Japanese destroyer Kasumi
Encyclopedia
was the ninth of ten destroyer
s built for the Imperial Japanese Navy
in the mid-1930s under the Circle Two Supplementary Naval Expansion Program
(Maru Ni Keikaku).
. These light cruiser
-sized vessels were designed to take advantage of Japan’s lead in torpedo
technology, and to accompany the Japanese main striking force and in both day and night attacks against the United States Navy
as it advanced across the Pacific Ocean
, according to Japanese naval strategic projections. Despite being one of the most powerful classes of destroyers in the world at the time of their completion, none survived the Pacific War
.
Kasumi, built at the Uraga Dock Company
, was laid down on December 1, 1936, launched on November 18, 1937 and commissioned on June 28, 1939. On completion, she was assigned to the IJN 2nd Fleet
as part of Desdiv 18, Desron 2 under command of Commander Kiyoshi Tomura.
, Kasumi was based at Etorofu
in the Kurile Islands, and sailed as part of the escort for Admiral Nagumo
’s Carrier Strike Force, guarding the fleet tankers accompanying the strike force. She returned to Kure
on 24 December.
In January 1942, Kasumi escorted aircraft carriers and to Truk, and onwards to Rabaul
to cover landings
of Japanese forces at Rabaul
and Kavieng
and air strikes on Lae
and Salamaua
. In February she sortied from Palau
to cover the air strike on Darwin, and was based from Staring-baai
in Sulawesi
, Netherlands East Indies from 21 February. At the end of the month, she was making patrols south of Java
, sinking a merchant vessel on 1 March. Kasumi departed Staring-baai on 27 March to escort the carrier force in the Indian Ocean raid
on 27 March After the Japanese air strikes on Colombo
and Trincomalee
in Ceylon
, she returned to Kure for repairs on 23 April. Kasumi deployed from Saipan
on 3 June as part of the escort for the troop convoy in the Battle of Midway
. Afterwards, she escorted the cruisers and from Truk back to Kure. On 28 June, she was assigned to escort to Kiska
in the Aleutian Islands on a supply mission. While approximately 7 nautical miles (13 km) east of Kiska at 52°0′N 117°40′E on 5 July, she was hit amidships by a torpedo fired by , which severed her bow
, killing 10 crewmen. She remained under repairs in Japan until 30 June 1943.
On 1 September 1943, as part of Desdiv 9, Desron 1 of the IJN 5th Fleet
, Kasumi was reassigned to northern waters, making patrols from her base at Paramushiro
and Shumushu
until the end of November. In December, she made a transport run to convey replacement aircrews from Yokosuka to Kwajalein
and Wotje, returning with the cruiser to Maizuru
. While at Maizuru for refit though 18 January 1944, her X-turret was removed and replaced by additional two triple Type 96 25mm AA guns.
Kasumi was returned to patrols of the northern approaches to Japan in February, escorting a troop convoy to Uruppu
in late March and returning with and to Kure at the start of August.
During the Battle of Leyte Gulf
from 24-25 October, she was assigned to Admiral Shima’s force in the Battle of Surigao Strait. On 5 November, she rescued survivors of the Nachi in Manila Bay
following an American air raid. She escorted a troop convoy to Ormoc on 5 November, and was damaged by strafing in another American air raid later that month, which killed one crewman. At the end of November, she escorted from Singapore
to Mako
, and a convoy from Mako to Cam Ranh Bay
in French Indochina
in December. In late December, she led a force in the bombardment of San Jose in the Philippines
.
In February 1945, Kasumi escorted and from Singapore to Kure
. She was reassigned to the IJN 2nd Fleet on 10 March.
On 6 April 1945, Kasumi was part of the escort for the final mission
of the battleship . Coming under attack by aircraft from Task Force 58 on 7 April, she lost steering control, and suffered 17 dead and 47 injured. The destroyer removed survivors, and scuttled her with two torpedo
es, 150 miles (275 km) southwest of Nagasaki at position (31°N 128°E). She was removed from the navy list
on 10 May, 1945.
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s built for 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...
in the mid-1930s under the Circle Two Supplementary Naval Expansion Program
2nd Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Japan, 1934)
The otherwise known as the "Circle Two" Plan was the second of four expansion plans of the Imperial Japanese Navy between 1930 and the start of World War II.-Background:...
