was the sixth vessel to be commissioned in the 19-vessel
destroyers built for the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...
in the late-1930s under the
Circle Three Supplementary Naval Expansion Program (''Maru San Keikaku'').
Background
The ''Kagerō''-class destroyers were outwardly almost identical to the preceding
light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to th ...
-sized , with improvements made by Japanese naval architects to improve stability and to take advantage of Japan’s lead in
torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...
technology. They were designed to accompany the Japanese main striking force and in both day and night attacks against the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
as it advanced across the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, according to Japanese naval strategic projections. Despite being one of the most powerful classes of destroyers in the world at the time of their completion, only one survived the
Pacific War.
'' Natsushio'', built at the
Fujinagata Shipyards
was a shipyard and railroad car manufacturer in Osaka, Japan.
History
Fujinagata claimed to have been founded in 1689, making it one of the oldest shipbuilders in Japan. Originally called ''Hyōgo-ya'', and located in central Osaka, it was cont ...
, was laid down on 9 December 1937, launched on 23 February 1939 and commissioned on 31 August 1940.
Operational history
At 1800 hours on 23 June 1941, ''Natsushio'' collided with the destroyers and in
Bungo Channel
The is a strait separating the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. It connects the Pacific Ocean and the Seto Inland Sea on the western end of Shikoku. The narrowest part of this channel is the Hōyo Strait.
In the English-speaking worl ...
.
At the time of the
attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...
, ''Natsushio'', was assigned to Destroyer Division 15 (Desdiv 15), and a member of Destroyer Squadron 2 (Desron 2) of the
IJN 2nd Fleet
The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) created as a mobile strike force in response to hostilities with Russia, and saw action in every IJN military operation until the end of World War II.
History
Established on 27 October 1903, ...
, and had deployed from
Palau
Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the ...
, as part of the escort for the
aircraft carrier in the
invasion of the southern Philippines and
minelayer
A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing control ...
.
In early 1942, ''Natsushio'' participated in the
invasion of the Netherlands East Indies, escorting the invasion forces for
Menado
Manado () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi. It is the second largest city in Sulawesi after Makassar, with the 2020 Census giving a population of 451,916 distributed over a land area of 162.53 km2.Badan Pu ...
,
Kendari
Kendari is the capital city of the Indonesian province of Southeast Sulawesi. With a population of 345,107 according to the 2020 census, it is the most populous city in the province, and the fourth most on Sulawesi. The city covers an area of , ...
and
Ambon
Ambon may refer to:
Places
* Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia
** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province
** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796
* Ambon, Morbihan, a c ...
in January. During the invasion of
Makassar on 8–9 February, ''Natsushio'' was torpedoed by the United States Navy submarine and sank approximately south of Makassar at coordinates (). Ten crewmen were killed in the attack, and the survivors were rescued by her
sister ship . ''Natsushio'' was removed from the
navy list
A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval autho ...
on 28 February 1942.
She was the first Japanese destroyer to fall victim to U.S. submarines during the war, the first of her class to be sunk and the only Kagero-class destroyer to not partake in the
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The U.S. Navy under ...
.
See also
*
List of ships of the Japanese Navy
The following is the list of ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy for the duration of its existence, 1868-1945. This list also includes ships before the official founding of the Navy and some auxiliary ships used by the Army. For a list of ships ...
Notes
Books
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
CombinedFleet.com: ''Kagero''-class destroyers
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Natsushio
Natsushio
Natsushio
Shipwrecks in the Makassar Strait
World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean
1939 ships
Maritime incidents in June 1941
Maritime incidents in February 1942
Ships sunk by American submarines
Ships built by Fujinagata Shipyards