Japanese cruiser Kumano
Encyclopedia
Kumano (熊野) was one of four Mogami-class
heavy cruiser
of the Imperial Japanese Navy
. She was completed at the Kawasaki Shipyard in Kobe
on 31 October 1937. She displaced 13440 LT (13,655.7 t) with a length of 649 in 10 in (198.07 m) and a beam of 66 in 3 in (20.19 m), and had a top speed of 35 kn (68.6 km/h; 42.6 mph). Kumano was initially armed as a light cruiser
with fifteen 155 mm (6.1 in) guns in five turrets (three forward and two aft), eight 127 mm (5 in) dual-purpose guns, fifty 25 mm (0.984251968503937 in) anti-aircraft gun
s, and twelve tube
s for 610 mm (24 in) type 90 torpedo
es with provision for 12 more in position for rapid reload. Before the war, the type 90 torpedoes would be replaced by the infamous "Long Lance
" torpedoes. From 1939-1940, Kumano was converted to a heavy cruiser by replacing the triple 155 mm gun turrets with an equal number of twin turrets for 200 mm (8 in) guns.
heavy cruisers Kumano and with destroyer sank the British Steamships Silksworth, Autolycus, Malda and Shinkuang and the American Steamship Exmoor.
Present at Midway
(4-7 June 1942) as part of Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita's
Cruiser Division 7, along with her sister
s , (sunk) and Suzuya, her war-record is otherwise of little interest until 20 June 1944, when she was attacked by U.S. carrier aircraft from , , and . During this action, the aircraft carrier
was sunk and the battleship
was badly damaged.
Light anti-aircraft armament was increased to thirty 25 mm guns by January 1944, and increased again to 50 guns in July. On 25 October 1944, Kumano was part of the Japanese Central Force in the Battle off Samar
. She was hit by a Mk-15 torpedo
fired by the destroyer , which literally blew off her bow. As Kumano was retiring towards the San Bernardino Strait, she came under aerial attack and suffered minor damage.
The next day, Kumano was attacked from aircraft launched by while in the Sibuyan Sea
, and was struck by three 500 lb (227 kg) bombs. She survived and sailed to Manila Bay for repairs on her bow and all four boilers.
She returned to service, and on 6 November 1944 Kumano was guarding convoy Ma-Ta 31. The convoy came under attack by a U.S. submarine wolf-pack consisting of , , , and . Of the aforementioned U.S. submarines, Ray inflicted the most severe damage on Kumano.
In all, the American submarines launched 23 torpedoes towards the convoy, two of which struck the 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 Dasol Bay by the cargo ship Doryo Maru, and from there she was moved to Santa Cruz on the Philippine Island of Luzon.
While undergoing repairs in Santa Cruz on 25 November, Kumano came under aerial attack by aircraft launched by . Five torpedoes and four 500 lb bombs struck her, and at 15:15 she rolled over and sank in about 31 m (101.7 ft) of water.
Admiral William "Bull" Halsey
reportedly once remarked that "if there was a Japanese ship he could feel sorry for at all, it would be the Kumano".
Mogami class cruiser
The were a class of four heavy cruisers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the mid-1930s. All four fought in World War II, and were sunk.-Design:...
heavy cruiser
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
. She was completed at the Kawasaki Shipyard in Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
on 31 October 1937. She displaced 13440 LT (13,655.7 t) with a length of 649 in 10 in (198.07 m) and a beam of 66 in 3 in (20.19 m), and had a top speed of 35 kn (68.6 km/h; 42.6 mph). Kumano was initially armed as a light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
with fifteen 155 mm (6.1 in) guns in five turrets (three forward and two aft), eight 127 mm (5 in) dual-purpose guns, fifty 25 mm (0.984251968503937 in) anti-aircraft gun
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
s, and twelve tube
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
s for 610 mm (24 in) type 90 torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es with provision for 12 more in position for rapid reload. Before the war, the type 90 torpedoes would be replaced by the infamous "Long Lance
Type 93 torpedo
The Type 93 was a -diameter torpedo of the Imperial Japanese Navy , launched from surface ships. It is commonly referred to as the Long Lance by most modern English-language naval historians, a nickname given it after the war by Samuel E. Morison, the chief historian of the U.S...
" torpedoes. From 1939-1940, Kumano was converted to a heavy cruiser by replacing the triple 155 mm gun turrets with an equal number of twin turrets for 200 mm (8 in) guns.
Operational history
On 6 April 1942 during the Indian Ocean RaidIndian Ocean raid
The Indian Ocean raid was a naval sortie by the Fast Carrier Strike Force of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 31 March-10 April 1942 against Allied shipping and bases in the Indian Ocean. It was an early engagement of the Pacific campaign of World War II...
heavy cruisers Kumano and with destroyer sank the British Steamships Silksworth, Autolycus, Malda and Shinkuang and the American Steamship Exmoor.
Present at Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
(4-7 June 1942) as part of Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita's
Takeo Kurita
Vice Admiral was a vice-admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.-Early life:Kurita was born in Mito city, Ibaraki Prefecture in 1889. He was sent off to Etajima in 1905 and graduated from the 38th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1910, ranked 28th out of a class of...
Cruiser Division 7, along with her sister
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
s , (sunk) and Suzuya, her war-record is otherwise of little interest until 20 June 1944, when she was attacked by U.S. carrier aircraft from , , and . During this action, the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
was sunk and the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
was badly damaged.
Light anti-aircraft armament was increased to thirty 25 mm guns by January 1944, and increased again to 50 guns in July. On 25 October 1944, Kumano was part of the Japanese Central Force in the Battle off Samar
Battle off Samar
The Battle off Samar was the centermost action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the largest naval battles in history, which took place in the Philippine Sea off Samar Island, in the Philippines on 25 October 1944...
. She was hit by a Mk-15 torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
fired by the destroyer , which literally blew off her bow. As Kumano was retiring towards the San Bernardino Strait, she came under aerial attack and suffered minor damage.
The next day, Kumano was attacked from aircraft launched by while in the Sibuyan Sea
Sibuyan Sea
The Sibuyan Sea is a small sea in the Philippines that separates the Visayas from the northern Philippine island of Luzon.-Description:It is bounded by the island of Panay to the south, Mindoro to the west, Masbate to the east, and to the north Marinduque and the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon Island.The...
, and was struck by three 500 lb (227 kg) bombs. She survived and sailed to Manila Bay for repairs on her bow and all four boilers.
In all, the American submarines launched 23 torpedoes towards the convoy, two of which struck the 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 Dasol Bay by the cargo ship Doryo Maru, and from there she was moved to Santa Cruz on the Philippine Island of Luzon.
While undergoing repairs in Santa Cruz on 25 November, Kumano came under aerial attack by aircraft launched by . Five torpedoes and four 500 lb bombs struck her, and at 15:15 she rolled over and sank in about 31 m (101.7 ft) of water.
Admiral William "Bull" Halsey
William Halsey, Jr.
Fleet Admiral William Frederick Halsey, Jr., United States Navy, , was a U.S. Naval officer. He commanded the South Pacific Area during the early stages of the Pacific War against Japan...
reportedly once remarked that "if there was a Japanese ship he could feel sorry for at all, it would be the Kumano".