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USS Chicago underway off New York City, during the 31 May 1934 fleet review.
| |
| Career (United States) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Chicago |
| Namesake: | City of Chicago |
| Laid down: | 10 September 1928 |
| Launched: | 10 April 1930 |
| Commissioned: | 9 March 1931 |
| Honors and awards: | Three battle stars |
| Fate: | Sunk during the Battle of Rennell Island, 30 January 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Northampton class heavy cruiser |
| Displacement: | 9,200 tons |
| Length: | 570 ft (170 m) (waterline); 600 ft 3 in (182.96 m) (overall) |
| Beam: | 66 ft 1 in (20.14 m) |
| Draft: | 16 ft 6 in (5.03 m) (mean); 23 ft (7.0 m) (maximum) |
| Propulsion: | 4 × Parsons geared turbines, 8 × White-Forster boilers, 4 × shafts, 107,000 ihp (80,000 kW) |
| Speed: | 32.7 kn (37.6 mph; 60.6 km/h) |
| Range: | 13,000 nmi (15,000 mi; 24,000 km) @ 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h) |
| Capacity: | Fuel oil: 1,500 tons |
| Complement: | 1,100 Officers: 105 Enlisted: 995[1] |
| Armament: | 9 × 8 in (200 mm)/55 cal guns(3x3), 8 × 5 in (130 mm)/25 cal AAguns, 32 × 40 mm AA guns, 27 ×20 mm AA cannons |
| Armor: | |
| Aircraft carried: | 4 × SOC Seagull scout-observationseaplanes |
| Aviation facilities: | 2 × catapults |
USS Chicago (CA-29) was a Northampton class heavy cruiser of theUnited States Navy that served in the Pacific Theater in the early years of World War II. She was the second US Navy ship to be named after the city of Chicago. After surviving a midget submarine attack at Sydney Harbour and serving in battle at the Coral Sea and Savo Island in 1942, she was sunk by Japanese aerial torpedoes in the Battle of Rennell Island, in the Solomon Islands, on 30 January 1943.
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Construction[edit]
Chicago was launched on 10 April 1930 by Mare Island Naval Shipyard, sponsored by Miss E. Britten; and commissioned on 9 March 1931, Captain Manley Hale Simons in command. Originally CL-29, effective 1 July 1931, Chicago was redesignated CA-29 in accordance with the provisions of the London Naval Treaty of 1930.
Service history[edit]
Inter-War Period[edit]
After a shakedown cruise to Honolulu, Tahiti and American Samoa,Chicago departed Mare Island on 27 July 1931 and sailed to the east coast, arriving at Fort Pond Bay, New York, on 16 August. There, she became flagship of Commander, Cruisers, Scouting Force, and operated with that force until 1940.
In February 1932, Chicago conducted gunnery exercises with other ships of the Scouting Force preliminary to Fleet Problem XIII off the California coast. The Fleet was based on the West Coast thereafter and, until 1934, operated in the Pacific, from Alaska to the Panama Canal Zone and the Hawaiian Islands. In 1934, the annual fleet exercises were held in the Caribbean, followed in May 1934 by thePresidential Fleet Review in New York Harbor. The Scouting Force operated along the east coast and in the Caribbean until October and then returned to base at San Pedro, California. Chicago was one of six ships to receive the new RCA CXAM RADAR in 1940.[2] Chicagocontinued to operate out of San Pedro until 29 September 1940, when she sailed to Pearl Harbor.
During the next 14 months, Chicago operated out of Pearl Harbor, exercising with various task forces to develop tactics and cruising formations, and cruising to Australia and to the west coast.
World War II[edit]
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Chicago was at sea with TF 12 and the Force immediately began a five-day sweep in the Oahu-Johnston-Palmyra triangle in an effort to intercept the enemy. The Force returned to Pearl Harbor on 12 December; from 14–27 December,Chicago operated with TF 11 on patrol and search missions.
On 2 February 1942, Chicago departed Pearl Harbor for Suva Bay where she joined the newly formed ANZAC Squadron, later redesignated as Task Force 44. During March and April, the cruiser operated off the Louisiade Archipelago, covering the attacks on Lae and Salamaua, New Guinea. In a position to intercept enemy surface units which attempted to attack Port Moresby, Chicago also provided cover for the arrival of American troops on New Caledonia.
On 1 May, Chicago was ordered from Nouméa to join Commander, Southwest Pacific, and on the 4th she supportedYorktown in her strike against the Japanese on Tulagi, Solomon Islands during the Battle of the Coral Sea. On 7 May, she proceeded, with the Support Group, to intercept and attack the Japanese Port Moresby invasion group. The following day, the group underwent several Japanese air attacks, during which Chicago suffered several casualties from strafing, but drove off the planes and proceeded ahead until it was clear that the Japanese force had been turned back.
| Sir John Gregory Crace | |
|---|---|
Official portrait of John Gregory Crace as a rear admiral in 1940
| |
| Nickname(s) | Jack |
| Born | 6 February 1887 Gungahlin, Australia |
| Died | 11 May 1968 (aged 81) Hampshire, England |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom Australia |
| Service/branch |  Royal Navy Royal Australian Navy |
| Years of service | 1902–1946 |
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Commands held | Task Force 44, Chatham Dockyard |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II - Battle of the Coral Sea |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath |
Vice Admiral Sir John Gregory Crace KBE, CB, RAN (6 February 1887 – 11 May 1968), also known as Jack Crace, was an Australianwho came to prominence as an officer of the Royal Navy (RN). Crace nevertheless spent a great deal of his career with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). He commanded the Australian-United States Support Force (Task Force 44) at the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942.
Crace was born to Kate Marion Crace and Edward Kendall Crace atGungahlin (which was later part of the ACT, but was in NSW at the time). He was educated at The Kings School in Parramatta, before completing school in the UK in October 1899. Crace then enlisted in the RN. His first posting was with the training ship HMS Britannia, in May 1902. After being trained as a torpedo officer, Crace served on thebattlecruiser HMAS Australia throughout the First World War.
He travelled back and forth to Australia during the interwar years, and served in a series of sea and shore positions before being assigned command of the Australian Squadron in September 1939. Upon his arrival in Sydney, Crace grew increasingly dismayed at the state of the RAN fleet and attempted to resign.[1] However, after war with Japanbroke out, Crace was appointed commander of the Allied Naval Squadron, ANZAC Force.
During the Battle of the Coral Sea, Crace narrowly escaped a Japanese air raid while patrolling south of New Guinea. He returned to Britain in June 1942 as a Vice Admiral, commanding the Chatham Dockyard. Crace was placed on the retired list in 1945, but remained in command at Chatham until July 1946.
He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire(KBE) in 1947. He had been appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1941.
Sir John Crace died in Hampshire, England in 1968. The suburb ofCrace, Australian Capital Territory is named after Crace's father, Edward Kendall Crace.
