Heavy Cruisers: Myōkō Class

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Brian James
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Re: Heavy Cruisers: Myōkō Class

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Myōkō Class Heavy Cruiser Ashigara pictured on entry to Kiel in May 1937.
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Brian James
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Re: Heavy Cruisers: Myōkō Class

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Launch day for Myōkō Class Heavy Cruiser Nachi on Slipway No 3 at Kure Naval Arsenal on June 15th 1927..She was sunk by USN aircraft from USS Lexington and USS Ticonderoga in Manila Bay on November 5th 1944.
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designeraccd
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Re: Heavy Cruisers: Myōkō Class

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A nice stern view of ASHIGARA at Malta with apparently some salt water "sanding" of her paint.......... ;) DFO
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Brian James
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Re: Heavy Cruisers: Myōkō Class

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Lead Ship, Heavy Cruiser Myōkō pictured at Kure Naval Arsenal on August 29th 1931..Myōkō participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf as part of Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita's First Mobile Striking Force (Center Force) consisting of four Battleships and ten Cruisers. As the Center Force tried to force a passage through the Sibuyan Sea it was spotted and attacked by US Task Force 38. Although most airstrikes concentrated on the Battleship Musashi, Myōkō was hit by a torpedo aft on the starboard side, which damaged her starboard screws. She broke off and headed for Singapore at a reduced speed of 15 knots, arriving on November 2nd 1944. After temporary repairs she departed for Japan with a stop at Cam Ranh Bay.
En route to Cam Ranh Bay Myōkō was hit by one torpedo from a spread of six, fired by Balao Class Submarine USS Bergall at 17:35 on December 13th 1944 on her aft port side, blowing away her stern, and leaving her unable to steer. She went dead in the water. Despite the extensive damage to her stern, one port screw remained operable and she could make 6 knots. Unable to steer, she was towed by Destroyer Ushio (which assisted in damaging Bergall, which survived and returned to Fremantle) and several other ships to Singapore harbour for repairs; however, there were insufficient materials at Singapore to complete the repairs for both Myōkō and Takao, the latter which had been severely damaged by two Submarine-launched torpedoes prior to the Sibuyan Sea battle.
In February 1945, the harbour commander reported that Myōkō was irreparable at Singapore without more materials, and impossible to tow to Japan. He recommended that Myōkō be kept in Singapore as a floating anti-aircraft battery, and this suggestion was approved. Both Myōkō and Takao were targeted by British Midget Submarine attacks on July 26th, but survived the war.
Myōkō formally surrendered to Royal Navy units on September 21st 1945, and was subsequently towed to the Strait of Malacca and scuttled off Port Swettenham, Malaya (near present-day Port Klang, Malaysia) on July 8th 1946, near Submarines I-501 and I-502.
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designeraccd
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Re: Heavy Cruisers: Myōkō Class

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A wartime view of ASHIGARA. ;) DFO
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Brian James
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Re: Heavy Cruisers: Myōkō Class

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Myōkō Class Heavy Cruiser Nachi pictured at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on December 3rd 1928.......She was sunk by USN aircraft in Manila Bay on November 5th 1944.
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Brian James
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Re: Heavy Cruisers: Myōkō Class

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Lead Ship, Heavy Cruiser Myōkō pictured on the ways on slipway No 2 at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, December 20th 1926.
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Brian James
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Re: Heavy Cruisers: Myōkō Class

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Myōkō Class Heavy Cruiser Haguro pictured under construction at Mitsubishi Shipyards, Nagasaki c 1927...In May 1945, Haguro was the target of the British 'Operation Dukedom' and was ambushed. The 26th Destroyer Flotilla found her with the Destroyer Kamikaze just after midnight on May 16th 1945, and began the attack. During the battle, Kamikaze was lightly damaged, but Haguro was hit by gunfire and three Mark IX torpedoes from the British Destroyers. She soon began to slow down and took a 30-degree list to port.
At 02:32, Haguro began to go down stern first in the Malacca Strait, 55 miles off Penang; Kamikaze rescued 320 survivors, but 751 men, including Vice Admiral Hashimoto and Rear Admiral Sugiura, perished with her. Rear Admiral Sugiura was posthumously promoted to vice admiral on May 16th. Haguro was the last major Japanese warship to be sunk in a surface action during the war.
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designeraccd
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Re: Heavy Cruisers: Myōkō Class

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NACHI going down from USN air attack.........DFO
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Brian James
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Re: Heavy Cruisers: Myōkō Class

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No 5 turret, Third Year Type, 8 inch 50 calibre trunking and ammunition hoist assembly pictured being fitted to Lead Ship, Heavy Cruiser Myōkō at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal during her fitting out on February 21st 1929.
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