Japanese battleship Hiei
Hiei off Yokosuka, July 1933
| |
History | |
---|---|
Japan | |
Name | Hiei |
Namesake | Mount Hiei |
Ordered | 1911 |
Builder | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal |
Laid down | 4 November 1911 |
Launched | 21 November 1912 |
Commissioned | 4 August 1914 |
Fate | Sunk following the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 13 November 1942 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Kongō-class battlecruiser |
Displacement | 36,600 long tons (37,187 t)[1] |
Length | 222 m (728 ft 4 in)[1] |
Beam | 31 m (101 ft 8 in)[1] |
Draught | 9.7 m (31 ft 10 in)[1] |
Propulsion | Steam turbines, 4 shafts |
Speed | 30 knots (35 mph; 56 km/h)[1] |
Range | 10,000 nmi (19,000 km) at 14 kn (26 km/h)[1] |
Complement | 1360 |
Armament |
|
Armor |
|
Hiei (比叡) was a warship of the
Starting in 1929, Hiei was converted to a gunnery training ship to avoid being scrapped under the terms of the
As part of the
Design and construction
Hiei was the second of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Kongō-class battlecruisers, a line of capital ships designed by the British naval architect George Thurston.[2] The class was ordered in 1910 in the Japanese Emergency Naval Expansion Bill after the commissioning of HMS Invincible in 1908.[3] The four battlecruisers of the Kongō class were designed to match the naval capabilities of the other major powers at the time; they have been called the battlecruiser versions of the British (formerly Turkish) battleship HMS Erin.[1][4] With their heavy armament and armor protection (the latter of which made up 23.3% of their approximately 30,000 ton displacement),[1] Hiei and her sister ships were vastly superior to any other Japanese capital ship afloat at the time.[4]
The
Armament
Hiei's main battery consisted of eight 14-inch (36 cm) heavy-caliber main guns in four twin
Her secondary battery was originally sixteen 6-inch (15 cm) 50-caliber medium guns in single
Service
1914–1929: Battlecruiser
On 4 August 1914, Hiei was formally commissioned and assigned to the
Following the end of World War I, the Japanese Empire gained control of former German possessions in the central Pacific per the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.[12] Due to Japan's warm relations with the British Empire and the United States at the time, Hiei and other Japanese warships became significantly less active after the war. Other than a patrol alongside Haruna and Kirishima off the Chinese coast in March 1919, Hiei remained in the Japanese home ports.[5] On 13 October 1920, she was placed in reserve. Following the Great Kantō earthquake of September 1923, the capital ships of the Japanese Navy assisted in rescue work until the end of the month. Hiei arrived at Kure Naval Base on 1 December 1923 for a refit which increased the elevation of her main guns from 20 to 33 degrees and rebuilt her foremast.[5]
With the conclusion of World War I, the world powers attempted to stem any militarization that might re-escalate into war. Under the terms of Washington Naval Treaty of 1922, the Imperial Japanese Navy was significantly reduced, with a ratio of 5:5:3 required between the capital ships of the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan.[13] The treaty also banned Japan from building any new capital ships until 1931, with no capital ship permitted to exceed 35,000 tons.[14] Provided that further additions did not exceed 3,000 tons, existing capital ships were allowed to be upgraded with improved torpedo bulges and deck armor.[14] By the time the Washington Treaty had been fully implemented in Japan, only three classes of World War I-era capital ships—the Fusō class and Ise-class battleships, and the Kongō-class battlecruisers—remained active.[15]
In July 1927, Crown
1929–1937: Demilitarization and training ship
To avoid having to scrap Hiei under the terms of the Washington Treaty, the Imperial Japanese Navy decided to convert her into a demilitarized training ship.[16] On 15 October 1929, she went into drydock at Kure Naval Arsenal. Her No. 4 gun turret was removed, and she was stripped of all eight of her submerged torpedo tubes,[5] as well as her 6-inch guns and armor belt. All but nine of her boilers were taken out, reducing her speed to 18 knots (33 km/h),[16] and one of her three funnels was removed.[5] She was reclassified as a reserve ship at the end of November 1929. On 24 April 1930, reconstruction was halted due to the signing of the London Naval Treaty, which further restricted battleship construction and possession amongst the great naval powers, and preservation work was begun at Sasebo. Reconstruction would not resume until July 1931.[5]
In September 1931, Japanese army units invaded the Chinese province of Manchuria, transforming it into the puppet state of Manchukuo.[17] In December 1932, Hiei was reassigned to the Imperial Japanese Navy's training squadron. On 25 February, the League of Nations ruled that Japan had violated Chinese sovereignty and international law in her invasion of Manchuria.[17] Refusing to accept the League's judgment, the Empire of Japan withdrew from the League the same day. This also signaled its exit from the Washington and London Naval Treaties, which removed all restrictions on the Imperial Japanese Navy's construction of capital ships. From the end of May 1933 to 13 August, Hiei received upgrades that allowed her to perform regular duties for the Emperor, and she served as the Emperor's observation ship for the Imperial Naval Review three days later. From January to March 1934, her No. 4 turret and ammunition magazine were refitted. In November 1935, Hiei served as the Emperor's ship for his official visit to the Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefectures.[5]
1937–1941: Reconstruction and fast battleship
No longer bound by the restrictions of the Washington and London Treaties, the Imperial Japanese Navy proceeded to reconstruct Hiei along the same lines as her sisters. She received eight new oil-fired Kampon boilers and geared turbines, while her stern was lengthened by 26 feet (7.9 m) to increase speed.
