Wreck of HIJMS Natsugumo (夏雲) | Second World War 1939-1945, military, shipwreck, destroyer (ship)

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

HIJMS Natsugumo was the fifth member of the Asashio Class of Destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy, laid down at the Sasebo Naval Arsenal in July 1936 and commissioned into service in February 1938 as a member of Destroyer Division 9, Squadron 4, IJN Second Fleet. Engaged primarily with battle tactics exercises and screening duties for Japanese Capital ships through early 1941, the Natsugumo was assigned to the Philippines Invasion Force on the eve of the Second World War and stood out of Mako on December 7th, 1941 bound for Lingayen.

After covering invasion forces landing in the Philippines, the Natsugumo shaped her course for Borneo and the Dutch East Indies, covering the landings at Tarakan, Balikpapan, Makassar, Bawean Island, Eastern Java and Christmas Island through April 1942 as Japan’s offensive reached its zenith, after which ship and crew returned to Japan for an off-line period of R&R and repairs. Returning for duty in time to play an ineffectual rear-area role in the disastrous Battle of Midway in June 1942, Natsugumo and her crew steamed North to operate in support of Japanese forces fighting in the Aleutian Islands through the end of July before being assigned to escort duties out of Truk. The American invasion of Guadalcanal in August 1942 brought the Natsugumo and her crew into their first real conflict with the forces of the United States, as she screened the Seaplane Tender HIJMS Chitose during the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands in late August, then began regular escort duty of major fleet units out of into and out of Truk as Japan moved to repulse the Allied advance.

Ordered to join Japanese Naval efforts to resupply Japanese ground forces and disrupt American air, sea and ground forces operating on Guadalcanal, the Natsugumo steamed to Rabaul and began regular operations with the so-called “Tokyo Express”, making three separate runs carrying troops in early October between Rabaul and Cape Esperance on Guadalcanal. Retained for another run as part of a joint resupply and shore bombardment convoy on the 11th of October, the Natsugumo and her crew departed the Shortland Islands at 1400hrs and took their position around the transport convoy as the Japanese force sped down “the slot” towards its destination, and as planned detached from the shore bombardment force shortly before 2300hrs. Screening her charges safely to their destination, the Natsugumo’s crew would have likely seen and heard the unmistakable flash and rumble of heavy gunfire as the shore bombardment force met defeat at the hands of a US Navy Task Force in the Battle of Cape Esperance while the transports carried out their resupply mission. With her role in the nights operation successfully completed, the Natsugumo and her crew were preparing to screen her transports back into open waters West of Guadalcanal when orders came in for her to join her sistership HIJMS Asagumo in covering the withdrawal of the Heavy Cruiser HIJMS Kinugasa, herself covering the withdrawal of several damaged ships from the nights battle.

Moving Northward into the open waters off Savo Island as dawn approached, both Natsugumo and Asagumo crews kept a sharp lookout for enemy ships and aircraft as they sped towards their target, and just as the two ships arrived to screen the Kinugasa a flight of five American SBD-3 Dive Bombers suddenly appeared and attacked. Though the enemy aircraft manage to catch the three Japanese vessels off-guard, strident anti-aircraft fire from all three ships fought off their attackers without any damage, though the same could not be said for the Destroyer HIJMS Murakumo which was operating to the South and was left dead in the water by an American torpedo. With the Kinugasa far enough North to be out of range of American aircraft, both the Natsugumo and Asagumo were dispatched to assist the crippled ship, and by 1540hrs were less than a mile away from their destination when another flight of American aircraft were spotted closing in on their position. Identifying over twenty aircraft, many of which were dive bombers, gunners aboard Natsugumo began to throw up a pall of anti-aircraft fire onto their attackers while their ship began evasive maneuvering, however American pilots using “hammer and anvil” tactics eventually overwhelmed the gunners aboard both ships. Turning hard to avoid a torpedo attack at approximately 1550hrs, the Natsugumo turned directly into the path of downward-streaking dive-bombers, one of which managed to release its entire bombload onto the midsection of the ship, with all three bombs slamming into Natsugumo’s engine and firerooms and detonating with enough force to nearly break the ship in half.

Rapidly slowing to a halt and beginning to sag amidships, Natsugumo’s stunned crews continued to fire on their attackers until all power aboard ship was lost, allowing several more dive-bombers to score near-misses on the stationary and battered ship that further exacerbated her severe hull damage. With the ship clearly lost and beginning to capsize under the weight of water pouring into her hull, Natsugumo’s surviving crew abandoned ship before she finally rolled over and sank at this location at 1627hrs on October 12th, 1942. Twenty two of her crew, including her Captain, went down with the ship.

www.combinedfleet.com/natsug_t.htm