IJN Takao

IJN Takao Tale

The Imperial Japanese Navy, which carried out an extensive shipbuilding program on the eve of World War II (1939-1945), recognized the importance of long voyages in its conquest of the Pacific Ocean. As a result, the High Tail-class series of long-range heavy cruisers was developed as the successor to the Miu, with four ships forming a new group - IJN Tako, IJN Atago, IJN Maya and IJN Chokai. The class was introduced during a small window of opportunity from May 1930 to April 1931 and immediately formed a strong floating arm for the IJN.

Although some limitations in her design were inevitably exposed in the ensuing war, her firepower and armor protection were excellent for her time and were considered the most powerful IJN cruiser available. Of the four completed, three were ultimately lost in the naval battles of World War II.

The High Tail class itself was replaced by the Mogamo class which appeared in the mid-1930s.

IJN Takao (named after Mt. Takao) was built at the Yokosuka Naval Shipyard and laid on April 28, 1927. She was launched on May 12, 1930, and officially commissioned on May 31, 1932.

Before the Miao advanced ships, Kaohsiung and her sister ships had larger bridge structures, more similar to the battleships of the time. Her torpedo armament was also upgraded from earlier designs, adding lethal long-range combat capability against other surface combatants. Primary armament (as is) consisted of 10 x 8"/50 caliber 3rd Year main guns paired on five turrets - three concentrated at the front of the bridge and the remaining two at the rear of the bridge (compared to other turrets, Turret 3 has a limited launch angle). There are also 4 x 4.7" Type 10 guns mounted on four separate turrets. She carries 8 x 24" torpedo tubes for Type 90 torpedoes.

The armament is rounded out by including 2 x 40mm Anti-Aircraft Guns (AA), a single gun mount On both turrets.

The Takao is powered by a 12 x Kampon boiler system that powers four geared turbines driving 4 x shafts, while outputting 132,000 shaft horsepower. Under ideal conditions, this gives the vessel a maximum sea speed of 35 knots and a range of 8,500 nautical miles.

Dimensions include a barrel length of 668.5 feet, a beam of 67 feet and a draft of 20.7 feet. The armor protection thickness on her main belt is up to 127mm, her main deck cover is up to 37mm, her bulkheads are up to 100mm, and her turret has 25mm of armor.

The total displacement when fully loaded is 15,500 tons.

Her profile is traditional and her superstructure remains amidships. Her silhouette has a pair of hoppers (the front one is sloping back), and a fairly visible pylon, two masts (front and rear), and a service crane for managing aircraft and supplies. Her fore and aft deck sections are relatively unobstructed.

For over-the-horizon work, Takao can carry up to three IJN seaplanes, but usually a pair of Aichi E13A1 "Jacks" or Mitsubishi F1M "Petes". The aircraft were mounted on two catapults behind the superstructure.

Takao and her sisters are well-armed and well-equipped, while possessing the speed and range favored by the IJN, they are formidable warships. Her first service was as part of Sentai-4 of IJN 2nd Fleet (Yokosuka Naval District), where she trained with her sisters.

During these early days, the design was found to be "top-heavy" due to her oversized bridge and slender hull, and plans were made to retrofit her and the IJN Atago to improve stability and survivability. This meant she was again docked at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal from 1938 to 1939, where the two ships were given smaller bridges and increased hull bulges.

Her main mast was also moved further aft. After completing this work, she returned to service in 1940 and was assigned to the general patrol of the Chinese coast.

On December 8, 1941, Takao was tasked with providing fire support to the Philippines when the Japanese landed on Luzon under her gun (and her sisters). Before that, another IJN force suddenly attacked Pearl Harbor.

With the Pearl Fleet faltering (though the American carriers remained safe), the Philippines fell into the hands of the Japanese and Allied forces, who either surrendered or were evacuated. The campaign in the Philippines ended with a decisive military victory for Japan in May 1942.

