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was a
light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...
in 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, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
. She was named after the
Sendai River The is a river in eastern Tottori Prefecture, Japan. The Sendai is in length and has a drainage area of . The source of the river is in the Chūgoku Mountains. The Sendai flows north through Tottori Prefecture into the Sea of Japan. Under the R ...
in southern Kyūshū. ''Sendai'' was the
lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...
of the three vessels completed in her class of light cruisers, and like other vessels of her class, she was intended for use as the flagship of a destroyer flotilla.


Service career


Early career

''Sendai'' was completed at the
Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 187 ...
Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in th ...
shipyards on 29 April 1924. Immediately on completion, she was assigned to
Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flow ...
patrol in China. She played an important role in the
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 ...
in the opening stages of the
Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Thea ...
, and later covered the landings of Japanese forces in southern China.


Invasions of Southeast Asia

On 20 November 1941, ''Sendai'' became
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of 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 the f ...
of Destroyer Squadron 3 (DesRon 3) under
Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often rega ...
Shintaro Hashimoto. 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 Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawa ...
, ''Sendai'' was engaged in escorting transports carrying
Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
Tomoyuki Yamashita and the Japanese 25th Army to invade Malaya. At 23:45 on 7 December 1941, ''Sendai'' and her destroyer squadron (, , , and ) commenced a bombardment of
Kota Bharu Kota Bharu, colloquially referred to as KB, is a town in Malaysia that serves as the state capital and royal seat of Kelantan. It is situated in the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia and lies near the mouth of the Kelantan River. The ...
, Malaya. They were attacked by seven
RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
Hudson bombers, which sank one of the transports and damaged two others. On 9 December 1941, the submarine reported sighting of
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...
Force Z (the Royal Navy battleship ,
battlecruiser The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of at ...
and supporting destroyers). The report was received by ''Sendai'', which relayed the message to Vice Admiral
Jisaburō Ozawa was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He was the last Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet The was the main sea-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Until 1933, the Combined Fleet was not a pe ...
aboard his flagship, the
heavy cruiser The 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 caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval ...
. However, the reception was poor and the message took another 90 minutes to decode. Moreover, ''I-65''s report was incorrect about the heading of Force Z. The following day, Force Z was overwhelmed by
torpedo bomber A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight ...
s of the 22nd Air Flotilla from
Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...
. On 19 December 1941, off Kota Bahru in the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...
, Royal Netherlands Navy submarine sighted ''Sendai'' escorting the second Malaya Convoy's 39 transports. At 11:15, ''Sendai''s
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, ...
, a
Kawanishi E7K The Kawanishi E7K was a Japanese three-seat reconnaissance seaplane mainly in use during the 1930s. It was allocated the reporting name Alf by the Allies of World War II. Design and development In 1932 the Imperial Japanese Navy requested the Ka ...
2 "Alf", spotted and bombed ''O 20'', which was also attacked by the destroyers ''Ayanami'' and with
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use ...
s. That night, ''O 20'' surfaced to recharge her batteries, and a flame from her engines' exhaust gave her away; she was sunk by ''Uranami''. ''Sendai'' made three more troop convoy escort runs to Malay at the end of December 1941 and in January 1942. On the fourth run, on 10 January 1942, the US submarine spotted the convoy and fired two torpedoes at the last transport, but both missed. On the fifth run, on 26 January, ''Sendai'' and her convoy were attacked by the destroyers and about north of
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
in the Battle off Endau. The torpedoes from the Allied vessels missed, and the destroyer and ''Sendai'' returned gunfire. ''Thanet'' was sunk, while ''Vampire'' was undamaged and escaped to
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. From February through March, ''Sendai'' was assigned to cover Japanese landings in Sumatra, and in sweeping the sea lanes and the
Strait of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, conn ...
for British and Dutch vessels escaping from Singapore. At the end of March, ''Sendai'' covered the landing of one battalion of the IJA's 18th Infantry Division at
Port Blair Port Blair () is the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India in the Bay of Bengal. It is also the local administrative sub-division ('' tehsil'') of the islands, the headquarters for the district of South A ...
,
Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between th ...
. At the end of April, ''Sendai'' returned to
Sasebo is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. On 1 June 2019, the city had an estimated population of 247,739 and a population density of 581 persons p ...
for repairs.


Battle of Midway

On 29 May 1942, ''Sendai'' departed with the Main Body of the
Combined Fleet The was the main sea-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Until 1933, the Combined Fleet was not a permanent organization, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units norm ...
for Midway. The Main Body remained behind Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo's First Carrier Striking Force and thus did not engage American forces. ''Sendai'' returned to
Kure is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan ...
on 14 June 1942 without having seen combat.


