Wreck of HIJMS Mikuma (三隈)

 Second World War 1939-1945, military, navy, shipwreck, cruiser

Laid down in December 1931 as the second member of the Mogami Class of Heavy Cruisers, HIJMS Mikuma commissioned into Imperial Japanese Navy service in August 1935 as a member of Cruiser Division 7. Her early service life was similar to that of her sisters, plagued by operational problems caused by both untested technology and her designers trying to ship as much armament onboard her hull as they could while remaining within the limits of the Washington Naval Treaty. As a result, the Mikuma was top-heavy in even moderate seas and suffered from excessive shockwave damage from her triple 203mm turrets and was forced to spend over a year in the yard in 1939 having her main battery downgraded and her beam broadened, reducing her top speed by several knots.

Emerging from the yard in late 1940 to rejoined Cruiser Division 7 in time to take part in Japan's occupation of Vichy French Indochina, Mikuma continued her operations in Southeast Asia up to the outbreak of the Second World War with America and her Allies. In concert with the surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet taking place in Hawaii, the Mikuma and Cruiser Division 7 arrived off the shores of Malaya and provided close fire support for the Japanese landings at Singora, Patani and Kota Bharu before steaming to Kuching and providing cover for invasion forces landing there in late December. After a brief period off the frontline, the Mikuma and Cruiser Division 7 joined with a large convoy of troopships bound for Borneo and Sumatra in early February 1942 and spent four days shelling positions at Palembang and Bangka Island as Japanese troops moved ashore, then sailed for Tjilatjap, Java to cover the invasion there, scheduled for February 27th, 1942.

As the troop transports continued to discharge their cargo of soldiers onto landing craft off Tjilatjap on the evening February 28th, the Australian Cruiser HMAS Perth (D29) and American Cruiser USS Houston (CA-30) appeared in the Sunda Strait shortly before 2300hrs and began firing on the stationary transports. Stationed to the West of the landing beaches, the Mikuma and her sister Mogami immediately responded to the scene and engaged in a running firefight with the Allied ships for slightly less than an hour before some of the 90 'Long Lance' torpedoes fired by the Japanese Cruisers and Destroyers in the action destroyed both the Perth and Houston, giving Japan victory in the Battle of Sunda Strait. For her part in the Battle, Mikuma shared credit in sinking the USS Houston, while she took several casualties and damage from four direct hits of 8-inch caliber.

With the landings at Java now unopposed, the Mikuma withdrew to Singapore for repairs before rejoining the fight and screening landings at Northern Sumatra and in the Andaman Islands before taking part in the Indian Ocean Raids as a member of the Second Expeditionary Fleet. Attacking merchant shipping in the Bay of Bengal and sharing credit for the destruction of three cargo vessels before returning to Singapore in April 1942, the Mikuma was directed back to Japan after four months of near-constant combat action, and spent a month under refit and voyage repairs before engaging in battlegroup tactics exercises in late May. Returned to fighting trim, the Mikuma stood out of Hashirajima in company with Cruiser Division 7 and made for Guam where a large force ships comprising the Midway Invasion Transport Group was mustering. After provisioning for the long voyage to their destination, Mikuma and the convoy departed Guam on May 28th, one full day behind the Combined Fleet's Carrier and Battleship forces.

