was the final vessel of the four-member of
heavy cruiser A heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in calibre, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval Treat ...
s of the
Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...
, which were active in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The other ships of the class were , , and .Nishida, '' Ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy'' ''Ashigara'' was named after
Mount Ashigara Mount Ashigara (足柄山), also known as Mount Kintoki (金時山), is the northernmost peak of the Mount Hakone, Hakone caldera, on the border of Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa and Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka prefectures, in the Fuji-Hakone-I ...
on the border of
Kanagawa is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...
and
Shizuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,555,818 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Pref ...
s.


Background

''Ashigara'' was approved under the 1922 Fleet Modernization Program as one of the first heavy cruisers to be built by Japan within the design constraints imposed by the
Washington Naval Treaty The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was signed during 1922 among the major Allies of World War I, Allies of World War I, which agreed to prevent an arms race by limiting Navy, naval construction. It was negotiated at ...
, and was one of the first of the "10,000 ton" cruisers built by any nation.Chesneau, '' All the World’s Fighting Ships'', p. 118.
Naval architect This is the top category for all articles related to architecture and its practitioners. {{Commons category, Architecture by occupation Design occupations Occupations Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's rol ...
Vice admiral Yuzuru Hiraga was able to keep the design from becoming dangerously top-heavy in its early years by continually rejecting demands from the
Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff The was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). In charge of planning and operations, it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo. History Created in 1893, the Navy General Staff took over operational (as opposed to a ...
for additional equipment to the upper decks. However, during modifications and rebuildings in the 1930s, the final displacement rose to 15,933 tons, well over the treaty limits.Patton, ''Japanese Heavy Cruisers of World War Two'', pp. 20-36


Design

The ''Myōkō'' class displaced , with a hull design based on an enlarged version of the . ''Ashigara'' was long, with a beam of , draft of and were capable of . Propulsion was by 12
Kampon The was the externally operating division of the Ministry of the Navy of Japan responsible for the administration of naval vessel construction. From 1923 onward, it took on the role of a research institution for the research and development of n ...
boilers driving four sets of single-impulse geared turbine engines, with four shafts turning three-bladed propellers. The ship was armored with a 102 mm side belt, and 35 mm armored deck; however, the bridge was not armored. ''Ashigara''’s main battery was ten 20 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval guns, the heaviest armament of any heavy cruiser in the world at the time, mounted in five twin turrets. Her secondary armament included eight 12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval guns in four twin mounts on each side, and 12 Type 93 Long Lance torpedoes in four triple launchers positioned below the aircraft deck. ''Ashigara'' was also equipped with an aircraft
catapult A catapult is a ballistics, ballistic device used to launch a projectile at a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden rel ...
and carried up to three
floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...
s for scouting purposes. ''Ashigara'' was laid down at the Kawasaki Shipyards in
Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...
on 11 April 1925, launched and named on 22 April 1928, and was commissioned into the Imperial Japanese Navy on 20 August 1929. ''Ashigara'' was repeatedly modernized and upgraded throughout her career in order to counter the growing threat of air strikes.


