Akashi was a Japanese repair ship, serving during the World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. She was the only specifically designed repair ship operated by 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...

. The navy based her design on the US Navy's USS Medusa

USS Medusa (AR-1)

USS Medusa was the United States Navy's first purpose-built repair ship. She served in the U.S. Navy from 1924 to 1946.-Technical characteristics:...

.

Construction

In 1937 the Imperial Japanese Navy converted the old battleship Asahi

Japanese battleship Asahi

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 to serve as a repair ship. It was later decided to build a dedicated ship with better capabilities for that task. The Imperial Japanese Navy planned for her to carry out 40% of the repairs needed by the Combined Fleet

Combined 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....

 (needing approximately 140,000 man-hours). Therefore she was equipped with the latest machine tools imported from Germany.

War service

During the war Akashi operated out of the Japanese base in the Truk atoll

Atoll

An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...

 where she repaired various types of battle-damaged Japanese warships, including the Shōkaku

Japanese aircraft carrier Shokaku

Shōkaku was an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the lead ship of her class. Along with her sister ship , she took part in several key naval battles during the Pacific War, including the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands...

in October 1942 and the Yamato

Japanese battleship Yamato

, named after the ancient Japanese Yamato Province, was the lead ship of the Yamato class of battleships that served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She and her sister ship, Musashi, were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing...

in December 1943. In February 1944 the Americans made a raid on Truk (Operation Hailstone

Operation Hailstone

Operation Hailstone was a massive naval air and surface attack launched on February 17–18, 1944, during World War II by the United States Navy against the Japanese naval and air base at Truk in the Caroline Islands, a pre-war Japanese territory.-Background:Truk was a major Japanese logistical base...

), sinking and damaging many ships. Akashi was damaged in these attacks and escaped to the Japanese atoll of 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...

.

Fate

On 30th March 1944, while anchored off Urukthapel in the Palau islands, Akashi was hit numerous times by bombs and rockets from American aircraft from Task Group 58

Fast Carrier Task Force

The Fast Carrier Task Force was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II.The Fast Carrier Task Force was known under two designations. The Navy made use of two sets of upper command structures for planning the upcoming operations...

, during Operation Desecrate One

Operation Desecrate One

Operation Desecrate One was a United States Navy operation on March 30–31, 1944, during World War II. It involved attacks by aircraft carriers against Empire of Japan bases on Palau. Desecrate One was part of the preparations for Operations Reckless and Persecution, the Allied invasion of western...

. She was sunk in shallow water with her bridge still remaining above the water.

Ships in class

Ship #	Ship	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Fate
		Sasebo Naval Arsenal	18 January 1937	29 June 1938	31 July 1939	Sunk on 30 March 1944; salvaged and scrapped in 1954.
5416 5417		Mitsubishi, Yokohama Shipyard Mitsubishi Heavy Industries , or MHI, is a Japanese company. It is one of the core companies of Mitsubishi Group.-History:In 1870 Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi took a lease of Government-owned Nagasaki Shipyard. He named it Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works, and started the shipbuilding business on a full scale...				Cancelled on 11 August 1943.

External links

Tabular record of Akashi's movements