Japanese cruiser Chikuma (1938)

nihongo|"IJN Chikuma"|筑摩 重巡洋艦|Chikuma jūjunyōkan was the second vessel in the two-vessel "Tone"-class of heavy cruisers in the Imperial Japanese Navy. It is named after the Chikuma River, in Nagano prefecture of Japan.

Background

"Chikuma" was designed for long-range scouting missions and had a large seaplane capacity. She was extensively employed during the World War II in conjunction with an aircraft carrier task force, or as part of a cruiser squadron with her sister ship, "Tone".

Service career

Early career

"Chikuma" was completed at Mitsubishi Nagasaki shipyards on 20 May 1939. After several months as a unit of the Crudiv6 (Sentai 6) of the Second Fleet, she was transferred to the CruDiv8 in November 1939. In addition to taking part in regular combat exercises in Japanese home waters, she operated off southern China on three occasions between March 1940 and March 1941.

Early stages of the Pacific War

At the end of 1941, "Chikuma" was assigned to CruDiv 8 with its sister ship, "Tone", and was thus one of the key players in the attack on Pearl Harbor. On 7 December 1941, "Tone" and "Chikuma" each launched one Aichi E13A1 Type 0 "Jake" floatplane for a final weather reconnaissance over Oahu. At 0630, "Tone" and "Chikuma" each launched short range Nakajima E8N Type 95 "Dave" two-seat floatplanes to act as pickets and patrol south of the Striking Force. "Chikuma’s" floatplane reported nine anchored battleships (presumably counting "Utah" as a battleship). During the subsequent attack, the "USS Arizona", "USS Oklahoma" and "USS California" were sunk and "USS Nevada", "USS Pennsylvania", "USS Tennessee", "USS Maryland" and "USS West Virginia" and other smaller ships were damaged.

On 16 December, CruDiv 8 was ordered to assist in the second attempted invasion of Wake Island. Anti-Aircraft fire damaged the scout plane from "Chikuma", which was forced to ditch, but the crew was rescued. After the fall of Wake Island, CruDiv 8 returned to Kure, Hiroshima.

On 14 January 1942, CruDiv 8 was based out of Truk in the Caroline Islands, and covered the landings of Japanese troops at Rabaul, New Britain and attacks on Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea. On 24 January "Chikuma's" floatplanes attacked the Admiralty Islands.

After the 1 February air raid on Kwajalein by Vice Admiral William Halsey, Jr's "USS Enterprise", "Chikuma" departed Truk with the Carrier Striking Force in an unsuccessful pursuit. "Chikuma" and "Tone" later participated in the Raid on Port Darwin, Australia on 19 February, sinking 11 ships. From 25 February 1942, "Chikuma" was involved in supporting the Japanese invasion of Java.

Battle of the Java Sea

On 1 March 1942, "Chikuma's" floatplane located the 8,806-ton Dutch freighter "Modjokerto" attempting to escape from Tjilatjap to Australia. "Chikuma", with "Tone", and destroyers "Kasumi" and "Shiranuhi" intercepted and sank the freighter before noon. That afternoon, CruDiv 8's spotted the old "USS Edsall", 250 miles SSE of Christmas Island. "Chikuma" opened fire with her 8-inch guns at the extremely long range of 11 miles, and all shots missed. "Chikuma" was joined by battleships "Hiei" and "Kirishima", which also opened fire with their 14 inch main batteries, but the "Edsall" not only managed to avoid 297 14-inch, 132 6-inch shells from the battleships and an additional 844 8-inch and 62 5-inch rounds from the cruisers, but it also closed to range and fired its 4-inch guns at "Chikuma". Hits from "Hiei", "Tone" and dive bombers from the "Sōryū" and "Akagi" finally stopped "Edsall", which was then finished off by "Chikuma".

