Wreck of HIJMS Suzukaze (涼風)

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

HIJMS Suzukaze was a Shiratsuyu Class Destroyer laid down at the Yokosuka Naval Shipyard in 1937 and commissioned into service in late 1938 with the Imperial Japanese Navy's Destroyer Division 24, Destroyer Squadron 4, Second Fleet. Serving mainly in fleet exercises before the outbreak of war with America, the Suzukaze was at sea escorting the ships and men of the Southern Philippine invasion force on December 7th, 1941.

After covering amphibious landings at Lamon Bay, Taraka and Davao into early 1942, the Suzukaze was damaged by an air attack which sent her back to Japan for repairs and refit lasting until April 1942. After she emerged from the yard, she was reassigned to Destroyer Squadron 2 in the Second Fleet and reported to Truk in August 1942. The Suzukaze found herself on the front line of the first major Allied of the Pacific War, when US forces invaded Guadalcanal in August 1942. Suzukaze and her crew would end up forming the backbone of what became known as the "Tokyo Express" as she escorted and ferried supplies and warships to and from Rabaul and the Shortland Islands to Guadalcanal and the Lower Solomon Islands through February 1943. Clashing numerous times with American and Allied forces, the Suzukaze took part in both Naval Battles for Guadalcanal and the Battle of Tassafaronga before Guadalcanal was abandoned, and clashed again at the Battle of Kula Gulf in July 1943 where she was moderately damaged by American shellfire.

After a yard period lasting through late August, the Suzukaze was reassigned to convoy escort duty and spent the balance of 1943 escorting both merchant and warships in the Truk/Yokosuka/Rabaul area. Returning to Truk in mid-January, the Suzukaze was ordered to escort a merchant ship convoy from Truk to Eniwetok and departed on January 24th. Only one day out of port, the ships were spotted by the USS Skipjack (SS-184), an American Submarine patrolling the approaches to Truk. The sub quickly identified the largest ship in the convoy, the seaplane tender Okitsu Maru, and moved in to attack but was quickly picked up by sonar operators on the Suzukaze.

Racing to attack the submerged target, the Suzukaze bore down on the Skipjack hoping to depth charge the sub before it could attack the convoy. Alert sonar operators on the American sub were able to pick up the unmistakable sound of an onrushing Destroyer and the sub shifted its direction towards the Suzukaze and fired off a pair of torpedoes straight 'down the throat' of the ship. Both shots slammed into the Suzukaze's bow, just forward of her bridge where they punched enormous holes into the hull. Seconds later, the entire forward section of the Suzukaze was obliterated by the detonation of her ammunition magazines and the ship quickly rolled over and sank bow-first at this location. Only 22 of her 180 crew, mostly those stationed topside on the Stern, were able to escape the ships destruction on January 26th, 1945.


www.combinedfleet.com/suzuka_t.htm