Lewin of Greenwich Naval History & Forum

Ironic?.....Japanese sailors man the rails of the Kuma Class Light Cruiser IJNS Kiso, as Lead Ship,Heavy Cruiser USS Astoria enters Yokohama harbour carrying the ashes of Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Hirosi Saito, April 17th 1939.
On November 13th 1944 IJNS Kiso was attacked by more than 350 carrier planes of Task Force 38's Carrier Task Groups 38.1's Hornet, Monterey and Cowpens, TG 38.3's Essex, Ticonderoga and Langley and TG 38.4's Enterprise and San Jacinto. Three bombs hit Kiso to starboard - one in the bow, one near her boiler rooms and one near her aft gun mounts. Kiso sank in shallow waters 8.1 miles west of Cavite Captain Ryonosuke Imamura and 103 of her crew survived, but 715 crewmen went down with the ship.
USS Astoria was sunk during the Battle of Savo Island on August 9th 1942 with the loss of 219 lives.

Kuma Class Light Cruiser Kitakami pictured at Uraga Dock on February 28th 1940.

Kuma Class Light Cruiser Kiso pictured at Shibaura Pier, Tokyo on May 10th 1937.

Lead Ship, Light Cruiser Kuma pictured at Qingdao on July 16th 1935.

Kuma Class Light Cruiser Tama pictured at Honolulu on August 15th 1939...sunk by Balao Class Submarine USS Jallao northeast of Luzon on October 25th 1944.

Kuma Class Light Cruiser Tama pictured on her launch day at Mitsubishi Nagasaki Machinery Works Shipyard on February 10th 1920...During the Battle of Leyte Gulf (October 20th 1944), Tama was assigned to Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa's Northern Mobile ('Decoy') Force. During the Battle off Cape Engano (October 25th), Ozawa's force was attacked by Task Force 38, with USS Enterprise, Essex, Intrepid, Franklin, Lexington, Independence, Belleau Wood, Langley, Cabot and San Jacinto. Tama was attacked by TBM Avenger torpedo bombers from VT-21 of Belleau Wood and VT-51 from San Jacinto. A Mk 13 torpedo hit Tama in her No. 2 boiler room. After emergency repairs, Tama retired from the battle, escorted by the Cruiser Isuzu, but Isuzu was ordered to protect the damaged Aircraft Carrier Chiyoda. Tama was then escorted by Destroyer Shimotsuki, but later Shimotsuki too was ordered off to assist the damaged Carrier Zuiho. Tama proceeded alone at 14 knots towards Okinawa...Northeast of Luzon, Tama's luck ran out, as Balao Class Submarine USS Jallao — on her first war patrol — picked up Tama on radar. Her attack of three bow torpedoes from 1,000 yds missed, but her second salvo of four stern torpedoes from 800 yds was more successful. Three torpedoes hit Tama, breaking her in two, and sinking her within minutes, with all hands.

Launch day for Lead Ship, Light Cruiser Kuma, pictured at Sasebo Naval Arsenal on July 14th 1919...She was torpedoed by T Class Submarine HMS Tally-Ho northwest of Penang on January 11th 1944.

Kuma Class Light Cruiser Kitakami.