Japanese destroyer Fujinami
Encyclopedia
was a of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
. Her name means "Purple Wave" or "Waves of Wisterias".
Fate
In the Battle of Leyte GulfBattle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
, Fujinami escorted the 1st Diversion Attack Force, commanded by Admiral Kurita Takeo. She sustained minor damage from the air attacks on 24–25 October due to near-misses and strafing. In the Battle off Samar
Battle off Samar
The Battle off Samar was the centermost action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the largest naval battles in history, which took place in the Philippine Sea off Samar Island, in the Philippines on 25 October 1944...
on 25 October Fujinami was detached to assist , then she removed survivors and scuttled the cruiser with a torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
. On 27 October, while steaming to assist , Fujinami was sunk by aircraft from , 80 miles (130 km) north of Iloilo
Iloilo
Iloilo is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Iloilo occupies the southeast portion of Panay Island and is bordered by Antique Province to the west and Capiz Province and the Jintotolo Channel to the north. Just off Iloilo's southeast coast is Guimaras Province,...
(12°0′N 122°30′E). She was lost with all hands, including the Chokai survivors. The Commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
was Cmdr. Tatsuji Matsuzaki from 31 July 1943 - 27 October 1944 (KIA). Some US survivors of the escort carrier Gambier Bay have stated that Captain Matsuzaki restrained his men from firing on them as they floated by the Fujinami and was allegedly seen to salute the American sailors. Some of the Gambier Bay survivors searched for a photo of Captain Matsuzaki so that they could honor him on their website.
See also
- List of World War II ships
- List of ships of the Japanese Navy
- http://www.ouroldnavy.com/fujinami.htm