Operational history


Early service

All of the ''Myōkō''-class cruisers were assigned to the
Sasebo Naval District was the third of five main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the western and southern coastline of Kyūshū, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan and Korea, as well as patrols in the East China Sea and t ...
, forming ''
Sentai In Japanese language, Japanese, is a military unit and may be literally translated as "wikt:squadron, squadron", "task force", "Division (naval), division (of ships)", "group (air force unit), group" or "wing (air force unit), wing". The ter ...
''-4 of the
IJN 3rd Fleet The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), which was created, and subsequently disbanded on six separate occasions and revived on five separate occasions. History Russo-Japanese War First established on 28 December 1903, the 3rd Flee ...
, and trained as a unit during the 1930s. ''Ashigara'' was
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...
of the unit under Vice Admiral Nobutarō Iida from 30 November 1929. During a
naval review A Naval Review is an event where select vessels and assets of the United States Navy are paraded to be reviewed by the President of the United States or the Secretary of the Navy. Due to the geographic distance separating the modern U.S. Na ...
off Kobe on 26 October 1930 stack gases caused problems on the bridge, resulting in a lengthening of the forward smokestack by two meters. During the First Shanghai Incident of February 1932, the cruisers escorted the transports conveying elements of the
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
to the continent. In December 1932, the cruisers were placed in reserve as the new was commissioned, becoming the new ''Sentai''-4, whereas the ''Myōkō'' class was shifted to ''Sentai''-5. Between 1933 and 1935, all ''Myōkō''-class cruisers were retrofitted with their fixed triple torpedo launchers replaced by two quadruple rotatable launchers, and their secondary guns upgraded from 12 cm/45 10th Year Type naval guns to 12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval gun. During 1935 summer training off of
Muroran, Hokkaido is a city and port located in Iburi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Iburi Subprefecture. As of January 31, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 76,385, with 43,494 households and a population density of . The ...
, a flashback during a gunnery exercise destroyed her No.2 turret, killing 41 crewmen. Repairs were completed by December. On 10 March 1937, ''Ashigara'' was assigned detached duty for a diplomatic mission to Europe for the coronation of
King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...
. She departed
Yokosuka, Kanagawa is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 373,797, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th-most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city is ...
on 3 April, and called on
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
,
Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...
, the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...
and
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
on her way to
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
, arriving 10 May. Following the 20 May naval review, ''Ashigara'' called on
Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and the majority of the crew was allowed to visit
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, where the senior staff was received by
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
on 24 May. On 31 May, ''Ashigara'' participated in the German Kriegsmarine Day naval review, celebrating the German
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
"victory" at the
Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland () was a naval battle between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet, under Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer, durin ...
. She then returned to Japan via
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
,
Port Said Port Said ( , , ) is a port city that lies in the northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, straddling the west bank of the northern mouth of the Suez Canal. The city is the capital city, capital of the Port S ...
(
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
), and
Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
(
Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
). During the
Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...
''Ashigara'' was designated flagship of ''Sentai''-5 on 5 July 1937. She led the convoy with the
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
Expeditionary Army Headquarters to China on 21 August.


SS ''President Hoover''

In the early hours of 11 December 1937 the
ocean liner An ocean liner is a type of passenger ship primarily used for transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). The ...
en route from Kobe to Manila ran aground in a
typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...
on Kasho-to off
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, and 14 hours later ''Ashigara'' and a arrived to assist. The two warships stood by as ''Hoover''s 330 crew got all 503 passengers and themselves ashore. On 12 December the s and arrived and ''Ashigara'' cleared them to enter Japanese territorial waters. On 13 December the liner SS ''President McKinley'' arrived to repatriate about 630 survivors, and on 14 December, ''Ashigara'' and her destroyer escort provided flat-bottomed boats to ferry them from the beach to a motor launch and lifeboats that took them out to the liner. On 15 December the liner SS ''President Pierce'' evacuated the last 200 survivors, and ''Alden'' was allowed to remain to guard ''Hoover''s wreck until Japanese authorities relieved her on 23 December.


Pre-war

Captain Kuninori Marumo assumed command of ''Ashigara'' from 15 December 1937, followed by Captain Marquis Tadashige Daigo from 3 June until 1 December. ''Ashigara''’s second reconstruction was completed at
Yokosuka Naval Arsenal was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy, and was located at Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture on Tokyo Bay, south of Yokohama. History In 1866, the Tokugawa shogunate govern ...
on 15 February 1939. She was commanded by Captain Michiaki Kamada from December 1938 to October 1940. ''Ashigara'' participated in the occupation of
Cochin China Cochinchina or Cochin-China (, ; ; ; ; ) is a historical exonym for part of Vietnam, depending on the contexts, usually for Southern Vietnam. Sometimes it referred to the whole of Vietnam, but it was commonly used to refer to the region south o ...
, arriving in
Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
on 29 July 1941. She returned to Sasebo in August and was appointed flagship for Vice Admiral Ibō Takahashi’s ''Sentai''-16 on 2 December.