Solomon Islands campaigns

On 15 July 1942, DesRon 3 was reassigned to the Southwest Force to cover operations in
Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
and raids in the Indian Ocean, arriving at
Mergui Myeik (, or ; mnw, ဗိက်, ; th, มะริด, , ; formerly Mergui, ) is a rural city in Tanintharyi Region in Myanmar (Burma), located in the extreme south of the country on the coast off an island on the Andaman Sea. , the estimate ...
, Burma 31 July. However, with American landings on
Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the se ...
, the planned
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...
operations were cancelled and ''Sendai'' was sent to
Makassar Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian 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, Surabaya, ...
, Davao and Truk instead, to escort troop convoys to
Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...
,
New Britain New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the D ...
and Shortland, Bougainville. On 8 September, ''Sendai'' shelled
Tulagi Tulagi, less commonly known as Tulaghi, is a small island——in Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Ngella Sule. The town of the same name on the island (pop. 1,750) was the capital of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate from 1 ...
, and on 12 September she and the destroyers ''Shikinami'', and bombarded Henderson Field, Guadalcanal. ''Sendai'' remained active in
Solomon Island Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its ca ...
operations through November 1942, participating in both the
First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, the Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, the , took place from 12 to 15 November 1942, and was t ...
(where she remained as distant cover) and the Second
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, the Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, the , took place from 12 to 15 November 1942, and was t ...
(where she was attacked by the battleship 's main guns but escaped undamaged). On 25 February 1943, ''Sendai'' was reassigned to the Eighth Fleet at Rabaul under Vice Admiral
Gunichi Mikawa was a vice-admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. Mikawa was the commander of a heavy cruiser force that won a spectacular IJN victory over the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Navy at the Battle of Savo Island in I ...
and remained on patrol around Rabaul through April. Returning to Sasebo in May, ''Sendai'' was repaired and modified. Her No.5 gun mount was removed and two triple 25 mm AA gun mounts and Type 21
radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
were installed. Repairs were completed 25 June 1943 and ''Sendai'' returned to Truk on 5 July. On 7 July, Rear Admiral Baron
Matsuji Ijuin Baron was a commander in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, who was promoted posthumously to vice admiral after being killed in action in combat off Saipan. Life and military career Born in the Kōjimachi district of Tokyo, Ij ...
assumed command of DesRon 3. During the next three months, ''Sendai'' operated out of Rabaul covering reinforcement convoys to
Buin, Papua New Guinea Buin is a town on Bougainville Island, and the capital of the South Bougainville District, in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, in eastern Papua New Guinea. The island is in the northern Solomon Islands Archipelago of the Melanesia region, i ...
and Shortland. On 18 July 1943, off
Kolombangara Kolombangara (sometimes spelled ''Kulambangara'') is an island in the New Georgia Islands group of the nation state of Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The name is from a local language, a rough translation of its meaning is ...
, the group was attacked by Guadalcanal-based Marine
Grumman TBF Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval ...
torpedo bombers, and two days later by
North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...
medium bombers but was not damaged; it also escaped damage after being bombed by a
Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models ...
heavy bomber on 1 November 1943. The following day, 2 November 1943, at the
Battle of Empress Augusta Bay The Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, on 1–2 November 1943 – also known as the Battle of Gazelle Bay, Operation Cherry Blossom, and in Japanese sources as the Sea Battle off Bougainville Island (ブーゲンビル島沖海戦) – was a naval ba ...
, the Japanese fleet attempting to reinforce Bougainville was intercepted by Task Force 39 with the light cruisers , , and and destroyers , , , , , , and . The Japanese force included the cruisers , , ''Sendai'' and with destroyers , , , , , . ''Shigure'' spotted the American destroyers at , turned hard starboard and launched eight torpedoes. ''Sendai'' also turned hard starboard, but bore down on ''Shigure'', barely avoiding a collision. All four Allied cruisers took ''Sendai'' under radar directed 6-inch fire. They hit her with their first salvo and more thereafter, setting her afire. ''Sendai'' sank the following morning at , along with ''Hatsukaze''. Captain Shoji and 184 crewmen went down with the ship, but 236 other crewmen were rescued by destroyers. On 3 November 1943, Admiral Ijuin and 75 more survivors from ''Sendai'' were rescued by the . ''Sendai'' was removed from the Navy List on 5 January 1944.


References


Notes


Books

* * * * * * * *


External links

* *tabular record
CombinedFleet.com: ''Sendai'' history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sendai Sendai-class cruisers Ships built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 1923 ships Second Sino-Japanese War cruisers of Japan World War II cruisers of Japan World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean Maritime incidents in November 1943