Chikuma (ship, 1939)
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The Chikuma ( Japanese 筑 摩 , after the river of the same name ) was a heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy . It was launched on March 19, 1938 and entered service on May 20, 1939. She was the second Tone class cruiser .
Calls
Between March 1940 and March 1941, the Chikuma operated in the South China Sea . Then she belonged to the Kidō Butai and drove as an escort cruiser with the attack on Pearl Harbor . On the way back to Japan , she assisted the troops in taking Wake .
In the further course of the Pacific War she was part of the carrier fleet and drove missions in the South Pacific , Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean . On March 1, 1942, she sank the US destroyer USS Edsall south of Java .
During the Battle of Midway , she could not prevent the loss of four aircraft carriers . She then took part in the Battle of Eastern Solomon Islands and the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands . In the latter case, the cruiser was damaged by dive bomber bombs from the American aircraft carrier USS Hornet . Therefore it was repaired in Japan until the end of February 1943. Subsequently, the ship was mainly used in the Southeast Pacific, but also took part in an advance into the Indian Ocean in March 1944 as well as in the battle in the Philippine Sea , in which the Japanese carrier air force was almost completely destroyed.
Downfall
Like almost the entire Japanese fleet, the Chikuma was also used in a major operation to defend the Philippine island of Leyte . She was part of Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita's combat group, which was able to advance through San Bernardino Strait to the American escort aircraft carriers. During the fighting with these and their escorts, the Chikuma was hit by torpedoes from aircraft of the carriers on October 25, 1944 ; she then drifted in the sea without motivation. Her crew was picked up by the destroyer Nowaki , which sank the ship in the late morning. The Nowaki was also sunk on her march back the following night, and only one of the Chikuma crew members survived.
Evidence and references
Remarks
- ↑ for 1938 after Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War , p. 823
literature
Literature in Japanese language:
- Heavy Cruisers , Gakken Pacific War Series, 2004, ISBN 4-05-603653-5
- Heavy Cruisers Vol III , Kojinsha, 1990, ISBN 4-7698-0457-1
