Japanese cruiser Tama

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Tama in 1942, showing Arctic camouflage for the Aleutian Campaign
Career (Japan) Japanese Navy Ensign
Ordered: 1917 Fiscal Year
Laid down: 10 August 1918
Launched: 10 February 1920
Commissioned: 29 January 1921 [1]
Struck: 20 December 1944
Fate: sunk 20 October 1944
by USS Jallao (SS-368) northeast of Luzon
21°23′N 127°19′E / 21.383, 127.317
General characteristics
Class and type: Kuma class cruiser
Displacement: 5100 tons (standard)
Length: 152.4 meters
Beam: 14.2 meters
Draught: 4.8 meters
Propulsion: 4 shaft Gihon geared turbines
12 Kampon boilers
90,000 shp
Speed: 36 knots (67 km/h)
Range: 5000 nautical miles at 14 knots
Complement: 450
Armament: 7 × 5.5-inch (140 mm) guns
2 × 80 mm guns
8 × 533 mm torpedo tubes
48 x naval mines
Armor: 64 mm (belt)
29 mm (deck)
Aircraft carried: 1 x floatplane, 1 catapult

IJN Tama (多摩 軽巡洋艦 Tama keijunyōkan?) was the second of the five light cruisers in Kuma-class cruiser, which served with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. It was named after the Tama River in Kantō region of Japan.

Contents

[edit] Background

Tama was the second of five vessels in the Kuma-class of light cruisers. As with its sister ships, it was intended for use both as a long-range, high speed scout ship, and also as a command vessel for destroyer or submarine flotillas.

[edit] Service life

Tama was completed at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki shipyard on 29 January 1921. Immediately after commissioning, Tama was assigned to cover the landings of Japanese troops in Siberia during Japan's Siberian Intervention against the Bolshevik Red Army.

In 1925, Tama was tasked with making a diplomatic voyage to San Pedro in the United States, to return the remains of US Ambassador to Japan, who had died in Tokyo. In 1932, with the Manchurian Incident, Tama was assigned to patrol the northern coasts of China, from its base in Taiwan. However, as the war in China continued to escalate, Tama was involved in operations to cover the landings of Japanese troops in central China.

On 10 January 1935, the German naval attaché in Tokyo, Captain Paul Wenneker was invited by Admiral Nobumasa Suetsugu to tour Tama, Kongo and Japanese submarine I-2 at Yokosuka Navy Base. Wenneker was reportedly unimpressed with Japanese naval artillery, and advocated increase use of submarine warfare. [2]

[edit] Northern operations

On 10 September 1941, Tama became flagship of Vice Admiral Boshiro Hosogaya's CruDiv 21 with the light cruiser Kiso, in the Japanese 5th Fleet. Tama and Kiso were sent north to Hokkaidō, in Arctic white camouflage, on 2 December 1941, and were patrolling in the Kurile Islands, at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Both cruisers' hulls were damaged by severe weather, and both returned to dry dock at Yokosuka by the end of the year.

On 21 January 1942, CruDiv 21 departed Yokosuka and was again sent north on patrols around Hokkaidō, but was recalled after 38 aircraft of US Task Force 16 (USS Enterprise) made a dawn raid on Marcus Island on 5 March 1942. Tama was assigned to the Japanese 1st Fleet with the Hyuga and Ise, and sortied from Hashirajima to search for Admiral William F Halsey, but failed to locate his forces after several weeks of searching.

On 5 April 1942, CruDiv 21 returned to northern waters, but on 18 April 1942 the Doolittle Raid struck targets in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya and Kobe. Tama was again recalled to join in another unsuccessful pursuit of Halsey. For the rest of April and most of May, Tama resumed its northern patrols.

On 28 May 1942, Tama departed Mutsu Bay to participate in the "Operation AL" (the seizure of Attu and Kiska) in the Battle of the Aleutian Islands. After successfully landing forces to seize the islands, CruDiv 21 returned to Mutsu Bay on 23 June 1942. However, Tama was quickly sent back to cover the second reinforcement convoy to Kiska, then patrolled southwest of Kiska in anticipation of an American counter-attack until 2 August 1942. After a brief return to Yokosuka for maintenance, Tama covered the transfer of the Attu garrison to Kiska. On 25 October 1942, CruDiv 21 embarked further reinforcements at Kashiwabara, Paramushiro to Attu. Tama continued to patrol the Aleutians and the Kurile islands and around Hokkaido until 6 January 1943, making another supply run to Kiska in November.

After refit at Yokosuka in early February 1943, Tama again patrolled north from Ominato to Kataoka (Simushir island), to Kashiwabara (Paramushiro) to 7 March 1943. Another major supply run to Attu was made from 7 March to 13 March 1943.