Second World War

At the time of the
attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...
, ''Ashigara'' deployed out of
Mako Guard District The was the major navy base for the Imperial Japanese Navy in Taiwan before and during World War II. Located in Mako , (present-day Makung, Pescadores Islands, Republic of China), the Mako Guard District was responsible for control of the stra ...
in the
Pescadores The Penghu ( , Hokkien POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘''  or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, about west of the main island of Taiwan across the Penghu Channel, cover ...
with the cruisers and to support Japanese forces in the invasion of northern Luzon. On 10 December, she was attacked by nine
PBY Catalina The Consolidated Model 28, more commonly known as the PBY Catalina (U.S. Navy designation), is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft designed by Consolidated Aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. In U.S. Army service, it was designated as the O ...
bombers, which failed to score a hit. She was again unsuccessfully attacked by five
USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...
bombers the following day. She continued to support Japanese landing operations in the Philippines, as well as
Balikpapan Balikpapan is a seaport city in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Located on the east coast of the island of Borneo, the city is the financial center of Kalimantan. Balikpapan is the city with the largest economy in Kalimantan with an estimated 20 ...
and
Makassar Makassar ( ), formerly Ujung Pandang ( ), is the capital of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, ...
in the
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...
through February 1942. On 10 December ''Ashigara'' was in a holding position in the South China Sea about northwest of Manila Bay, with the heavy cruiser ''Maya'', light cruiser ''Kuma'', and destroyers ''Ikazuchi'' and ''Inazuma''. Admiral Takahashi commanded the Philippine Invasion Force. His position was discovered by U. S. Navy air patrols from Luzon. PBY-4 #17 from VP 102, Patrol Wing TEN, flying an assigned sector, located the ships, and the contact report resulted in a strike. Five of the wing's PBY-4s, flying from NAS Sangley Point on Manila Bay, commanded by Lieutenant Commander J. V. Peterson, USN, attacked at noon time, dropping twenty 500 lb demolition bombs in a tight pattern from 13,500 feet. The splashes were clustered about close astern of the cruiser and at the time it was thought at least two bombs hit their target, which turned in a tight circle and appeared to be maneuvering with difficulty. No one observed any fire or smoke from the target ship. Flak was heavy, but only one PBY sustained minor damage. The two heavy cruisers were identified as battleships, the target ship thought to be ''Kongo'', but this was officially downgraded to cruisers in subsequent reports. Two follow-up strikes by PBY-4s in the following hours failed to find the ships.U. S. Navy, War Diary, Commander Aircraft Asiatic Fleet / Commander Patrol Wing TEN. During the aftermath of the
Battle of the Java Sea The Battle of the Java Sea (, ) was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Allied navies suffered a disastrous defeat at the hand of the Imperial Japanese Navy on 27 February 1942 and in secondary actions over succ ...
on 1 March 1942, ''Ashigara'' joined the rest of her class in tracking down the severely damaged heavy cruiser and her two destroyers. During the engagement, ''Ashigara'' combined fire with her sistership ''Myōkō'' to sink the destroyer , while her sisterships ''Haguro'' and ''Nachi'' finished off ''Exeter''. On 10 March 1942, she became flagship for the Second Southern Expeditionary Fleet, and led the invasion of Christmas Island on 26 May 1942. She became flagship of the Southwest Area Fleet from 10 April 1942, and returned to
Sasebo Naval Arsenal was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. History The Sasebo Naval District was established at Sasebo, Nagasaki in 1886, as the third of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the ...
for a refit and repairs in June. She returned to Makassar in July to resume her position as flagship of the Second Southern Expeditionary Fleet, but for the rest of the year was primarily engaged as a rapid troop transport based out of
Surabaya Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Provinces of Indonesia, province and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strai ...
. She was dry-docked and repaired at Seletar Naval Base in
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
at the end of the year. In 1943 and early 1944, ''Ashigara'' performed guard and troop transport duties and saw no action. She returned to Yokosuka for a month in April, and a Type 21 radar was installed. In February 1944, she was reassigned to the
IJN 5th Fleet The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy, active during the early portions of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and again in World War II, primarily in the Aleutian campaign, during which it was augmented and designated the Northern Area Force. ...
for operations in northern waters. A Type 22 surface-search radar was installed in March, and she was based out of the Ōminato Guard District, together with the cruiser until the end of July. She was refitted at
Kure Naval Arsenal was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. History The Kure Naval District was established at Kure, Hiroshima in 1889, as the second of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the ...
in September, with additional Type 96 AA guns installed. In the
Battle of Leyte Gulf The Battle of Leyte Gulf () 23–26 October 1944, was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. By late 1944, Japan possessed fewer capital sh ...
on 24 October 1944, ''Ashigara'', with Captain Hayao Miura in command, was assigned to Vice Admiral
Kiyohide Shima was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Biography A native of Miyazaki prefecture, Shima was a graduate of the 39th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1911, ranking 69th out of 148 cadets. As a midship ...
's, force along with ''Nachi'' and eight destroyers. This force entered
Surigao Strait Surigao Strait (Filipino: ''Kipot ng Surigaw'') is a strait in the southern Philippines, between the Bohol Sea and Leyte Gulf of the Philippine Sea. Geography It is located between the regions of Visayas and Mindanao. It lies between northern ...
on 25 October after Admiral
Shōji Nishimura was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Biography Nishimura was from Akita prefecture in the northern Tōhoku region of Japan. He was a graduate of the 39th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1911, ranki ...
's First Raiding Force had been destroyed. Following the loss of the battleships and Nishimura's and their escorts at the hands of Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf's fleet and aircraft, with Nishimura being killed aboard ''Yamashiro'', ''Ashigara'' and ''Nachi'' fired their torpedoes and retreated (''Nachi'' with damage from a collision with ). ''Ashigara'' escaped to
Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...
and from there to
Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...
. She departed Brunei on 17 November with the battleship and cruiser , and on arriving in the
Spratly Islands The Spratly Islands (; zh, s=南沙群岛, t=南沙群島, p=Nánshā Qúndǎo; ; ) are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea. Composed of islands, islets, cays, and more than 100 reefs, sometimes grouped in submerged old atoll ...
the following day became the flagship of Vice Admiral Shima. On 20 November, she departed the Spratly Islands, arriving at
Cam Ranh Bay Cam Ranh Bay () is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in Khánh Hòa Province. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kilometers (180 miles) nor ...
, Indochina on 14 December, where Admiral Shima transferred his flag to . ''Ashigara'' and '' Ōyodo '' and the destroyers , , , , , and were assigned to join the Raiding Force on the American beachhead in
Mindoro Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ), it has a population of 1,408,454, as of the 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of ...
in the Philippines. While approaching Mindoro, the Raiding Force was attacked by
B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served ...
bombers. ''Ashigara'' was damaged by a direct hit by a 500-lb bomb, but was still able to complete her mission, bombarding the American positions with over 200 shells and returning to Cam Ranh Bay on 29 December.


