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Japanese cruiserSakawa

Coordinates:11°37′N165°29′E/ 11.617°N 165.483°E/11.617; 165.483
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Sakawain November 1944 atSasebo,shortly before commissioning
History
Empire of Japan
NameSakawa
NamesakeSakawa River
Ordered1939
BuilderSasebo Naval Arsenal
Laid down21 November 1942
Launched9 April 1944
Completed30 November 1944
Stricken5 October 1945
FateSunk as a target inOperation Crossroads,2 July 1946
General characteristics (as built)
Class and typeAgano-classlight cruiser
Displacement
Length174.1 m (571 ft 2 in) (o/a)
Beam15.2 m (49 ft 10 in)
Draft5.63 m (18 ft 6 in)
Installed power
Propulsion4 shafts; 4 gearedsteam turbinesets
Speed35knots(65 km/h; 40 mph)
Range6,300nmi(11,700 km; 7,200 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement805; 824 when serving as aflagship
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament
Armor
  • Belt60 mm (2.4 in)
  • Deck20 mm (0.79 in)
Aircraft carried2 ×floatplanes
Aviation facilities1 × aircraftcatapult

Sakawa(Rượu hung)was the last of fourAgano-classlight cruisersbuilt for theImperial Japanese Navy(IJN) duringWorld War II.Fuel shortages crippled the IJN's operations by the time the ship was completed in late 1944 and she never left Japanese waters. After the war,Sakawawas used to ferry Japanese troops home until she was selected in early 1946 to be expended fornuclear weapontests duringOperation Crossroads.The ship was used as a target during the first bomb test on 1 July and sank the following day.

Design and description

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TheAgano-class ships were intended to replace the obsolete light cruisers built in the 1910s and 1920s asflagshipsofdestroyerflotillas.The ships measured 174.1 meters (571 ft 2 in)long overallwith abeamof 15.2 meters (49 ft 10 in) and had adraftof 5.63 meters (18 ft 6 in). Theydisplaced6,652metric tons(6,547long tons) atstandard loadand 8,534 metric tons (8,399 long tons) atdeep load.[1]Sakawahad a crew of 55 officers and 750 enlisted men;[2]assignment as a flagship added 3 officers and 16 more sailors.[3]

TheAganoclass had four gearedsteam turbinesets, each driving a singlepropeller shaft,using steam provided by sixKamponRo Gōwater-tube boilers.The turbines were designed to produce a total of 100,000shaft horsepower(75,000 kW) and give the ships a speed of 35knots(65 km/h; 40 mph). They carried enoughfuel oilto give them a range of 6,300nautical miles(11,700 km; 7,200 mi) at a speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph).[4]

Armament and sensors

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The main armament of theAganoclass consisted of six15-centimeter (6 in) 41st Year Type gunsin three twin-gun turrets,two in front of thesuperstructureand oneaft.The secondary armament included four8-centimeter (3 in) 98th Year Typeanti-aircraft (AA) gunsin two twin turretsamidships.[5]Sakawa,being the last-built ship of herclass,had the strongest suite of light anti-aircraft weapons which included 10 triple and 18 single mounts for2.5-centimeter (1 in) Type 96AA guns. The ships also had two quadruple torpedo launchers for61-centimeter (24 in) Type 93 (Long Lance) torpedoeson the centerline and had a reload system with eight spare torpedoes. They were equipped foranti-submarine warfarewith twodepth chargechutes for 18 depth charges and could also carry threemines.TheAgano-class ships were also fitted with a pair ofAichi E13Afloatplanesand acatapult.[6]

To detect submarines, theAganos were equipped with a Type 93 Model 2hydrophoneinstallation and, unlike her sisters,Sakawahad a Type 3 Model 1sonar,based on a German design. The ship was completed withType 13andType 21early-warning radarsas well as aType 22surface-search radar.The latter system had received a modification that allowed it to be used forfire-controlas well.[7]

Construction and career

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Sakawa,named after theSakawa River,[8]waslaid downon 21 November 1942 atSasebo Naval Arsenal.The ship waslaunchedon 9 April 1944 and completed on 30 November. Oncommissioning,she was assigned directly to theCombined Fleet.On 15 January 1945Sakawabecame flagship of Destroyer Squadron 11, training with new destroyers in theInland Sea,and participating in a series of tests of a new anti-radar submarine coating. On 1 April, thesquadronwas assigned toOperation Ten-Go,the suicide mission against the American invasion forces atOkinawa.They were originally scheduled to accompany thebattleshipYamatoand hersister shipYahagi,but there was no fuel available for the squadron to participate in the mission.[9]