HMAS Australia in October 1937
| |
| Career (Australia) |  |
|---|---|
| Namesake: | Commonwealth of Australia |
| Ordered: | 1924 |
| Builder: | John Brown and Company atClydebank, Scotland |
| Cost: | 1.9 million pounds |
| Laid down: | 26 August 1925 |
| Launched: | 17 March 1927 |
| Commissioned: | 24 April 1928 |
| Decommissioned: | 31 August 1954 |
| Honours and awards: | Battle honours: Atlantic 1940–41 Pacific 1941–43 Coral Sea 1942 Savo Island 1942 Guadalcanal 1942 New Guinea 1942–44 Leyte Gulf 1944 Lingayen Gulf 1945 Plus two inherited honours |
| Fate: | Sold for scrapping, 1955 |
| Badge: |  See (I) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | County-class heavy cruiser Kent subclass |
| Displacement: | 10,000 tons standard |
| Length: | 590 ft (180 m) between perpendiculars 630 ft 4 in (192.13 m) overall |
| Beam: | 68 ft 3 in (20.80 m) |
| Draught: | 21 ft 4 in (6.50 m) |
| Propulsion: | 8 × Yarrow superheated boilers Curtis high-pressure and Parsons low-pressure geared turbines 80,000 shaft horsepower 4 × 3-bladed propellers |
| Speed: | 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph) |
| Range: | 2,270 nautical miles (4,200 km; 2,610 mi) at 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph) 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
| Complement: | Up to 815 |
| Armament: |
At launch:
4 × 3-pounder saluting guns8 × 8-inch guns (4 twin turrets) 4 × 4-inch (102 mm) anti-aircraft guns 4 × 2-pounder (40 mm) pom-poms 16 × .303-inch machine guns 2 × quadruple 21-inch torpedotube sets 4 × 3-pounder saluting guns In 1945: 6 × 8-inch guns (3 twin turrets) 8 × 4-inch guns (4 twin mounts) 8 × 40 mm Bofors guns 16 × .303-inch machine guns |
| Armour: | Magazines and machinery spaces: 1.5 to 3 inches (38 to 76 mm) Turrets: 2 inches (51 mm) Conning tower: 3 inches (76 mm) Anti-torpedo bulges Belt armour: up to 4.5 inches (110 mm) (installed 1938–39) |
| Aircraft carried: | 1 × Supermarine Seagull III(1928–1936) 1 × Supermarine Walrus (1936–1944) |
| Aviation facilities: | 1 × aircraft catapult (1935–1944) |
HMAS Australia (I84/D84/C01) was a County-class heavy cruiser of theRoyal Australian Navy (RAN). One of two Kent-subclass ships ordered for the RAN in 1924, Australia was laid down in Scotland in 1925, and entered service in 1928. Apart from an exchange deployment to the Mediterranean from 1934 to 1936, during which she became involved in the planned British response to the Abyssinia Crisis, Australia operated in local and South-West Pacific waters until World War II began.
The cruiser remained near Australia until mid-1940, when she was deployed for duties in the eastern Atlantic, including hunts for German ships and participation in Operation Menace. During 1941, Australiaoperated in home and Indian Ocean waters, but was reassigned asflagship of the ANZAC Squadron in early 1942. As part of this force (which was later redesignated Task Force 44, then Task Force 74),Australia operated in support of United States naval and amphibious operations throughout South-East Asia until the start of 1945, including involvement in the battles at the Coral Sea and Savo Island, the amphibious landings at Guadalcanal and Leyte Gulf, and numerous actions during the New Guinea campaign. She was forced to withdraw for repairs following a series of kamikaze attacks during the invasion of Lingayen Gulf. The prioritisation of shipyard work in Australia for British Pacific Fleet vessels saw the Australian cruiser sail to England, where she was at the end of the war.
During the late 1940s, Australia served with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan, and participated in several port visits to other nations, before being retasked as a training ship in 1950. The cruiser was decommissioned in 1954, and sold for scrapping in 1955.
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Design[edit]
Australia was one of seven warships built to the Kent design of County-class heavy cruiser, which were based on design work by Eustace Tennyson-D'Eyncourt.[1] She was designed with a standarddisplacement of 10,000 tons, a length between perpendiculars of 590 feet (180 m), a length overall of 630 feet 4 inches (192.13 m), a beam of 68 feet 3 inches (20.80 m), and a maximum draught of 21 feet 4 inches (6.50 m).[2]
The propulsion machinery consisted of eight Yarrow superheated boilers feeding Curtis high-pressure and Parsons low-pressure geared turbines.[1] This delivered up to 80,000 shaft horsepower to the cruiser's four three-bladed propellers.[1] The cruiser's top speed was 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph), with a range of 2,270 nautical miles (4,200 km; 2,610 mi), while her economical range and cruising speed was 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph).[3]
The ship's company consisted of 64 officers and 678 sailors in 1930; this dropped to 45 officers and 654 sailors from 1937 to 1941.[1] While operating as flagship, Australia's company was 710.[1] During wartime, the ship's company increased to 815.[3]
Armament and armour[edit]
Australia was designed with eight 8-inch guns in four twin turrets ('A' and 'B' forward, 'X' and 'Y' aft) as primary armament, with 150 shells per gun.[4] Secondary armament consisted of four 4-inch guns in four single mounts, with 200 shells per gun, and four 2-pounder pom-poms for anti-aircraft defence, with 1,000 rounds each.[4] A mixture of .303-inch machine guns were carried for close defence work: initially this consisted of four Vickers machine guns and twelve Lewis machine guns, although four Lewis guns were later removed.[2] Two sets of quadruple 21-inch torpedo tubes were fitted.[4] Four 3-pounder quick-firing Hotchkiss guns were used as saluting guns.[2][4] During her 1939 modernisation, the four single 4-inch guns were replaced by four twin Mark XVI guns.[4] The torpedo tubes were removed in 1942, and the 8-inch 'X' turret was taken off in 1945.[2][4]
The close-range anti-aircraft armament of the ship fluctuated during her career.[4] During the mid-1930s, two quadruple .5-inch machine gun mounts were installed to supplement the .303-inch weapons.[3] These were replaced in late 1943 by seven single 20mm Oerlikons.[4] By early 1944, all seven Oerlikons had been upgraded to double mountings.[4] These were in turn replaced by eight single 40 mm Bofors guns in 1945.[4]
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Australia was designed to carry a single amphibious aircraft: a Supermarine Seagull III aircraft, which was replaced in 1936 by a Supermarine Walrus.[3] Both aircraft were operated by the Royal Australian Air Force's Fleet Cooperation Unit; initially byNo. 101 Flight RAAF, which was expanded in 1936 to form No. 5 Squadron RAAF, then renumbered in 1939 to No. 9 Squadron RAAF.[5] As the aircraft catapult was not installed until September 1935, the Seagull was initially lowered into the water by the ship's recovery crane to launch under its own power.[3] The catapult and Walrus were removed in October 1944.[4]
Armour aboard Australia was initially limited to an armour deck over the machinery spaces and magazines, ranging from 1.5 to 3 inches (38 to 76 mm) in thickness.[3]Armour plate was also fitted to the turrets (up to 2 inches (51 mm) thick) and the conning tower (3 inches (76 mm) thick).[3] Anti-torpedo bulges were also fitted.[3]During 1938 and 1939, belt armour up to 4.5 inches (110 mm) thick was fitted along the waterline to provide additional protection to the propulsion machinery.[3]
Acquisition and construction[edit]
Australia was ordered in 1924 as part of a five-year plan to develop the RAN.[6] She was laid down by John Brown and Company at their shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland on 26 August 1925.[1] The cruiser was launched on 17 March 1927 byDame Mary Cook, wife of the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and former Australian Prime Minister,Sir Joseph Cook.[1]
The cruiser was initially fitted with short exhaust funnels, but during sea trials ofAustralia and other Kent class ships, it was found that smoke from the boilers was affecting the bridge and aft control position.[1][7] The funnel design was subsequently lengthened by 15 feet (4.6 m); the taller funnels on the under-constructionHMAS Canberra were later switched over to Australia as she neared completion.[1]
