Wreck of HIJMS Natsushima (夏島)

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

Laid down at the Ishikawajima Zosensho Shipyard in Tokyo in December 1931, HIJMS Natsushima was the namesake ship of her class of Minelayers and commissioned into service with the Imperial Japanese Navy in July 1933. After routine training and patrol operations primarily in Japans Inland Sea and along the West Coast, Natsushima and her crew were called upon to participate in the Second Sino-Japanese War which broke out in 1937, and promptly set to work mining Chinese Coastal and River waterways in support of Japanese forces fighting ashore.

Assigned to the Sakei Guard Unit at the outbreak of war with the United States in December 1941, Natsushima and her crew conducted regular anti-submarine patrols and defensive mining operations in the Bungo Straits through November 1942, when she was ordered South to the Japanese Fleet Base at Rabaul. Operating against an ever-increasing number of American vessels in the Solomon Islands area, the Natsushima spent much of the next five months busily mining harbors around Bougainville, Rabaul and the Shortland Islands before departing Rabaul for the Palau Islands in March for similar duty. Eventually returning to Japan, she conducted mining and patrol duty out of Port Arthur, Manchuria from April 1943 through January 1944 when she put into Yokosuka for her first major wartime overhaul and modernization period.

Emerging from the yard in early February, the Natsushima was ordered to form up with troopship convoy 3206 and escort it to Truk Naval Base, where the ships would disembark their cargo of the Imperial Japanese Army’s 52nd Infantry Division. Departing Japanese waters on February 4th, the convoy proceeded South and was roughly 185 miles North of Truk when it was attacked by the USS Tang (SS-306) during the early morning hours of February 17th, with the loss of the Gyoten Maru and nearly every man aboard her. Natsushima and the other escorts counterattacked without result, and after rescuing the few survivors from the water the convoy continued onward towards Truk. Word reached the force shortly after dawn of a large American air raid on the Japanese Base and the heavy losses in both men, material and ships that had been suffered at the hands of US Naval Aviators during Operation Hailstone, prompting the convoy to flank speed in order to render assistance to the embattled base. Just outside of Truk Lagoon at 1400hrs, the Natsushima and her convoy were at battle stations as the ships prepared to enter the narrow Northern Entrance when they came under attack by several American aircraft. Natsushima’s gunners unleashed everything they could against their attackers as their ship maneuvered frantically and succeeded in keeping their ship undamaged, however two more troopships were sunk with heavy losses before the attack ended and the remnants of the convoy dropped anchor at Truk in the late evening.

Remaining in Truk for the following day providing much-needed anti-aircraft fire as American attacks continued virtually unopposed, the Natsushima and her crew were ordered to evacuate the base as darkness fell on February 18th. After loading evacuees and threading her way through the submarine-infested exit channels from Truk Lagoon, the Natsushima fled Southward to Kavieng where she discharged her passengers, refueled and departed Westward on the morning of February 22nd. Steaming alone to the South of the Tingwon Islands, the Natsushima was sighted by lookouts aboard the American Destroyers USS Stanly (DD-478), USS Charles Ausburne (USS-570) and USS Dyson (USS-572) as they patrolled for enemy shipping off Kavieng. All three US Destroyers quickly moved to engage the Natsushima, which despite being hopelessly outgunned for the coming engagement turned towards her attackers and opened fire with her two 3-inch guns. The American Destroyers quickly formed a gunline against the onrushing Minelayer and savagely battered Natsushima their 5-inch deck guns, scoring numerous direct hits and near-misses which set the Japanese vessel aflame and eventually left her dead in the water in less than ten minutes.

Listing heavily with several large fires out of control and with her load of mines and depth charges threatening to detonate at any moment, the crew of the Natsushima abandoned ship as the American Destroyers ceased fire on the hapless ship. With an unknown number of living crew still aboard her the Natsushima gave out and sank bow-first at this location on February 22nd, 1944. Survivors in the water refused to be rescued by the American ships, and after several attempts were made by US Sailors the remaining crew of Natsushima were left to their fate. To date, its unknown if any of her 64 crew survived her sinking.

www.combinedfleet.com/Natsushima_t.htm