On 4 March, "Chikuma" sank the 5,412-ton Dutch merchant "Enggano" (which had earlier been damaged by a floatplane from "Takao"). On 5 March, floatplanes from "Tone" and "Chikuma" took part on the strike against Tjilatjap. After the surrender of the Dutch East Indies, "Chikuma" was assigned to Indian Ocean operations.

Indian Ocean raids

On 5 April 1942, "Chikuma" was part of a major task force which launched 315 aircraft against Columbo, Ceylon. HMS "Tenedos", HMS "Hector" and 27 aircraft were destroyed and over 500 killed in harbor, and the cruisers HMS "Cornwall" and HMS "Dorsetshire" were destroyed at sea. After searching for more remnants of the Royal Navy, the Indian Ocean Task Force launched 91 Aichi D3A1 "Val" dive-bombers and 41 Mitsubishi A6M2 "Zeke" fighters on 9 April against the British naval base at Trincomalee, Ceylon. They found the harbor empty, but wrecked the base's facilities and shoot down nine planes, and later sank the carrier HMS "Hermes", HMAS "Vampire", and corvette "HMS Hollyhock", an oiler and a depot ship at sea 65 miles from base.

The task force with "Chikuma" returned to Japan in mid-April 1942, where it was almost immediately assigned to the unsuccessful pursuit of Admiral Halsey's Task Force 16.2 with the USS "Hornet" after the Doolittle Raid.

Battle of Midway

At the crucial Battle of Midway, "Chikuma" and CruDiv 8 was in Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo's Carrier Striking Force. On 4 June, "Tone" and "Chikuma" each launched two Aichi E13A1 "Jake" long-range reconnaissance floatplanes to search out 300 miles for American carriers. The "Tone" floatplane discovered American ships, but did not recognize that the fleet was a carrier group, which proved to be a crucial mistake. "Chikuma's" floatplane found the "USS Yorktown", and shadowed the carrier for the next three hours, guiding the bombers that attacked Yorktown that evening. Two other floatplanes from "Chikuma" continued to observe the heavily damaged "Yorktown" through the night, during which time one plane and crew were lost. Chikuma then directed the submarine "I-168" to find and attack the "Yorktown" the following morning.

"Chikuma" and "Tone" were then detached to support Vice Admiral Boshiro Hosogaya's Aleutian invasion force. However, the anticipated American counter-attack failed to materialize. CruDiv 8 cruised northern waters uneventfully. "Chikuma" returned to Ominato port on 24 June.

Rear Admiral Chuichi Hara assumed command of CruDiv 8 from 14 July 1942. With the US invasion of Guadalcanal, "Chikuma" and "Tone" were ordered south again on 16 August with the aircraft carriers "Shokaku", "Zuikaku", "Zuiho", "Junyō", "Hiyo" and "Ryujo". They were joined by the battleships "Hiei", "Kirishima", seaplane tender ["Chitose", and cruisers "Atago", "Maya", "Takao", "Nagara".

Battle of the Eastern Solomons

On 24 August 1942, CruDiv 7's "Kumano", "Suzuya" and "Mōgami" arrived to join the reinforcement fleet for Guadalcanal. The following morning, a PBY Catalina seaplane spotted "Ryujo", which SBDs and TBFs from "Enterprise" unsuccessfully attacked. Seven floatplanes from "Tone" and "Chikuma" were launched to locate the American fleet. One of "Chikuma's" planes spotted the Americans, but was shot down before its report could be relayed. However, a second floatplane was more successful, and the Japanese launched an attack against "Enterprise", hitting it with three bombs which set her wooden deck on fire. However, in the meantime, the Americans located the Japanese fleet, and "Ryujo" was sunk by planes from the "USS Saratoga". "Chikuma" was undamaged in this engagement, and returned to Truk safely.

Through October, "Chikuma" and "Tone" patrolled north of the Solomon Islands, waiting word of recapture of Henderson Field by the Japanese.

