Wreck of HIJMS Fubuki (吹雪)

 Second World War 1939-1945, military, navy, shipwreck, destroyer (ship)

HIJMS Fubuki was the lead ship of her class of Destroyers in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy, and the outbreak of World War Two found the 14 year old Destroyer operating in the Indian Ocean, taking part in the Battle of Sunda Strait and numerous invasion operations across the Dutch East Indies. After screening Carriers in the Battle of Midway, the Fubuki was dispatched to operate in the Solomons Islands region in support of Japanese forces fighting on Guadalcanal and Tulagi.

During August, September and October 1942 the Fubuki operated out of the Shortland Islands and was tasked with mainly escorting troop and supply convoys to Guadalcanal and Tulagi, but also took part in several shore bombardment missions against US installations on both islands in support of Japanese troops. On October 10th, 1942 the Fubuki and her sistership Hatsuyuki were assigned to screen Cruiser Division 6, a group of three Japanese Heavy Cruisers and four other Destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Aritomo Goto. This group of warships were under orders to escort a vital supply convoy to reinforce the shrinking Japanese positions on Guadalcanal and then conduct a shore bombardment mission on the American airfield, recently captured from the Japanese.

As Cruiser Division 6 and their convoy departed the Shortland Islands at 1400hrs on October 11th, they were spotted by an American recon plane which plotted their course and speed to an American force consisting of four Cruisers and five Destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Norman Scott. Moving his fleet from a position off Rennel Island to a looping battle line across the Northwestern shoreline of Guadalcanal and Savo Island, the American ships set a trap for the approaching Japanese force, who were expected to arrive around midnight.

Shortly after dark the two Japanese forces split up to head for their respective targets and the ships of Cruiser Division 6 were spotted again at 2300hrs by an American scout plane flying off the USS Salt Lake City. The Japanese warships were apparently unaware of the plane's presence as they passed through several heavy rain squalls and thunderstorms as they sped towards Savo Island and Ironbottom Sound at 30 knots. The US scout plane was able to plot their position and course to Admiral Scott who then moved his radar-equipped ships into a position to 'Cross the T' of the approaching Japanese formation. At 2332hrs the Japanese ships were first picked up on American radar screens, which then allowed range finders to radar-target the deck guns on the US ships towards the still-unaware Japanese formation.

Aboard the Fubuki, the ship’s crew were at battle stations as she drew into battle formation to the Port side of the flagship Heavy Cruiser Aoba, and slightly ahead of the Heavy Cruiser Furutaka. As they emerged from yet another squall line at 2343hrs, a lookout aboard the Aoba sighted the American ships steaming only a few miles ahead but Rear Admiral Goto was hesitant to open fire, fearing the ships were the Japanese convoy they had escorted into the area. An order came from the Japanese Flagship for all of ships to attempt to identify the mystery ships by flashing their recognition signals, but no sooner had the first message blinked into the night the entire US force opened fire on the Japanese ships at 2346hrs, to the complete surprise of Rear Admiral Goto and the ships under his command.

The opening of the Battle of Cape Esperance found the crew of the Fubuki frantically attempting to change their shore bombardment ammunition to anti-ship ammunition while American shells began to plunge into the Aoba and Furutaka steaming alongside her. Increasing her speed to maneuver ahead of the Aoba and to engage the American ships, the Fubuki's crew would have had ringside seats for the utter decimation of their Flagship by accurate US Cruiser fire, which damaged the Aoba so severely she was forced to withdraw from the battle line only three minutes into the battle. Now steaming with the Cruiser Furutaka at the lead of the formation, the Fubuki began firing her deck guns towards the US ships and prepared to launch a full spread of her deadly 'Long Lance' torpedoes into the American formation. As she closed the distance to her adversaries, the Fubuki came under intense fire from the Cruisers USS San Francisco and USS Boise, as well as the lead US Destroyer Van which was now launching a torpedo attack into the Japanese formation. Astern of the Fubuki, the Furutaka took a torpedo in her engine room and turned to withdraw from the battle line, heavily afire and beginning to slow. Now steaming alone, the Fubuki became the sole target for much of the US battle line, and as she turned to follow the Furutaka and Aoba out of the area found herself in a broadside-to-broadside duel with the US Heavy and Light Cruiser line at 1,400 yards, which the Fubuki lost. Pummeled with 8 & 6 inch shells from the Cruisers and 5-inch rounds from Destroyers the Fubuki was reduced to a powerless, burning wreck only minutes after making her final turn, and as she began to take on water and roll over her crew abandoned ship into Ironbottom Sound.

Sometime after midnight on October 12th, 1942 the Fubuki sank at this location, taking 88 members of her crew with her to the bottom. Survivors of the wreck initially refused rescue when an American Destroyer found them later in the night, but after spending a full day in the shark-infested waters accepted rescue by US Minesweepers later in the day on October 12th.

www.combinedfleet.com/fubuki_t.htm