Japanese cruiser Jintsu

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Career (Japan)
Japanese Light Cruiser Jintsu
Ordered:	1920 Fiscal Year
Laid down:	4 August 1922
Launched:	8 December 1923
Commissioned:	31 July 1925^[1]
Struck:	10 September 1943
Fate:	sunk 13 July 1943 by Allied cruiser at the Battle of Kolombangara, Solomon Islands 07°38′S, 157°06′E.
General characteristics
Class and type:	Sendai class cruiser
Displacement:	5,195 tons (standard)
Length:	152.4 meters
Beam:	14.2 meters
Draught:	4.9 meters
Propulsion:	4 shaft Parsons geared turbines 10 Kampon boilers 90,000 shp
Speed:	35.3 knots
Range:	5,000 nautical miles at 14 knots (26 km/h)
Complement:	452
Armament:	7 × 5.5-inch (140 mm) guns (7x1) 2 × 80 mm guns, 4 × 610 mm torpedo tubes (4x2) 48 mines
Armor:	64 mm (belt) 29 mm (deck)
Aircraft carried:	1 x floatplane, 1 catapult

IJN Jintsu (神通軽巡洋艦, Jintsu keijunyōkan^?) was a Sendai-class light cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy, named after the Jinzu River in the Gifu and Toyama prefectures of central Japan.

1 Background
2 Service career
- 2.1 Early career
3 Early stages of the Pacific War
4 List of Captains
5 References
6 See also

[edit] Background

Jintsu was the second vessel completed in the three-ship Sendai-class of light cruisers, and like other vessels of her class, she was intended for use as the flagship of a destroyer flotilla.

[edit] Service career

[edit] Early career

Jintsu was completed at Kawasaki Kobe shipyards on 21 July 1925.　During a night training exercise on 24 August 1927, it inadvertently rammed and sank the destroyer Warabi, and had to be taken to Maizuru for major repairs.

In 1928, Jintsu was assigned to cover landings of Japanese troops in Shandong province during the Jinan Incident, and was later based out of Tsingtao.

From 1929 to 1941, Jintsu was assigned to patrols of the China coast and to covering the landings of Japanese forces in China from 1937 onwards after the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

[edit] Early stages of the Pacific War

On 26 November 1941, Jintsu became flagship of Rear Admiral Raizo Tanaka and DesRon 2 under the Philippine Seizure Force, Southern Force, of the Japanese Third Fleet. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Jintsu was engaged in the invasion of the southern Philippines, escorting transports with the IJA 16th Infantry Division and Kure No. 1 Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) from forward bases in Palau to Davao, Legaspi and Jolo. After the Philippines was in Japanese hands by the end of December, Jintsu was reassigned to Rear Admiral Kubo's Eastern Netherlands East Indies Seizure Force with DesDiv 15 and DesDiv 16.

[edit] Battle of the Java Sea

On 9 January 1942, Jintsu departed Davao for the invasion of the Celebes, escorting transports holding the Sasebo No. 1 Combined Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF). On 17 January, a Kawanishi E7K2 "Alf" reconnaissance floatplane launched from Jintsu shot down a Dutch Lockheed Hudson light bomber near Menado, but was shot down itself before it could return. In early February, Jintsu was assigned to the invasion force for Ambon, followed by both Dutch and Portuguese Timor and eastern Java.

Jintsu was thus at the Battle of the Java Sea on 27 February 1942. Its destroyer groups included DesDiv 7's Ushio, Sazanami, Yamakaze and Kawakaze and DesDiv 16's Yukikaze, Tokitsukaze, Amatsukaze and Hatsukaze, and it accompanied the cruisers Nachi, Haguro, and Naka, .

At 1547, Jintsu with its destroyer squadrons (and also the Inazuma), engaged Dutch Rear Admiral Karel W. F. M. Doorman's Strike Force's light cruiser HNLMS De Ruyter, cruisers HMS Exeter, USS Houston, light cruisers HMAS Perth, HNMS Java, destroyers HMS Electra, HMS Encounter, HMS Jupiter, HNLMS Kortenaer, HNMS Witte de With and old destroyers USS Alden, USS John D. Edwards, USS John D. Ford and USS Paul Jones.

