Heavy Cruiser Takao | World War II Database

Takao

Country	Japan
Ship Class	Takao-class Heavy Cruiser
Builder	Yokosuka Navy Yard
Laid Down	28 Apr 1927
Launched	12 May 1930
Commissioned	31 May 1932
Sunk	19 Oct 1946
Displacement	9850 tons standard; 15781 tons full
Length	669 feet
Beam	68 feet
Draft	21 feet
Machinery	4-shaft geared turbine, 12 Kampon boilers
Power Output	132000 SHP
Speed	34 knots
Range	8,500nm at 14 knots
Crew	773
Armament	10x8in, 8x4.7in, 66x25mm anti-aircraft, 16 torpedo tubes
Armor	1.5-5in main belt, 1.3in main deck, 0.5-1in upper deck, 3-4in bulkheads, 1in turrets
Aircraft	3
Catapults	3

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

Takao was the lead ship of her class of heavy cruisers. At the start of the Pacific War, she was commanded by Captain Asakura Bunji and participated in the invasion of the Philippine Islands in Dec 1941, providing gunfire support at Lingayen Gulf. In Feb-Mar 1942, she participated in the Battle of the Java Sea. In Jun 1942, she was a part of the Aleutian force in the two-prong attack against the Aleutian Islands and Midway Atoll; she downed a B-17 bomber during the battle. Beginning in Aug 1942, she operated in the South Pacific. She participated in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in Oct 1942, the Second Battle of Guadalcanal in Nov 1942, and the evacuation of Guadalcanal in 1943. On 5 Nov 1943, she was attacked by American carrier Saratoga's SBD dive bombers while refueling at Rabaul, with her steering damaged by two bombs; he was forced to return to Yokosuka for extended repairs. In Oct 1944, she operated under Takeo Kurita and sailed with the force to attack American landing forces in the Philippines. While in the Palawan Passage, American submarines Darter and Dace intercepted the fleet on 23 Oct. At 0524, Darther fired a spread of torpedoes and scored four or five hits on fleet mate Atago; she sank roughly 30 minutes later with heavy casualties. At 0534, Darter hit Takao twice, shattering two shafts, breaking her fantail, and flooded three boiler rooms. Takao was sent back to Singapore for repairs, escorted by the destroyers Naganami and Asashimo, the torpedo boat Hiyodori, and the transport Mitsu Maru. When she arrived at Singapore, she was moored and became a stationary anti-aircraft gun battery. She was attacked by British submarine XE3 during Operation Struggle at 2100 on 31 Jul 1945, whose magnetic limpet mines blew a hole 20-meter by 10-meter wide and took a number of her guns out of commission. The Japanese were at first clueless of the infiltration by XE3, and remained so until divers investigating the damage found unexploded mines still attached to Takao's hull. After the surrender, she was boarded by British personnel on 21 Sep 1945. She was eventually sunk as a target ship for HMS Newfoundland in the Malacca Strait.

Sources: Interrogation of Japanese Officials, Wikipedia.

Takao Operational Timeline

31 May 1932	Takao was commissioned into service.
2 Mar 1942	Japanese cruisers Takao and Atago sank US destroyer USS Pillsbury 500 miles south of Java, Dutch East Indies at 2100 hours, all 173 aboard were killed.
31 Jul 1945	Operation Struggle: British midget submarine XE3, crewed by Lieutenant Ian Fraser, Acting Leading Seaman James Magennis, Sub-Lieutenant William James Lanyon Smith, (of New Zealand), and Engine Room Artificer Third Class Charles Alfred Reed, attacked Japanese shipping at Singapore, sinking heavy cruiser Takao. Fraser and Magennis would later be awarded the Victoria Cross for this sinking, while Smith would receive the Distinguished Service Order and Reed the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal.

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