Heavy Cruisers: Aoba Class

[Brian James]

Lead Ship,Heavy Cruiser IJNS Aoba pictured on Sea Trials,off Nagasaki on July 23rd 1927.

[Brian James]

Aoba Class Heavy Cruiser Kinugasa pictured off Kure Naval Arsenal in October 1927.....From October 24th-26th and 1st–5th November 1942, Kinugasa and Chōkai provided cover for replacement convoys of troops and equipment to bolster Japanese defenses at Guadalcanal. On November 13th, during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Kinugasa was attacked by Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers and Douglas SBD Dauntlesses from USS Enterprise and USMC Avengers from Guadalcanal on her return trip from an unopposed bombardment of Henderson Field the night before. At 09:36, a 500-pound bomb hit Kinugasa's 0.5 inch machine gun mount in front of the bridge, starting a fire in the forward gasoline storage area. Captain Sawa and his executive officer were killed by the bomb, and Kinugasa gradually began to list to port. Near-misses caused additional fires and flooding and a second attack by 17 more Dauntlesses knocked out Kinugasa's engines and rudder and opened more compartments to the sea. At 11:22, she capsized and sank southwest of Rendova Island taking 511 crewmen with her.

[designeraccd]

AOBA in 1927, taken from a visiting USN cruiser..... DFO