When the ship's badge came up for consideration on 26 December 1926, bothRichard Lane-Poole, commander of the Australian Squadron, and William Napier,First Naval Member of the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board disapproved of the design previously carried by the battlecruiser Australia, and requested new designs.[8] On 26 July 1927, it was decided to use the Coat of arms of Australia as the basis for the badge, with the shield bearing the symbols of the six states and theFederation Star crest depicted in the design.[9] No motto was given to the ship, but when the badge design was updated prior to the planned 1983 acquisition of the British aircraft carrier HMS Invincible (which was to be renamed HMASAustralia), the motto from the battlecruiser, "Endeavour", was added.[9]
The warship was commissioned into the RAN on 24 April 1928.[1] Construction of Australia cost 1.9 million pounds, very close to the estimated cost.[10] Australia and sister ship HMAS Canberra (also constructed by John Brown) were the only County class vessels constructed in Scotland.[7]
Operational history[edit]
Early career[edit]
Australia left Portsmouth for her namesake country on 3 August 1928 after completing sea trials.[11] During the voyage, the cruiser visited Canada, the United States of America, several Pacific islands, and New Zealand before she reached Sydney on 23 October.[1] Following the start of the Great Depression, the RAN fleet was downscaled in 1930 to three active ships (Australia, sister ship Canberra, and seaplane carrier Albatross) while one of the S class destroyers would remain active at a time, with a reduced ship's company.[12] In 1932, Australia cruised to the Pacific islands.[1] In 1933, she visited New Zealand.[1]
On 10 December 1934, Australia was sent to the United Kingdom on exchange duty, with the Duke of Gloucester, who had visited Victoria for the state's centenary of foundation the month previous, aboard.[11] The cruiser reached Portsmouth on 28 March 1935, and was assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet.[1] Australia returned to England from 21 June to 12 September to represent Australia at King George V'sSilver Jubilee naval review at Spithead.[11][13] Following the outbreak of theAbyssinian crisis, Australia began to train for a potential war.[14] Australia's initial role in any British assault on the Italian Navy was to cover the withdrawal of the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious after an air attack on the base at Taranto.[14] The crisis eased before the need for British involvement occurred.[14] Australia remained in the Mediterranean until 14 July 1936, then visited Gallipoli in company with the new light cruiser HMAS Sydney, before the two ships sailed for Australia.[15] They arrived in Sydney on 11 August.[1][15] During the cruiser's time on exchange, the British cruiser HMS Sussex operated with the RAN.[1]
After returning, Australia spent the remainder of 1936 in the vicinity of Sydney and Jervis Bay, excluding a visit to Melbourne in November.[11] The warship sailed to New Zealand in April 1937, then in July departed on a three-month northern cruise, with visits to ports in Queensland, New Guinea, and New Britain.[11] Australia repeated her November visit to Melbourne, and cruised to Hobart in February 1938, before being placed in reserve on 24 April 1938.[11] She underwent a modernisation refit at Cockatoo Island Dockyard, during which her single 4-inch guns were replaced with twin mountings,belt armour measuring up to 4.5 inches (110 mm) thick was fitted over the machinery spaces, and handling arrangements for the ship's aircraft and boats were improved.[3][16] Although the modernisation was scheduled for completion in March 1939, but inconsistencies between Australia's construction and the supplied drawings caused delays.[17] The cruiser was recommissioned on 28 August, but did not leave the dockyard until 28 September.[17]
World War II[edit]
1939–1941[edit]
Following the outbreak of World War II, Australia was initially assigned to Australian waters.[13] From 28 November to 1 December, Australia, Canberra, and Sydney hunted for the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee in the Indian Ocean.[18] From 10 to 20 January 1940, Australia was part of the escort for Anzac convoy US 1 as it proceeded from Sydney to Fremantle, then sailed with it to the edge of the Australia Station en route to Colombo, before returning to Fremantle.[19] On arrival, Australia relieved HMAS Adelaide as the cruiser assigned to the western coast until 6 February, when she was in turn relieved by HMAS Sydney and returned to the east coast.[20] On 12 May, Australia and Canberra left Fremantle to escort Anzac convoy US 3 to Cape Town.[21] After arriving on 31 May, the two ships were offered for service under the Royal Navy; Australia was accepted for service in European waters, although she spent most of June escorting ship around southern and western Africa.[18][22]
On 3 July, Australia and the carrier HMS Hermes were ordered to sail to Dakar, where the cruiser HMS Dorsetshire was shadowing the French battleship Richelieu and preparing to deny her use to the Vichy French if required.[22] Australia andHermes reached the rendezvous in the early morning of 5 July.[22] Attempts to disable the battleship (which was anchored in harbour?) were made by boat and air during 7 and 8 July; on the second day, Australia fired in anger for the first time when a French aircraft flew near the Allied ships and dropped bombs with no effect.[13][21][23] The Australian cruiser left Dakar on 9 July, and caught up to an England-bound convoy two days later.[23] They arrived at the River Clyde on 16 July, and Australia was assigned to the Royal Navy's 1st Cruiser Squadron, based at Scapa Flow, four days later.[23] During late July, the cruiser joined British ships off Norway in an unsuccessful search for the German battleship Gneisenau.[23] During August, Australia and HMS Norfolk searched around the Faroe Islands and Bear Island for German trawlers.[24]
At the start of September, Australia was assigned to Operation Menace—the Allied effort to install the Free French in Vichy-controlled Dakar—as a replacement for the torpedoed British cruiser Fiji.[21][25] On the morning of 19 September, shortly after relieving HMS Cumberland on patrol off Dakar, Australia located three French cruisers, which she and Cumberlandbegan to shadow until losing sight in the dark.[26] One of the French ships, the cruiser Gloire suffered engine troubles and turned back to Konakri, encountering Australia shortly after.[26] The Australian cruiser was ordered to escort Gloire toCasablanca, which the French cruiser agreed to.[27] The two ships remained together until the morning of 21 September, when Gloire's captain promised his opposite on Australia that the French ship would complete the voyage unescorted, and the Australian cruiser sailed to intercept the main body of the Allied fleet, which was met the next day.[27] On the morning of 23 September, the cruiser was fired on by shore batteries at Dakar while intercepting and driving back two Fantasque class destroyers, but did not receive damage.[21][28] That afternoon, Australia and the British destroyers Fury and Greyhoundengaged the French destroyer L'Audacieux, setting her on fire.[21] On 24 September, despite poor visibility, Australia joined other Allied ships in shelling Dakar and the French warships in the harbour; during the withdrawal to the rest of the fleet, the Australian cruiser was unsuccessfully attacked by high-altitude bombers.[29] On 25 September, Australia andHMS Devonshire shelled French ships anchored at Dakar.[21] They damaged a destroyer and several cruisers beforeAustralia was hit by two 6-inch shells and her Walrus was shot down with all aboard killed, after which the two ships withdrew.[21][30] Operation Menace was abandoned as a failure on 26 September, and Australia was ordered to return to the United Kingdom two days later.[30][31]
During early October, Australia escorted a group of troop transports returning from Gibraltar to the United Kingdom.[21] On 29 October, Australia recovered nine of the thirteen crew from a Short Sunderland flying boat which crashed off Greenock, Scotland during a gale; the other four were carried away by the heavy seas during the rescue.[21] The cruiser underwent a refit in Liverpool during November and December.[21] During a German air raid on the night of 20 December, a 3,500-pound (1,600 kg) torpedo was dropped on the dry-dock Australia was berthed in, but this landed alongside the ship and did not explode.[13][32] The ship was damaged during an air raid the following night: the blast from a 500-pound (230 kg) bomb landing near the port side cracked several portholes and damaged the catapult.[32]