After screening the transports to a position roughly 410 miles from Midway, Mikuma and Cruiser Division 7 were ordered to detach from the convoy on June 5th and begin shelling American positions on Midway, which were found to be far better prepared for the Japanese assault than recon teams had reported a few months prior. Racing towards Midway at 35knots, the Cruisers were pounded by heavy seas and eventually were forced to slow so their escorting Destroyers could catch up. By nightfall on June 5th the chance for shore bombardment to play a part in the battle had passed and Cruiser Division 7's orders were cancelled by Admiral Yamamoto at 2120hrs. As the ships prepared to retire back to their convoy, alert lookouts aboard the Flagship HIJMS Kumano sighted a surfaced American Submarine, the USS Tambor (SS-198), in the distance at 2138hrs and the entire Japanese formation was ordered to perform a 45° simultaneous turn to Starboard to avoid any torpedoes which may have been in the water. The line complied but aboard Mikuma, steaming in the third position, the order was misinterpreted to be a 90° turn. As she came about to Starboard, the Mikuma was overhauled by her sister HIJMS Mogami and the two Cruisers collided, with Mogami's bow impacting Mikuma's hull on her Port side just aft of her bridge. The two ships drifted apart quickly, revealing major damage to Mogami's bow and relatively light damage to Mikuma's hull, aside from punctured fuel tanks. As the rest of Cruiser Division 7 continued Westward, the Mogami and Mikuma effected damage control through the night, screened by the Destroyers HIJMS Arashio and HIJMS Asashio.

Daybreak on June 6th saw the four-ship group still heading West, bound for Japanese-held Wake Island where more substantial repairs could be performed. Mikuma's leaking bunkers left a telltale slick of oil on the ocean's surface, which when combined with reports from the USS Tambor on the groups course and speed provided more than enough information for airstrikes to be launched from Midway by high-altitude bombing by B-17's, six SBD Dauntless and six SB2U Vindicator Dive-bombers. Though their attacks were largely ineffectual, the course and speed of the Mikuma's group was relayed to Commanders aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) & USS Hornet (CV-8), which had closed on the Japanese ships during the day and night of June 5th and readied their aircraft for action at dawn on the 7th.

Still limping Westward at limited speed but hoping to be out of the range of American land-based aircraft, the crews aboard the Japanese ships were awakened shortly after dawn on June 6th to reports of American planes in the area. This was the first of three waves of American Dive-Bombers totaling 81 aircraft from the American Carriers, and the attack began shortly before 0800hrs. Targeting the Mikuma and Mogami, the first wave of planes hit each Cruiser with several bombs but failed to take either ship out of the fight. Crews aboard the Mikuma raced to effect damage control on her fo'c'sle which had been struck three times but were interrupted by the arrival of the second wave of American aircraft shortly before 1000hrs. During the ensuing attack the American pilots drove off the escorting Destroyers and planted a single bomb in each, leaving the two Cruisers dangerously exposed to air attack. Flyers from USS Enterprise planted four bombs in the Mogami causing massive damage to the already wounded ship while aircraft flying from USS Hornet targeted the Mikuma. Two more bombs struck her in her bow, one of which detonated her ready supply of 25mm anti-aircraft shells forward of her bridge. The resulting spray of shrapnel killed or wounded almost every man on Mikuma's bridge, including her Captain who later died of his injuries. A final two or three bombs from the second wave struck Mikuma amidships aft of her funnel, where it severely damaged her torpedo battery and started a large fire which was fed by the compressed oxygen fuel of her 'Long Lance' torpedoes.

With the second wave of American planes withdrawing, Mikuma's crew again began damage control measures, primarily focused on fighting her enormous midship fire. As the majority of her crew were engaged in quelling the fierce midship flames, a series of large detonations from the torpedo warheads claimed most of Mikuma's crew, devastated her central superstructure and left her dead in the water with several fires now quickly spreading out of control. With most of her crew dead or dying and the ship in ruin, the Mikuma was ordered abandoned shortly after 1030hrs as she was rocked by several low order detonations of ready ammunition. By 1100, Mikuma's 240 surviving crew were removed and the Japanese ships hastily withdrew from the area before more American planes arrived, thus ending the final clash of the Battle of Midway.

Returning American pilots forming the third attack wave found the Mikuma a burning and derelict hulk and the balance of the Japanese force out of range for attack. After photographing the Mikuma's shattered hull, several more bombs sealed her fate and she eventually rolled to her Port side and sank at this location on June 6th, 1942, taking 650 of her crew with her to the bottom.

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