Japanese Cruiser Takao (1930)

was the lead vessel in the heavy cruisers, active in World War II with the Imperial Japanese Navy. These were the largest cruisers in the Japanese fleet, and were intended to form the backbone of a multipurpose long-range strike force. Her sister ships were , and . page 84

Background

The ''Takao''-class ships were approved under the 1927 to 1931 supplementary fiscal year budget, and like her sister ships, was named after a mountain. Mount Takao (高雄山) is located outside Kyoto and is not to be confused with the similar Mount Takao (高尾山) located outside Tokyo, or the city of Takao (高雄), in Taiwan.

Design

The ''Takao''-class cruisers were an improved version of the previous design, incorporating technical elements learned with the development of the experimental light cruiser . They had a distinctive profile with a large, raked main funnel, and a smaller, straight, second funnel. Intended to address issues with the ''Myōkō'' class, the ''Takao'' class had thicker armor, dual-purpose main guns which could be used against aircraft, and torpedo launchers moved to the upper deck for greater safety. However, as with its predecessors, the ''Takao'' class was also top-heavy.Patton, ''Japanese Heavy Cruisers of World War Two'', pp. 36-48

The ''Takao'' class displaced . ''Takao'' was long, with a beam of , draft of and were capable of 35.25 knots.

Propulsion was by 12 Kampon boilers driving four sets of single-impulse geared turbine engines, with four shafts turning three-bladed propellers. The ship was armored with a side belt, and armored deck; the bridge was armored with armored plates.

''Takao''’s main battery was ten 20 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval guns, the heaviest armament of any heavy cruiser in the world at the time, mounted in five twin turrets. Her secondary armament included eight Type 10 12cm dual purpose guns in four twin mounts on each side, and 16 Type 90 torpedoes in four quadruple launchers. She was very deficient in anti-aircraft capability, with only two anti-aircraft guns. ''Takao'' was repeatedly modernized and upgraded throughout her career in order to counter the growing threat of air strikes, and in her final configuration was armed with ten 20 cm/50 3rd Year Type naval guns (5x2), eight Type 89 dual purpose guns, (4x2), and 16 Type 93 Long Lance torpedoes in four quadruple launchers (plus 8 reloads). Anti-aircraft protection included 24 triple-mount and 12 twin-mount and 26 single-mount Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Guns and four AA machine guns.

Operational history

Early operations

''Takao'' was laid down at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on 28 April 1927, launched and named on 12 May 1930, and was commissioned into the Imperial Japanese Navy on 31 May 1932.Nishida, ''Takao class heavy cruisers'' Although the first ship in her class to be laid down, ''Atago'' was actually completed two months earlier.

All of the ''Takao'' class were assigned to the Yokosuka Naval District, forming ''Sentai''-4 of the IJN 2nd Fleet, and trained as a unit during the 1930s. She was captained by Captain Chūichi Nagumo from November 1933 – 1934, Captain Eiji Gotō from November 1934 – 1935, Captain Takeo Takagi from December 1936 – 1937 and Captain Tadashige Daigo from December 1937 – 1938. During this time, issues with their stability and seaworthiness due to the top-heavy design became evident. ''Takao'' and ''Atago'' were rebuilt at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal between 1938 and 1939, resulting in an improved design: the size of the bridge was reduced, the main mast was relocated aft, and hull bulges were added to improve stability. ''Maya'' and ''Chōkai'' were not modified as extensively, and can be considered mistakenly as a separate class. After rebuilding was completed, ''Takao'' and ''Atago'' patrolled off the coast of China in 1940 and early 1941.

