Sentarō Ōmori

Infobox Military Person
name= Sentarō Ōmori
lived= 3 October 1892 - 24 December 1974 [Nishida, "Imperial Japanese Navy"]
placeofbirth=Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan
placeofdeath=


caption=
nickname=
allegiance=Empire of Japan
branch=navy|Empire of Japan
serviceyears=1913-1945
rank=Vice Admiral
commands="Hibiki", "Namikaze", "Kamikaze", "Yugiri", "Kawakami maru", "Ise"
1st Destroyer Squadron, 5th Cruiser Division, IJN 7th Fleet
unit=
battles=World War II
oAttack on Pearl Harbor
oIndian Ocean Raid
oBattle of the Aleutian Islands
oBattle of Empress Augusta Bay
awards=
family=
laterwork=
Vice Admiral nihongo|Sentarō Ōmori|大森 仙太郎|Ōmori Sentarō|extra= 3 October 1892 - 24 December 1974, was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.

Biography

Early life

Ōmori Sentarō was born in Kumamoto prefecture and graduated from the 41st class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1913. He was ranked 16th out of 118 cadets. He served his midshipman duty aboard the cruiser "Azuma", battleships "Kongō" and "Iwami", and was commissioned as an ensign in 1914. He subsequently served on the "Yamashiro" and "Shirayuki".

Ōmori returned to school, and became a torpedo expert. He served as lieutenant on the "Ashi", "Nokaze" and the "Mutsu" before being given his first command: the destroyer "Hibiki" on 1 December 1923.

Through the 1920 and 1930s, Ōmori subsequently commanded "Namikaze", "Kamikaze", "Yugiri", seaplane tender "Kawakami maru", and finally the battleship "Ise" from 1939-1940, while steadily increasing in rank and returning at regular intervals to torpedo school to remain expert on the latest developments in torpedo technology and tactics. He was promoted to rear admiral on 15 November 1940.

World War II

At the start of World War II, Ōmori was in command of Destroyer Squadron 1 (DesRon1), which accompanied the main strike force during the attack on Pearl Harbor. It also participated in the Indian Ocean Raid of early 1942. During the Battle of Midway, DesRon1 directed the occupation of Attu Island in the Battle of the Aleutian Islands. Omori was subsequently promoted to vice admiral, and given command of Cruiser Division 5 (CruDiv5). Assigned to the Solomon Islands, he was ordered to attack American transports off Bougainville Island in early November 1943. In the resultant Battle of Empress Augusta Bay November 1 - 2, 1943, the Japanese forces (heavy cruisers "Myoko" and "Haguro", light cruisers "Agano" and "Sendai", and destroyers "Shigure", "Samidare", "Shiratsuyu", "Naganami", "Hatsukaze", and "Wakasuki") suffered a decisive defeat. Ōmori and his heavy cruisers narrowly escaped damage in an air raid at Rabaul, New Britain the following day, and retreated to the main Japanese base at Truk, Caroline Islands. Ōmori was relieved of his command for having withdrawn at Empress Augusta Bay against an inferior force and was sent back to Japan.

Ōmori became Commandant of the Torpedo School, and was promoted to vice admiral on 1 July 1944. He was director of the Special Attack Division from 13 September 1944 – 10 August 1945, supervising work with the Kaiten human-guided torpedoes. At the very end of World War II, he was appointed Commander in Chief of the IJN 7th Fleet.

Ōmori died on 24 December 1974.

References

Books

*cite book
last = D'Albas
first = Andrieu
authorlink =
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.
authorlink =
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 = Fuller
first = Richard
year = 1992
title = Shokan: Hirohito's Samurai
publisher = Arms and Armour Press
location = London
id = ISBN 1854091514
*cite book
last = Hara
first = Tameichi
authorlink = Tameichi Hara
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.
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1987
title = Naval Night Battles of the Solomons
publisher = Exposition Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-682-40333-4
*cite book
last = Lacroix
first = Eric
authorlink =
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 = McGee
first = William L.
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 2002
chapter = Bougainville Campaign
title = The Solomons Campaigns, 1942-1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville--Pacific War Turning Point, Volume 2 (Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII)
publisher = BMC Publications
location =
id = ISBN 0-9701678-7-3
*cite book
last = Morison
first = Samuel Eliot
authorlink = Samuel Eliot Morison
coauthors =
year = 1958
title = Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier", vol. 6 of "History of United States Naval Operations in World War II
publisher = Castle Books
location =
id = ISBN 0-7858-1307-1

External links

*cite web
last = Naval History via Flix
first =
authorlink =
url = http://navalhistory.flixco.info/G/131487x19846(a5557z1naZSentaro%20Omori)/259869/j0.htm
title = Sentaro Omori
accessdate = 2007-02-28
*cite web
last = Nishida
first = Hiroshi
url = http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/px41.htm#v008
title = Imperial Japanese Navy
accessdate = 2007-02-25
*cite web
last = Hackett
first = Bob
coauthors = Sander Kingsepp
year =
url = http://www.combinedfleet.com/haguro_t.htm
title = HIJMS HAGURO: Tabular Record of Movement
work = Combinedfleet.com
accessdate = 2006-06-14
*cite web
last = Muir
first = Dan
coauthors =
year =
url = http://www.navweaps.com/index_oob/OOB_WWII_Pacific/OOB_WWII_Augusta-Bay.htm
title = Order of Battle, Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, 2 November 1943
work =
accessdate = 2007-06-14
*cite web
last = O'Hara
first = Vincent
coauthors =
year =
url = http://www.microworks.net/pacific/battles/empress_augusta_bay.htm
title = BATTLE OF EMPRESS AUGUSTA BAY - November 2, 1943
work =
accessdate = 2007-06-14

Notes