Battle of Santa Cruz

On 26 October 1942, 250 miles northeast of Guadalcanal, Rear Admiral Hiroaki Abe's task force launched seven floatplanes to scout south of Guadalcanal. They located the American fleet, and Abe followed with an attack by 13 Nakajima B5N2 "Kate" torpedo planes which sank the "USS Hornet" and damaged the "USS South Dakota" and cruiser "USS San Juan". However, "Chikuma" was attacked by a Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bomber from "Hornet", and quick thinking crewmen jettisoned her torpedoes seconds before a 500-lb. bomb hit her starboard forward torpedo room. She was also hit by two other bombs, destroying one floatplane on the aircraft catapult. "Chikuma" suffered 190 killed and 154 wounded including Captain Komura.

"Chikuma" (escorted by "Urakaze" and "Tanikaze") returned to Truk for emergency repairs, and was then sent back to Kure with the damaged carrier "Zuiho". During refit and repairs, two additional twin Type 96 25-mm AA guns and a Type 21 air-search radar were added. Repairs were completed by 27 February 1943.

On 15 March 1943 Rear Admiral Kishi Fukuji assumed command of CruDiv 8, and "Chikuma" was ordered back to Truk. However, on 17 May, "Chikuma" and "Tone" were tasked to accompany battleship "Musashi" back to Tokyo for the state funeral of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. "Chikuma" was back in Truk by 15 July, having avoided numerous submarine attacks along the route.

From July to November, "Chikuma" was engaged in making troop transport runs to Rabaul, and to patrols of the Marshall Islands in unsuccessful pursuit of the American fleet. While refueling at Rabaul on 5 November 1943, "Chikuma" and its task force were attacked by 97 planes from the "Satatoga", and "USS Princeton". Cruisers "Atago", "Takao", "Maya", "Mogami", "Agano" and "Noshiro" were damaged. "Chikuma", attacked by a single SDB, suffered only near-misses with minor damage.

Back at Kure on 12 December, "Chikuma" gained additional 25-mm AA guns, bringing its total to 20. CruDiv 8 was disbanded on 1 January 1944, and both "Tone" and "Chikuma" were reassigned to CruDiv 7 (with "Suzuya" and "Kumano") under Rear Admiral Shoji Nishimura. Refit completed by 1 February, "Chikuma" returned to Singapore on 13 February and Batavia on 15 March after a month of raiding commerce in the Indian Ocean. On 20 March 1944, Rear Admiral Kazutaka Shiraishi assumed command of CruDiv 7, and "Chikuma" was made flagship.

Battle of the Philippine Sea

On 13 June 1944, Admiral Soemu Toyoda activated "Operation A-GO" for the defense of the Mariana Islands. "Chikuma" was assigned to Force "C" Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa's Mobile Fleet, which proceeded through the Visayan Sea to the Philippine Sea headed towards Saipan. On 20 June, after "Haruna", "Kongo" and carrier "Chiyoda" were attacked by aircraft from the "USS Bunker Hill", "USS Monterey" and "USS Cabot" and the bulk of the Japanese air cover was destroyed in the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot”, "Chikuma" retired with the Mobile Fleet to Okinawa.

After ferrying army troops to Okinawa "Chikuma" was reassigned back to Singapore in July, serving as flagship for CruDiv 4 while "Atago" was under repairs.

Battle of Leyte Gulf

On 23 October 1944, "Chikuma" (with "Kumano", "Suzuya" and "Tone") sortied from Brunei towards the Philippines with Vice Admiral Kurita's First Mobile Striking Force. In the Battle of the Palawan Passage, "Atago" and "Maya" were sunk by submarines, and "Takao" damaged. In the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea the following day, "Musashi", "Nagato", "Haruna" and "Myoko" were sunk or damaged.