Pacific War

At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, ''Takao'' was commanded by Captain Asakura Bunji and assigned to Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondō's ''Sentai''-4 together with her three sister ships and provided gunfire support for the landings at Lingayen Gulf on Luzon in the Philippines. In February 1942, operating out of Palau, ''Takao'' was assigned to intercept shipping escaping from the Netherlands East Indies, sinking the Dutch freighter ''Toradja'', British minesweeper and capturing the Dutch freighter ''Bintoehan'' on 1 March. On the same day, one of ''Takao'' floatplanes bombed the Dutch freighter ''Enggano''. The next night, ''Takao'' and ''Atago'' overtook the old United States Navy destroyer and sank her with no survivors. Early on 4 March, ''Takao'', ''Atago'', ''Maya'' and the destroyers and , attacked a convoy near Tjilatjap. The Royal Australian Navy sloop defended the convoy for an hour and half, but was sunk. The Japanese cruisers then sank three ships from the convoy: the tanker ''Francol'', the depot ship ''Anking'', and Royal Navy Minesweeper-51. Two Dutch freighters, the 1030 ton Dutch freighter ''Duymaer van Twist'' and the 7089 ton freighter ''Tjisaroea'' were also captured. ''Takao'' ''Maya'' and ''Atago'' then returned to Yokosuka for a refit with additional anti-aircraft guns, arriving 18 March.Hackett and Kingsepp, ''IJN TAKAO: Tabular Record of Movement''

In April, she participated in the unsuccessful pursuit of the Doolittle raid task force.

On 2 May, ''Takao'' assisted in rescue efforts for the seaplane carrier , which had been torpedoed by the US submarine off of Omaezaki. ''Takao'' rescued 471 crew from the sinking ship .

In June 1942, ''Takao'' and ''Maya'' supported the invasion of the Aleutian Islands, protecting the convoy for Kiska and providing fire support for landings on Attu. On 3 June 1942, their reconnaissance floatplanes were attacked by USAAF Curtiss P-40 fighters from Umnak and two were shot down; on 5 June, ''Takao'' shot down a B-17 Flying Fortress. ''Takao'' returned to Ōminato on 24 June.

In August 1942, ''Takao'' was assigned to "Operation Ka", the Japanese reinforcement during the Battle of Guadalcanal, departing Hashirajima with ''Atago'' and ''Maya'' on 11 August for Truk. The cruisers were in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons on 24 August from a distance, and did not see combat. However, during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October, all three cruisers (together with and ) participated in night combat operations resulting in the sinking of the crippled and abandoned American aircraft carrier .

This was followed by a determined attempt to shell the US base at Henderson Field leading to the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Early in the morning of 15 November 1942, the battleship , supported by ''Takao'' and ''Atago'', engaged the American battleships and . All three Japanese ships hit ''South Dakota'' multiple times with shells, knocking out her radar and fire controls. ''Takao'' and ''Atago'' fired Long Lance torpedoes at ''Washington'' but missed. However, ''Kirishima'' was quickly disabled by ''Washington'' and sank a few hours later. ''Atago'' was damaged. ''Takao'' escaped unharmed, but was forced to retreat to Truk, and from there went back to Kure Naval Arsenal for repairs at the end of November, returning to Truk by the end of December.

In early 1943, ''Takao'' supported the evacuation of Guadalcanal. The force consisted of the carriers , and , the battleships and , heavy cruisers ''Atago'', ''Takao'', ''Myōkō'' and ''Haguro'', the light cruisers ''Nagara'' and , and 11 destroyers. The Japanese transports were successful in evacuating 11,700 troops from the island.

Under the command of Inoguchi Toshihira, ''Takao'' operated in the central Pacific from her base at Truk. She returned to Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on 26 July for the installation of additional anti-aircraft guns. After returning to Truk on 23 August, she continued on to Rabaul on 27 August, disembarking army troops and supplies.

In response to American carrier aircraft raiding in the Gilbert Islands, ''Takao'' sortied with Vice Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa's fleet to engage the American carriers. The fleet consisted of the aircraft carriers , ''Zuikaku'' and ''Zuihō'', the battleships and , heavy cruisers ''Myōkō'', ''Haguro'', , , , ''Atago'', ''Takao'', ''Chōkai'' and ''Maya'', the light cruiser ''Agano'' and fifteen destroyers. Despite extensive searches, this force failed to make contact with the American striking force and returned to Truk.