Hiei's armor was also extensively upgraded. Her main belt was reapplied and strengthened to a uniform thickness of 8 inches (as opposed to varying thicknesses of 6–8 inches before the upgrades), while diagonal bulkheads of a depth ranging from 5 to 8 inches (127 to 203 mm) reinforced the main armored belt.[20] The turret armor was strengthened to 10 inches (254 mm), while 4 inches (102 mm) were added to portions of the deck armor.[20] The armor around her ammunition magazines was also strengthened over the course of the refit. Though still less heavily armored than other Japanese battleships, Hiei was significantly faster. The reconstruction was declared complete on 31 January 1940. Capable of speeds of up to 30.5 knots (56.5 km/h; 35.1 mph), Hiei was reclassified as a fast battleship.[21] She participated in the Imperial Fleet Review in October 1940, where she was inspected by Emperor Hirohito, members of the royal family, Navy Minister Koshirō Oikawa, and Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. In November, she was assigned to the Third Battleship Division of the First Fleet.[5]
On 26 November 1941, Hiei departed
1942: Combat and loss
On 17 January 1942, Hiei departed
In April 1942, Hiei and the Third Battleship Division joined five fleet carriers and two cruisers in
On 27 May 1942, Hiei sortied with Kongō and the heavy cruisers Atago, Chōkai, Myōkō, and Haguro as part of Admiral Nobutake Kondō's Invasion Force during the Battle of Midway.[5][19] Following the disastrous loss of four of the Combined Fleet's fast carriers on 4 June, Kondō's force withdrew to Japan.[24] In July, Hiei was drydocked for refits to her aircraft complement and the addition of single and twin 25 mm gun mounts.[5] In August, she escorted the Japanese carrier Shōkaku during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons.[25] In October, Hiei sortied as part of Rear Admiral Abe's Vanguard Force, and maintained distant cover as Kongō and Haruna nearly destroyed Henderson Field on Guadalcanal on the night of 13 October.[26] From 26–30 October, Hiei and her sisters participated in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.[19]
On 10 November 1942, Hiei departed Truk alongside Kirishima and eleven destroyers, all under the command of Rear Admiral Hiroaki Abe, to shell American positions near Henderson Field in advance of a major convoy of Japanese troops. The force was spotted by US Navy reconnaissance aircraft several days in advance. The US deployed a force of two heavy cruisers, three light cruisers and eight destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan to meet the Japanese force in Ironbottom Sound.[27] At 01:24 on 13 November, the Japanese force was detected 28,000 yards (26 km) out by the light cruiser USS Helena. Because Abe had not anticipated resistance, his battleships' main guns were loaded with anti-aircraft shells for bombarding Henderson Field. The initial salvos from the IJN battleships were thus not capable of dealing severe damage to the enemy's vital armor protected hull, engines and gun turrets.[5]
At 01:50, Hiei activated her searchlights and opened fire. Hiei engaged in a gunnery duel with the destroyer USS Monssen, and sank her with 39 hits, including three from her 14-inch (356 mm) guns.[28] In turn, Hiei became the target of most of the American fire, with American 5" guns inflicting severe damage on Hiei's superstructure at close range. The destroyer USS Laffey found herself as close as 20 feet (6 meters) away from the battle wagon, and hit Hiei's bridge, injuring Admiral Abe himself and killing his chief of staff, Captain Masakane Suzuki, followed closely by Hiei crippling Laffey with a 14-inch (356 mm) shell hit (later finished off by a torpedo from the destroyer Yukikaze).[29] [30][31]
The concentration on Hiei allowed Kirishima to evade attack, and she crippled USS San Francisco, killing Admiral Callaghan.[19][29] However, shells from San Francisco disabled Hiei's steering machinery and leaving Hiei an unmaneuverable wreck.[32] In total, Hiei had been struck by at least 85 American 8”, 6”, and 5” shells as well as hundreds of smaller caliber shells. Hiei was also struck by nine torpedoes from the US destroyers Cushing, O’Bannon, Monssen, and Sterett (though most, if not all probably failed to explode). Naval historian Robert Lundgren in his 2023 book on the battle claims six of these torpedoes exploded, but this is highly doubtful given the fact that Hiei's sistership Kongō was sunk to only 2-3 less powerful submarine fired torpedoed, curtesy of USS Sealion.[33][34]
With one of his battleships crippled, Abe ordered the remainder of the Japanese fleet to withdraw at 02:00.
