Japanese destroyer Momi
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | 1944 |
| Laid down: | February 2, 1944 |
| Launched: | June 16, 1944 |
| Completed: | September 3, 1944 |
| Fate: | Sunk by air attack west of Manila (14ºN, 120º20'E) 5 January 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,262 tons (standard), 1,506 tons (trial) |
| Length: | 100.0 m (328 ft 1 in) |
| Beam: | 9.35 m (30 ft 8 in) |
| Draft: | 3.3 m (10 ft 10 in) |
| Speed: | 51.5 km/h (27.8 kt) |
| Complement: | 210 |
| Armament: | 3 × 127 mm (5 in) / 40 caliber DP guns, 24 × 25 mm AA guns, 4 × 13 mm AA guns, 4 × 610 mm (24 in) torpedo tubes, 36 depth charges |
Momi (樅? translation: "white pine") was a Matsu -class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy, sunk on January 5, 1945 by an American air attack west of Manila, in the South China Sea.
On September 27, 1944 off Etoforu in the Kurile Islands (45º44'N, 148º41'E), Momi was damaged by a torpedo from the submarine Searaven (SS-196). Between October 25 and November 2, together with the destroyer Hinoki, she escorted the Ryuho and Kaiyo on a transport mission from Sasebo to Keelung, then returned to Kure.
Momi sortied from Kure on December 16, 1944 as part of the escort for the aircraft carrier Unryu. The remainder of the escort consisted of destroyers Shigure and Hinoki. Because an American invasion fleet had been spotted approaching the Philippine Islands, Unryu was intended to deliver a squadron of 30 Ohka kamikaze planes to Manila.
The task force sailed west through the Shimonoseki Straits to avoid American submarines, then turned south. But on December 19, the task force encountered the submarine Redfish (SS-395), which sank Unryu, then submerged deep to escape the charging Hinoki. Shigure remained in the area to pick up survivors from Unryu and attempt to track down and sink the American submarine, while Hinoki and Momi set sail for Japanese occupied China. From there, they escorted Ikutagawa Maru to Manila, arriving on January 4, 1945.
The two destroyers were then ordered to withdraw to Taiwan, but were caught by American destroyers, including USS Bennion (DD-662), on the afternoon of January 5. They escaped gunfire from the American destroyers' 127 mm (5 in) guns and a spread of torpedoes fired at maximum range, but were caught by carrier-based aircraft from Task Force 77. A 454 kg (1,000 lb) bomb from an SBD Dauntless dive bomber crippled Hinoki at 5:17 PM; then, at 7:10 PM, a torpedo from a TBF Avenger struck Momi, and she sank with all hands.
Commanding Officers
Chief Equipping Officer - Lt. Cmdr. Tsuneo Yonei - August 1944 - 7 September 1944
Lt. Cmdr. Tsuneo Yonei - 7 September 1944 - 5 January 1945 (KIA)
[edit] External links
- "Star-Crossed Sortie: The Last Voyage of Unryu and DesDiv 52" by Anthony Tully (retrieved January 16, 2007)
- "Matsu class 1st class destroyers" (retrieved January 16, 2007)
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