On 26 May one ofSakawa's propellers struck a rock in theKanmon StraitsbetweenKyushuandHonshu,but only had its tips partly bent. The ship was later transferred to theMaizuru Naval Districtand arrived there on 19 July. She was attacked by aircraft from theaircraft carrierUSSYorktownsix days later, but was not damaged. WhenJapan surrenderedon 2 September,Sakawawas docked atMaizuru.[9]

Post-war operations

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Sakawain Sasebo, 15 October 1945

Shortly after the war, she was demilitarized, with her guns disabled, and her torpedoes, ammunition and other armament removed. On 5 October, the ship was struck from thenavy list.Later that monthSakawawas used to evacuate 1,339Imperial Japanese Armytroops stranded on four small islands (Sonsorol,Fanna,MerirandHatohobei) in the southernPalaugroup. She continued to work for the Repatriation Service as a transport until the end of February 1946, returning Japanese troops fromNew Guinea,Koreaand from other locations.[9]

Sakawaawaiting atomic bomb testing, 1946

On 25 February 1946,Sakawawas sent to Yokosuka, where she was formally handed over to theUnited States Navyas aprize of war,for use (along with other surviving ships of the former Imperial Japanese Navy) in the upcomingBikini atomic experiments.The salvage crew found her leaky hull infested with rats, and that most of the ship's systems were not functional. Together with the battleshipNagato,the ship departedYokosukaforEniwetokwith a 165-man American crew on 18 March, with eleven of her former Japanese officers aboard to assist them. Ten days later, 300 nautical miles (560 km; 350 mi) from Eniwetok,Sakawabroke down andNagatoattempted to tow the cruiser, but had aboilerfailure and then ran out of fuel. Anoil tanker,SSNickajack Trail,was diverted to refuel the ships, but ran aground on areefin bad weather and was lost. The two ex-Japanese ships were finally taken in tow on 30 March, withSakawareaching Eniwetok two days later.[9]

Aerial view of the mushroom cloud.
Aerial view of theAblemushroom cloud rising from the lagoon with the Bikini Island visible in the background

While at Eniwetok, five of the ship's American sailors were angry over the dismal working conditions aboardSakawaand sabotaged her in an unsuccessful attempt to get off the ship. They damaged the fuel system, poured sand into the oil and water pumps, smashed gauges, tachometers, and cut high-pressure steam lines. Repairs took four days and the five sailors were brought up on charges.Sakawasailed toBikini Atollthe following month.

Operation Crossroads began with the first blast (Test Able), anair burston 1 July;Sakawawas filled with cages containing various animals to be tested for radiation effects.Ground zerowas 450 meters (490 yd) above and slightly to starboard ofSakawa's stern. The blast set the ship afire[9]and its force crushed her superstructure aft of herbridge,damaged herhulland she began taking on water. After the test,Sakawawas slightly down by the stern and had a slightlisttoport.The flooding progressively worsened overnight and the following morning saw her even more settled by the stern and with a greater list.[10]Thetug boatUSSAchomawitried tobeachthe cruiser to prevent her from sinking, but failed asSakawastarted sinking by the stern almost as soon as towing began.Achomawihad to cut the tow cable to prevent herself from being dragged under.[9]Sakawasank at11°37′N165°29′E/ 11.617°N 165.483°E/11.617; 165.483in about 200 feet (61 m) of water.[11]

The second weapons test, Baker, was an underwater shot on 25 July about 500 feet (150 m) away from the sunkenSakawa.It blew most of the remaining forward superstructure off the ship and further damaged the wreck.Sakawais mostly upright on the sandy bottom, but there is very little surviving aft of the forward gun turrets.[10][11][12]

Notes

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  1. ^Whitley, p. 186
  2. ^Stille, p. 39
  3. ^Lacroix & Wells, p. 591
  4. ^Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 111
  5. ^Stille, pp. 35–36
  6. ^Lacroix & Wells, pp. 571–72, 579–580
  7. ^Lacroix & Wells, pp. 578–581
  8. ^Lacroix & Wells, p. 562
  9. ^abcdefHackett & Kingsepp
  10. ^abTully
  11. ^ab"IJN Sakawa".The Wrecksite.Retrieved4 February2018.
  12. ^"Bikini Atoll Dive Tourism Information".Bikini Atoll Divers.Retrieved4 February2018.

Bibliography

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