Heavy Cruiser Haguro

Haguro

Country	Japan
Ship Class	Myoko-class Heavy Cruiser
Builder	Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard
Laid Down	16 Mar 1925
Launched	24 Mar 1928
Commissioned	25 Apr 1929
Sunk	16 May 1945
Displacement	10,980 tons standard; 13,300 tons full
Length	662 feet
Beam	68 feet
Draft	21 feet
Machinery	4-shaft geared turbines, 12 boilers
Power Output	130,000 shaft horsepower
Speed	36 knots
Range	8,000nm at 14 knots
Crew	1,200
Armament	10x8in, 6x4.7in (1934 and before) or 8x5in (1935 and after)
Armor	4in belt, 1.3in main deck, 1in turrets, 3in barbettes
Aircraft	2

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseHaguro, was the fourth and last of the Myoko-class heavy cruisers. She served with the Fourth Sentai (Squadron) between 1929 and 1933 and later the Fifth Sentai. During the precursors to WW2, she carried troops to China in 1932. In late 1935, she was modified with torpedoes and modern anti-aircraft weaponry.

ww2dbaseAfter WW2 began in Asia, Haguro carried troops to China in 1937 and then remained in the region to provide her guns for blockade and naval gunfire support missions. At the start of the Pacific War, she participated in the landings at the Philippines and also participated in the Battle of the Java Sea where she played a part in the sinking of HMS Exeter and HMS Encounter. She also participated in actions off Borneo on 1 Mar 1942, Battle of Coral Sea on 7 May 1942, Battle of Midway on 4 Jun 1942, Battle of the Eastern Solomons on 24 Aug 1942, Battle of Empress Augusta Bay on 2 Nov 1943, Battle of the Philippine Sea on 19 Jun 1944, and then Battle of Sibuyan Sea and Battle off Samar in the Leyte Campaign in Oct 1944.

ww2dbaseIn 1945, Haguro was stationed at Singapore escorting logistics missions under Vice Admiral Shigeru Fukudome. In May 1945, she was the target of the British Operation Dukedom. Five British destroyers of the 26th Destroyer Flotilla intercepted Haguro and destroyer Kamikaze in the Bay of Bengal off the northern tip of Sumatra. The two Japanese ships were headed for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with food and other supplies. Despite Haguro being overloaded with supplies which restricted half of her main guns from being operational, she scored three hits on a British destroyer, though only causing non-critical damage. She eventually was damage by gunfire and then critically wounded by three Mark IX torpedoes. She suffered a 30-degree list to port, which quickly turned for the worse within the hour. At 0232 on 16 May 1945, she sank in the Malacca Strait off Penang with only 320 survivors. The captain of Haguro, Vice Admiral Hashimoto, and Rear Admiral Shiguira were among the 900 men who were lost.

ww2dbaseSources: Interrogation of Japanese Officials, Naval Historical Center, Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Feb 2007

Heavy Cruiser Haguro Interactive Map

Photographs

Haguro under construction in Drydock No. 3 of the Mitsubishi shipyard in Nagasaki, Japan, 20 Oct 1928

Haguro in the final stages of fitting out, off Mutusbishi

Haguro, probably between Dec 1931 and Nov 1932 when she was the third-ranking ship of Japanese Navy

Haguro off the mouth of the Yangtse River near Shanghai, China, 1932

See all 15 photographs of Heavy Cruiser Haguro

Haguro Operational Timeline

25 Apr 1929	Haguro was commissioned into service.
27 Feb 1942	American seaplane tender USS Langley with 32 P-40 fighters aboard, en route to Java, was sunk by Japanese Navy land-based aircraft. On the same day, at the Battle of the Java Sea, Japanese cruisers Haguro and Nachi sank Dutch cruisers HNLMS Java and De Ruyter along with destroyer HNLMS Kortenaer and two other Dutch destroyers with Type 93 torpedoes without any Japanese losses.
8 May 1943	Yamato, Chuyo, Unyo, Myoko, Haguro, Yugure, Naganami, Samidare, and Ushio departed Truk, Caroline Islands.
13 May 1943	Yamato, Chuyo, Unyo, Myoko, Haguro, Yugure, Naganami, Samidare, and Ushio arrived at Yokosuka, Japan. Later on the same day, Yamato departed for Kure, Japan.
15 May 1945	British destroyer forces sank the Japanese cruiser Haguro in the Malacca Strait off the Malay Peninsula.
16 May 1945	Aircraft from escort carrier HMS Emperor attacked Japanese cruiser Haguro at the entrance of the Malacca Strait.

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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. MiG-21 says:
6 Sep 2007 07:03:26 PM

I am very appreciated that your website provided us many photos that only we can see on book. Thanks again I live in Taiwam Taipei

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