Wreck of HIJMS Oite (追風)

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

HIJMS Oite was laid down at the Uraga Dock Company in March 1923 as Destroyer #11, the 8th member of the Kamikaze Class of Destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Commissioned into service in October 1925, she began regular operations with the growing Imperial Japanese Navy, participating in numerous Fleet Battle Tactics Maneuvers with both Battleships and Aircraft Carriers during her first years of service. Given the name Oite, or Pursuing Wind, in 1928, she and her crew took part in the Second Sino-Japanese War, protecting convoys along the Chinese Coast, providing gunfire support and patrolling the inland rivers in support of ground forces through the conflict before being withdrawn for upgrades and modernization in 1938.

Like many of her sisterships, by the time war broke out with the United States in 1941 Oite was obsolete as a frontline Destroyer, surpassed in firepower, speed, range and capabilities by more modern vessels on each side of the fight. Nevertheless, she and her sisters were outfitted for war and received primarily anti-submarine weaponry for their new roles as Convoy Escorts, though Oite was given further modification to carry and land amphibious forces before she joined Destroyer Division 29, Squadron 6 in the IJN 4th Fleet. Oite and her crew began their part in the Second World War by participating in the Invasion of Wake Island, and though she took minor damage in the aborted first attempt on December 11th she successfully landed her compliment of Special Naval Landing Forces in the second assault on December 23rd. Moving from this success, Oite and her crew would go on to participate in amphibious landings at Rabaul, Lae, Salamaua, Nauru, and Ocean Island during the next nine months before she was pulled from her Amphibious duties and placed into regular operation as a Convoy Escort out of Palau in October 1942.

Spending the balance of 1942 and all of 1943 screening merchant and naval convoys between Japan, Palau, Truk and the Solomon Islands, the Oite and her crew performed their mundane but vital duty in the face of steadily increasing numbers of American Submarines operating in what were once rear-area waters. As merchant shipping losses began to steadily mount in the second half of 1943 and into 1944, the services of Oite and her crew were in increasingly high demand, particularly between the Home Islands, Saipan, Rabaul and Truk. Working to secure the waters around Truk as the Capital ships of the Japanese Navy were withdrawn from the base after American advances placed it under threat of air attack, the Oite and her crew would screen vessels clear of the Lagoon and well into open waters before returning to Truk for another assignment or an anti-submarine patrol. By February 1944 the American Invasion of Kwajalein Atoll had prompted the order for almost all IJN vessels to evacuate Truk, including the badly damaged Light Cruiser HIJMS Agano which had been under repair in the lagoon for three months after being torpedoed off Rabaul. Oite drew the assignment to escort the Agano, which could only operate two of her four screws, from Truk to Yokosuka and the two ships departed under the cover of darkness on the morning of February 15th, 1944. Under heavy escort as they made their way into open waters, the Oite and Agano were only able to manage 160 miles in 18 hours and at first light the slow moving convoy was spotted by the submarine USS Skate (SS-277), patrolling in advance of a forthcoming US raid on Truk. After shadowing the ships throughout the day, the Skate was able to gain a firing position on the lumbering Cruiser and sent two torpedoes into her at 1644hrs. After four hours of feverish damage control efforts, the Agano was ordered abandoned and by 2300hrs over 523 of the Cruisers crew had crammed onto the decks of the Oite, which then stood by the foundering ship until she sank in the early morning of February 17th.

Grossly overloaded, topheavy and dangerously unstable, Oite had no choice but to make for Truk, as it was too dangerous to continue onward to Japan in her condition. Even after reports reached her of the devastating attack on Truk later that morning, Oite’s Captain had few options but to continue onward towards the base where he could offload survivors and lend his guns to the defense of the island. Making her best speed, Oite was within sight of the Japanese base early the next morning and had just cleared the Lagoon entrance when she was spotted by American aircraft and came under concentrated attack. Unable to properly use her guns due to crowding on her decks, the crew of the Oite struggled to fight off their attackers but only minutes after the attack began she was strafed repeatedly with machine gun and cannon fire which killed her Captain and caused dozens more casualties on her bridge and forward gun mount. The former Captain of the Agano took command of Oite and put her through highly evasive maneuvers as American planes dropped bombs and torpedoes around her, but coordinated attacks by the pilots soon overwhelmed the gallant Destroyer’s moves. After dodging two torpedoes dropped to her Starboard side she was caught by a third dropped to her Port, which slammed into the Oite’s hull directly amidships and snapped her keel. Broken in half by the force of the explosion, the Oite quickly sank in two pieces at this location, taking 172 of her crew and all 523 of the survivors from the Agano with her to the bottom.

Today, the wreck of HIJMS Oite has been located lying in 200ft of water, with her bow inverted and her Stern sitting on an even keel. She has become a popular deep-water wreck dive but as she is a war grave for nearly 700 crewmen the taking of artifacts is strictly prohibited under international law.

www.combinedfleet.com/oite_t.htm