Wreck
On 6 February 2019, Paul Allen's exploration ship RV Petrel announced the discovery of Hiei. According to Petrel, the main body of Hiei now lies upside down in 3,000 feet (900 m) of water northwest of Savo Island in the Solomon Islands. As with her sister ship, Kirishima, the bow of the ship is gone forward of the bridge due to a magazine explosion.[38]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Gardiner and Gray (1984), p. 234
- ^ a b c "Combined Fleet – Kongo-class battlecruiser". Parshall, Jon; Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp, & Allyn Nevitt. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
- ^ Stille (2008), p. 14
- ^ a b c d e Jackson (2008), p. 27
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Combined Fleet – tabular history of Hiei". Parshall, Jon; Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp, & Allyn Nevitt. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ a b DiGiulian, Tony. "Japanese 14"/45 (35.6 cm) 41st Year Type". Navweaps.com. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
- ^ "Combined Fleet – 14"/45 Naval Gun". Parshall, Jon; Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp, & Allyn Nevitt. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
- ^ Jackson (2000), p. 48
- ^ DiGiulian, Tony. "Japanese 6"/50". Navweaps.com. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
- ^ a b DiGiulian, Tony. "Japanese 5"/40". Navweaps.com. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
- ^ McLaughlin (2003), pp. 44–45
- ^ Willmott (2002), p. 22
- ^ Jackson (2000), p. 67
- ^ a b Jackson (2000), p. 68
- ^ Jackson (2000), p. 69
- ^ a b Stille (2008), p. 16
- ^ a b Jackson (2000), p. 72
- ^ a b c Stille (2008), p. 18
- ^ a b c d e Stille (2008), p. 19
- ^ a b McCurtie (1989), p. 185
- ^ Willmott (2002), p. 35
- ^ Jackson (2000), p. 119
- ^ Jackson (2000), p. 120
- ^ Schom (2004), p. 296
- ^ Frank (1990), pp. 167–172
- ^ Schom (2004), p. 382
- ^ Hammel (1988), pp. 99–107
- ISBN 978-0-446-51636-5.
- ^ a b Schom (2004), p. 415
- ^ "Laffey I (DD-459)". public2.nhhcaws.local. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Long Lancers". www.combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ a b Stille (2008), p. 20
- ^ Lundgren(2023)
- ^ "Imperial Battleships". www.combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ http://www.cv6.org/ship/logs/action19421113.htm
- ^ Lundgren(2023)
- ^ Schom (2004), p. 417
- ^ "RV Petrel". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
References
- Breyer, Siegfried (1973). Battleships and battle cruisers, 1905–1970. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. OCLC 702840.
- ISBN 0-394-58875-4.
- Hardison, O. B. (1942). “Action Report, U.S.S. Enterprise, 12-15 November 1942” url = http://www.cv6.org/ship/logs/action19421113.htm Retrieved 28 Jan 2024.
- Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-907-3.
- ISBN 0-517-56952-3.
- Jackson, Robert (2000). The World's Great Battleships. Brown Books. ISBN 1-897884-60-5
- Jackson, Robert (editor) (2008). 101 Great Warships. London. Amber Books. ISBN 978-1-905704-72-9
- Lengerer, Hans & Ahlberg, Lars (2019). Capital Ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1868–1945: Ironclads, Battleships and Battle Cruisers: An Outline History of Their Design, Construction and Operations. Vol. I: Armourclad Fusō to Kongō Class Battle Cruisers. Zagreb, Croatia: Despot Infinitus. ISBN 978-953-8218-26-2.
- Lundgren, Robert; Sposato, Frank & DiGuilian, Tony (2023), The Naval Battle for Henderson Airfield, First Night (PDF) The Robert Lundgren Historical Resource, Navweaps.com. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- McCurtie, Francis (1989) [1945]. Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II. London: Bracken Books. ISBN 1-85170-194-X
- McLaughlin, Stephen (2003). Russian & Soviet Battleships. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-481-4.
- Moore, John (1990) [1919]. Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I. London: Studio Editions. ISBN 1-85170-378-0
- ISBN 0-316-58305-7.
- Parshall, Jon; Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander & Nevitt, Allyn (1997–2009), Imperial Japanese Navy Page
- ISBN 0-393-32628-4.
- Stille, Cdr Mark (2008). Imperial Japanese Navy Battleship 1941–1945. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-280-6
- Whitley, M. J. (1998). Battleships of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-184-X.
- Willmott, H.P. (2002). The Second World War in the Far East. Smithsonian Books. ISBN 0-304-36127-5.
External links
- Media related to Hiei (ship, 1914) at Wikimedia Commons
9°04′S 159°45′E / 9.067°S 159.750°E