Australia spent the first part of January 1941 escorting Convoy WS5B from the British Isles to the Middle East via South Africa.[33] On 22 January, after handing the convoy over to HMS Hawkins off Mombasa, the cruiser joined the unsuccessful search for the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer.[33] Following this and searches for the auxiliary cruisers Pinguinand Atlantis in the Indian Ocean, Australia sailed for Sydney with two troopships, arriving on 24 March.[21][33][34] The cruiser then escorted Convoy US10 for the first leg of the Australia to Suez run, after which she sailed to Singapore at the end of the month to collect Admiral Ragnar Colvin and his staff following the Singapore Conference.[33]
During June, Australia escorted convoys across the Tasman Sea, then delivered Convoy US11A to Trincomalee in mid-July.[33] The ship was then assigned to the South Atlantic Station.[33] During November, the cruiser sailed to the Kerguelen Islands during searches for German commerce raiders, and after finding evidence of enemy activity, deployed magnetic sea mines in case they returned; as of 2008, the mines were still present.[35][36] Prompted by the loss of HMAS Sydney and the deteriorating situation in South-east Asia, Australia was ordered on 3 December to hand Convoy WS12X to HMSDorsetshire, then make for home.[33] On 29 December, the cruiser was designated Flagship of the Australian Squadron.[35]
1942[edit]
On 31 January, Australia and HMNZS Leander sailed from Sydney to Wellington.[37] In February 1942, the Australian cruiser became flagship of the newly formed Anzac Squadron.[21] In early March, Australia was assigned to shell Gasmatain New Britain.[38] However, on 7 March, the ships for the operation were recalled, and were used three days later to provide long-range protection for the American aircraft carriers USS Lexington and USS Yorktown while they launched an air raid in retaliation to the Japanese capture of Lae and Salamaua.[38] After the raid, Australia and the Anzac Squadron sailed for Noumea.[39]
On the evening of 12 March, while sailing near the Louisiade Islands, one of the ship's stokers was stabbed fourteen times, and died from peritonitis during the night.[40] Before dying, the stoker informed the ship's surgeon that he had threatened to expose the homosexual relationship between two other stokers, which led to the attack.[40] The two accused stokers were imprisoned, and a court-martial was held between 15 and 18 March, while the ship was anchored at Noumea.[41] The stokers were found guilty of the first ever murder aboard an Australian warship; under British naval regulations (which the RAN was operating under), the men were to be hanged from the cruiser's yardarm.[42] However, despite Captain Harold Farncomb's aggressive prosecution of the two men, he successfully requested that the death sentences be put off at least until the ship returned home.[42] As the men were convicted under British military law, the matter of commuting their sentences was out of Australian hands until an appeal for clemency was made to King George VI, who downgraded the sentence to life imprisonment.[43] This situation had arisen because the Australian government had not yet adopted theStatute of Westminster 1931, a British Act which defined the Dominions as sovereign governments capable of amending or repealing previous British legislation affecting them, while preventing the British government from legislating on the Dominions' behalf unless requested.[43] Prompted by the murder, along with issues relating to the legal control of shipping in Australian ports, and the National Security Act, a bill ratifying the Statute was passed on 9 October and backdated to the start of the war.[43] The sentences of the two stokers were reduced several times, and they were freed in September 1950.[44]
On 22 April, the Anzac Squadron was reclassified as Task Force 44; Australiaremained flagship.[45] Australia returned to Sydney in late April for a week of repairs and maintenance, primarily to the outer port propeller shaft.[46] Around this time, the Americans learned of an imminent Japanese invasion of Port Moresby, and on 1 May, Australia sailed with Hobart to rendezvous with American forces in the Coral Sea.[47] At 07:00 on 7 May, Rear Admiral John Gregory Crace, who was embarked aboard Australia as commander of Task Force 44, was ordered to take his ships (Australia, the cruisers Hobart and USS Chicago, and the destroyers USS Perkins,USS Walke and USS Farragut) to the Jomard Passage, and engage any Japanese ships found en route to Port Moresby, while several US carrier groups engaged a Japanese force headed for the Solomon Islands.[48] The ships reached their patrol area around 14:00, fired on a group of eleven unidentified aircraft at maximum range with no damage dealt at 14:27, and were attacked themselves by twelve Japanese twin-engine torpedo bombers at 15:06.[49] Australia and Chicago were able to manoeuvre out of the torpedoes' paths, and at least five aircraft were destroyed.[50] At 15:16, nineteen Japanese heavy bombers dropped their payload the Allied ships.[50] Although accurate (Australia was surrounded by the spread), none of the ships were hit directly, and the only casualties (aboard Chicago) were from shrapnel.[50] A few minutes later, the ships were attacked by another three heavy bombers, flying at a higher altitude to the first group; the bombing was much less accurate.[50] It was later learned that the three aircraft belonged to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).[50] Although USN Vice Admiral Herbert F. Leary made plans to train aircrews in naval vessel recognition in response, USAAF GeneralGeorge Brett refused to implement them or acknowledge that the friendly fire incident had happened.[50] With no new orders, Crace decided to relocate his ships during the night to a point 220 nautical miles (410 km; 250 mi) from Port Moresby, to better intercept a Japanese invasion force if it came through either the Jomard Passage or the China Strait.[50]Instructions from the American commander of the operation were still not forthcoming, and Crace was forced to rely on intercepted radio messages to track the progress of the main battle.[51] Australia and the rest of the task force remained in their assigned area until 01:00 on 10 May, when Crace ordered them to withdraw south to Cid Harbour on Whitsunday Island; the lack of reports and intelligence concerning either the Americans or Japanese led him to conclude that both forces had withdrawn, and there was no immediate threat to Port Moresby.
HMAS Hobart, prior to her transfer to the RAN
| |
| Career (United Kingdom) | |
|---|---|
| Builder: | HM Dockyard, Devonport, England |
| Laid down: | 15 August 1934 |
| Launched: | 9 October 1934 |
| Commissioned: | 13 January 1936 |
| Decommissioned: | 1936 |
| Identification: | Pennant number: D63 |
| Fate: | Sold to RAN |
| Career (Australia) | |
| Namesake: | City of Hobart |
| Commissioned: | 28 September 1938 |
| Decommissioned: | 20 December 1947 |
| Identification: | Pennant number: D63 |
| Motto: | Ubertas et Fidelitas (Latin: "Richness and Faithfulness")[1] |
| Honours and awards: | Battle honours: Mediterranean 1941 Indian Ocean 1941 Coral Sea 1942 Savo Island 1942 Guadacanal 1942 Pacific 1942–45 East Indies 1940 Borneo 1945 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrap in 1962 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Modified Leander-class light cruiser |
| Displacement: | 7,105 tons |
| Length: | 562 ft 3 in (171.37 m) |
| Beam: | 56 ft 8 in (17.27 m) |
| Draught: | 15 ft 8 in (4.78 m) |
| Installed power: | 72,000 shaft horsepower (54,000 kW) |
| Propulsion: | 4 Parsons geared steam turbines, 4 boilers, 4 shafts |
| Speed: | 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph) |
| Complement: | 570 |
| Armament: | Original configuration: 8[2] × BL 6 inch Mk XXIII naval guns[3] 8 × 4-inch (100 mm) guns 4 × QF 3-pounder guns 8 × 21-inch (530 mm) torpedo tubes (quadruple mounts) |
| Aircraft carried: | 1 Supermarine Walrus, 1 catapult |
HMAS Hobart was a modified Leander-class light cruiser which served in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) during World War II. Originally constructed for the Royal Navy as HMS Apollo, the ship entered service in 1936, and was sold to Australia two years later. During the war, Hobart was involved in the evacuation of British Somaliland in 1940, fought at the Battle of the Coral Sea and supported theamphibious landings at Guadalcanal and Tulagi during 1942, was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1943, then returned to service in 1945 and supported the landings at Tarakan, Wewak, Brunei, andBalikpapan. Hobart was placed in reserve in 1947, but plans to modernise her and return her to service as an aircraft carrier escort, training ship, or guided missile ship were not followed through. The cruiser was sold for scrapping in 1962.
