Japanese cruiser Atago

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Career

Ordered:	FY1927
Laid down:	April 28, 1927
Launched:	June 16, 1930
Commissioned:	March 30, 1932
Fate:	Torpedoed October 23, 1944
Struck:	December 20, 1944
General Characteristics (initial – final)
Displacement:	9,850 – 14,616 tons
Length:	668.5 feet (203.76 m)
Beam:	59 feet (18 m) – 68 feet (20.73 m)
Draft:	20 feet (6.11 m) – 20.7 feet (6.32 m)
Propulsion:	133,100 hp
Speed:	35.5 knots - 34.2 knots
Range:	8,500 nautical miles @ 14 knots
Complement:	773
Armament:	initially ten 8" guns, four 4.7" guns, , four torpedo tubes, two 40 mm AA guns, sixty 25 mm AA guns, four 13.2 mm AA guns, depth charges, ;
Aircraft:	3

Atago (Japanese: あたご Kanji: 愛宕) was one of four Takao-class heavy cruisers, designed to be an improvement over the previous Myōkō-class design. These ships were fast, powerful, and heavily armed with enough firepower to hold their own against any ships built. The Takao-class ships were approved under the 1927 fiscal year budget as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's strategy of the Decisive Battle, and forming the backbone of a multipurpose long range strike force. Atago was built by the Kure Naval shipyards near Hiroshima, and like her sister ships, was named after a mountain. Mount Atago is located outside of Kyoto.

1 History
2 References

[edit] History

At the start of the Pacific War, the Atago was the flagship of Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Kondo Nobutake's Cruiser Division 4, along with sister ships Maya and Takao, and assigned to support the invasion of Malaya and the Philippines.

From January through March of 1942, the Atago was based out of Palau, and was involved in operations to seize the oil-rich Dutch East Indies, participating in numerous combat operations, including the Japanese attack on Port Darwin, Australia on February 26, 1942,　and the Battle of the Java Sea. After taking Vice Admiral Kondo on an inspection tour of Japan’s new possessions in the former Dutch East Indies, the Atago returned to Yokosuka in April 1942 where was assigned to the unsuccessful pursuit of Admiral William F. Halsey's Task Force 16.2 after the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo.

After a retrofit in April 1942 to replace its single 120 mm HA guns with new dual 127 mm HA guns, the Atago departed for the disastrous Battle of Midway, from which it returned unscathed.

On August 7, 1942, the Atago was reassigned south to Truk, from which it made numerous sorties in the defense of Guadalcanal through December. The Atago also participated in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons (August 24, 1942), Battle of Santa Cruz Islands (October 26–October 27, 1942) and in the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (November 15, 1942). During the latter battle, in a night gun duel with the USS South Dakota (BB-57) and the USS Washington (BB-56), the Atago and Takao hit the South Dakota with seventeen 8 inch hits, five 6 inch and one 5 inch hit. The Kirishima also hit the South Dakota with a single 14 inch round that exploded on her aft No. 3 turret's barbette. The South Dakota was damaged but not sunk. Early in the battle, the Atago and the Takao each launched eight Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedoes at the Washington but they all missed. Atago was damaged slightly as a result of the action, and returned to Kure for repairs on December 17, 1942.

In January 1943, the Atago returned to Truk to continue Japanese efforts to hold the Solomon Islands, and eventually to support the evacuation of Guadalcanal. It remained based out of Truk through July 1943, when it returned to Yokosuka for further refits and medications to add two triple mount Type 96 25 mm AA guns.

From August – November 1943, the Atago returned to Truk to continue its sorties supporting Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands. On November 5, 1943, while refueling at Rabaul, the Atago task force was attacked by 97 planes from the USS Saratoga (CV-3) and the USS Princeton (CVL-23). Atago sustained three near-misses by 500 lb. bombs that killed 22 crewmen, including her skipper Captain Nakaoka who was hit by a bomb splinter while on the bridge. On November 15, 1943, the Atago returned to Yokosuka for repairs, and installation of additional 25 mm AA guns and a Type 22 surface-search radar.

In January 1944, the Atago returned to Truk. On February 10, 1944, the cruiser force was attacked by the USS Permit (SS-178) in a night surface attack, but she missed with four torpedoes. The Atago was then reassigned to CruDiv 4 based in Palau under Vice Admiral Ozawa's First Mobile Fleet. The cruiser force was unsuccessfully attacked by the USS Dace (SS-247) on April 6, 1944.

On June 13, 1944, the Atago was in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, which resulted in disastrous losses for the Imperial Japanese Navy; however, the Atago emerged unscathed. On June 22, 1944, the Atago retired with the remnants of the fleet via Okinawa to Kure, where in a final refit, four triple and 22 single mount 25 mm. AA guns were installed bringing the total to 60 barrels. A Type 13 air-search radar was also fitted.

From July through October 1944, the Atago was flagship of Admiral Kurita's First Mobile Striking Force, the most powerful component of the Imperial Japanese Navy at the time with seven battleships, eleven heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and nineteen destroyers based at Lingga Roads near Singapore. On October 22, 1944, in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Atago sortied with CruDiv 4's Chōkai, Takao and the Maya. On the following day, October 23, 1944, in the Battle of the Palawan Passage, the Atago was hit by four torpedoes fired by the USS Darter (SS-227), and set afire. At 05:53, the Atago capsized in about 1,000 fathoms of water at 09°28′N 117°17′E.

Of Atago’s crewmen, 360 were killed, but 529 survivors including Vice Admiral Kurita, CoS Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Koyanagi Tomiji (former CO of Kongō) and the Atago’s skipper Rear Admiral Araki were rescued by the Kishinami; 171 other survivors were also rescued by the Asashimo. Atago’s sister ships fared no better: Maya was sunk by USS Dace; Takao was forced back to Brunei after being torpedoed by USS Darter (later scuttled after running onto a reef); and two days later Chōkai was lost off Samar.

[edit] References

[edit] Books

D'Albas, Andrieu (1965). Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II. Devin-Adair Pub. ISBN 081595302X.
Dull, Paul S. (1978). A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-097-1.
Lacroix, Eric, Linton Wells (1997). Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0870213113.