Japanese cruiser Furutaka

nihongo|"IJN Furutaka"|古鷹 重巡洋艦|Furutaka jūjunyōkan was the lead ship in the two-vessel "Furutaka"-class of heavy cruisers in the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was named after Mount Furutaka, located on Etajima, Hiroshima immediately behind the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy.

Background

"Furutaka" and her sister ship "Kako" were the first generation of high speed heavy cruisers in the Japanese navy, intended to counter the US Navy "Omaha" class and Royal Navy "Hawkins" class scout cruisers.

ervice career

Early career

"Furutaka" was commissioned at Mitsubishi shipyards, Nagasaki on 31 March 1926.

It was reconstructed and modernized at Kure Navy Yard on 30 April 1939.

Early stages of the Pacific War

In late 1941, "Furutaka" was assigned to CruDiv 6 Rear Admiral Aritomo Goto in the First Fleet with the "Aoba", "Kako" and "Kinugasa". At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, it was engaged in support for the invasion of Guam.

After the failed first invasion of Wake CruDiv 6 was assigned to the larger second invasion force, and after the fall of Wake, returned to its forward base in Truk, Caroline Islands.

From 18 January 1942, CruDiv 6 was assigned to support Japanese troop landings at Rabaul, New Britain and Kavieng, New Ireland and in patrols around the Marshall Islands in unsuccessful pursuit of the American fleet. In March and April 1942, CruDiv6 provided support to CruDiv 18 in covering the landings of Japanese troops in the Solomon Islands and New Guinea at Buka, Shortland, Kieta, Manus Island, Admiralty Islands and Tulagi from a forward base at Rabaul. While at Shortland on 6 May 1942, "Furutaka" was attacked by four USAAF Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, but was not damaged.

Battle of the Coral Sea

At the Battle of the Coral Sea, CruDiv 6 departed Shortland and effected a rendezvous at sea with light carrier "Shoho". At 1100 on 7 May 1942, north of Tugali Island, "Shoho" was attacked and sunk by 93 SBD Dauntless dive-bombers and TBD Devastator torpedo-bombers from "USS Yorktown" and "USS Lexington".The following day, 8 May 1942 46 SBDs, 21 TBDs and 15 Grumman F4F Wildcats from "Yorktown" and "Lexington" damaged "Shokaku" severely above the waterline and force her retirement. "Furutaka" and "Kinugasa", undamaged in the battle, escorted "Shokaku" back to Truk.

"Furutaka" returned to Kure on 5 June 1942 for repairs, and returned back to Truk on 7 July 1942. In a major reorganization of the Japanese navy on 14 July 1942, "Furutaka" was assigned to the newly created Eighth Fleet under Vice Admiral Mikawa Gunichi and was assigned to patrols around the Solomon Islands, New Britain and New Ireland.

Battle of Savo Island

In the Battle of Savo Island on 9 August 1942, CruDiv 6, "Chokai", light cruisers "Tenryu" and "Yubari" and destroyer "Yunagi" engaged the Allied forces in a night gun and torpedo action. At about 2300, "Chokai", "Furutaka" and "Kako" all launched their reconnaissance floatplanes. The circling floatplanes dropped flares illuminating the targets and all the Japanese ships opened fire. USS "Astoria", USS "Quincy", USS "Vincennes" and HMAS "Canberra" were sunk. USS "Chicago" was damaged as were the USS "Ralph Talbot" and USS "Patterson". On the Japanese side, "Chokai" was hit three times, "Kinugasa" twice, "Aoba" once and "Furutaka" was not damaged and returned to Kavieng on 10 August 1942.

In late August, CruDiv 6 and the "Chokai" departed Shortland to provide distant cover for the Guadalcanal reinforcement convoys. That same day, a Consolidated PBY Catalina of VP23's "Black Cats" boldly, but unsuccessfully, attacked "Furutaka" in broad daylight. "Furutaka" shuttled between Kieta and Rabaul as needed to refuel and resupply through mid-September. "Furutaka" was unsuccessfully attacked on 12 September south of New Ireland by the USN submarine USS "S-47", but was not damaged.