Floatplanes launched from Jintsu, Naka and Nachi marked Doorman's ships' positions and to help target Japanese gunnery. At 1727, Jintsu launched eight Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedoes at Doorman's force. These were followed by torpedoes from DesRon 2's destroyers. In all, 72 torpedoes were launched, but incredibly, not one hit a target, and the Allied fleet was later destroyed by other surface units. Jintsu was credited with assisting in the sinking of the Electra.

Jintsu returned to Japan in March for refit and repairs. While at Kure, the Doolittle Raid bombed the Japanese home islands. Jintsu was one of the many vessels sent in an unsuccessful pursuit of the American carrier force.

In May, Jintsu was sent to Saipan where it was joined to the Midway Invasion Force, escorting transports and oilers. During the Battle of Midway on 3 June 1942, the convoy was bombed by nine Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. Later, the convoy was attacked by torpedo-carrying Consolidated PBY Catalina amphibious patrol planes. One oiler was hit during these attacks, but Jintsu returned to Truk, and then to Japan unscathed.

In July, in a reorganization of the Imperial Japanese Navy, Jintsu was reassigned to the newly formed Japanese 8th Fleet under the overall command of Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa. After American forces invaded Guadalcanal in August, Jintsu was sent to the Solomon Islands.

[edit] Solomon Islands campaigns

On 16 August 1942, Jintsu departed Truk commanding a major reinforcement for Guadalcanal. On 20 August, the troops are landed, but the lightly-armed Japanese failed to storm Guadalcanal's Henderson Field. Rear Admiral Tanaka received a signal from Vice Admiral Nishizo Tsukahara's 11th Air Fleet HQ to turn his convoy about and head north to avoid an American task force. Shortly thereafter, he received another signal from Vice Admiral Mikawa's Eighth Fleet HQ ordering him to change course to 250-degrees WSW. Tanaka, faced with conflicting orders from the senior officer in the area and his own superior, was further frustrated by poor radio reception which prevented him from contacting either headquarters. He compromised and changed course to 320 degrees (WNW), 190 nautical miles (352 km) south of Guadalcanal.

Meanwhile, 20 American carrier planes (Cactus Air Force) from USS Long Island arrived to reinforce the American defenses at Guadalcanal. In response, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto ordered Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo's Third Fleet, with aircraft carriers Shokaku, Zuikaku, Ryuko, battleships Hiei, Kirishima, cruisers Kumano, Suzuya, Chikuma, Tone and Nagara and three destroyers to reinforce Admiral Tanaka in Jintsu.

On 23 August, 200 nautical miles (370 km) north of Guadalcanal, Rear Admiral Tanaka's convoy is spotted by a Catalina PBY flying boat. At 0830, Tanaka receives a signal from Vice Admiral Mikawa's Eighth Fleet headquarters directing him to head north to avoid the American task force. At 1430, Tanaka receives a signal from Vice Admiral Tsukahara's 11th Air Fleet headquarters directing him to land troops on Guadacanal the next day. Tanaka, faced with yet a second set of conflicting orders, replied that he cannot comply because some of his ships are too slow.

The Battle of the Eastern Solomons occurred over the following two days, 24 August 1942. Jintsu rendezvoused with Ryujo, which launched two air strikes against Henderson Field. However, Ryujo itself was hit by aircraft from USS Saratoga, with four bombs and a torpedo hit that flooded her starboard engine room, and sank that night.

On 25 August, 150 nautical miles (278 km) north of Guadalcanal, six USMC Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bombers attacked the Jintsu convoy, sinking one transport and damaging another. A 500-lb. bomb hit Jintsu, starting fires and flooding her forward magazines. Twenty-four crewmen were killed and Admiral Tanaka was injured. He shifted his flag to Kagero and Jintsu withdrew to Shortland, and from there to Truk, where it underwent emergency repairs for the next month. In October, it was sent back to Japan, where two Type 96 triple-mount 25 mm AA guns were installed.

