was the seventeenth of twenty-four s, built for 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 ...

following

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 ...

History

Construction of the advanced ''Fubuki''-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's expansion program from fiscal 1923, intended to give Japan a qualitative edge with the world's most modern ships. The ''Fubuki'' class had performance that was a quantum leap over previous destroyer designs, so much so that they were designated . The large size, powerful engines, high speed, large radius of action and unprecedented armament gave these destroyers the firepower similar to many

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 ...

s in other navies. ''Oboro'', built at the Sasebo Naval Arsenal, was the seventh in an improved series, which incorporated a modified

gun turret A gun turret (or simply turret) is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechanis ...

that could elevate her main battery of Type 3 127 mm 50 caliber naval guns to 75° as opposed to the original 40°, thus permitting the guns to be used as dual purpose guns against aircraft. ''Oboro'' was

laid down 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. Keel laying is one ...

on 29 November 1930, launched on 8 November 1930 and commissioned on 31 October 1931. Originally assigned hull designation “Destroyer No. 51”, she was commissioned as ''Oboro''. The 4th Fleet Incident occurred only a year after her commissioning, and ''Oboro'' was quickly taken back to the shipyards to have her hull strengthened.

Operational history

On completion, ''Oboro'' was assigned to Destroyer Division 20 under the IJN 2nd Fleet. 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 ...

, from 1937, ''Oboro'' covered landing of Japanese forces in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

and

Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

. From 1940, she was assigned to patrol and cover landings of Japanese forces in south China and in the

Invasion of French Indochina The , () was a short undeclared military confrontation between Empire of Japan, Japan and Vichy France in northern French Indochina. Fighting lasted from 22 to 26 September 1940; the same time as the Battle of South Guangxi in the Second Sino-J ...

World War II history

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 ...

, ''Oboro'' was assigned to Carrier Division 5 of the IJN 1st Air Fleet, and had deployed from

Yokosuka Naval District was the first of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included Tokyo Bay and the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coasts of central and northern Honshū from the Kii Peninsula to Shimokita Peninsula. Its h ...

Hahajima Hahajima, Haha Jima, or is the second-largest island within the Bonin or Ogasawara Islands SSE of the Japanese Home Islands. The steeply-sloped island, which is about in area, has a population of 440. It is part of Ogasawara Village in Ogasaw ...

in the

Bonin Islands The Bonin Islands, also known as the , is a list of islands of Japan, Japanese archipelago of over 30 subtropical and Island#Tropical islands, tropical islands located around SSE of Tokyo and northwest of Guam. The group as a whole has a total ...

, from which it subsequently provided cover for Japanese landing operations in the Invasion of Guam. From mid-December to April 1942, ''Oboro'' was based at Kwajalein, and from mid-April to the end of August 1942, ''Oboro'' was based at Yokosuka, patrolling in the nearby waters, and escorting convoys from Yokosuka to Ōminato Guard District to the north, and Mako Guard District to the southwest. On 11 October 1942, ''Oboro'' departed Yokosuka with a re-supply convoy for

Kiska Kiska (, ) is one of the Rat Islands, a group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. It is about long and varies in width from . It is part of Aleutian Islands Wilderness and as such, special permission is required to visit it. The island has ...

in the Japanese-occupied

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...

. ''Oboro'' was sunk on 17 October in an air attack by

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-26 Marauder The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in t ...

s northeast of

at position . A direct bomb hit among munitions being carried caused the ship to explode and sink, leaving only 17 survivors, including her captain (LtCdr Hiro Yamana), who were rescued by the destroyer (also heavily damaged in the same attack). On 15 November 1942, ''Oboro'' was removed from the navy list.

Notes

References

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External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oboro Fubuki-class destroyers Ships built by Sasebo Naval Arsenal 1930 ships Second Sino-Japanese War naval ships of Japan World War II destroyers of Japan Ships of the Aleutian Islands campaign Destroyers sunk by aircraft World War II shipwrecks in the Bering Sea Maritime incidents in October 1942 Ships sunk by US aircraft Naval magazine explosions