On 25 October, during the Battle off Samar, "Chikuma" engaged U.S. escort aircraft carriers, helping to sink "USS Gambier Bay", but came under fire from the American destroyer "USS Heermann" and heavy air attack. "Chikuma" inflicted severe damage on "Heermann", but was soon attacked by four TBM Avenger torpedo-bombers, one of which succeeded in hitting her stern port quarter with a Mark 13 torpedo that severed her stern and disabled her port screw and rudder. "Chikuma's" speed dropped to 18 knots, then to 9 knots, but more seriously, she became unsteerable. At 1105, "Chikuma" was attacked by five TBMs from "USS Kitkun Bay". She was hit portside amidships by two torpedoes and her engine rooms flooded. At 1400, three TBMs from a composite squadron of ships from the USS "Omanney Bay" and the "USS Natoma Bay" led by Lt. Joseph Cady dropped more torpedoes which hit "Chikuma" portside. Cady was later awarded the "Navy Cross" for his action. The destroyer "Nowaki" took off survivors from "Chikuma", and then scuttled her at coord|11|25|N|126|36|E| in the late morning of on 25 October 1944.

On 26 October 1944, "Nowaki" was sunk by gunfire from "USS Vincennes", "Biloxi" and "USS Miami" and DesDiv 103's "USS Miller", "USS Owen" and "USS Lewis Hancock". It sank 65 miles SSE of Legaspi, Philippines with about 1,400 men including all but one of "Chikuma's" surviving crewmen.

"Chikuma" was removed from the navy list on 20 April 1945.

List of Captains

Chief Equpping Officer - Capt. Hidehiko Nishio - 10 December 1938 - 20 May 1939

Capt. Hidehiko Nishio - 20 May 1939 - 20 October 1939

Capt. Teizo Hara - 20 October 1939 - 15 November 1939

Capt. Shintaro Hashimoto - 15 November 1939 - 1 November 1940

Capt. Gunji Kogure - 1 November 1940 - 20 August 1941

Capt. Keizo Komura - 20 August 1941 - 10 November 1942

Capt. Tsutau Araki - 10 November 1942 - 20 January 1943

Capt. Kazue Shigenaga - 20 January 1943 - 7 January 1944

Capt. / RADM* Saiji Norimitsu - 7 January 1944 - 25 October 1944 (KIA; survived sinking of ship, but KIA when rescue DD "Nowaki" sunk by air attack.)

References

Books

*cite book
last = Brown
first = David
authorlink =
year = 1990
title = Warship Losses of World War Two
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 1-55750-914-X
*cite book
last = D'Albas
first = Andrieu
authorlink =
year = 1965
title = Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II
publisher = Devin-Adair Pub
location =
id = ISBN 0-8159-5302-X
*cite book
last = Dull
first = Paul S.
authorlink =
year = 1978
chapter =
title = A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-87021-097-1
*cite book
last = Howarth
first = Stephen
authorlink =
year = 1983
title = The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895-1945
publisher = Atheneum
location =
id = ISBN 0-68911-402-8
*cite book
last = Jentsura
first = Hansgeorg
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1976
chapter =
title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-87021-893-X
*cite book
last = Lacroix
first = Eric
authorlink =
coauthors = Linton Wells
year = 1997
chapter =
title = Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-87021-311-3
*cite book
last = Whitley
first = M.J.
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1995
chapter =
title = Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 1-55750-141-6

External links

*cite web
last = Parshall
first = Jon
coauthors = Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp, & Allyn Nevitt
year =
url = http://www.combinedfleet.com/tone_c.htm CombinedFleet.com: "Tone" class
title = Imperial Japanese Navy Page (Combinedfleet.com)
work =
accessdate = 2006-06-14
*Tabular record: [http://www.combinedfleet.com/Chikuma_t.htm CombinedFleet.com: "Chikuma" history] (Retrieved 26 January 2007.)
*Gallery: [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/japan/japsh-c/chikuma.htm US Navy Historical Center]

Notes

Gallery

See also

* List of World War II ships
* See Japanese cruiser Chikuma for other ships of the same name.