(Maru Ni Keikaku).
History
The Asashio class destroyers were larger and more capable that the preceding , as Japanese naval architects were no longer constrained by the provisions of the London Naval TreatyLondon Naval Treaty
The London Naval Treaty was an agreement between the United Kingdom, the Empire of Japan, France, Italy and the United States, signed on April 22, 1930, which regulated submarine warfare and limited naval shipbuilding. Ratifications were exchanged in London on October 27, 1930, and the treaty went...
. These light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
-sized vessels were designed to take advantage of Japan’s lead in 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...
technology, and to accompany the Japanese main striking force and in both day and night attacks against the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
as it advanced across the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, according to Japanese naval strategic projections. Despite being one of the most powerful classes of destroyers in the world at the time of their completion, none survived the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
.
Kasumi, built at the Uraga Dock Company
Uraga Dock Company
was a major privately owned shipyard in Uraga, Japan, which built numerous warships for the Imperial Japanese Navy.-History:Uraga Dock Company was founded by Enomoto Takeaki in 1869. A shipyard had already existed in Uraga from the end of the Edo period...
, was laid down on December 1, 1936, launched on November 18, 1937 and commissioned on June 28, 1939. On completion, she was assigned to the IJN 2nd Fleet
IJN 2nd Fleet
The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy.-History:First established on 28 December 1903, the IJN 2nd Fleet was created by the Imperial General Headquarters as a mobile strike force of cruisers and destroyers to pursue the Imperial Russian Navy's Vladivostok-based cruiser squadron while the...
as part of Desdiv 18, Desron 2 under command of Commander Kiyoshi Tomura.
Operational history
At the time of the attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, Kasumi was based at Etorofu
Iturup
Iturup is the largest island of the South Kuril Islands. It is the northernmost island in the southern Kuril/Chishima islands, and though it is presently controlled by Russia, Japan also claims this island...
in the Kurile Islands, and sailed as part of the escort for Admiral Nagumo
Chuichi Nagumo
was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and one time commander of the Kido Butai . He committed suicide during the Battle of Saipan.-Early life:...
’s Carrier Strike Force, guarding the fleet tankers accompanying the strike force. She returned to Kure
Kure Naval District
was the second of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the Inland Sea of Japan and the Pacific coasts of southern Honshū from Wakayama to Yamaguchi prefectures, eastern and northern Kyūshū and Shikoku....
on 24 December.
In January 1942, Kasumi escorted aircraft carriers and to Truk, and onwards to Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
to cover landings
Battle of Rabaul (1942)
The Battle of Rabaul, also known by the Japanese as Operation R, was fought on the island of New Britain in the Australian Territory of New Guinea, in January and February 1942. It was a strategically significant defeat of Allied forces by Japan in the Pacific campaign of World War II...
of Japanese forces at Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
and Kavieng
Kavieng
Kavieng is the capital of the Papua New Guinean province of New Ireland and the largest town on the island of the same name. The town is located at Balgai Bay, on the northern tip of the island. As of 2000, it had a population of 10,600....
and air strikes on Lae
Lae
Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
and Salamaua
Salamaua
Salamaua was a small town situated on the north-eastern coastline of Papua New Guinea part of Morobe province. The settlement was built on a minor isthmus between the coast with mountains on the inland side and a headland...
. In February she sortied from Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
to cover the air strike on Darwin, and was based from Staring-baai
Staring-baai
Staring-baai is a bay off the southeast peninsula of Sulawesi in Indonesia. It lies slightly southeast of Kendari, the provincial capital of South East Sulawesi, where it opens to the east onto the Banda Sea....
in Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
, Netherlands East Indies from 21 February. At the end of the month, she was making patrols south of Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
, sinking a merchant vessel on 1 March. Kasumi departed Staring-baai on 27 March to escort the carrier force in the Indian Ocean raid
Indian Ocean raid
The Indian Ocean raid was a naval sortie by the Fast Carrier Strike Force of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 31 March-10 April 1942 against Allied shipping and bases in the Indian Ocean. It was an early engagement of the Pacific campaign of World War II...
on 27 March After the Japanese air strikes on Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
and Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
in Ceylon
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, she returned to Kure for repairs on 23 April. Kasumi deployed from Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
on 3 June as part of the escort for the troop convoy in the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
. Afterwards, she escorted the cruisers and from Truk back to Kure. On 28 June, she was assigned to escort to Kiska
Kiska
Kiska is an island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska located at . It is about long and varies in width from - Discovery :...
in the Aleutian Islands on a supply mission. While approximately 7 nautical miles (13 km) east of Kiska at 52°0′N 117°40′E on 5 July, she was hit amidships by a torpedo fired by , which severed her bow
Bow (ship)
The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
, killing 10 crewmen. She remained under repairs in Japan until 30 June 1943.
