Japanese cruiser Kumano
 Kumano in October 1938
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Kumano |
| Namesake | Kumano River in Wakayama Prefecture |
| Builder | Kawasaki Shipyards, Kobe, Japan |
| Laid down | 4 April 1934 |
| Launched | 15 October 1936 |
| Completed | 31 October 1937 |
| Nickname(s) | (9 lives Ship) |
| Fate | Sunk by aircraft, 25 November 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Mogami-class cruiser |
| Displacement | 13,440 long tons (13,660 t) (full load) |
| Length | 201.6 m (661 ft 5 in) |
| Beam | 22 m (72 ft 2 in) |
| Draft | 5.5 m (18 ft 1 in) |
| Installed power | 152,000 kW ) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 35 kn (40 mph; 65 km/h) |
| Complement | 850 |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | |
| Aircraft carried | 3 × Aichi E13A (Type 1) reconnaissance floatplanes |
| Aviation facilities | 2 × catapults |
Kumano (熊野) was one of four
Background and design
Built under the
To save weight, electric welding was used, as was aluminum in the superstructure, and a single funnel stack. New impulse geared turbine engines, driving four shafts with three-bladed propellers gave a top speed of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph), which was better than most contemporary cruiser designs. The Mogami class had twin balanced rudders, rather than the single rudder of previous Japanese cruiser designs.[4]
The class was designed from the start to be upgraded into heavy cruisers with the replacement of their main battery with 20 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval guns in twin turrets.[4]
However, in initial trials in 1935, Mogami and Mikuma were plagued with technical problems due to their untested equipment and welding defects, and also proved to be top-heavy with stability problems in heavy weather. Both vessels, and their yet-to-be-completed sisters, Kumano and Suzuya underwent a complete and very costly rebuilding program. Once rebuilt, the design, with its very high speed, armor protection, and heavy armament was among the best in the world during World War II.[4]
Service career
Early career
Kumano was
World War II
At the time of the
On 9 December 1941, the Japanese submarine I-65 reported sighting of Royal Navy Force Z (the Royal Navy battleship HMS Prince of Wales, battlecruiser HMS Repulse and supporting destroyers). The report was received by light cruiser Sendai, which relayed the message to Admiral Ozawa aboard Chōkai. 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. Two Aichi E13A1 "Jake" floatplanes from Suzuya and Kumano attempted to shadow Force Z, but both were forced to ditch due to lack of fuel. Only Suzuya's crew was recovered. The following day, Force Z was overwhelmed by torpedo bombers of the 22nd Air Flotilla from Indochina.[6]
In December 1941, Kumano was tasked with the invasion of
On 6 April 1942 during the
During the
Returning to Kure Naval Arsenal on 6 June, Kumano was fitted with a Type 21 radar and her dual 13-mm machine guns were replaced by two triple-mount Type 96 anti-aircraft guns. She returned to Rabaul on 25 June with another cargo of troops and supplies. On 18 July, Kumano was escorting a Tokyo Express high speed transport mission with Chōkai and Sendai, but was attacked off of Kolombangara by USMC Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers from Guadalcanal. The attack damaged Kumano’s aft hull, and she underwent emergency repairs at Rabaul by the repair ship Yamabiko Maru and at Truk by the repair ship Akashi, but finally had to be withdrawn back to Kure from 2 September to 3 November for proper repairs. She was based out of Truk through the end of the year, at Palau in January and February 1944, and in Singapore from March through mid-May. At Singapore, an additional eight single-mount Type 96 guns were added. From late May through June, Kumano was based at Tawi-Tawi. During the Battle of the Philippine Sea, on 20 June 1944 she was attacked by aircraft from the aircraft carriers USS Bunker Hill, Monterey, and Cabot. During this action, the carrier Hiyō was sunk and the battleship Haruna was badly damaged.[6] Kumano returned to Kure on 25 June, and additional Type 13 and Type 22 radars were installed, as were more Type 96 AA guns.[4] She departed on 8 July with reinforcements and supplies for Singapore, arriving 16 July.
On 25 October 1944, Kumano was part of the Japanese Central Force in the
She returned to service on 4 November, departing Manila for
In all, the American submarines launched 23 torpedoes toward the convoy, two of which struck Kumano. Of the aforementioned U.S. submarines, Ray inflicted the most severe damage on Kumano. The first hit destroyed her recently replaced bow, and the second damaged her starboard engine room, flooding all four of her engine rooms. She took on an 11° list and lost steerage. At 19:30, she was towed to
While undergoing repairs in Santa Cruz on 25 November, Kumano came under attack by aircraft launched by the carrier
Admiral
Notes
- ^ Watts 1967, p. 99.
- ^ Campbell 1985, pp. 185–187.
- ^ a b Whitley 1995.
- ^ a b c d e Patton 2006.
- ^ Nishida 2002.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Hackett & Kingsepp 2018.
- ^ Klemen L. 2000.
- ^ Tully 1997.
References
- Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
- Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander (1 October 2018). "IJN Kumano: Tabular Record of Movement". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- L., Klemen (2000). "Allied Merchant Ship Losses in the Pacific and Southeast Asia". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942.
- Lacroix, Eric & ISBN 0-87021-311-3.
- Nishida, Hiroshi (2002). "Mogami class heavy cruisers". Imperial Japanese Navy. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- Patton, Wayne (2006). Japanese Heavy Cruisers of World War II. Warships in Action series. Vol. 26. Carrolton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications. pp. 47–52. OCLC 74809085.
- ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
- Tully, Anthony P. (15 August 1997). "Ship of Nine Lives: The Long Struggle of Cruiser Kumano". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
- Watts, Anthony J. (1967). Japanese Warships of World War II. Garden City, NJ: Doubleday. OCLC 841072158.
- ISBN 1-86019-874-0.
Further reading
- Dull, Paul S. (1978). A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-097-1.
- Jentschura, Hansgeorg; Jung, Dieter & Mickel, Peter (1977). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN 0-87021-893-X.
15°44′58″N 119°47′57″E / 15.74944°N 119.79917°E
