Wreck of HIJMS Arashi (嵐)

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

Laid down in May 1939 at the Maizuru Naval Arsenal as the 16th member of the Kagero Class of Destroyers, HIJMS Arashi commissioned into service with the Imperial Japanese Navy in November 1940 as a member of Destroyer Division 4, Squadron 4, IJN Second Fleet.

Conducting type training for the next year in preparation for the coming war with the United States, Arashi and her crew joined with their division mates at Mako in the Pescadores Islands in late November and awaited the order to begin offensive action. Serving as a rear guard escort for naval and merchant convoys taking part in the Philippines Campaign and Dutch East Indies campaigns, Arashi and her crew were brought to the front lines during the Japanese campaign to capture Java and shortly after her arrival in the Java Sea in March 1942 she began a highly successful period of surface engagements. Credited with assisting in the sinking of two merchant ships and defeating the Minesweeper Scott Harley, Destroyer HMS Stronghold and the American Gunboat USS Asheville (PG-21) in separate engagements, the Arashi returned to Japan in April 1942 for a well-deserved period of refit and liberty for her crew.

Active once again as the Japanese Combined Fleet sailed for Midway Atoll for its planned decisive battle with the United States Navy, Arashi’s sonar crew made contact with the submerged USS Nautilus (SS-16) well off Midway and spent several hours conducting a solo attack on the sub, though she was unable to confirm its destruction and departed the area at high speed to rejoin her Carriers. Spotted by American aircraft which were hunting for the Japanese Carrier force, Arashi unintentionally provided the pilots with a heading to follow towards their target, resulting in the total destruction of the Japanese Carrier force on June 5th 1942 and Japanese defeat in the Battle of Midway. Reassigned to the IJN Third Fleet after her return from the Midway operation, Arashi and her crew steamed to Truk in July where they began their involvement with Japan’s effort to resupply their garrison fighting American forces on the Island of Guadalcanal. Arashi spent six months conducting regular supply, escort and support missions between Truk, Rabaul and Guadalcanal which became known as the “Tokyo Express” by the Allies and frequently found herself clashing with American surface and air units as both sides fought for control of the island. Withdrawing from Guadalcanal after Japan conceded the island in favor of stronger defenses further up the Solomons Chain, Arashi returned to Japan in February 1943 for what would become four months of repairs and upgrades to her onboard systems.

Returning to the Solomon Islands and resuming her role in the Tokyo Express in July, Arashi was placed into Destroyer Group 4 and began resupply efforts for Japanese forces fighting on New Georgia. Surviving a poorly executed surprise attack by US PT Boats on August 2nd on a run to Kolombangara, Arashi returned to Rabaul and loaded another group of Japanese soldiers and supplies on August 6th and departed with her four group mates on another run to Kolombangara. Leading the four ship formation on an uneventful cruise to the mouth of Vella Gulf, the non radar-equipped Arashi was first to enter the Gulf, relying on the radarmen aboard the two Shiriatsuyu Class Destroyers steaming directly Astern of her in single file to warn her of any danger. Alert lookouts aboard Arashi found no indication of the enemy as they sped into Vella Gulf and with no contacts reported on radar the order was given for Arashi’s crew to begin preparations to discharge their load of men and material.

Unbeknownst to the crew of Arashi or any of the ships following her, U.S. Navy Task Group 31.2, consisting of the Destroyers USS Dunlap (DD-384), USS Craven (DD-382), USS Maury (DD-401), USS Lang (DD-399), USS Sterett (DD-407) and USS Stack (DD-406) was lying in wait on the other side of Vella Gulf, using the steep terrain of Kolombangara to mask their ships from the primitive Japanese radar systems. All six American ships were radar equipped and began tracking the Japanese ships as soon as they had entered the Gulf at 2333hrs and once all guns and torpedo batteries were brought to bear on their targets, the order was to fire passed and in less than a minute a 36 torpedo salvo was sent speeding across Vella Gulf.

From her position in the lead of the formation, Arashi would have had the least amount of warning of any of the Japanese ships that they were involved in the Battle of Vella Gulf, as the first indication she was in danger came when the first American torpedo slammed into her bow and detonated, severing everything forward of the bridge. Struck again in her forward boiler room and again beneath her rear gun mounts, Arashi reeled from the combined detonations and was set alight as her bunker fuel coated her deck and the water around in fire. Now brightly illuminated, Arashi and her fellow Destroyers came under concentrated and highly accurate radar-directed fire from the American formation, and before she could even bring a single gun to bear Arashi was riddled with shells above and below her water line. By the time the American Destroyers ceased fire, Arashi was rapidly sinking by the bow and her surviving crew and load of soldiers hastily abandoned their ship.

Less than ten minutes after the Battle of Vella Gulf began, HIJMS Arashi sank bow-first at this location, taking an unknown number of crew and soldiers with her to the bottom.

www.combinedfleet.com/arashi_t.htm