Japanese destroyer Naganami
Encyclopedia
was a 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...
.
During the 30 November 1942 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...
, Naganami led a supply-drum transport run to Guadalcanal (cover), and engaged a U.S. cruiser-destroyer group. During this action, she possibly torpedoed , and/or .
On October 23, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Gulf
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
, Naganami
escorted Admiral Kurita's 1st Diversion Attack Force. During this time period she assisted in the rescue of the cruiser Maya
Japanese cruiser Maya
was one of four Takao-class heavy cruisers, designed to be an improvement over the previous Myōkō-class design. These ships were fast, powerful and heavily armed, with enough firepower to hold their own against any cruiser in any other navy in the world...
survivors, later transferring them to the battleship Musashi
Musashi
Musashi may refer to:* Japanese corvette Musashi * Japanese battleship Musashi* Musashi , a 1935 novel by Eiji Yoshikawa* Musashi's, a Japanese feline musical group* Brave Fencer Musashi, a 1998 Playstation video game...
, during which time she escorted the damaged Takao,
Japanese cruiser Takao
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....
back to Brunei. On 24 October a boarding party was deployed to inspect the abandoned (and grounded) US submarine , various items were inspected, or removed from Darter including a 50 cal. Machine gun. Important documents were also retrieved from Darter, and were used to exploit weaknesses in the Gato class submarine
Gato class submarine
The United States Navy Gato class submarine formed the core of the submarine service that was largely responsible for the destruction of the Japanese merchant marine and a large portion of the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II...
design.
On 10 November 1944 Naganami joined the escort of troop convoy TA No. 3 as it approached Ormoc
Ormoc City
The City of Ormoc is a 1st class city in the province of Leyte, Philippines. The city's name is derived from ogmok, an old Visayan term for lowland or depressed plain. It is the first non-provincial city of the Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 177,524 people...
, of what was then known as the Battle of Ormoc Bay
Battle of Ormoc Bay
The Battle of Ormoc Bay was a series of air-sea battles between Imperial Japan and the United States in the Camotes Sea in the Philippines between 11 November and 21 December 1944, part of the Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II. The battles resulted from Japanese operations to...
. She was sunk by aircraft of Task Force 38 on 11 November in Ormoc Bay
Ormoc Bay
Ormoc Bay is a bay on the island of Leyte in the Philippines. The bay is an inlet of the Camotes Sea. The city of Ormoc lies at the head of the bay and exports rice, copra and sugar. The World War II Battle of Ormoc Bay took place from November 11 until mid-December in Ormoc Bay during late 1944....
, west of Leyte (10°50′N 124°35′E). An explosion amidships broke the ship in two. Her sister , destroyers and Shimakaze were all sunk along with Naganami, as were three transports.