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NAUTICAL - */ˈnɔːtɪkl/, /"nO:tIkl/1. Relating to or involving ships or shipping or navigation or seamen. |
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Nautical Article of the Day for December 18, 2009
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Kisaragi (如月 ”February”)[1]was one of twelve Mutsuki-class destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.[2] Kisaragi had the misfortune of being the second major Japanese warship sunk during the war (after Hayate earlier the same day.[3]
History
Construction of the Mutsuki-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's build up following the abandonment of the Washington Naval Treaty from fiscal 1923. The class was a follow-on to the earlier Minekaze class and Kamikaze class destroyers, with which they shared many common design characteristics.[4] Kisaragi, built at the Maizuru Naval Arsenal was laid down on June 3, 1922, launched on June 5, 1925 and commissioned on December 21, 1925. [5] Originally commissioned simply as “Destroyer No. 21”, it was assigned the name Kisaragi on August 1, 1928.
World War II history
As part of the attack on Pearl Harbor during the opening days of World War II in the Pacific Ocean, the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff ordered the seizure of Wake Island, then garrisoned by the United States Marine Corps. Kisaragi was part of Desron 6 under Destroyer Division 30 in the IJN 4th Fleet, and deployed from Truk under command of Lieutenant Commander Yoichiro Ogawa. [6]
Early on the morning of December 11, 1941 (in what was later termed the Battle of Wake Island, the American garrison repulsed the first Japanese landing attempts by the South Seas Force, which was screened by the light cruisers Yubari, Tenryū, and Tatsuta; and destroyers with Yayoi, Mutsuki, Hayate, Kisaragi, Oite, and Asanagi; two old Momi class destroyers converted to patrol boats (Patrol Boat No. 32 and Patrol Boat No. 33), and two troop transports containing 450 Special Naval Landing Force troops.
The American defenders fired at the invasion fleet with their six 5-inch (127 mm) coastal artillery guns, which had been removed from scrapped battleships, sinking Hayate. The cruiser Yubari was also hit eleven times. Kisaragi was sailing away from the engagement when it came under air attack by four F4F Wildcat fighter planes from Wake armed with 100-pound bombs. One Wildcat, piloted by Henry "Baron" Elrod, dropped his bombs on Kisaragi's stern, which was packed with depth charges. [7] This caused the ship to blow up and sink with all hands about 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Wake Island. [8] The sinking of Kisargi would contribute to Elrod being posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Kisaragi was struck from the navy list on January 15, 1942.[9] Despite this setback, the Japanese successfully completed the invasion of Wake Island at the end of December.
Commanding Officers
- Chief Equipping Officer - Cmdr. Shikazo Matsuda - 18 September 1925 - 21 December 1925
- Cmdr. Shikazo Matsuda - 21 December 1925 - 1 December 1926
- Cmdr. Naoshi Arima - 1 December 1926 - 1 December 1927
- Cmdr. Nitaro Kato - 1 December 1927 - 10 December 1928
- Lt. Cmdr. Yoshio Kanemasu - 10 December 1928 - 23 April 1929
In Reserve - 23 April 1929 - 1 November 1929
- Lt. Cmdr. Sadaichi Matsunaga - 1 November 1929 - 1 December 1930
- Lt. Cmdr. Mikio Ihara - 1 December 1930 - 21 February 1932
- Lt. Cmdr. Masami Ban - 21 February 1932 - 15 November 1934 (Commander from 15 November 1933.)
- Lt. Cmdr. Shinichiro Maeda - 15 November 1934 - 31 October 1935
- Lt. Cmdr. Masashichi Shirahama - 31 October 1935 - 1 December 1936
- Lt. Cmdr. Shizuo Yamashita - 1 December 1936 - 1 December 1937
- Lt. Cmdr. Masami Ogura - 1 December 1937 - 15 December 1938
- Lt. Cmdr. Naoji Otara - 15 December 1938 - 1 November 1939
- Lt. Cmdr. Nisaburo Maekawa - 1 November 1939 - 15 November 1940
- Lt. Cmdr. Kamesaburo Yamagami - 15 November 1940 - 1 October 1941
- Lt. Cmdr. Yoichiro Ogawa - 1 October 1941 - 11 December 1941 (KIA)
References
- Brown, David (1990). Warship Losses of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-914-X.
- Devereaux, Colonel James P.S., USMC (1947). The Story of Wake Island. The Battery Press. ISBN 0-89839-264-0.
- Howarth, Stephen (1983). The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The Drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895–1945. Atheneum. ISBN 0689114028.
- Jentsura, Hansgeorg (1976). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. US Naval Institute Press. ISBN 087021893X.
- Nelson, Andrew N. (1967). Japanese–English Character Dictionary. Tuttle. isbn 0804804087.
- Watts, Anthony J (1967). Japanese Warships of World War II. Doubleday. ASIN B000KEV3J8.
- Whitley, M J (2000). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1854095218.
External links
- Nevitt, Allyn D. (1997). "IJN Kisaragi: Tabular Record of Movement". Long Lancers. Combinedfleet.com. http://www.combinedfleet.com/kisara_t.htm.
- Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Mutsuki class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0422.htm.
- Jones, Daniel H. (2003). "IJN Minekaze, Kamikaze and Mutsuki class Destroyers". Ship Modeler's Mailing List (SMML). http://smmlonline.com/articles/minekaze/minekaze.html.
Notes
- ^ Nelson. Japanese-English Character Dictionary. Page 301
- ^ Jones, Daniel H. (2003). "IJN Minekaze, Kamikaze and Mutsuki class Destroyers". Ship Modeler's Mailing List (SMML). http://smmlonline.com/articles/minekaze/minekaze.html.
- ^ Brown, Warship Losses of World War Two
- ^ Howarth, The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun.
- ^ Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Mutsuki class 1st class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0422.htm.
- ^ Dull. A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy
- ^ Devereaux, The Story of Wake Island
- ^ Nevitt, Allyn D. (1997). "IJN Kisaragi: Tabular Record of Movement". Long Lancers. Combinedfleet.com. http://www.combinedfleet.com/kisara_t.htm.
- ^ Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Mutsuki class 1st class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0422.htm.
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