Japanese cruiser Takao

"Takao" (Japanese: たかお Kanji: 高雄) was the first of four "Takao"-class heavy cruisers, designed to be an improvement over the previous "Myōkō"-class design. The "Myōkō" had proved to be unstable and required modifications, which were incorporated into the "Takao" design.

The "Takao"-class ships were approved under the 1927 fiscal year budget as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's strategy of the Decisive Battle, and forming the backbone of a multipurpose long range strike force. "Takao" was built by the Yokosuka Naval shipyards, and like her sister ships, was named after a mountain. Mount Takao (高雄山), is located outside of Kyoto and is not to be confused with the similar Mount Takao (高尾) located outside Tokyo, or the city of Takao (高雄), which uses the same characters, on what was then Japanese territory of Taiwan.

Operational History

"Takao" was the lead ship of her class. She was launched on 12 May 1930 at the Yokosuka Navy Yard and commissioned on 31 May 1932.

At the start of World War II, "Takao" was commanded by Captain Asakura Bunji and assigned to Vice Admiral Kondo Nobutake's Cruiser Division 4 together with her sister ships "Atago" and "Maya". In late December 1941, she provided gunfire support for the landings at Lingayen Gulf on Luzon in the Philippines.

In early 1942, "Takao" operated in the Java Sea, the operations culminating in the Battle of the Java Sea in early March. On 1 March, one of "Takao's" floatplanes bombed the Dutch merchant ship "Enggano". The next night, "Takao" and "Atago" overtook the old United States Navy destroyer "Pillsbury" and sank her with no survivors. Early on 4 March, "Takao", "Atago", "Maya" and two destroyers of Destroyer Division 4, "Arashi" and "Nowaki" attacked a convoy near Tjilatjap. The Royal Australian Navy sloop HMAS "Yarra" defended the convoy for an hour and half, but was sunk with 34 survivors of her crew of 151. (Of these 34 survivors, only 13 were alive to be picked up a week later by the Dutch submarine "K-XI" and taken to Ceylon.)

The Japanese cruisers then sank three ships from the convoy: the tanker "Francol", the depot ship "Anking", and a minesweeper. Two Dutch freighters were also captured.

In June 1942, "Takao" and "Maya" supported the invasion of the Aleutian Islands. On 3 June 1942, their reconnaissance floatplanes were attacked by United States Army Air Forces Curtiss P-40 fighters from Umnak and two were shot down; on 5 June, "Takao" shot down a B-17 Flying Fortress.

In August 1942, she was assigned to Operation Ka, the Japanese reinforcement during the Battle of Guadalcanal and participated in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October. A determined attempt to shell the US base at Henderson Field led to the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal: on 15 November 1942, the battleship "Kirishima", supported by "Takao" and "Atago", engaged the American battleships "Washington" and "South Dakota". All three Japanese ships hit "South Dakota" multiple times with shells, severely damaging her. "Takao" and "Atago" fired long lance torpedoes at "Washington" but missed. However, "Kirishima" was disabled by "Washington" and scuttled the next morning. "Atago" was damaged. "Takao" escaped unharmed, but was forced to retreat to Truk.

In 1943, "Takao" supported the evacuation of Guadalcanal. Under the command of Inoguchi Toshihira, she operated in the central Pacific from her base at Truk. On 5 November 1943, she was refuelling at Rabaul in the Bismarck Islands when she came under attack by SBD Dauntless dive bombers from USS "Saratoga" (see Attack on Rabaul). "Takao" was hit by two bombs, killing 23 and damaging her steering; she was forced to return to Yokosuka in Japan for dry dock repairs.

On 22 October 1944, she joined Takeo Kurita's "Centre Force" and sailed from Brunei Bay for the Battle of Leyte Gulf. On 23 October, as she was passing Palawan Island, the force came under attack from two US submarines. At 06:34, "Takao" was hit by two torpedoes from USS "Darter", which shattered two shafts, broke her fantail and flooded three boiler rooms. She turned back to Brunei, escorted by the destroyers "Naganami" and "Asashimo", the torpedo boat "Hiyodori" and the transport "Mitsu Maru". This flotilla was tailed by "Darter" and "Dace" until just after midnight on 24 October, when "Darter" ran aground on the Bombay Shoal and "Dace" remained to rescue her crew.

"Takao" was so badly damaged that it was considered impossible to send her back to Japan any time soon for full repairs. So the stern was cut off and shored up, and she was moored as an anti-aircraft battery for the defence of Singapore. While berthed there, she was attacked (Operation "Struggle") on 31 July 1945 by the British midget submarine HMS "XE3", commanded by Lieutenant Ian Edward Fraser and Acting Leading Seaman James Joseph Magennis, for which they were awarded the Victoria Cross. Magennis attached six limpet mines to "Takao"’s hull; when they exploded, they blew a hole 20 m by 10 m. Most of "Takao"’s guns were put out of action, the rangefinders were destroyed and a number of compartments flooded.

On 5 September 1945, the Straits of Johor naval base was surrendered by the Japanese to the British and the formal boarding of the still partially-manned "Takao" took place on 21 September 1945. She was finally towed to the Straits of Malacca to be used as a target ship for HMS "Newfoundland".

Commanding Officers

Chief Equipping Officer - Capt. Takashi Ando - 15 May 1930 - 31 May 1932

Capt. Takashi Ando - 31 May 1932 - 1 November 1932

Capt. Yorio Sawamoto - 1 November 1932 - 15 November 1933

Capt. Chuichi Nagumo - 15 November 1933 - 15 November 1934

Capt. Eiji Goto - 15 November 1934 - 15 November 1935

Capt. Kenzaburo Hara - 15 November 1935 - 1 December 1936

Capt. Takeo Takagi - 1 December 1936 - 1 December 1937

Capt. Marquis Tadashige Daigo - 1 December 1937 - 3 June 1938

Capt. Mitsuharu Matsuyama - 3 June 1938 - 15 November 1939

Capt. Kengo Kobayashi - 15 November 1939 - 1 November 1940

Capt. Jihei Yamaguchi - 1 November 1940 - 15 August 1941

Capt. Bunji Asakura - 15 August 1941 - 23 February 1943

Capt. Toshihira Inoguchi - 23 February 1943 - 28 October 1943

Capt. Shigechika Hayashi - 28 October 1943 - 29 August 1944

Capt. Sutejiro Onoda - 29 August 1944 - 22 March 1945

Capt. Takeo Ishisaka - 22 March 1945 - 15 August 1945

References

Books

*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 = 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 = Skulski
first = Janusz
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 2004
chapter =
title = The Heavy Cruiser Takao
publisher = Conway Maritime Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-85177-974-3

External links

*cite web
last = Hackett
first = Bob
coauthors = Sander Kingsepp
year =
url = http://www.combinedfleet.com/takao_t.htm
title = HIJMS TAKAO: Tabular Record of Movement
work = Combinedfleet.com
accessdate = 2006-06-14

Notes