Furutaka (ship, 1926)
Heavy cruiser Furutaka 1926
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The Furutaka ( Japanese古 鷹) was a heavy cruiser of the Japanese Navy during World War II . The ship was named after Mount Furutaka on the island of Etajima in Hiroshima Bay and was the type ship of the Furutaka class .
Calls
For the first few years the cruiser was assigned to the 5th Squadron (Sentai), operated in Chinese waters and took part in many combat exercises.
From 1937 to 1939 the Furutaka was fundamentally rebuilt. Its six cannons were now arranged in three instead of the previous six towers. The air defense was also reinforced by additional anti-aircraft cannons.
At the beginning of the Pacific War she took part in the conquests of Guam and Wake . From March to May 1942 she was involved in the offensive operations around New Guinea and the Solomon Islands and took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea. When the Allies captured Guadalcanal and Tulagi in August 1942 , they were ordered to counterattack with the 6th Squadron, which ended in the successful battle of Savo Island for the Japanese .
Downfall
From August to October 1942 she accompanied the Japanese supplies to Guadalcanal ( Tokyo Express ). On October 11, she ran together with two other cruisers and two destroyers towards Guadalcanal to bombard American positions. The Japanese unit surprisingly came across an American task force consisting of four cruisers and five destroyers, which was operating in the area. In the battle of Cape Esperance that followed, the Furutaka was badly hit. It was abandoned after unsuccessful attempts to stop the water ingress. The crew was picked up by other ships, and the Furutaka sank.
Evidence and references
Remarks
- ↑ for 1939 according to Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. P. 803 - Construction dates before modernization are described in the class article.
literature
- Eric LaCroix, Linton Wells: Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. US Naval Institute Press, 1997, ISBN 0-87021-311-3 .
Web links
- Furutaka - Tabular record of movement at combinedfleet.com
- Photos on history.navy.mil
Coordinates: 9 ° 1 ′ 59 ″ S , 159 ° 33 ′ 0 ″ E