On 23 March 1943, Tama departed Paramushiro towards Attu with Vice Admiral Hosogaya's Fifth Fleet cruisers Nachi and Maya, light cruiser Abukuma and destroyers Ikazuchi, Inazuma, Usugumo, Hatsushimo and Wakaba escorting a three-ship reinforcement carrying troops and supplies for the garrison on Attu. At the Battle of the Komandorski Islands on 26 March 1943, against USN Task Group 16.6 with the Richmond, Salt Lake City and four destroyers, in a four-hour running gun and torpedo battle, the Salt Lake City and the Bailey were damaged by gunfire. The other destroyers were not damaged. Tama was undamaged, but Nachi was hit several times; however, the Japanese aborted the resupply mission, and returned to Paramushiro on 28 March 1943. Disgraced by retreating from an inferior force, Hosogaya was relieved of command and forced to retire. Vice Admiral Shiro Kawase assumed command of the Fifth Fleet.

Tama remained on guard duty at Kataoka for over a month and then was sent to Maizuru for a refit on 4 May 1943. It was thus absent during the "American Operation Landcrab" to retake the Aleutian Islands, and during Japanese evacuation of Kiska on 19 May 1943. Returning to Kataoka only on 23 May 1943, the Tama resumed guard duties until 5 July 1943. During "Operation Ke-Go" (the evacuation of Kiska) on 7 July 1943) Tama's engines were considered too unreliable for her to participate directly in the evacuation, and it remained behind at Paramushiro. In any event, the mission was aborted due to weather. Tama remained on guard duty in the Kuriles until 30 August 1943.

[edit] Operations in southern waters

After a refit at Yokosuka, Tama was sent south with troops and supplies for Ponape, Caroline Islands on 15 September 1943. After stopping by Truk, and returning to Kure, the Tama was ordered to Shanghai on 11 October 1943, to ferry additional troops to Truk and Rabaul, New Britain. After disembarking the reinforcements at Rabaul, Tama was attacked by RAAF Bristol Beaufort bombers from Guadalcanal on 21 October 1943. The Tama's hull plates were damaged by near-misses and it was forced return to Rabaul for emergency repairs.

On 27 October 1943, Tama returned to Yokosuka for a major refit, Its Nos. 5 and No.7 140-mm guns were removed along with its catapult and derrick. A twin 127-mm HA gun was fitted, as were four triple mount and six single mount Type 96 25-mm AA guns. This brought Tama's total number of 25-mm guns to 22 barrels (4x3, 2x2, 6x1). A type 21 air search radar was also fitted. Repairs and modifications were completed on 9 December 1943.

Tama departed Yokosuka 24 December 1943, again for northern waters and remained on patrol to 19 June 1944. Returning to Yokosuka by 22 June 1944, Tama then starts to ferrying army reinforcements to the Ogasawara islands, making two runs to 12 August 1944.

On 30 August 1944, Tama was transferred from CruDiv 21, Fifth Fleet to become flagship of DesRon 11, Combined Fleet, replacing the lost Nagara.

[edit] Battle of Leyte Gulf

During the Battle of Leyte Gulf (20 October 1944), Tama was assigned to Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa Northern Mobile ("Decoy") Force. During the Battle off Cape Engano (25 October 1944), Ozawa's force was attacked by American Task Force 38, with the USS Enterprise, Essex, Intrepid, Franklin, Lexington, Independence, Belleau Wood, Langley, Cabot and San Jacinto. Tama was attacked by TBM Avenger torpedo-bombers from VT-21 of the Belleau Wood and VT-51 from the San Jacinto. A Mark 13 torpedo hit the Tama in her No. 2 boiler room. After emergency repairs, the Tama retired from the battle, escorted by the Isuzu, but the Isuzu was ordered to protect the damaged aircraft carrier Chiyoda. The Tama was then escorted by the destroyer Shimotsuki, but later the Shimotsuki too was ordered to assist the damaged carrier Zuiho. Tama proceeded alone at 14 knots towards Okinawa.

Northeast of Luzon, Tama's luck ran out, as the Jallao, on her first war patrol, picked up the Tama on radar. Its attack of three bow torpedoes from 1,000 yards missed, but its second salvo of four stern torpedoes from 800 yards was more successful. Three torpedoes hit Tama, breaking it in two, and sinking it within minutes, with all hands at 21°23′N 127°19′E / 21.383, 127.317.

Tama was removed from the Navy List on 20 December 1944.

[edit] List of Commanding Officers

[edit] References

[edit] Books

  • Brown, David (1990). Warship Losses of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-914-X. 
  • D'Albas, Andrieu (1965). Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II. Devin-Adair Pub. ISBN 0-8159-5302-X. 
  • Dull, Paul S. (1978). A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-097-1. 
  • Evans, David (1979). Kaigun : Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-192-7. 
  • Howarth, Stephen (1983). The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The Drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895-1945. Atheneum. ISBN 0-68911-402-8. 
  • Jentsura, Hansgeorg (1976). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-893-X. 
  • Lacroix, Eric; Linton Wells (1997). Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-311-3. 
  • Lorelli, John A (1997). Battle of the Komandorski Islands, March 1943'. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-311-3. 
  • Whitley, M.J. (1995). Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-141-6. 

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Lacroix, Japanese Cruisers, p. 794.
  2. ^ Parshall, Tabular record [http://www.combinedfleet.com/tama_t.htm

[edit] See also

v • d • e
Kuma-class cruiser
Kuma · Tama · Kitakami · Oi · Kiso
List of ships of the Japanese Navy
v • d • e
Imperial Japanese Navy
Languages