Mogami-class Heavy Cruiser

Mogami-class Heavy Cruiser

Country

Japan

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

This article refers to the entire Mogami-class; it is not about an individual vessel.

ww2dbaseThe Mogami-class heavy cruisers were designed within the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty. After Japan refused to recognize the treaty, however, they were modernized with heavier armor and greater armaments, which included swapping her original triple 155-milimeter turrets with twin 203-milimeter turrets; these swaps were possible because the Japanese Navy designed the Mogami-class ships specifically with this potential in mind. Although the Mogami-class ships were generally not considered to be a major improvement from the predecessor Takao-class ships, they were nevertheless used heavily during the Pacific War, and experience gained from the Mogami-class design at least partially contributed to the successful subsequent Tone-class design.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Feb 2009

Mogami-class Heavy Cruiser Interactive Map

Photographs

A Mogami-class cruiser underway, circa late 1930s

Mogami-class Heavy Cruiser Operational Timeline

5 Apr 1934	Japanese cruiser Kumano laid down at Kawasaki's shipyard, Kobe.
28 Jul 1935	Mogami was commissioned into service.
29 Aug 1935	Mikuma was commissioned into service.
15 Oct 1936	Japanese cruiser Kumano launched at Kawasaki's shipyard, Kobe. Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu, a second cousin to the Emperor, represents the Imperial family.
31 Oct 1937	Suzuya was commissioned into service.
31 Oct 1937	Kumano was commissioned into service.
8 Dec 1941	Japanese cruiser Kumano provided close support off Cap Camau during the landings at Singora, Patani and Kota Bharu on the Mayla Peninsula.
10 Dec 1941	Japanese submarine I-58 spotted British battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS Repulse off British Malaya, launched five torpedoes, but all of them missed; beginning at 1117 hours, Japanese aircraft began to attack. Overwhelmed, HMS Repulse was sunk at 1233 hours (513 killed), followed by HMS Prince of Wales at 1318 hours (327 killed); destroyers HMS Electra, HMS Express, and HMS Vampire rescued 1,862 survivors. On land, the British commanders dispatched the 1st Battalion of the 14th Punjab Regiment and the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Gurkha Rifles regiment to Changlun and Asun in northern British Malaya to counter the Japanese advance; contact was made at Changlun at 2100 hours, where two Japanese tanks were destroyed before the Punjabi troops fell back toward Asun.
1 Mar 1942	HMS Encounter, HMS Exeter, and USS Pope were sunk at the Second Battle of the Java Sea; the ships suffered 7, 54, and 1 killed, respectively. Meanwhile, at the Battle of Sunda Strait, Allied cruisers USS Houston and HMAS Perth intercepted a Japanese invasion force but were both sunk as they attacked; four Japanese transports and a minesweepers were sunk, but two of the transports were later refloated. Also on this date, Japanese troops landed on Java and immediately began marching for Batavia, with the Japanese 2nd Division capturing Serang and the 230th Infantry Regiment capturing Kalidjati airfield at Soebang en route. Finally, Japanese air raids at Surabaya damaged destroyer USS Stewart and Dutch destroyer Witte de With.
9 Mar 1942	Japanese cruisers Kumano, Chokai, and cruiser division 7 depart Singapore to cover Operation T - The Invasion of Northern Sumatra
12 Mar 1942	Japanese cruisers Kumano, Chokai, and cruiser division 7 cover the landings at Sabang in Operation T - The Invasion of Northern Sumatra
20 Mar 1942	Japanese cruisers Kumano, Chokai, and cruiser division 7 depart Singapore to support the seizure of Andaman Islands.
26 Mar 1942	Japanese cruiser Kumano arrives at Mergui, Burma.
