Wreck of HIJMS Atago (あたご)

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

HIJMS Atago was laid down in April 1927 as the final member of the Takao Class of Heavy Cruisers and commissioned into service with the Imperial Japanese Navy’s 2nd Fleet, 4th Cruiser Division in March 1932. Paired with her three sisterships for the majority of the next decade, the Atago and her crew engaged in numerous fleet and division exercises aimed at improving their proficiency at operating their state-of-the-art vessel, which at the time was more than a match for any other Heavy Cruiser afloat in the world. As the Japanese Empire drew up plans to expand their territory in the Pacific in the closing years of the 1930’s, Atago was overhauled and modernized for the coming action between 1940 and early 1941, after which she assumed the role of Flagship of her Cruiser Division and sailed for Mako in November 1941, where she and her crew received their orders to support the forthcoming invasions of Malaya and the Philippines.

Operating from the Palau Islands the Atago and her sisterships took part in the systematic Japanese conquest of the Philippines and former Dutch East Indies through March 1942, finding only light organized resistance from land, sea and air to combat during her combat cruise. With her mission duly accomplished, Atago returned to Japan for an overhaul and addition of more anti-aircraft weapons before she put to sea again, escorting troopships bound for the American base at Midway. Remaining outside of the battle area during the pitched air conflict on June 4th, 1942, the Atago emerged from the disastrous Japanese defeat unscathed and returned to Japan for further tactics training in late June. Atago’s period of training was cut short in August when reports that American forces had begun an invasion at the island of Guadalcanal, prompting Atago and her sisters to depart Japan with a large Japanese surface force to counter the American advance.

Staging at the Japanese Naval Base at Truk, the Atago became heavily involved in the pitched and violent struggle to repulse the Americans and their Australian allies from their toehold in the Solomon Islands. Between August and December Atago was involved in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands and culminating with the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. During this night action, Atago and her sistership HIJMS Takao traded fire with the American Battleships USS Washington (BB-56) & USS South Dakota (BB-57), causing heavy damage to the latter but failing to decisively win the battle before both sides broke contact and withdrew. Forced to retire due to moderate damage she received in the firefight, Atago returned to Japan in December 1942 for repairs and overhaul which kept her out of the action until February 1943. By this time, Japanese forces had abandoned their efforts to win back Guadalcanal and Atago operated out of Truk through October, when she was again called on to repulse American forces, this time further up the Solomons chain at Bougainville.

Standing out of Truk with her three sisters and two fellow Cruisers on November 3rd, 1943 the Atago arrived at the Japanese base of Rabaul in the early morning of November 5th and began refueling for their planned sortie against US forces the following night. While the entire force was still in harbor, it came under massed air attack by US Navy aircraft and despite her crew’s efforts to repel their attackers, the Atago was near-missed by at least three 500lb bombs which caused significant hull damage and killed 21 of her crew, including her Captain. Forced to abandon her mission, Atago returned to Japan for repairs once again which lasted two months before she returned to Truk to resume operations with her division. Operating between Truk, Palau and Tawi-Tawi during the first half of 1944, the Atago and her sisterships were again drawn into battle with the Americans to repulse their efforts to invade the Island of Saipan in the Marianas in June 1944. At the resulting Battle of the Philippine Sea, Japanese and American aircraft clashed in a lopsided air battle referred to as the ‘Great Marianas Turkey Shoot’ before Atago and the rest of the Japanese surface fleet ever came within visual range of their adversaries, and mounting losses in both aircraft and Carriers eventually forced the Japanese to withdraw. Atago returned to Japan for a brief period of repair from battle damage before she loaded fresh Japanese troops and stood out for Singapore, where she was drydocked and fitted with Radar and additional anti-aircraft weaponry from June through late July 1944.

After taking part in intensive fleet exercises and maneuvers through August and early October 1944, Atago joined her sisters once again at Brunei, Borneo on October 20th where she refueled, reprovisioned and rearmed for her next action against American forces which had just invaded the Philippine Islands. Joining into a force of three Battleships, six Cruisers and ten Destroyers to constitute the ‘Center Force’ of a three-pronged Naval Assault on the American beachhead at Leyte, the Atago and her fleetmates departed Brunei October 22nd, 1944 under strict radio silence. Making their way along the Borneo coast and up the Western edge of Palawan under the cover of darkness, Atago and the Center force unknowingly came into range of the radar systems aboard the American Submarines USS Darter (SS-227) & USS Dace (SS-247) which were picketing the Western approaches to the Mindoro Strait. Both Submarines quickly alerted US forces and raced Northwards to outflank the Japanese ships, and as the sun began to light the Eastern sky, both ships submerged and moved into a position to jointly attack the large Japanese formation.

Aboard Atago, the brightening Eastern sky lent her lookouts some assistance as they scanned the sky and sea around their ship for signs of the enemy as she sped Northward on the Northeast position of her formation. Unbeknownst to her crew, the rising sun also provided the Captain of the USS Darter with a well-defined target as he lay in wait with a full spread of six torpedoes ready to fire from his submerged boat. Carefully lining up his shot, Darter’s Captain fired all six torpedoes at the Atago at 0531hrs, which amazingly took no evasive action after the first torpedo passed just in front of her bow. Before anyone aboard the Atago could react, the second, third, fourth and fifth torpedoes fired by Darter struck home along her Port side; the first just ahead of her #1 turret, the second beneath her superstructure, the third in her forward engine rooms and the final torpedo striking her beneath her aircraft catapults. Reeling to Starboard from the force of the explosions, the Atago’s ruptured fuel bunkers sprayed much of the ships Port side in burning oil which quickly set the water around the stricken ship afire as she rolled back to an even keel and went dead in the water. Within minutes of the attack, Atago had lost all power and communications, was taking a significant list to Port and had begun to swamp by the bow as tons of seawater entered her hull through the gaping holes left by Darter’s torpedoes. With the rest of the formation executing evasive maneuvers, the Atago was left helpless to combat her catastrophic flooding and fires and within five minutes of the attack the order was passed to abandon ship. As her crew was still scrambling over the side, her sisters Maya and Takao were also struck by torpedoes; Takao by the two shots which had missed Atago and Maya by the submarine USS Dace. With the Japanese formation now in chaos, Atago lost her battle against the inrushing water and sank bow-first at this location at 0553hrs on October 23rd, 1944, taking 360 of her crew with her to the bottom.

www.combinedfleet.com/atago_t.htm