On 1 September 1943, as part of Desdiv 9, Desron 1 of the IJN 5th Fleet
IJN 5th Fleet
The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy, active during the early portions of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and again in World War II, primarily in the Battle of the Aleutian Islands.-China Expeditionary Fleet:...
, Kasumi was reassigned to northern waters, making patrols from her base at Paramushiro
Paramushir
Paramushir , is a volcanic island in the northern portion of Kuril Islands chain in the Sea of Okhotsk in the northwest Pacific Ocean. It is separated from Shumshu by the very narrow Second Kuril Strait in the northeast , from Antsiferov by the Luzhin Strait to the southwest, from Atlasov in the...
and Shumushu
Shumshu
Shumshu , is the northernmost island of Kuril Islands chain in the Sea of Okhotsk in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The name of the island is derived from the Ainu language meaning “good island”. It is separated from Paramushir by the very narrow Second Kuril Strait in the northeast , its northern...
until the end of November. In December, she made a transport run to convey replacement aircrews from Yokosuka to Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
and Wotje, returning with the cruiser to Maizuru
Maizuru Naval Arsenal
was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. -History:The Maizuru Naval District was established at Maizuru, Kyoto in 1889, as the fourth of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the Japanese home islands. After the establishment of the...
. While at Maizuru for refit though 18 January 1944, her X-turret was removed and replaced by additional two triple Type 96 25mm AA guns.
Kasumi was returned to patrols of the northern approaches to Japan in February, escorting a troop convoy to Uruppu
Urup
Urup is an uninhabited volcanic island near in the south of the Kuril Islands chain in the Sea of Okhotsk in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Its name is derived from the Ainu language word for salmon trout.-Geography and climate:...
in late March and returning with and to Kure at the start of August.
During the Battle of Leyte Gulf
Battle 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...
from 24-25 October, she was assigned to Admiral Shima’s force in the Battle of Surigao Strait. On 5 November, she rescued survivors of the Nachi in Manila Bay
Manila Bay
Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines.The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world...
following an American air raid. She escorted a troop convoy to Ormoc on 5 November, and was damaged by strafing in another American air raid later that month, which killed one crewman. At the end of November, she escorted from Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
to Mako
Mako Guard District
The was the major navy base for the Imperial Japanese Navy in Taiwan before and during World War II. Located in at Mako ), , the Mako Guard District was responsible for control of the strategic Straits of Taiwan and for patrols along the Taiwan and China coastlines and in the South China Sea...
, and a convoy from Mako to Cam Ranh Bay
Cam Ranh Bay
Cam Ranh Bay is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in the province of Khánh Hòa. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kilometers / 180 miles northeast of Hồ Chí Minh City / Saigon.Cam Ranh is...
in French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
in December. In late December, she led a force in the bombardment of San Jose in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
In February 1945, Kasumi escorted and from Singapore to Kure
Operation Kita
Operation Kita was conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Pacific War in February 1945. Its purpose was to return both Ise-class hybrid battleship-aircraft carriers and their escorts to Japan from Singapore, where they had been based since November the previous year...
. She was reassigned to the IJN 2nd Fleet on 10 March.
On 6 April 1945, Kasumi was part of the escort for the final mission
Operation Ten-Go
was the last major Japanese naval operation in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Other renderings of this operation's title in English include Operation Heaven One and Ten-ichi-gō....
of the battleship . Coming under attack by aircraft from Task Force 58 on 7 April, she lost steering control, and suffered 17 dead and 47 injured. The destroyer removed survivors, and scuttled her with two 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...
es, 150 miles (275 km) southwest of Nagasaki at position (31°N 128°E). She was removed from the navy list
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on 10 May, 1945.