1 Apr 1942	Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa's Malaya Force, Second Expeditionary Fleet, departs Mergui, Burma and steams into the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean Raids to attack merchant shipping. The force includes light carrier Ryujo and cruisers Chokai, Suzuya, Kumano, Mikuma, Mogami, and Yura.
5 Apr 1942	Following Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa’s force’s attack on the British naval base at Colombo, Ceylon, the force is split creating a Northern Group commanded by Rear Admiral Takeo Kurita consisting of cruisers Kumano and Suzuya; the Center Group consisting of the carrier Ryujo and cruisers Chokai and Yura under Ozawa; and the Southern Group comprised of cruisers Mogami, and Mikuma under Captain Shakao Sakiyama for the purposes of smaller raids against merchant shipping.
6 Apr 1942	Sakiyama's Southern Group of Mogami, Mikuma and destroyer Amagiri sank four merchantmen totaling 19,000 tons with two of them finished off with torpedoes from Amagiri.
6 Apr 1942	Kurita's Northern Group attacked and sank seven merchant ships totaling 41,000 tons along India's northeastern coast south of Calcutta (Kolkata).
11 Apr 1942	Ozawa's Force arrived at Singapore to conclude a successful sortie into the Indian Ocean.
13 Apr 1942	Kumano departed Singapore.
22 Apr 1942	Kumano arrived at Kure for an overhaul.
26 May 1942	Kumano joined the Midway Invasion Transport Group at Guam, Mariana Islands.
5 Jun 1942	Japanese cruiser Kumano was leading a column of sister Mogami-class cruisers Suzuya, Mikuma, and Mogami withdrawing from Midway. Kumano spotted the surfaced American submarine USS Tambor and ordered an emergency 45-degree turn to starboard, but Mikuma mistakenly made a 90-degree turn. Mogami rammed Mikuma on the portside below the bridge crumpling 40-feet of Mogami’s bow and piercing Mikuma’s fuel tanks, causing her to leak oil uncontrollably. This trailing oil slick led to Mikuma’s demise the following day.
13 Jun 1942	Kumano and Suzuya arrived at Truk, completing their part on the Battle of Midway.
24 Aug 1942	Kumano screened the carrier Ryujo and the battleship Kirishima in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and against an attack from B-17 bombers.
26 Oct 1942	Kumano screened the carriers Shokaku, Zuikaku, and Zuiho in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.
7 Nov 1942	Kumano arrived at Kure Naval Arsenal for an overhaul.
4 Dec 1942	Kumano arrived at Rabaul and disembarked Army troops transported from Manila, Philippines.
7 Jan 1943	Zuikaku, Mutsu, and Suzuya departed Truk, Caroline Islands, escorted by Yugure, Inazuma, Isonami, Asashio, and Ariake.
12 Jan 1943	Zuikaku, Mutsu, and Suzuya arrived at Kure, Japan, escorted by Yugure, Inazuma, Isonami, Asashio, and Ariake.
16 Apr 1943	Kumano arrived at Kure Naval Arsenal for an overhaul and significant refit. Her twin 13mm machine guns were removed and replaced by two triple mount Type 96 25mm AA guns bringing their suite to 20 barrels (4x3, 4x2). A Type 21 air-search radar was fitted and most of her middle and lower deck scuttles were welded over.
18 Jul 1943	Kumano, Yugure, Kiyonami, and other ships departed Rabaul, New Britain, Bismarck Islands at 2150 hours as a part of the Night Battle Force to escort a transport run. 35 US Navy and US Marine Corps TBM Avenger dive bombers from Guadalcanal detected the Japanese force and attacked, damaging Kumano's aft hull plates, forcing the cruiser to withdraw toward Rabaul.
19 Jul 1943	US aircraft detected the Japanese Night Battle Force in the Solomon Islands at 1905 hours and attacked, and the attack was repulsed. At 2100 hours, Japanese destroyer transports were ordered to separately proceed to Vila, Kolombangara, Solomon Islands. At 2220 hours, flares were sighted over the transport destroyers, but no American warships arrived to attack. At 2310 hours, Japanese warships of the Night Battle Force (Kumano, Yugure, Kiyonami, Yukikaze, and others) reversed course for Rabaul, New Britain, Bismarck Islands.
