Yahagi (ship, 1943)

Yahagi

Ship data flag  Japan Ship type Light cruiser class Agano class Shipyard Sasebo naval shipyard Keel laying November 11, 1941 Launch September 25, 1942 Commissioning December 29, 1943 Whereabouts Sunk on April 7, 1945

Ship dimensions and crew length 174.5 m ( Lüa ) 172 m ( KWL ) width 15.2 m Draft Max. 5.63 m displacement Standard : 6,652 tn.l. Maximum: 8,534 t   crew 750 to 805 men

Machine system machine 6 steam boilers 4 geared turbine triple sets Machine performance 100,000 PS (73,550 kW) Top speed 35 kn (65 km / h) propeller 4th

Armament from 1943 3 × 2 Sk 15.2 cm L / 50 type 41 4 × 1 Flak 7.62 cm L / 60 type 98 8 × torpedo tube ⌀ 61 cm (with 16 torpedoes) 2 depth charges, 18 depth charges Machine weapons from 1943: 2 × 3 25 mm L / 60 type 96 4 × 2 25 mm L / 60 type 96 Machine weapons 1944: 10 × 3 25 mm L / 60 type 96 28 × 1 25 mm L / 60 type 96 Armor Belt: 60 mm Deck: 40 mm Command tower: up to 40 mm Ammunition chambers: 55 mm Bulkheads: up to 25 mm

The Yahagi ( Japanese 矢 矧 ) was a light cruiser of the Japanese Navy during World War II . The ship was sunk by American planes during the last offensive operation of the Imperial Navy on April 7, 1945.

construction

The Yahagi was built in the naval shipyard in Sasebo . The keel was laid on November 11, 1941, the launch on September 25, 1942. After more than two years of construction, the Yahagi was put into service on December 29, 1943. It was named after the Yahagi River .

Together with its sister ships Sakawa , Noshiro and Agano , the ship belonged to the Agano class .

Calls

The Yahagi is after several hits on April 7, 1945 motionless in the water

Battle of the Philippine Sea

The ship experienced the first battle during the battle in the Philippine Sea on June 19, 1944. It saved the survivors of the fleet carrier Shōkaku together with the destroyer Urakaze .

In July 1944 she received two more anti-aircraft guns and two radar systems . A type 13 air search radar and a type 22 radar for surface search were installed.

Battle of Leyte

From October 24 to 25, 1944, the Yahagi took part in the sea ​​and air battle in the Gulf of Leyte . She survived the battle without significant damage, while numerous other ships of the Imperial Navy were sunk by American planes and submarines.

Downfall

During the Battle of Okinawa , the Yahagi was used together with the battleship Yamato and several destroyers for a relief mission, Operation Ten-gō .

The Yahagi was initially so badly damaged by a torpedo hit by an American fighter plane on the afternoon of April 7, 1945 in the East China Sea that it was immobilized before it was finally at position 30 ° 47 '  N , 128 ° 8'  E after at least seven Torpedoes and several bomb hits went down.

In the sinking, 446 officers and men of the original 1000 crew members lost their lives.

Web links

• Mission history of the Yahagi at Nihon Kaigun (English)

literature

• Eric Lacroix, Linton Wells: Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. Publisher Naval Institute Press, Annapolis 1997.