Wreck of HIJMS Kirishima (霧島)

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

HIJMS Kirishima was a Kongo Class Battleship in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second World War, and by November 1942 had already seen heavy action against Allied forces, taking part in the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Indian Ocean Raids, the Battle of Java Sea, the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.

In the early hours of November 13th, 1942 the Kirishima took part in the close-quarters melee later known as the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, wherein she, her sistership HIJMS Hiei and a task force of one Cruiser and twelve Destroyers were intercepted by US warships while en route to bombard Henderson Field and US transports on Guadalcanal. During the short but intense battle, the Japanese fleet inflicted a heavy toll on the US ships, causing the loss of five Destroyers and two Cruisers, for the loss of the Japanese Battleship Hiei and three Destroyers. After withdrawing from the battle area the Kirishima was ordered to proceed to sea at once to refuel, rearm and link up with a Japanese Heavy Cruiser force inbound from Truk to complete the original shore bombardment mission, which they completed on the evening of November 13th. The following morning found the Kirishima and her task force North of Guadalcanal attempting to link up with a troop and cargo convoy headed to reinforce Japanese troops on Guadalcanal, however shortly after the two forces joined they came under concentrated air attack from US land-based aircraft flying from the supposedly destroyed Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. In the resulting daylong series of air attacks mounted from the enemy airfield, the Japanese force lost two Cruisers and six Troopships, casualties which cancelled the reinforcement mission and brought orders for the Kirishima and all nearby warships to reform another shore bombardment task force and execute another shelling of the US Airfield.

Splitting into three groups, Japanese naval forces re-entered Ironbottom Sound after sunset on November 14th, with the Kirishima leading a dedicated bombardment force consisting of two Heavy and two Light Cruisers screened by two Destroyers. Japanese success the night prior in the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal led many aboard the Japanese ships to believe that there would be minimal US Navy presence in Ironbottom Sound to oppose their movements, however just to the Southeast of their position the USS South Dakota and the USS Washington, two US Battleships, were steaming towards Savo Island on a combat patrol, their screen of four Destroyers running in a van well ahead of their position. Still unaware of any enemy presence, the entire Japanese formation appeared on the long range Radar systems aboard the US Battleships at 2255hrs, which immediately sent out contact reports and ordered the entire formation to prepare for battle. As the first members of the Japanese force came into contact with the four US Destroyers at 2322hrs, surprise and heavy gunfire led to the entire Japanese formation to break its ranks and attack, assuming the four US Destroyers they were encountering to be a much larger American force. In the resulting half hour of close-quarters combat, the American Destroyers were all but decimated, with two ships being sunk and two so heavily damaged they were knocked out of the fight and withdrew to the Southwest away from the battle. With combat ceasing as suddenly as it had started, the Japanese force believed they had once again defeated a US Naval surface force sent to repel them, and with their path to bombard the enemy airfield seemingly clear, the Kirishima and the entire bombardment force reformed their artillery line and proceeded towards the Guadalcanal coast, switching ammunition from anti-ship armor piercing shells to fragmentation artillery shells.

Steaming astern of the Destroyer van, the crew on the Kirishima were totally unaware that their battlegroup was heading straight for the two US Battleships, which had gone all but unnoticed in the preceding action due to their distance from the battle and were now using their radars to shape their course broadside to the Japanese ships and guide their main batteries onto their first target. No sooner had the Japanese force reformed than a bright flash of light appeared from the Southeast horizon, followed moments later by the distinctive thunder of heavy guns. Caught once again by surprise, there was little time to react to the new enemy threat before the Destroyer HIJMS Anayami, steaming ahead of Kirishima in the lead of the formation, burst into flames as radar-directed shells from the American Battleships slammed into her with horrifying accuracy. Passing the battered and Anayami to Port as she slowed to a halt and began to sink, Kirishima and the balance of the Japanese force raced to reform their battle lines and identify their enemies, which now came into view less than 11,000 yards away.

At precisely midnight on November 15th, 1942 the USS Washington opened fire on the HIJMS Kirishima, initiating one of history's last Battleship vs. Battleship conflicts. Aboard the Kirishima, gun directors relied on searchlights mounted aboard their escorting Cruisers to illuminate their attackers and guide the Battleships 14-inch battery onto their first target; an enormous vessel quickly identified as a South Dakota Class Battleship. Joining with the rest of the Japanese force in concentrating their fire on the enemy Battleship, the Kirishima loosed her main and secondary batteries at the enemy, which had ceased firing after its first salvo and was beginning to withdraw as shells from Kirishima and her escorts raked across her superstructure. Seizing on the opportunity to destroy a seemingly defenseless enemy Battleship, Kirishima’s Captain raised his speed in an attempt to run down the retreating American ship while his gunners kept up their high rate of fire, but as she completed her course change bring the enemy vessel onto her Port side, another bright flash lit up the night from only 5,700 yards off Kirishima’s Starboard side. Before the sound of the gunfire could even reach the ship, Kirishima was struck by a full salvo of 16-inch shells from the USS Washington, which had managed to remain totally undetected by the Japanese force as it concentrated on the hapless South Dakota. Using her radar and the copious amount of gunfire flashes from the Kirishima to target her in the night, the Washington commenced firing her entire main battery and Starboard secondary battery from point blank range. Caught once again by surprise, Kirishima’s gun crews were all but powerless to defend themselves as at least nine 16-inch shells and over forty 5-inch shells slammed into their ship above the waterline, with several other 16-inch shells near-missing the Kirishima's decks and punching through her hull below the waterline and devastating her internal spaces. With her main batteries and many of her secondary batteries trained to Port attacking the South Dakota, this sudden attack from Starboard left the Kirishima largely unable to defend herself during the 10 minute attack, and by the time her gunners were able to return fire on the Washington the American Battleship had already disengaged and was withdrawing to the Southwest.

With the parting shots fired by the Washington lading wide of the ship at 0010hrs on November 15th, Kirishima’s role in the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal came to an end with the ship heavily damaged, listing to Starboard, on fire in several locations and unable to steer due to a 16-inch shell having destroyed her steering gear room. Damage control parties set about the herculean task of attempting to effect repairs on the battered ship as the Light Cruiser HIJMS Nagara came alongside and rigged a towline to get her out of Ironbottom Sound, however after two hours of painfully slow progress Kirishima was barely North of Savo Island and suffering from a steadily increasing list. After inspections revealed her steering system could not be repaired without the use of a shipyard and fires below decks growing steadily out of control, the decision was taken by Kirishima’s Captain to order the ship abandoned shortly before 0300hrs. With her colors struck and the Emperors portrait removed, HIJMS Kirishima was abandoned by her surviving crew and set adrift off Savo Island where charges placed on her scuttles went off and flooded the ship, rolling her onto her Starboard side and sinking her at 0325hrs on November 15th, 1942 with 212 crew still aboard ship.

Her wreck was discovered in 1993 by Robert Ballard, discoverer of the Titanic and the German Battleship Bismarck, lying upside down and missing her entire bow on the bottom of Iron Bottom Sound in 4,000 feet of water at 9°5'S, 159°42E.

www.combinedfleet.com/Kirishima.htm
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