20 Jul 1943	At 0010 hours, a US TBF aircraft equipped with radar detected the Japanese Night Battle Force between Vella Lavella Island and Choiseul Island in the Solomon Islands. Multiple waves of aircraft were launched to attack. At 0034 hours, Yugure was hit by a 2,000-poung bomb amidships (sinking within minutes), followed by a hit on Kumano in the starboard quarter. Additional attacks scored no hits; two TBF and two B-25 aircraft were shot down during the attacks. Kiyonami picked up about 20 of Yugure's survivors at about 0200 hours. At 0521 hours, eight US B-25 bombers tasked with finding the damaged Kumano found Kiyonami instead, scoring a hit that detonated a magazine, and Kiyonami sank within two minutes. Only one of Kiyonami's crew survived (not found until 4 Aug 1943); all of Yugure's survivors were killed. At 1108 hours, the destroyer transports, having successfully delivered 300 men and supplies to Vila, Kolombangara, Solomon Islands before dawn, joined the surviving ships of the Night Battle Force, and they would arrive at Rabaul, New Britain, Bismarck Islands at 1730 hours.
5 Nov 1943	During the US raid on Rabaul, New Britain, Mogami was hit on the main deck between No. 1 and No. 2 turrets, killing 19; skilled flooding of the forward magazine prevented detonation.
6 Nov 1943	Mogami departed Rabaul, New Britain for Truk, Caroline Islands to receive temporary repairs.
20 Nov 1943	Kumano and her task force departed Truk in response to the United States’ landings on Tarawa.
20 Oct 1944	Kumano arrived at Brunei Bay, Borneo as part of Admiral Kurita’s First Raiding Force.
24 Oct 1944	As Kurita’s Center Force transited the Tablas Strait in the Philippines they came under attack from aircraft from carriers USS Essex and USS Lexington (Essex-class). Kumano received a bomb hot (a dud) to the roof of number 4 turret causing no damage.
24 Oct 1944	While withdrawing, damaged cruiser Kumano is again attacked in Tablas Strait, this time by aircraft from USS Hancock. Kumano was hit by two 1,000lb bomb hits and a near miss caused flooding that disabled several boilers. The cruiser went dead in the water. After emergency repairs, Kumano makes 10 knots, then is towed by cruiser Ashigara, and enters Coron Bay.
25 Oct 1944	As Kurita’s Center Force closed on Clifton Sprague’s escort carriers off Samar, destroyer USS Johnston attacked and launched torpedoes against the cruiser Kumano, blowing off Kumano’s bow and forcing her withdrawal.
27 Oct 1944	Damaged cruiser Kumano departed Coron Bay for Manila.
28 Oct 1944	Damaged cruiser Kumano arrived at Manila, Philippines.
29 Oct 1944	Damaged cruisers Kumano and Nachi are attacked by American carrier aircraft while in Manila Bay, Philippines.
3 Nov 1944	After repairs, damaged cruiser Kumano made some test runs off Manila, reaching a maximum speed of 15 knots.
4 Nov 1944	As part of a small convoy, Kumano departs Manila bound for Takao, Formosa (Taiwan).
6 Nov 1944	Kumano’s convoy was attacked by a wolfpack of four United States submarines Guitarro, Bream, Raton, and Ray off Cape Bolinao, Luzon, Philippines. Kumano was struck by two torpedoes that blew off her replacement bow section and flooded her engine rooms. Doryo Maru towed Kumano to Dasol Bay, Luzon.
7 Nov 1944	Kumano shifted to Santa Cruz Harbor, Luzon, Philippines and began repairs.
25 Nov 1944	The already badly damaged cruiser Kumano was again attacked by United States carrier aircraft in Santa Cruz Harbor, Luzon, Philippines. A well-coordinated bombing and torpedo attack by planes from USS Ticonderoga sent four 1,000lb bombs through Kumano’s deck and six well-spaced torpedoes into her port side. Within six minutes of the attack, the cruiser rolled over and sank.

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Mogami-class Heavy Cruiser