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Design and construction[edit]
Main article: Modified Leander class
The ship was one of three Modified Leander-class light cruisers constructed for the Royal Navy. The main difference to the previous fiveLeanders was that the newer ships had their machinery and propulsion equipment organised in two self-contained units (separated fore and aft), allowing the ship to continue operating if one set was damaged.[4]The two exhaust funnels, one for each machinery space, gave the modified ships a different profile from the early Leanders, which had a single funnel.[4] To cover the separate machinery spaces, the side armour was extended from 84 to 141 feet (26 to 43 m), negating the weight reduction created by the separation.[5] During design, it was planned to modify the forward-most and aft-most 6-inch turrets to be fitted with three guns instead of two, but the plan was cancelled when it was determined that the required alterations would cause several negative side effects, including reducing the ship's top speed and causing problems with effective fire control.[6]
The cruiser was laid down at HM Dockyard, Devonport, England on 15 August 1933 as HMS Apollo.[7] She was launched on 9 October 1934 by Lady Florence, wife of Admiral Sir William Boyle.[7][8] The ship was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 13 January 1936.[7][8]
Operational history[edit]
[edit]
Apollo served on the North American and West Indies Station until 1938.[9]
Australian acquisition[edit]
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The ship was purchased by the Australian Government in 1938, with the transfer of the seaplane tender HMAS Albatross to the Royal Navy part of the payment.[8][9] She was originally to be renamed and transferred to the RAN on 6 October, but the mobilisation of the British Home Fleet in response to the Munich Crisis brought this forward to 28 September.[9] The cruiser arrived in Australia at the end of 1938, and visited her namesake city during February 1939.[9]
World War II[edit]
At the start of World War II, Hobart was initially deployed on patrols of Bass Strait.[7] A month later, on 13 October, the cruiser sailed for Singapore with several RAN destroyers.[7] After arrival, she was assigned to patrols and convoy escort duties in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.[7][9] In February 1940, she escorted an Australian troop convoy from Colombo to the Middle East, then spent time in Ceylon as flagship of the East Indies Station before being transferred to Aden with HMS Liverpool in April to form the core of the Royal Navy's Red Sea Force.[7]
The cruiser fired in anger for the first time on 12 June 1940, in retaliation to Italian aircraft attacking Aden.[9] On 19 June, the cruiser's Walrus amphibious aircraft dropped bombs on an Italian wireless station on Centre Peak Island in the Red Sea.[9] At the start of August, Hobart escorted a relief force to Berbera, in response to the Italian invasion of British Somaliland.[9] Two weeks later, the decision was made to abandon British Somaliland, and Hobart was designated headquarters for the evacuation.[9] The Walrus was used to successfully fend off air raids and bomb the Italian headquarters at Zeila, while a 3-pounder Hotchkiss saluting gun was converted into an anti-tank gun and sent to assist in the rearguard action, although the three volunteers crewing the weapon were captured.[9] Hobart's captain orchestrated the evacuation of over 7,000 soldiers and civilians aboard a heterogenous flotilla of vessels.[9] The cruiser was the last ship to leave on 19 August, collecting stragglers in the ship's boats while demolition teams and the ship's guns destroyed anything of value.[9]
Hobart remained in the Red Sea until October, when she sailed to Colombo for refit, then returned to Australia.[9] Shortly after arrival, Rear Admiral John Gregory Crace transferred his flag from HMAS Canberra to Hobart.[10] The cruiser was used as an escort in Australian waters until June 1941, when the ship's seaplane and catapult were removed, Crace transferred his flag back to Canberra, and Hobart was sent to the Mediterranean to relieve sister ship HMAS Perth.[9][10] On 13 July, Hobart was in Port Tewfik when the area was bombed.[9] The troopship Georgic was damaged by bombs and attempted to beach, but collided with the transport Gleneran and forced her ashore as well.[9] Hobart's company helped to evacuate crew and passengers from the ships during the evening, and helped to refloat Georgic the next day.[9] On joining the Mediterranean Fleet, Hobart was assigned to support Allied forces during the Western Desert Campaign until December 1941, when the Japanese declaration of war required the ship to relocate to Australian waters.[10]
The cruiser was diverted to escort a convoy from Colombo to Singapore; the ships arrived on 3 January, the same day as a Japanese air raid.[10] Hobart reached Fremantle on 11 January, then escorted a convoy to Java before the month's end.[10]On 3 February 1942, while sailing from Singapore to Batavia, Hobart and the destroyer HMS Tenedos came to the aid of the merchant ship Norah Moller, which had been bombed by three aircraft.[9] The cruiser collected 57 of the 70 aboard, with the rest aboard Tenedos.[9] From this point, the ship was almost constantly deployed on convoy escort duties in the Far East Station.[10] On 25 February, the cruiser was attacked by 27 bombers while refuelling from a tanker at Tanjong Priok.[11] There was only minor damage, but the fuelling operation could not be completed, and Hobart was unable to join the Allied force that was defeated during the Battle of the Java Sea two days later.[11]
Hobart participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, as part of the Allied cruiser force shielding Port Moresby. The Australian squadron (Task Force 44) was commanded by Royal Navy Admiral Sir John Gregory Crace, and included the US cruiser Chicago and the destroyers Perkins, Walke, and Farragut in addition to Australia and Hobart. Crace's squadron, away from the main scene of battle, had been ordered to patrol the Jomard Passage, through which a Japanese invasion force bound for Port Moresby would pass. Crace's ships were vulnerable as they had no air cover, and adopted an anti-aircraft diamond formation. In the late morning of 7 May a Japanese reconnaissance plane sighted the squadron and reported its position to Rabaul. That afternoon, eleven Japanese torpedo bombers attacked the Allied ships, which retaliated with a strong barrage. No ships were severely damaged during the five-minute engagement, but six Australians and three Americans were casualties. A second Japanese attack was mounted almost immediately, this time with accuratepattern bombing from high altitude, but the ships were successful in evading. Minutes later, a third wave of three bomber aircraft flew overhead and narrowly missed the American destroyers; it was later learned that these were B-17 Flying Fortresses of the United States Army Air Forces, which believed they were attacking a squadron of Japanese ships.
| Takeo Takagi | |
|---|---|
Japanese Admiral Takeo Takagi
| |
| Born | January 25, 1892 [1] Iwaki, Fukushima, Japan |
| Died | July 8, 1944 (aged 52) Saipan, Northern Marianas Islands |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Years of service | 1911-1944 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | Nagara, Takao, Mutsu 2nd NGS Division Mobilization, 5th Cruiser Division, Carrier Strike Force, Mako Guard District, Takao Guard District, IJN 6th Fleet[2] |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Order of the Rising Sun (2nd class) Order of the Rising Sun (4th class) Order of the Golden Kite (2nd class)[3] |
In this Japanese name, the family name is "Takagi".
Takeo Takagi (高木 武雄 Takagi Takeo?, 25 January 1892 – 8 July 1944) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.
Biography[edit]
Takagi was a native of Iwaki city, Fukushima prefecture. He was a graduate of the 39th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy, ranking 17th of 148 cadets in 1911. As a midshipman, he served on thecruiser Aso and battleship Shikishima, and after his commissioning asensign, on the cruiser Asama and battleship Kawachi.
As a lieutenant, he served on submarine S-15, and following advanced coursework in navigation and in torpedo warfare, he became executive officer and then captain of the submarine S-24. After graduation fromNaval Staff College in 1923, he was promoted to lieutenant commander, and assumed command of the submarine Ro-28, followed by Ro-68 in 1926. He was promoted to commander in 1928, and held a number of staff positions. He was sent to the United States and Europe in 1931, and promoted to captain in 1932.
