Japanese cruiser Kitakami
Kitakami in 1935
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History | |
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Empire of Japan | |
Name | Kitakami |
Namesake | Kitakami River |
Ordered | 1917 Fiscal Year |
Builder | Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Japan |
Laid down | 1 September 1919 |
Launched | 3 July 1920 |
Commissioned | 15 April 1921 |
Stricken | 30 November 1945 |
Fate | Scrapped, August 1946 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Kuma-class cruiser |
Displacement | 5,100 long tons (5,182 t) standard |
Length | 152.4 m (500 ft 0 in) o/a |
Beam | 14.2 m (46 ft 7 in) |
Draught | 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 36 knots (41 mph; 67 km/h) |
Range | 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h) |
Complement | 450 |
Armament |
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Armor | |
Aircraft carried | 1 × floatplane |
Aviation facilities | 1 aircraft catapult |
Kitakami (北上) was a Kuma-class cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy, named after the Kitakami River in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.
Background
After the construction of the Tenryū-class cruisers, the drawbacks of the small cruiser concept became apparent. At the end of 1917, plans for an additional six Tenryū-class vessels, plus three new-design 7,200 ton-class scout cruisers were shelved, in place of an intermediate 5,500 ton-class vessel which could be used as both a long-range, high speed reconnaissance ship, and also as a command vessel for destroyer or submarine flotillas. Kitakami was the third in a series of five vessels in this class which were built from 1918-1921.[1]
Design
The Kuma-class vessels were essentially enlarged versions of the Tenryū-class cruisers, with greater speed, range, and weaponry.[1] With improvements in geared-turbine engine technology, the Kuma-class vessels were capable of the high speed of 36 knots (67 km/h), and a range of 9,000 nmi (17,000 km) at 10 kn (12 mph; 19 km/h).[1]
The number of 14 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval guns was increased from four on the Tenryū class to seven on Kitakami: two forward, one on each side of the superstructure and three aft, which meant that only six guns could be brought to bear on a broadside. The torpedo launchers were also increased to four double launchers: however, the Kuma class remained highly deficient in anti-aircraft protection, with only two 8 cm/40 3rd Year Type naval guns and two machine guns.[2]
Service career
Early career
Kitakami was
On 25 August 1941, Kitakami returned to Sasebo for conversion to a "torpedo cruiser" with ten quadruple torpedo tube mounts for the 61 cm (24 in) Type 93 “Long Lance” torpedo, in line with Imperial Japanese Navy plans to create a special "Night Battle Force" of torpedo-cruisers. Modification was completed by 30 September 1941, and Kitakami was assigned to the Japanese First Fleet, CruDiv 9.[4]
Early stages of the Pacific War
At the time of the
From January to May 1942, Kitakami was assigned largely to training duties around the
As a fast troop transport
From August – September 1942, Kitakami and Ōi were converted into fast transports. Their ten quadruple torpedo launchers were reduced to six (a total of 24 tubes). They were equipped with two
CruDiv 9 was disbanded on 21 November 1942, and Kitakami was assigned directly to the Combined Fleet. In November, Kitakami transported troops from Manila to Rabaul, New Britain, and returned to Sasebo by the end of the year.[4]
In January 1943, Kitakami was assigned to the reinforcement of Japanese forces in
On 15 March 1943, Kitakami was reassigned to CruDiv 16 of the Southwest Area Fleet as a guard ship based out of Surabaya. She escorted three troop convoys from Surabaya to Kaimana, New Guinea during April and May.[4]
On 23 June 1943, while at Makassar, Kitakami, Ōi,
After refit at Seletar Naval Base, Singapore in August, Kitakami escorted a troop convoy from Singapore to the Nicobar Islands in early September. Two more convoys were escorted to Port Blair, Andaman Islands in late October.
In late January 1944, Kitakami escorted another convoy to Port Blair. On its return voyage while transiting
As a Kaiten carrier
From 14 August 1944 Kitakami was repaired and modified at Sasebo Naval Arsenal into a
On 19 March 1945, American
In July 1945, an additional twenty seven single mount Type 96 25-mm AA guns were fitted to Kitakami. However, on 24 July 1945 about 200 aircraft
Post-war
After the surrender of Japan on 2 September 1945, Kitakami was moved to Kagoshima and assigned to the Repatriation Service. She was used as a repair tender for ships on repatriation duties.[1]
Kitakami was removed from the
References
Notes
Books
- D'Albas, Andrieu (1965). Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II. Devin-Adair Pub. ISBN 0-8159-5302-X.
- Dull, Paul S. (1978). A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-097-1.
- Evans, David (1979). Kaigun : Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-192-7.
- Gardner, Robert (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Conway Marine Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- Howarth, Stephen (1983). The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895-1945. Atheneum. ISBN 0-689-11402-8.
- Jentsura, Hansgeorg (1976). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-893-X.
- Lacroix, Eric & ISBN 0-87021-311-3.
- Roscoe, Theodore (1949). United States Submarine Operations in World War II. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-731-3.
- Stille, Mark (2012). Imperial Japanese Navy Light Cruisers 1941-45. Osprey. ISBN 978-1-84908-562-5.
- Whitley, M.J. (1995). Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-141-6.
External links
- Parshall, Jon; Bob Hackett; Sander Kingsepp; Allyn Nevitt. "Kuma-class Light Cruiser". Combinedfleet.com.
- Parshall, Jon; Bob Hackett; Sander Kingsepp; Allyn Nevitt. "IJN KITAKAMI: Tabular Record of Movement". Combinedfleet.com.
- Nishida, Hiroshi (2002). "Materials of IJN (Vessels - Kuma class Light Cruisers)". Hiroshi Nishida. Archived from the original on 5 December 2012.