Aritomo Gotō

Infobox Military Person
name=Aritomo Gotō
lived=23 January 1888 - 12 October 1942 [Nishida, "Imperial Japanese Navy".]
placeofbirth=Ibaraki, Japan
placeofdeath=Solomon Islands


caption=Vice Admiral Aritomo Gotō
nickname=
allegiance=Empire of Japan
branch=navy|Empire of Japan
serviceyears=1910-1942
rank=Vice Admiral
commands="Tsuta", "Urakaze", "Numakaze", "Nokaze", "Uzuki", "Nadakaze","Uranami", "Matsukaze"
Destroyer Group 27, Destroyer Group 5, Destroyer Group 10,
"Naka", "Atago", "Chōkai","Mutsu","Yamashiro"
Cruiser Division 2, Cruiser Division 6
unit=Imperial Japanese Navy
battles=World War II
oBattle of Wake Island
oInvasion of Tulagi (May 1942)
oBattle of the Coral Sea
oBattle of Savo Island
oBattle of Cape Esperance
awards=
family=
laterwork=nihongo|Aritomo Gotō|五藤 存知|Gotō Aritomo|extra= 23 January 1888 - 12 October1942 [Lacroix, "Japanese Cruisers", p. 308] was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.

Biography

Early career

Gotō was born in Ibaraki prefecture in 1888. He graduated from the 38th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1910, ranked 30th out of a class of 149 cadets. As a midshipman he served on the cruiser "Kasagi" and battleship "Satsuma". On being commissioned as ensign in 1911, he was assigned to "Iwami", followed by the submarine tender "Toyohashi".

After his promotion to sub-lieutenant in 1913, Gotō served on the destroyer "Murakumo". During World War 1, he was sent to the South Pacific to man a radio outpost, and later as a crewman on the cruiser "Chikuma". After his promotion to lieutenant in 1917, he served on the battleship "Kongō", destroyer "Tanikaze" and cuiser "Yakumo".

As a lieutenant commander from 1923, Gotō captained the destroyers "Tsuta", "Urakaze", "Numakaze", "Nokaze", "Uzuki", and "Nadakaze". After his promotion to commander in 1928, he commanded the "Uranami", "Matsukaze", Destroyer Group 27, and Destroyer Group 5.

Gotō was promoted to captain on 15 November 1933. He was assigned as commander of Destroyer Group 10, followed by captain of the cruisers "Naka", "Atago", "Chōkai", and battleships "Mutsu" and "Yamashiro".

Gotō became a rear admiral on 15 November 1939 and was made commander of Cruiser Division 2. On 10 September 1941 he was placed in command of Cruiser Division 6 (CruDiv6), consisting of the four heavy cruisers "Aoba" (Goto's flagship), "Furutaka", "Kinugasa", and "Kako". [Nishida, "Imperial Japanese Navy".]

World War II

On December 23, 1941, CruDiv6 supported the second assault on Wake Island in which Japanese troops were able to capture the island after the intense Battle of Wake Island. In May 1942, from CruDiv6, Gotō commanded an element of the "Main Body Support Force," providing cover, along with the light aircraft carrier "Shōhō", for the Operation Mo offensive, including landings on Tulagi and an attempted assault on Port Moresby, New Guinea that resulted in the Battle of the Coral Sea. During the battle, U.S. aircraft attacked and sank "Shōhō", with Gotō's cruisers located too far away to provide anti-aircraft protection for the carrier. [Hackett, "HIJMS Aoba".]

Operating from Kavieng, New Ireland, and Rabaul, New Britain, Gotō's CruDiv6 supported Japanese naval operations during the first several months of the Guadalcanal campaign. CruDiv6, with other Japanese warships and under the overall command of Gunichi Mikawa, participated in the Battle of Savo Island on 8 August 1942 resulting in the sinking of four Allied cruisers. On the return trip to Kavieng, however, "Kako" was torpedoed and sunk. On 11 October 1942, the remaining three cruisers of CruDiv6 approached Guadalcanal at night to bombard the Allied airbase at Henderson Field as well as to support a large “Tokyo Express” run occurring the same evening. Gotō's force was surprised by a force of American cruisers and destroyers under the command of U.S. Rear Admiral Norman Scott. In the resulting Battle of Cape Esperance, Gotō was mortally wounded onboard "Aoba" and died later on 12 October 1942.

References

Books

*cite book
last = Cook
first = Charles O.
year = 1992 (Reissue)
title = The Battle of Cape Esperance: Encounter at Guadalcanal
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 1-55750-126-2
*cite book
last = D'Albas
first = Andrieu
year = 1965
title = Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II
publisher = Devin-Adair Pub
location =
id = ISBN 0-8159-5302-X
*cite book
last = Dull
first = Paul S.
year = 1978
title = A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-87021-097-1
*cite book
last = Frank
first = Richard B.
year = 1990
title = Guadalcanal : The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle
publisher = Penguin Group
location = New York
id = ISBN 0-14-016561-4
*cite book
last = Hara
first = Tameichi
year = 1961
title = Japanese Destroyer Captain
publisher = Ballantine Books
location = New York & Toronto
id = ISBN 0-345-27894-1
*cite book
last = Kilpatrick
first = C. W.
year = 1987
chapter =
title = Naval Night Battles of the Solomons
publisher = Exposition Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-682-40333-4
*cite book
last = Lacroix
first = Eric
coauthors = Linton Wells
year = 1997
title = Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-87021-311-3
*cite book
last = Morison
first = Samuel Eliot
authorlink = Samuel Eliot Morison
coauthors =
year = 1958
chapter = Chapter 8
title = The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943", vol. 5 of "History of United States Naval Operations in World War II
publisher = Little, Brown and Company
location = Boston
id = ISBN 0-316-58305-7
*cite book
last = Poor
first = Henry Varnum
authorlink =
coauthors = Henry A. Mustin & Colin G. Jameson
year = 1994
title = The Battles of Cape Esperance, 11 October 1942 and Santa Cruz Islands, 26 October 1942 (Combat Narratives. Solomon Islands Campaign, 4-5)
publisher = Naval Historical Center
location =
id = ISBN 0-945274-21-1

External links

*cite web
last = Horan
first = Mark
year =
url = http://www.navweaps.com/index_oob/OOB_WWII_Pacific/OOB_WWII_Cape-Esperance.htm
title = "Battle of Cape Esperance"
work = Order of Battle
accessdate = 2006-05-17
*cite web
last = Nishida
first = Hiroshi
url = http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/px38.htm#v011
title = Imperial Japanese Navy
accessdate = 2007-08-25
*cite web
last = Office of Naval Intelligence
first =
year = 1943
url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-CN-Esperance/index.html
title = "The Battle of Cape Esperance 11 October 1942"
work = Combat Narrative
publisher = Publications Branch, Office of Naval Intelligence, United States Navy
accessdate = 2006-05-17-somewhat inaccurate on details, since it was written during the war
*cite web
last = Parshall
first = Jon
coauthors = Bob Hackett & Sander Kingsepp
year =
url = http://www.combinedfleet.com/aoba_t.htm
title = HIJMS AOBA: Tabular Record of Movement
work = Combinedfleet.com
accessdate = 2006-06-14

Notes