Fate

On 26 January 1945, ''Ashigara'' was dry-docked in Singapore to repair bomb damage. On 5 February, she was transferred to the control of the 10th Area Fleet and spent the next five months transporting troops and supplies in the Dutch East Indies and the
Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region. Many South Asian and Southe ...
. On 22 April, she was attacked by the
Royal Dutch Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...
submarine , which fired four torpedoes, all of which missed. On 7 June 1945, ''Ashigara'' departed Batavia (present-day
Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
) for Singapore with 1,600 troops on board, escorted by the destroyer . The
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
submarine USS ''Blueback'' reported their departure, but was unable to maneuver into an attack position. ''Bluebacks contact report was received by the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
submarines and , which lay in wait at the northern end of
Bangka Strait Bangka Strait is the strait that separates the island of Sumatra from Bangka Island () in the Java Sea, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, India ...
, between
Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
and
Bangka Island Bangka is an island lying east of Sumatra, Indonesia. It is administered under the province of the Bangka Belitung Islands, being one of its namesakes alongside the smaller island of Belitung across the Gaspar Strait. The 9th largest island in ...
. On the morning of 8 June 1945, ''Kamikaze'' and ''Trenchant'' spotted each other and exchanged fire, but both then lost contact with each other. While ''Kamikaze'' continued north and became entangled in combat with ''Stygian'', ''Trenchant'' submerged, spotted ''Ashigara'' heading north at 1148, then made a difficult torpedo attack from a poor firing position abaft the cruiser's
starboard Port and starboard are Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z), nautical terms for watercraft and spacecraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the Bow (watercraft), bow (front). Vessels with bil ...
beam, firing eight torpedoes from her bow tubes at 1212. Trapped between the Sumatran shore to
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
and a shoal to starboard, ''Ashigara'' nevertheless attempted to turn starboard to comb the torpedo tracks, but was unable to complete the maneuver in time and was hit five times at a range of . ''Trenchant'' then fired two more torpedoes from her stern tubes, which missed, but ''Ashigara'' was already fatally damaged and sank at 1239 at . ''Kamikaze'', having also lost contact with ''Stygian'', turned back south too late to intercept ''Trenchant'', which made her escape submerged. ''Kamikaze'' and two local vessels rescued 400 Japanese Army troops and 853 crewmen, including her captain, Rear Admiral Miura; however, over 1200 troops and 100 crewmen went down with the ship. ''Ashigara'' was struck from the IJN
Navy List A Navy Directory, Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a co ...
on 20 August 1945.


See also

*
List by death toll of ships sunk by submarines While submarines were invented centuries ago, development of self-propelled torpedoes during the latter half of the 19th century dramatically increased the effectiveness of military submarines. Initial submarine scouting patrols against surface ...


Notes


References

* * * * * * * * *


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashigara Myōkō-class cruisers Ships built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries 1928 ships Cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy Second Sino-Japanese War cruisers of Japan World War II cruisers of Japan Shipwrecks in the Bangka Strait World War II shipwrecks in the Java Sea Ships sunk by British submarines Maritime incidents in June 1945