Wreck of HIJMS Tsugaru (津軽)

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

HIJMS Tsugaru was the lead ship of her planned class of Large Minelayers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy and was laid down at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in July 1939. Commissioned into service in October 1941, the Tsugaru joined Mine Division 19 in the IJN Fourth Fleet and after training and shakedown departed Japan for Truk where she was stationed on December 8th, 1941 when the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was carried out, initiating the Second World War against America and her Allies.

Standing out of Truk in a large naval convoy on December 12th, the Tsugaru steamed for Kwajalein and then Guam where she linked up with other members of Mine Division 19 and stood out for the British East Indies, where she took part in the Invasions of Rabaul and Kavieng in January 1942. Remaining in theatre supporting ground forces and laying defensive minefields, the Tsugaru and her crew went on to cover the Invasions of Lae and Salamaua in March and Tulagi in May as part of the Southward thrust towards Port Moresby, eventually checked by the US Navy at the Battle of the Coral Sea. Following the Invasion of Buna in July the Tsugaru returned to Truk and briefly screened supply ships to the newly-established Japanese bases across the Bismarck and Solomon Islands before she was requisitioned for duty in support of Japanese forces fighting on Guadalcanal in August 1942.

Abandoning her minelaying duties in favor of transporting troops, munitions and supplies from the Shortland Islands to Guadalcanal, the Tsugaru became a regular operator in the famed 'Tokyo Express' throughout the entire Guadalcanal campaign. As American air power became more prevalent and following an attack by B-17's which killed 14 of her crew, the large ship was withdrawn from the Guadalcanal run and began resupply of New Georgia and Santa Isabel Islands where she was better protected from air attack. Nonetheless, the Tsugaru and her crew were again battered by American bombers on February 25th, 1943 while operating off Duke of York Island and though none of her crew were lost in the action she was ordered back to Japan for battle damage repairs and overhaul which kept her out of action through late May.

Returning to Rabaul via Truk following her yard period, the Tsugaru was some 340 miles North Northeast of Rabaul when she was torpedoed by the USS Silversides (SS-236) and heavily damaged on August 5th. Heroic damage control efforts by her crew got her to Rabaul the following day under heavy escort, but the damage was severe enough to require her return to Japan once more for repairs that kept her out of action until March 1944. Reassigned to the Third Southern Expeditionary Fleet upon completion of her repairs, the Tsugaru stood out of Japan for Palau and then proceeded South to Balikpapan, Borneo heavily mining the Balabac Strait enroute. Originally intended to mine the numerous straits and shipping lanes of the East Indies, the Tsugaru's mission was put on hold when American forces invaded Biak on May 27th, prompting an urgent reinforcement mission by the Japanese to help hold the island. After steaming to Mindanao and loading her 800-man share of the Second Mobile Brigade, the Tsugaru and other Japanese naval and merchant ships made several attempts to reach the island, each time being force to retire due to Allied air cover.

Assembled at Sorong for a third attempt to reinforce Biak, this time under the cover of the SuperBattleships Yamato and Musashi, the Tsugaru departed Sorong for Halmahera Island on June 21st under the cover of darkness to form part of the landing force and was off the Soela Islands when she was sighted by the HNMS K-XIV, a patrolling Dutch Submarine. Unaware she was in any danger, the Tsugaru continued on her course and was not engaged in anti-submarine maneuvers when at least one torpedo from the Dutch boat slammed into her Starboard side and blew open a hole 27 feet long by 14 feet wide, flooding her starboard mine deck and upper mine storage area. Her battle-hardened crew again set about effecting major damage control onboard as the Dutch sub departed the area and by daybreak the Tsugaru was underway once again, although down heavily by the Stern. Forced to abandon her mission and discharge her complement of soldiers at Sorong, the Tsugaru underwent temporary superficial repairs at Malifuddo which were completed on June 29th.

Ordered to Manila for further repairs, the Tsugaru departed in the early afternoon of the 29th under escort by three SubChasers when she was sighted by the patrolling USS Darter (SS-227) off Morotai. The American sub was in an advantageous position on the large, slow-moving Minelayer and her Skipper lined up his shot from roughly 2,350 yards away. Firing all four bow torpedo tubes at 1425hrs the Darter's Captain observed at least two striking the Tsugaru's Starboard side before he went deep and withdrew from the area. Aboard Tsugaru, her crew were again fighting to save their ship, but one of the torpedoes had struck her engine room and disabled all onboard power and the second had re-opened the seams of her previous torpedo damage and exposed much of the large hull spaces onboard to uncontrollable flooding. Taking a heavy list to Starboard, many of Tsugaru's crew were still at their damage control stations when she suddenly rolled over and sank at this location at 1449hrs on June 29th, 1944, taking almost her entire compliment with her to the bottom.

www.combinedfleet.com/tsugaru_t.htm