Battle of Cape Esperance

So alerted, the radar-equipped American cruisers USS "San Francisco", "Boise", "Salt Lake City", and "Helena" and five destroyers steamed around the end of Guadalcanal to block the entrance to Savo Sound. At 2235, "Helena's" radar spotted the Japanese fleet, and the Americans successfully crossed the Japanese "T". Both fleets opened fire, but Admiral Goto, thinking that he was under friendly-fire, ordered a 180-degree turn that exposed each of his ships to the American broadsides. "Aoba" was damaged heavily, and Admiral Goto was mortally wounded on her bridge. With "Aoba" crippled, Captain Araki of the "Furutaka" turned his ship out of the line of battle to engage "Salt Lake City". USS "Duncan" launched two torpedoes toward "Furutaka" that either missed or failed to detonate. "Duncan" continued firing at "Furutaka" until she was put out of action by numerous shell hits. At 2354, "Furutaka" was hit by a torpedo that flooded her forward engine room. During the battle, about 90 shells hit "Furutaka" and some ignited her Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedoes, starting fires.

On 12 October 1942, at 0228, "Furutaka" sank stern first at coord|09|02|S|159|33|E. Captain Araki and 514 survivors were rescued by "Hatsuyuki", "Murakumo" and "Shirayuki". Thirty-three crewmen were killed and 110 were later counted as missing. The Americans took 115 of "Furutaka's" crew as prisoners of war.

"Furutaka" was removed from Navy List on 10 November 1942.

Commanding Officers

Chief Equipping Officer - Capt. Koichi Shiozawa - 15 May 1925 - 31 March 1926

Capt. Koichi Shiozawa - 31 March 1926 - 1 December 1926

Capt. Nobuyoshi Kikui - 1 December 1926 - 15 November 1927

Capt. Yutaka Arima - 15 November 1927 - 10 December 1928

Capt. Jiro Onishi - 10 December 1928 - 30 November 1929

Capt. Toshiro Taijiri - 30 November 1929 - 1 December 1930

Capt. Shinichiro Machida - 1 December 1930 - 1 December 1931

Capt. Katsuyoshi Inoue - 1 December 1931 - 1 December 1932

Capt. Chuzo Takayama - 1 December 1932 - 15 November 1933

Capt. Jiro Saito - 15 November 1933 - 15 November 1934

Capt. Kakuji Kakuta - 15 November 1934 - 15 November 1935

Capt. Junichi Mizuno - 15 November 1935 - 1 December 1936

Capt. Miki Otsuka - 1 December 1936 - 1 December 1937

Capt. Saichiro Tomonari - 1 December 1937 - 20 April 1938

Capt. Masao Okamura - 20 April 1938 - 15 December 1938

Capt. Ko Ito - 15 December 1938 - 15 November 1939

Capt. Kazutaka Shiraishi - 15 November 1939 - 19 October 1940

Capt. Ko Nakagawa - 19 October 1940 - 28 November 1941

Capt. Tsutau Araki - 28 November 1941 - 12 October 1942

References

Books

*cite book
last = Brown
first = David
authorlink =
year = 1990
title = Warship Losses of World War Two
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 1-55750-914-X
*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
chapter =
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 = Howarth
first = Stephen
authorlink =
year = 1983
title = The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895-1945
publisher = Atheneum
location =
id = ISBN 0-68911-402-8
*cite book
last = Jentsura
first = Hansgeorg
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1976
chapter =
title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-87021-893-X
*cite book
last = Lacroix
first = Eric
authorlink =
coauthors = Linton Wells
year = 1997
chapter =
title = Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-87021-311-3
*cite book
last = Whitley
first = M.J.
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1995
chapter =
title = Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 1-55750-141-6

External links

*cite web
last = Parshall
first = Jon
coauthors = Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp, & Allyn Nevitt
year =
url = http://www.combinedfleet.com/furutaka_c.htm CombinedFleet.com: "Furutaka" class
title = Imperial Japanese Navy Page (Combinedfleet.com)
work =
accessdate = 2006-06-14
*Tabular record: [http://www.combinedfleet.com/kako_t.htm CombinedFleet.com: "Kako" history] (Retrieved 26 January 2007.)
*Gallery: [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/japan/japsh-f/furutaka.htm US Navy Historical Center]

Notes

ee also

*List of World War II ships