In 1933, Takagi was assigned command of the cruiser Nagara, followed by Takao in 1936 and the battleship Mutsu in 1937. Takagi was promoted to rear admiral on 15 November 1938, and was Chief of the 2nd Section of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff in 1939.
At the start of the Pacific War, Takagi was commanding the naval forces supporting the invasion of the Philippine Islands in late 1941, Takagi headed the task force covering the Java landings in Dutch East Indies. He was senior Japanese commander in the Battle of the Java Sea, sinking two cruisers and three destroyers for only the damage of a single Japanese destroyer.
Takagi was promoted to vice admiral on 1 May 1942. He was commander of the carrier task force (Shōkaku and Zuikaku) in "Operation Mo". Thus he was also senior Japanese commander at the Battle of the Coral Sea.
In November 1942, Takagi was reassigned to be commander of the Mako Guard District, and was reassigned in April 1943 to be commander of the Takao Guard District. On 21 June 1943, he was again given a front line assignment, when he was made commander of the IJN 6th Fleet (submarines), based in the Mariana Islands.
Takagi was killed in action during the Battle of Saipan in 1944. Missing after the battle, it is not clear whether he committed suicide or died trying to escape in a submarine.[4] He was posthumously promoted to full admiral.
| Chūichi Hara | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname(s) | "King Kong" |
| Born | March 15, 1889 Matsue, Shimane, Japan |
| Died | February 17, 1964 (aged 74)[1] |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Years of service | 1911-1945 |
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Commands held | IJN 4th Fleet, Combined Air Training Units, 5th Carrier Division, 8th Cruiser Division |
| Battles/wars | |
In this Japanese name, the family name is "Hara".
Chūichi "King Kong" Hara (原 忠一 Hara Chūichi?, 15 March 1889 – 17 February 1964) was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Relatively heavier and taller in his younger years compared with the average Japanese person, he was nicknamed "King Kong" by his friends.[2]
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Biography[edit]
Hara was born in Matsue city in Shimane prefecture. He graduated from the 39th class of the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy in 1911, ranking 85th out of his class of 149 cadets. As a midshipman, he served on thecruiser Aso and the battlecruiser Ibuki. After his promotion to ensign, he was assigned to Settsu and then to the Akashi.
After attending both torpedo school and naval artillery school, Hara was promoted to sublieutenant and then he served on the destroyerAsakaze, followed by the cruiser Yakumo, and then the battleshipKongō during World War I. However, it does not appear that he faced combat against the German Empire during his duties.
After the end of World War I, Hara returned to naval school again for advanced study in torpedo warfare during 1918 – 19. Then he served as the chief torpedo officer on the destroyer Hakaze, followed by the destroyer Yukaze in 1921, and then the cruiser Ōi in 1922.
Hara attended the Naval Staff College in 1923-24 and then was promoted to lieutenant commander. In December 1926, Hara was assigned to his first command, that of the destroyer Tsuga. He was promoted to the rank of commander in 1929, and then he served as an instructor at several of the naval ordnance schools during the early 1930s. Hara was given command of the gunboat Ataka in 1932, and he was promoted to captain in 1933. During 1933 - 34, Hara was assigned as the naval attaché at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C.. When he returned to Japan, Hara took command of the cruiser Tatsuta, and next he held a number of staff positions in the Imperial Japanese Navy until he was promoted to rear admiral on November 15, 1939.
During World War II[edit]
During World War II, Hara was the commanding officer of the Fifth Carrier Division of the Imperial Japanese Navy for theJapanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His command contained the two brand new aircraft carriers Zuikaku and Shokaku.
During the Battle of Coral Sea in the South Pacific, his 5th Carrier Division was heavily damaged by the bombing of theShokaku and the large number of aircrewmen and planes shot down from the Zuikaku. These damages put both aircraft carriers out of the war for many months, and they both missed the Battle of Midway. Meanwhile, Hara was reassigned to command the 8th Cruiser Division, containing the large, fast heavy cruisers Tone and Chikuma, and their escorting destroyers, during the long, bitter struggle with the Americans for the Solomon Islands. Hara and his warships were present for two large battles in the South Pacific: the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.
Shōhō
| |
| Career (Japan) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Shōhō |
| Namesake: | Japanese: 祥鳳, "Auspicious Phoenix', or "Happy Phoenix" |
| Laid down: | 3 December 1934 |
| Launched: | 1 June 1935 |
| Commissioned: | 30 November 1941 |
| Fate: | Sunk by air attack, 7 May 1942 |
| General characteristics (as converted) | |
| Class & type: | Zuihō-class aircraft carrier |
| Displacement: | 11,443 tonnes (11,262 long tons) (standard) |
| Length: | 205.5 m (674 ft 2 in) |
| Beam: | 18.2 m (59 ft 8 in) |
| Draft: | 6.6 m (21 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power: | 52,000 shp (39,000 kW) 4 × boilers |
| Propulsion: | 2 × shafts 2 × geared steam turbines |
| Speed: | 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph) |
| Range: | 7,800 nmi (14,400 km; 9,000 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Complement: | 785 |
| Armament: | 4 × twin 12.7 cm/40 Type 89 guns 4 × twin Type 96 25 mm anti-aircraft guns |
| Aircraft carried: | 30 |
| Aviation facilities: | 2 × Aircraft elevators |
Shōhō (Japanese: 祥鳳, "Auspicious Phoenix" or "Happy Phoenix") was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Originally built as the submarine support ship Tsurugizaki in the late 1930s, she was converted before the Pacific War into an aircraft carrier and renamed. Completed in early 1942, the ship supported the invasion forces inOperation MO, the invasion of Port Moresby, New Guinea, and was sunk by American carrier aircraft on her first combat operation during the Battle of the Coral Sea on 7 May. Shōhō was the first Japanese aircraft carrier to be sunk during World War II.
