Japanese destroyer Kuroshio
Encyclopedia
was the third vessel to be commissioned in the 19-vessel destroyer
s built for the Imperial Japanese Navy
in the late-1930s under the Circle Three Supplementary Naval Expansion Program
(Maru San Keikaku).
-sized , with improvements made by Japanese naval architects to improve stability and to take advantage of Japan’s lead in torpedo
technology. They were designed to accompany the Japanese main striking force and in both day and night attacks against the United States Navy
as it advanced across the Pacific Ocean
, according to Japanese naval strategic projections. Despite being one of the most powerful classes of destroyers in the world at the time of their completion, only one survived the Pacific War
.
Kuroshio, built at the Fujinagata Shipyards
in Osaka
, was laid down on 31 August 1937, launched on 25 October 1938 and commissioned on 27 January 1940.
. On her return, at 1800 hours on 23 June 1940, she collided with and in Bungo Channel
resulting a month of repairs at Kure Naval Arsenal
.
At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor
, Kuroshio, was assigned to Destroyer Division 15 (Desdiv 15), and a member of Destroyer Squadron 2 (Desron 2) of the IJN 2nd Fleet
, and had deployed from Palau
, as part of the escort for the aircraft carrier
in the invasion of the southern Philippines and minelayer
. She suffered minor damage on 23 December due to a strafing attack by USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress bombers.
In early 1942, Kuroshio participated in the invasion of the Netherlands East Indies
, escorting the invasion forces for Menado, Kendari
and Ambon
in January, and the invasion forces for Makassar
, Timor
and Java
in February. On 8 February, she rescued survivors from Natsushio and on 5 March assisted in sinking a Royal Navy
minelayer. At the end of March, she returned with from Staring-baai
in Sulawesi
to Sasebo
.
At the end of April, Kuroshio deployed from Kure to assist in the occupation of the Cagayan Islands near Palawan
in early May, and then returned with the damaged from Manila
to Kure on 17 May. In early June, Kuroshio deployed from Saipan
as part of the troopship escort for the Battle of Midway
.
In mid-June, Kuroshio was assigned as escort for cruisers in projected further Indian Ocean raid
s, but the operation was cancelled by the time she reached Mergui
in Burma, and she was re-assigned as escort for the cruisers and to Balikpapan
and the Solomon Islands
. During the Battle of the Eastern Solomons
of 24 August she was part of Admiral Kondō’s Advance Force, but was not in combat. During September, Kuroshio was used for patrols between Truk and Guadalcanal
, and in October began operations as a “Tokyo Express
” high speed troop transport to Guadalcanal. These operations continued to mid-February 1943. During the Battle of Santa Cruz
on 26 October, she was assigned to escort . Kuroshio was also at the Battle of Tassafaronga
on 30 November, during which one of her torpedoes may have hit the American cruiser .
On 21 February, Kuroshio returned to Kure for repairs, together with Jun'yō, and returned on 10 April to Truk together with and . At the end of April, she was at Shortland Island
, and reassigned to troop transport runs.
On the night of 7–8 May 1943, while on a troop transport run to Kolombangara
, she struck mines
when leaving Vila (Kolombangara), and exploded and sank at coordinates (08°08′S 156°55′E), with loss of 83 lives. She was removed from the navy list
on 20 June 1943.
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s built for 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...
in the late-1930s under the Circle Three Supplementary Naval Expansion Program
3rd Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Japan, 1937)
The otherwise known as the "Circle Three" Plan was the third of four expansion plans of the Imperial Japanese Navy between 1930 and the start of World War II.-Background:...
(Maru San Keikaku).
Background
The Kagerō-class destroyers were outwardly almost identical to the preceding light cruiserLight 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...
-sized , with improvements made by Japanese naval architects to improve stability and to take advantage of Japan’s lead in 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...
technology. They were designed to accompany the Japanese main striking force and in both day and night attacks against the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
as it advanced across the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, according to Japanese naval strategic projections. Despite being one of the most powerful classes of destroyers in the world at the time of their completion, only one survived the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
.
Kuroshio, built at the Fujinagata Shipyards
Fujinagata Shipyards
was a shipyard and railroad car manufacturer in Osaka, Japan.-History:Fujinagata claimed to have been founded in 1689, making it one of the oldest shipbuilders in Japan. Originally called Hyōgo-ya, and located in central Osaka, it was contracted in 1854 by officials representing the Tokugawa...
in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, was laid down on 31 August 1937, launched on 25 October 1938 and commissioned on 27 January 1940.
Operational history
Shortly after commissioning, Kuroshio was assigned to participate in the 16th Annual Maneuvers of the Combined FleetCombined Fleet
The was the main ocean-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Combined Fleet was not a standing force, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units normally under separate commands in peacetime....
. On her return, at 1800 hours on 23 June 1940, she collided with and in Bungo Channel
Bungo Channel
The is a strait separating the Japanese islands of Kyūshū and Shikoku. It connects the Pacific Ocean and Seto Inland Sea. The narrowest part of this channel is the Hōyo Strait....
resulting a month of repairs at Kure Naval Arsenal
Kure Naval Arsenal
was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. -History:The Kure Naval District was established at Kure, Hiroshima in 1889, as the second of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the Japanese home islands along with the establishment of the...
.
