Japanese destroyer Shinonome

"Shinonome" was a "Fubuki"-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her name means "The Clouds of Dawn".

"Shinonome" was lost during the Japanese invasion of the Malay peninsula in December 1941. The official record of her demise, however, is ambiguous. Although some Japanese sources at the time claimed that she hit a mine, there are no extant records of either British or Dutch mine-laying in the area. It is generally accepted that the "Shinonome" was sunk by Dutch military aircraft, either (a) on 17 December 1941, after being struck by two bombs from the Dutch flying boat X-32 of the Naval Air Group GVT-7, which detonated the aft magazine, or (b) on 18 December 1941, after an attack by Glenn Martin bombers of the Dutch Army Air Corps (2de Vl.G) (cf. the account provided in P.C. De Boer's "De Luchtstrijd rond Borneo" (Houten: 1987)). In either case, it appears that "Shinonome" blew up and sank with all hands somewhere in the vicinity of Miri, Borneo (coord|04|24|N|114|0|E). On 15 January 1942, "Shinonome" was removed from the Japanese Imperial Navy List.

Commanding Officers

Chief Equipping Officer - Cmdr. Tokuichi Kuga - 15 February 1928 - 25 July 1928

Cmdr. Tokuichi Kuga - 25 July 1928 - 30 November 1929

Lt. Cmdr. Suminobu Sakai - 30 November 1929 - 1 December 1930

Lt. Cmdr. Masao Yamamoto - 1 December 1930 - 1 December 1932

Lt. Cmdr. Kiyogo Takeda - 1 December 1932 - 25 January 1933

Cmdr. Tsutomu Shibata - 25 January 1933 - 15 November 1933

Cmdr. Shigeyasu Nishoka - 15 November 1933 - 15 November 1934

Cmdr. Torajiro Sato - 15 November 1934 - 2 November 1936

Lt. Cmdr. Katsumori Yamashiro - 2 November 1936 - 1 July 1937

Cmdr. Masayuki Kitamura - 1 July 1937 - 16 August 1937

Lt. Cmdr. Katsumori Yamashiro - 16 August 1937 - 15 November 1937

Cmdr. Kiyoto Kagawa - 15 November 1937 - 15 December 1938

Lt. Cmdr. Kunizo Kanaoka - 15 December 1938 - 1 December 1939

Lt. Cmdr. Magotarou Koseki - 1 December 1939 - 15 October 1940

Lt. Cmdr. Hiroshi Sasagawa - 15 October 1940 - 17 December 1941 (KIA)

"Shinonome" Today

The exact position of the "Shinonome" remains unknown, but it likely lies somewhere between Seria, in neighbouring Brunei to the north, and Miri town itself. A team of wreck researchers, based in Miri and with help from the Netherlands, has been searching for the ship's remains since 2004. The team has identified several prospective sites, and is in the process of confirming them. The position, orientation and condition of the wreck will help to resolve the lingering uncertainty about the circumstances surrounding the "Shinonome"'s demise.

See also

* List of World War II ships

External links

* [http://www.combinedfleet.com/fubuki_c.htm CombinedFleet.com: "Fubuki"-class destroyers]
* [http://www.combinedfleet.com/shinon_t.htm CombinedFleet.com: "Shinonome" history]