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Design, construction and conversion[edit]
Shōhō and her sister Zuihō were designed to be easily modified as an oil tanker, submarine tender, or aircraft carrier as needed. Shōhō was laid down by the Yokosuka Naval Arsenalon 3 December 1934 as the submarine tender Tsurugizaki.[1]She was launched on 1 June 1935 and completed on 15 January 1939. Not long after the ship was initially completed, she began reconstruction as an aircraft carrier in 1941. Her superstructure was removed and replaced by a flight deck with a hangar for her aircraft below. RenamedShōhō, the conversion was finished on 26 January 1942.[2]
After her conversion, Shōhō had a length of 205.5 meters (674 ft 2 in)overall. She had a beam of 18.2 meters (59 ft 8 in) and a draft of 6.58 meters (21 ft 7 in). She displaced 11,443 tonnes (11,262 long tons) at standard load. As part of her conversion, her originaldiesel engines, which had given her a top speed of 29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph), were replaced by a pair of destroyer-type geared steam turbine sets with a total of 52,000 shaft horsepower (39,000 kW), each driving one propeller. Steam was provided by four Kampon water-tube boilers and Shōhō now had a maximum speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph). The boilers exhausted through a single downturned starboard funnel and she carried 2,642 tonnes (2,600 long tons) of fuel oil, giving her a range of 7,800 nautical miles (14,400 km; 9,000 mi) at a speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph).[3] Her crew numbered 785 officers and men.[4]
Shōhō's flight deck was 180 meters (590 ft 6 in) long and had a maximum width of 23 meters (75 ft 6 in). The ship was designed with a single hangar 124 meters (406 ft 10 in) long and 18 meters (59 ft) wide.[5] The hangar was served by two octagonal centerline aircraft elevators. The forward elevator was 13 by 12 meters (42 ft 8 in × 39 ft 4 in) in size and the smaller rear elevator measured 12 by 10.8 meters (39 ft 4 in × 35 ft 5 in). She had arresting gear with six cables, but she was not fitted with an aircraft catapult. Shōhō was a flush-deck design and lacked an island superstructure. She was designed to operate 30 aircraft.[4]
The ship's primary armament consisted of eight 40-caliber 12.7 cm Type 89 anti-aircraft (AA) guns in twin mounts on sponsons along the sides of the hull. Shōhō was also initially equipped with four twin 25 mm Type 96 light AA guns, also in sponsons along the sides of the hull.[2]
Service history[edit]
Shōhō was commissioned on 30 November 1941 and Captain Izawa Ishinosuke became her commanding officer. While still fitting-out, the ship was assigned to the Fourth Carrier Division of the 1st Air Fleet on 22 December.[6] On 4 February 1942, she ferried aircraft to Truk, where she remained until 11 April before returning to Yokosuka.[6][7]
In late April 1942, Shōhō was assigned to Operation MO and arrived in Truk on 29 April. The following day, she departed Truk with the cruisers Aoba, Kinugasa, Furutaka, and Kako of Cruiser Division 6 under the command of Rear AdmiralAritomo Gotō.[6] They formed the Main Force of the operation.[8] Due to aircraft shortages, her aircraft complement consisted of only four obsolete Mitsubishi A5M4 "Claude" and eight modern Mitsubishi A6M2 "Zero" fighters plus sixNakajima B5N2 "Kate" torpedo bombers. Covering the other elements of Operation MO was the Striking Force that consisted of the fleet carriers Shōkaku and Zuikaku.[7]
Battle of the Coral Sea[edit]
Main article: Battle of the Coral Sea
After covering the landings on Tulagi on 3 May, Shōhō headed north to cover the invasion convoy the next day and was not present when aircraft from the American carrier Yorktown attacked Japanese shipping at Tulagi. This air strike confirmed that at least one American carrier was in the vicinity, but the Japanese had no idea of its location.[9] They launched a number of reconnaissance aircraft the following day to search for the Americans, but without result. One Kawanishi H6K "Mavis" flying boatspotted Yorktown, but was shot down by one of Yorktown's Grumman F4F Wildcatfighters before she could radio a report. US Army Air Force (USAAF) aircraft spottedShōhō[Note 1] southwest of Bougainville Island on 5 May, but she was too far north to be attacked by the American carriers, which were refueling.[11] That day, Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher received Magic intelligence that placed the three Japanese carriers known to be involved in Operation MO near Bougainville, and predicted 10 May as the date of the invasion. It also predicted airstrikes by the Japanese carriers in support of the invasion several days before 10 May. Based on this information, Fletcher planned to complete refuelling his ships on 6 May and move closer to the eastern tip of New Guinea to be in a position to locate and attack Japanese forces on 7 May.[12]
Another H6K spotted the Americans during the morning of 6 May and successfully shadowed them until 14:00. The Japanese, however, were unwilling or unable to launch air strikes in poor weather or without updated spot reports.[13] Both sides believed they knew where the other force was, and expected to fight the next day.[14] The Japanese were the first to spot the Americans when one aircraft found the oiler Neosho escorted by the destroyer Sims at 0722, south of the Strike Force. These ships were misidentified as a carrier and a cruiser and the carriers Shōkaku and Zuikaku launched an airstrike 40 minutes later that sank Sims and damaged Neosho badly enough that she had to be scuttled a few days later. The American carriers were west of the Strike Force, not south, and they were spotted by other Japanese aircraft shortly after the carriers had launched their attack on Neosho and Sims.[15]
American reconnaissance aircraft reported two Japanese heavy cruisers northeast of Misima Island in the Louisiade Archipelago off the eastern tip of New Guinea at 07:35 and two carriers at 08:15. An hour later, Fletcher ordered an airstrike launched, believing that the two carriers reported were Shōkaku and Zuikaku. Lexington and Yorktown launched a total of 53 Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers and 22 Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo planes escorted by 18 F4F Wildcats. The 0815 report turned out to be miscoded, as the pilot had intended to report two heavy cruisers, but USAAF aircraft had spotted Shōhō, her escorts and the invasion convoy in the meantime. As the latest spot report plotted only 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) away from the 0815 report, the aircraft en route were diverted to this new target.[16]
Shōhō and the rest of the Main Force were spotted by aircraft from Lexington at 10:40. At this time, Shōhō's combat air patrol (CAP) consisted of two A5Ms and one A6M Zero. The Dauntlesses began their attack at 11:10 as the three Japanese fighters attacked them in their dive. None of the dive bombers hit Shōhō, which was maneuvering to avoid their bombs; one Dauntless was shot down by the Zero after it had pulled out of its dive and several others were damaged. The carrier launched three more Zeros immediately after this attack to reinforce its CAP. The Dauntlesses began their attack at 11:18 and they hit Shōhō twice with 1,000-pound (450 kg) bombs. These penetrated the ship's flight deck and burst inside her hangars, setting the fuelled and armed aircraft there on fire. A minute later, the Devastators began dropping their torpedoes from both sides of the ship. They hit Shōhō five times and the damage from the hits knocked out her steering and power. In addition, the hits flooded both engine and boiler rooms. Yorktown's aircraft trailed those fromLexington, and the former's Dauntlesses began their attacks at 11:25, hitting Shōhō with another eleven 1,000-pound bombs by Japanese accounts and the carrier came to a complete stop. Yorktown's Devastators trailed the rest of her aircraft and attacked at 11:29. They claimed ten hits, although Japanese accounts acknowledge only two. As the Devastators were exiting the area, they were attacked by the CAP, but the Wildcats protecting the torpedo bombers shot down two A5Ms and an A6M Zero. Total American losses to all causes were three Dauntlesses. After his attack, Lieutenant Commander Robert E. Dixon, commander of Lexington's Dive bombers, radioed his famous message to the American carriers: "Scratch one flat top!"[17]
With Shōhō hit by no fewer than 13 bombs and 7 torpedoes, Captain Izawa ordered the ship abandoned at 11:31. She sank four minutes later. Some 300 men successfully abandoned the ship, but they had to wait to be rescued as Gotō ordered his remaining ships to head north at high speed to avoid any further airstrikes. Around 14:00, he ordered the destroyerSazanami to return to the scene and rescue the survivors.[18] She found only 203, including Captain Izawa. The rest of her crew of 834 died during the attack or in the water awaiting rescue.[19] Shōhō was the first Japanese aircraft carrier lost during the war.
 | |
| Career (USSNeosho) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Neosho |
| Namesake: | The Neosho River in Kansas andOklahoma |
| Builder: | Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey |
| Laid down: | 22 June 1938 |
| Launched: | 29 April 1939 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs. Emory S. Land |
| Commissioned: | 7 August 1939 |
| Fate: | Sunk during the Battle of the Coral Sea, 11 May 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Cimarron-class fleet oiler |
| Displacement: | 7,470 long tons (7,590 t) (standard) 24,830 long tons (25,230 t) (full load) |
| Length: | 553 ft (169 m) |
| Beam: | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Draft: | 32 ft 4 in (9.86 m) |
| Installed power: | 30,400 shp (22,700 kW) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × geared steam turbines 2 × shafts |
| Speed: | 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h) |
| Complement: | 304 |
| Armament: | 4 × 5 in (130 mm)/38 cal dual purpose guns (4x1) 4 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons (4x1) |
| Service record | |
| Operations: | World War II |
| Awards: | 2 battle stars |
USS Neosho (AO-23) was a Cimarron-class fleet oiler serving with theUnited States Navy, the second ship to be named for the Neosho Riverin Kansas and Oklahoma.