At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, Kuroshio, was assigned to Destroyer Division 15 (Desdiv 15), and a member of Destroyer Squadron 2 (Desron 2) of the IJN 2nd Fleet
IJN 2nd Fleet
The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy.-History:First established on 28 December 1903, the IJN 2nd Fleet was created by the Imperial General Headquarters as a mobile strike force of cruisers and destroyers to pursue the Imperial Russian Navy's Vladivostok-based cruiser squadron while the...
, and had deployed from Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
, as part of the escort for 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...
in the invasion of the southern Philippines and minelayer
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
. She suffered minor damage on 23 December due to a strafing attack by USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress bombers.
In early 1942, Kuroshio participated in the invasion of the Netherlands East Indies
Dutch East Indies campaign
The Dutch East Indies campaign of 1941–1942 was the conquest of the Dutch East Indies by forces from the Empire of Japan in the early days of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Forces from the Allies attempted unsuccessfully to defend the islands. Indonesia was targeted by the Japanese for its...
, escorting the invasion forces for Menado, Kendari
Kendari
Kendari is the capital of the Indonesian province of South East Sulawesi. The city lies along Kendari Bay. Moramo Waterfall is located 65 km east of Kendari. Kendari is divided into four subdistricts: Kendari, Mandonga, Baruga, and Poasia...
and Ambon
Ambon Island
Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of , and is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Ambon Island consists of 2 territories: The main city and seaport is Ambon , which is also the capital of Maluku province and Maluku Tengah Ambon Island is part of the...
in January, and the invasion forces for Makassar
Makassar
Makassar, is the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the largest city on Sulawesi Island. From 1971 to 1999, the city was named Ujung Pandang, after a precolonial fort in the city, and the two names are often used interchangeably...
, Timor
Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island's surface is 30,777 square kilometres...
and Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
in February. On 8 February, she rescued survivors from Natsushio and on 5 March assisted in sinking a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
minelayer. At the end of March, she returned with from Staring-baai
Staring-baai
Staring-baai is a bay off the southeast peninsula of Sulawesi in Indonesia. It lies slightly southeast of Kendari, the provincial capital of South East Sulawesi, where it opens to the east onto the Banda Sea....
in Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
to Sasebo
Sasebo Naval District
was the third of five main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the western and southern coastline of Kyūshū, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan and Korea, as well as patrols in the East China Sea and the Pacific...
.
At the end of April, Kuroshio deployed from Kure to assist in the occupation of the Cagayan Islands near Palawan
Palawan
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...
in early May, and then returned with the damaged from Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
to Kure on 17 May. In early June, Kuroshio deployed from Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
as part of the troopship escort for the Battle of 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...
.
In mid-June, Kuroshio was assigned as escort for cruisers in projected further Indian Ocean raid
Indian 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...
s, but the operation was cancelled by the time she reached Mergui
Mergui
Myeik is a city in Tanintharyi Division in Myanmar , located in the extreme south of the country on the coast of an island on the Andaman Sea. the estimated population was over 209,000. The area inland from the city is a major smuggling corridor into Thailand.-History:Myeik was the southernmost...
in Burma, and she was re-assigned as escort for the cruisers and to Balikpapan
Balikpapan
Balikpapan is a seaport city on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo, Indonesia, in the East Kalimantan province, a resource-rich region well known for its timber, mining, and petroleum export products. Two harbors, Semayang and Kariangau , and the Sepinggan International Airport are the main...
and the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. During the Battle of the Eastern Solomons
Battle of the Eastern Solomons
The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons (also known as the Battle of the Stewart Islands and, in Japanese sources, as the , took place on 24–25 August 1942, and was the third carrier battle of the Pacific campaign...
of 24 August she was part of Admiral Kondō’s Advance Force, but was not in combat. During September, Kuroshio was used for patrols between Truk and Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
, and in October began operations as a “Tokyo Express
Tokyo Express
The Tokyo Express was the name given by Allied forces to the use of Imperial Japanese Navy ships at night to deliver personnel, supplies, and equipment to Japanese forces operating in and around New Guinea and the Solomon Islands during the Pacific campaign of World War II...
” high speed troop transport to Guadalcanal. These operations continued to mid-February 1943. During the Battle of Santa Cruz
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, 26 October 1942, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Santa Cruz or in Japanese sources as the , was the fourth carrier battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II and the fourth major naval engagement fought between the United States Navy and the Imperial...
on 26 October, she was assigned to escort . Kuroshio was also at the Battle of Tassafaronga
Battle of Tassafaronga
The Battle of Tassafaronga, sometimes referred to as the Fourth Battle of Savo Island or, in Japanese sources, as the , was a nighttime naval battle that took place November 30, 1942 between United States Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy warships during the Guadalcanal campaign...
on 30 November, during which one of her torpedoes may have hit the American cruiser .
On 21 February, Kuroshio returned to Kure for repairs, together with Jun'yō, and returned on 10 April to Truk together with and . At the end of April, she was at Shortland Island
Shortland Island
Shortland Island is the largest island of the Shortland Islands, Solomon Islands, at . Named by John Shortland....
, and reassigned to troop transport runs.
On the night of 7–8 May 1943, while on a troop transport run to Kolombangara
Kolombangara
Kolombangara is an island in the New Georgia Islands group of the Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean...
, she struck mines
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
when leaving Vila (Kolombangara), and exploded and sank at coordinates (08°08′S 156°55′E), with loss of 83 lives. She was removed from the navy list
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on 20 June 1943.