[edit] Battle of Kolombangara

After repairs/modifications were completed 9 January 1943, Jintsu became flagship of DesRon 2 and departed Kure back for Truk. Jintsu was immediately assigned to the operation to evacuate surviving Japanese army troops from Guadalcanal, which it covered successfully. Through July, Jintsu made several transport runs, escorting forces moving between Truk, Roi and Kwajalein.

On 13 July 1943, Jintsu was in the Battle of Kolombangara. At 0330, Jintsu departed Rabaul as flagship of Rear Admiral Isaki, with the destroyers Yukikaze, Hamakaze, Yugure, Mikazuki, Kiyonami and destroyer-transports Satsuki, Minazuki, Yunagi and Matsukaze with 1200 troops to reinforce Japanese positions on Kolombangara Island, in the Solomon Islands. Soon after arriving into position, Jintsu's radar detected the presence of an Allied fleet before visual contact was made.

The Allied fleet consisted of the cruisers USS Honolulu, USS St Louis, HMNZS Leander, and destroyers USS Ralph Talbot, USS Maury, USS Gwin, USS Woodworth and the USS Buchanan, USS Radford, USS Jenkins, USS Nicholas, USS O'Bannon and the USS Taylor.

Admiral Isaki ordered a night torpedo attack, and his ships launched 31 Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedoes, as Jintsu illuminated the Allied fleet with its searchlights. The illumination was fatal, as Jintsu was hit by at least ten 6-inch shells from the Allied cruisers, setting her on fire. The barrage killed both Rear Admiral Isaki and Captain Sato; shortly afterwards a torpedo hit Jintsu starboard in the aft engine room.

As Captain Zenjiro Shimai of Yukikaze assumed command of the Japanese fleet and counterattacked (sinking Gwin, and damaging Leander and St Louis, Jintsu broke in two and sank at 07°38′S, 157°06′E.

Later, Japanese submarine I-180 rescued 21 crewmen and a few more were recovered by the Americans, but 482 men were lost.

Jintsu was removed from the Navy list on 10 September 1943

[edit] List of Captains

Captain	From	To
Capt. Yoshichika Fukushima Chief Equipping Officer	8 December 1923	21 July 1925
Capt. Yoshichika Fukushima	21 July 1925	1 December 1925
Capt. Toyonaka Yamauchi	1 December 1925	1 November 1926
Capt. Keiji Mizuki	1 November 1926	1 December 1926
Capt. Jugoro Arichi	1 December 1926	15 November 1927
Capt. Toraroku Akiyama	15 November 1927	10 December 1928
Capt. Shinichiro Machida	10 December 1928	30 November 1929
Capt. Hikozi Tooyama	30 November 1929	1 December 1930
Capt. Haruma Izawa	1 December 1930	1 December 1931
Capt. Yasutaro Iwashita	1 December 1931	15 November 1932
Capt. Masakichi Okuma	15 November 1932	15 November 1933
Capt. Kozo Suzuki	15 November 1933	15 November 1934
Capt. Kenzaburo Hara	15 November 1934	11 November 1935
Capt. Koso Abe	11 November 1935	1 December 1936
Capt. Hiroaki Abe	1 December 1936	1 December 1937
Capt. Raizo Tanaka	1 December 1937	15 December 1938
Capt. Sukeyuki Nanba	15 December 1938	15 November 1939
Capt. Shunji Izaki	15 November 1939	5 December 1939
Capt. Masatomi Kimura	5 December 1939	15 October 1940
Capt. Torazo Kozai	15 October 1940	26 December 1942
Capt. Toshio Fujita	26 December 1942	12 March 1943
Capt. / RADM ^[2] Torajiro Sato (KIA)	12 March 1943	13 July 1943

[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.
Whitley, M.J. (1995). Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-141-6.