''Takao'' was refueling at Rabaul when the base was attacked on 5 November 1943 by American carrier aircraft. She was targeted by SBD Dauntless dive bombers from and hit by two bombs, killing 23 crewmen and damaging her steering. ''Takao'' was forced to return to Yokosuka for dry dock repairs. During the repair work, additional anti-aircraft guns were fitted, along with a Type 21 radar. Repairs were not complete until 18 January 1944.

''Takao'' was assigned to Vice Admiral Ozawa’s First Mobile Fleet based at Palau from 1 March 1944, and was stationed at Davao in the southern Philippines from 1 April. She was attacked by the submarine on 6 April, but all of her torpedoes missed. On 13 June, during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, ''Takao'' was part of Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita’s Mobile Force Vanguard, deployed from Tawi Tawi in an attempt to force the American 5th Fleet into a "decisive battle" off of Saipan. In what came to be called the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot", Japanese aircraft attacking US Task Force 58 off Saipan suffered severe losses. On 26 June ''Takao'' was again at Kure Naval Arsenal, where yet more anti-aircraft guns were installed, as well as a Type 13 air-search radar.

''Takao'' returned to Singapore in mid-July and conducted operations in the vicinity of Singapore and Brunei until mid-October. On 22 October, ''Takao'' sortied from Brunei as part of Admiral Kurita's Center Force for the Battle of Leyte Gulf. In the predawn hours of 23 October, the Japanese force was intercepted by two American submarines in the Palawan Passage. ''Takao'' was hit by two torpedoes from , which shattered two shafts, broke her fantail and flooded three boiler rooms. ''Atago'' and ''Maya'' were both sunk in the same engagement. ''Chōkai'' was lost a few days later at the Battle off Samar, leaving ''Takao'' as the sole survivor of her class.

''Takao'' limped back to Brunei, escorted by the destroyers and , the torpedo boat ''Hiyodori'' and the transport ''Mitsu Maru'', and on to Singapore by 12 November. ''Takao'' was assessed as being unrepairable at Singapore and impossible to tow to Japan. She was therefore moored as a floating anti-aircraft battery defending Seletar Naval Base along with ''Myōkō'', the latter crippled at the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea and then further damaged by a submarine-launched torpedo.

Concerned that both cruisers could interfere with Allied forces approaching Singapore, the Royal Navy launched Operation Struggle on 31 July 1945 with the midget submarines (Lieutenant Ian Edward Fraser) assigned to attack ''Takao'', and (Lieutenant J. E. Smart) to attack ''Myōkō''. After penetrating the harbor defenses, ''XE3'' maneuvered under ''Takao'', where diver Acting Leading Seaman James Joseph Magennis exited the submarine and attached six limpet mines to ''Takao''s hull using an improvised piece of rope (the hull was covered with a thick layer of seaweed, and the magnets of the limpet mines would not hold them on the hull);Gores, ''Marine Salvage'' when the mines exploded, they blew a hole . Several compartments below the lower deck were flooded, including two ammunition magazines, the main gun plotting room and the lower communications room. Fraser and Magennis were awarded the Victoria Cross.

It was discovered after the end of the war that ''Takao'' was manned by a skeleton crew and had no ammunition aboard for her 8-inch main armament. Japanese forces surrendered Seletar Naval Base to the British on 21 September 1945. On 27 October 1946, ''Takao'' was towed to the Strait of Malacca and was sunk as a target ship by the light cruiser on 29 October 1946 at . She was removed from the navy list on 3 May 1947.

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Takao
Takao-class cruisers
Ships built by Yokosuka Naval Arsenal
1930 ships
Second Sino-Japanese War cruisers of Japan
World War II cruisers of Japan
Ships of the Aleutian Islands campaign
World War II shipwrecks in the Strait of Malacca
Ships sunk as targets
Maritime incidents in 1946