She was laid down under Maritime Commission contract by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey, 22 June 1938; launched on 29 April 1939; sponsored by Mrs. Emory S. Land, wife of Rear Admiral Emory S. Land (Ret.), Chairman of the Maritime Commission; and commissioned on 7 August 1939, with CommanderAV. E. A. Mullan in command.
Conversion at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard was completed on 7 July 1941, Neosho immediately began the vital task of ferrying aviation fuel from west coast ports to Pearl Harbor. On such a mission she arrived in Pearl Harbor on 6 December, discharged a full cargo to Naval Air Station Ford Island, and prepared for the return passage.
Service history[edit]
Next morning, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor found Neosho alert to danger; her captain—Commander John S. Phillips—got her underway and maneuvered safely through the Japanese fire, concentrated on thebattleships moored at Ford Island, to a safer area of the harbor. Her guns fired throughout the attack, splashing one enemy plane and driving off others. Three of her men were wounded by a strafing attacker.
For the next five months, Neosho sailed with the aircraft carriers or independently, since escort ships—now few and far between—could not always be spared to guard even so precious a ship and cargo. Late in April, as the Japanese threatened a southward move against Australia and New Zealand by attempting to advance their bases in the Southwest Pacific, Neosho joined Task Force 17 (TF 17). At all costs, the sealanes to the dominions had to be kept open, and they had to be protected against attack and possible invasion.
As the American and Japanese fleets sought each other out in the opening maneuvers of the climactic Battle of the Coral Sea on 6 May 1942, Neosho refueled the carrier Yorktown and heavy cruiser Astoria, then retired from the carrier force with a lone escort, the destroyer Sims.
Next day at 10:00, Japanese aircraft spotted the two ships, and believing them to be a carrier and her escort, launched the first of two attacks which sank Sims and left Neosho—victim of seven direct hits and a suicide dive by one of the bombers—ablaze aft and in danger of breaking in two. She had shot down at least three of the attackers. One of her crewmen, Oscar V. Peterson, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his efforts to save the ship in spite of his severe injuries suffered in the attack.
Superb seamanship and skilled damage control work kept Neosho afloat for the next four days. The sorely stricken ship was first located by a RAAF aircraft, then an American PBY Catalina flying boat. At 13:00 on 11 May, the destroyer Henley arrived, rescued the 123 survivors and sunk by gunfire the ship they had so valiantly kept afloat against impossible odds. With Henley came word that the American fleet had succeeded in turning the Japanese back, marking the end of their southward expansion in World War II.
 | |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Bath Iron Works |
| Laid down: | 15 July 1937 |
| Launched: | 8 April 1939 |
| Commissioned: | 1 August 1939 |
| Struck: | 24 June 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk in battle on 7 May 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Sims-class destroyer |
| Displacement: | 1,570 long tons (1,600 t) (std) 2,211 long tons (2,246 t) (full) |
| Length: | 348 ft, 3¼ in, (106.15 m) |
| Beam: | 36 ft, 1 in (11 m) |
| Draft: | 13 ft, 4.5 in (4.07 m) |
| Propulsion: | High-pressure super-heated boilers, geared turbines with twin screws, 50,000 horsepower |
| Speed: | 35 knots |
| Range: | 3,660 nautical miles at 20 kt (6,780 km at 37 km/h) |
| Complement: | 192 (10 officers/182 enlisted) |
| Armament: | 4 × 5 inch/38, in single mounts 4 × .50 caliber/90, in single mounts 8 × 21 inch torpedo tubes in two quadruple mounts 2 × depth charge track, 10 depth charges |
| Armor: | None |
USS Sims (DD-409) was the lead ship of her class of destroyers in theUnited States Navy during World War II. She was the first ship to be named for William Sims, an Admiral who pushed for the modernization of the Navy.
Sims was laid down on 15 July 1937 by Bath Iron Works Corporation,Bath, Maine; launched on 8 April 1939; sponsored by Mrs. William S. Sims; and commissioned on 1 August 1939, Lieutenant Commander W. A. Griswold in command.
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Service history[edit]
Inter-War Period[edit]
After shakedown training in the Caribbean and post-shakedown availability in the Boston Navy Yard, Sims joined the Atlantic Squadronat Norfolk, Virginia on 2 August 1940. The destroyer operated with theNeutrality Patrol in Caribbean and South Atlantic waters. In November–December 1940, Sims patrolled off Martinique. On 28 May 1941, the ship arrived at Newport, Rhode Island, and began operating from there. She sailed for Iceland on 28 July with an American task force. In August, the destroyer patrolled the approaches to Iceland. In September–October, the ship made two North Atlantic patrols. Sims had been attached to Destroyer Squadron 2 (DesRon 2) since she began making Neutrality Patrols.
World War II[edit]
With the outbreak of war on 7 December, DesRon 2 became part ofTask Force 17 (TF17) formed around Yorktown. The task force sortied from Norfolk on 16 December 1941 for San Diego, California. From there, it sailed as part of a convoy taking Marines to Samoa, arriving on 23 January 1942.
At the time, it was believed that the Japanese would attack Samoa to sever Allied communications with Australia. To thwart such a move, a carrier raid against Japanese bases in the Marshall Islands was planned. The Yorktown task force was to strike the islands of Mili, Jaluit, and Makin, while another force centered around Enterprise was to hit Kwajalein, Wotje, andMaloelap.
TF 17 departed Samoa on 25 January, with Sims in the screen. At 1105 on 28 January, she sighted an enemy bomber. At 1114, a stick of four bombs fell approximately 1,500 yards astern, straddling the wake of the destroyer. The next day, the two carrier forces and a bombardment group attacked the islands and withdrew.
Sims, with TF 17, sailed from Pearl Harbor on 16 February to attack Wake Island. Shortly after departing, their sailing orders were changed, and they proceeded to the Canton Island area. Canton is a small island on the Honolulu-New Caledonia air route, and it was thought to be endangered by the Japanese.
By early March, the Japanese had occupied Lae and Salamaua on the north coast of New Guinea. To check this drive, a carrier strike was launched on 10 March from Lexington and Yorktown. Sims remained near Rossel Island in the Louisiade Archipelago with a force of cruisers and destroyers to protect the carriers from enemy surface ships. Sims next operated in the New Caledonia-Tonga Islands area.
Battle of The Coral Sea[edit]
In late April, a Japanese task force was assembled to begin operations in support of Japanese moves towards Australia. This consisted of a covering group to protect landing forces on Tulagi and Port Moresby and a striking force to eliminate Allied shipping in the Coral Sea. Shōhō was attached to the covering force, and Shōkaku and Zuikaku were the striking force under command of Admiral Takeo Takagi. The American ships were divided into task forces centered aroundLexington and Yorktown. Sims was ordered to escort USS Neosho. The task force refueled on 5–6 May and then detachedNeosho and Sims to continue to the next fueling point.
On the morning of 7 May, a search plane from the Japanese striking force sighted the oiler and destroyer and reported them to Admiral Takagi as a carrier and a cruiser. Takagi ordered an all-out attack. At 0930, 15 high level bombers attacked the two ships but did no damage. At 1038, 10 attacked the destroyer, but skillful maneuvering evaded the nine bombs that were dropped. A third attack against the two ships by 36 Val dive bombers was devastating. Neosho was soon a blazing wreck as the result of seven direct hits and one plane that dived into her.
Sims was attacked from all directions. The destroyer defended herself as best she could. Three 250 kg (551 lb) bombs hit the destroyer. Two exploded in the engine room, and within minutes, the ship buckled amidships and began to sink, stern first. As Sims slid beneath the waves, there was a tremendous explosion that raised what was left of the ship almost 15 feet out of the water. Chief R. J. Dicken, in a damaged whaleboat, picked up 15 other survivors. They remained with Neoshountil they were rescued by Henley on 11 May. Sims was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 24 June 1942.
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