Kaohsiung was stationed in Palau and had been in charge of intercepting all escaping ships around the Dutch East Indies from February 1942. She managed to sink a Dutch freighter and capture another, while also sinking the British minesweeper HMS Scott Harley. She then sank the American destroyer USS Pillsbury without taking any prisoners, and further action resulted in further capture and sinking of enemy ships. Even the planes they had on board played a good role in the light bomb role.

Takeo was part of a force that tried to thwart Doolittle's attack on Japana successful attack that served as an early American psychological boost.

In June 1942, when Japanese troops landed on the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, to divert American attention north, their guns were used angrily again. After get off work, Takao returned to Ominato in northern Japan at the end of the month.

The Battle of Guadalcanal began on August 7, 1942, and continued until February 9, 1943. Takeo was instrumental in her and some of her sisters' reinforcements at the Battle of the East Solomons (24-25 August, 1943).) Battle, 1942). Although the battle proved tactically a draw , but it was a strategic success for the Allies, and the Battle of Guadalcanal as a whole marked another strategic victory for the Allies. During the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands (October 25-27, 1942), Kaohsiung's artillery was part of the loss of the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8), which dealt a major blow to Allied strength. Pacific Ocean.

Her guns then fired on Allied positions at Henderson Field and successfully delivered several direct hits to the USS South Dakota before returning to Truk at the end of the year.

When Guadalcanal fell into Allied hands, evacuation was authorized, with warships like Takao in a cover/support role. In July 1943, with the increasing threat of Allied Air Forces, she was sent back to Yokosuka, where she took on more anti-aircraft guns.

She reinforced Rabaul on 27 August, delivering troops and supplies, before forming defenses around several important Japanese naval aircraft carriers against the American carrier force. The task force failed to locate the American team, causing Takao to sail to Truk to await their next order.

On November 5, 1943, Takao was damaged by American dive bombers while refueling in Rabaul. When the two bombs found their targets, her controls were damaged and 23 sailors were killed.

Her damage proved so extensive that she was ordered to return to Yokosuka for lengthy repairs, and she did not sail again until January 1944. During this time, engineers added more anti-aircraft guns and radar equipment in an attempt to make her comparable to American and British warships in the theater.

Takao was in service again, surviving an American torpedo attack in April 1944, before becoming a member of the Defense Forces in the naval battle of the Philippine Sea. She was present at the Great Mariana Turkey Shooting, where hundreds of Japanese fighter jets were shot down (some sources as high as 645). Operations there forced the ship to deploy more anti-aircraft guns and upgrade her radar in June. Her final layout included the aforementioned 8" and 4.7" guns, but her aircraft defense network now includes 66 x 25mm Type 96 guns mounted in one, two and three turrets, as well as 4 x 13, 2 mm Type 93 machine gun.

Her torpedo armament was retained and depth charge capability was added to counter enemy submarines who had defeated Japanese surface ships in the war.

She then supported operations in Singapore and Brunei in October, launching two torpedoes from the USS Darter (SS-227) on 23 October. These strikes damaged two of her four propeller shafts and flooded vital engine areas, although she managed to avoid sinking completely. Her sisters IJN Atago and IJN Maya were not so lucky and sank. Back in Singapore waters, Takao was too damaged to return to Yokosuka for repairs, and she was turned into a fixed floating battery to defend Seletar Naval Base for the foreseeable future.

She was assigned a small team.

Still, the ship posed a serious threat to the Allies in the theater of operations, and the British launched a daring surprise attack using a miniature submarine. Six mines blasted a hole in her hull, increasing her damage, although she remained afloat. She remained at the station until the end of hostilities in August 1945, when she was handed over to the British Army on 21 September.

She was subsequently sunk on October 19, 1946, and her name was officially removed from the Naval Register the following year. IJN Atago was torpedoed and disappeared on October 23, 1944, along with IJN Maya.

IJN Chokai followed up during the Battle of Samar (Leyte Gulf, Philippines) on October 25, 1944.

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