Katori file photo [30816]

Katori

CountryJapan
Ship ClassKatori-class Light Cruiser
BuilderMitsubishi Yokohama Shipyards, Japan
Laid Down24 Aug 1938
Launched17 Jun 1939
Commissioned20 Apr 1940
Sunk19 Feb 1944
Displacement5,890 tons standard; 6,180 tons full
Length426 feet
Beam52 feet
Draft19 feet
Machinery3 Kampon boilers, geared turbines plus diesel motors, 2 shafts
Power Output8,000 shaft horsepower
Speed18 knots
Range9,000nm at 10 knots
Crew315
Armament2x2x140mm 50cal guns, 2x127mm 40cal anti-aircraft guns, 4x25mm Type 96 anti-aircraft guns (later increased to 30), 8x13.2mm anti-aircraft guns, 2x2x533mm torpedo tubes
Aircraft1
Aircraft Catapult1

Contributor:

ww2dbaseKatori was the lead ship of a class of three light cruisers ordered as training ships in Japan's 1937 and 1939 Supplementary Naval budgets. She was commissioned into service in Apr 1940 with Captain Hisashi Ichioka as her commanding officer. She participated in the Japanese Navy's final midshipmen cruise before the Pacific War; during that cruise, she and her sister ship Kashima made port calls at Etajima and Mutsu in Japan, and Dalian and Shanghai in China. In Oct 1940, Captain Hisashi Mito was made her commanding officer. In Jan 1941, that role was given to Captain Noboru Owada. At the time of the Pearl Harbor raid, as the flagship of Vice Admiral Mitsumi Shimizu of the Sixth Fleet, she was stationed at Kwajalein, Marshall Islands. She was damaged at Kwajalein by SBD dive bombers and TBD torpedo bombers from USS Enterprise in Feb 1942, during which attack Shimizu was wounded. She received repairs at Yokosuka, Japan between Feb and May 1942. Upon the completion of the repairs, she returned to Kwajalein, and was made the flagship of Sixth Fleet's new commanding officer Vice Admiral Marquis Teruhisa Komatsu. In Jul 1942, Captain Nobuki Nakaoka was made her commanding officer. In Aug 1942, at Yokosuka, she received two twin Type 96 25-millimeter anti-aircraft guns in the forward part of the bridge. In Nov 1942, Captain Takeji Miyazaki took command of Katori while the ship was at Truk, Caroline Islands. In Jun 1943, the new Sixth Fleet commanding officer Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi broke his flag on Katori. In Jul 1943, Captain Hyoe Minakuchi was named her commanding officer. In Oct 1943, Minakuchi was relieved by Captain Tamekiyo Oda. In early Feb 1944, she was transferred to the General Escort Command. Between 17 and 18 Feb 1944, US Navy Task Force 58 launched a major attack on Truk. Katori had just departed from Truk before the attack, escorting armed merchant cruiser Akagi Maru, destroyer Maikaze, destroyer Nowaki, and minesweeping trawler Shonan Maru No. 15 for Yokosuka. The group came under attack by F6F fighters and TBF torpedo bombers from multiple US carriers about 64 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Truk. Akagi Maru was sunk and Katori and Maikaze suffered some damage. Several hours later, battleship New Jersey, battleship Iowa, cruiser Minneapolis, cruiser New Orleans, destroyer Bradford, and destroyer Burns came upon the group. Already listing slightly to port and on fire from the first attack, Katori was struck by multiple shells from USS Iowa from the range of 13.25 kilometers (14,500 yards). Her list to port worsened quickly, and she sank about 5 minutes after being hit. US Navy personnel spotted many survivors in the water, but the Americans did not approach for rescue, thus all hands aboard were lost, including Captain Oda. Maikaze was sunk with all hands lost during this engagement as well; Nowaki alone escaped the attack. The Japanese Navy struck Katori from its register in Mar 1944.

ww2dbaseSources:
Imperial Japanese Navy Page
Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Mar 2021

Light Cruiser Katori Interactive Map

Photographs

Katori, seen in US Division of Naval Intelligence booklet A503 FM30-50 for identification of ships, date unknownKatori burning off Truk, Caroline Islands, 19 Feb 1944

Katori Operational Timeline

24 Aug 1938 The keel of Cruiser No. 72 was laid down by Mitsubishi Yokohama shipyards in Japan.
31 Mar 1939 Cruiser No. 72, under construction at Mitsubishi Yokohama shipyards in Japan, was officially named Katori.
17 Jun 1939 Katori was launched at Mitsubishi Yokohama shipyards in Japan.
1 Jul 1939 Captain Shutoku Miyazato was made the chief equipping officer of Katori.
25 Sep 1939 Captain Shutoku Miyazato was made the chief equipping officer of both Katori and Kashima.
1 Nov 1939 Captain Hisashi Ichioka was made the chief equipping officer of Katori and Kashima, relieving Shutoku Miyazato.
20 Apr 1940 Katori was commissioned into service and was attached to the Yokosuka Naval District as a special service vessel. Captain Hisashi Ichioka, previously the Chief Equipping Officer, was named her first commanding officer.
28 Jul 1940 Katori and Kashima began the last Japanese Navy midshipmen cruise before the Pacific War. They would make port calls at Etajima and Mutsu in Japan, and Dalian and Shanghai in China.
15 Oct 1940 Captain Hisashi Mito was made the commanding officer of Katori, relieving Hisashi Ichioka.
15 Nov 1940 Katori was made the flagship of Vice Admiral Mitsumi Shimizu of Japanese Sixth Fleet.
6 Jan 1941 Captain Noboru Owada was made the commanding officer of Katori, relieving Hisashi Mito.
11 Nov 1941 At Yokosuka, Japan, Admiral Mitsumi Shimizu held a briefing for Japanese Sixth Fleet officers aboard Katori on the Pearl Harbor raid.
24 Nov 1941 Katori departed Yokosuka, Japan for Truk, Caroline Islands.
28 Nov 1941 Katori observed an American convoy of five transports escorted by a Brooklyn-class cruiser 160 miles east of Saipan, Mariana Islands at about 1700 hours.
1 Dec 1941 Katori arrived at Truk, Caroline Islands.
2 Dec 1941 Katori departed Truk, Caroline Islands for Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.
5 Dec 1941 Katori arrived at Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.
3 Jan 1942 While at Truk, Caroline Islands, Katori, flagship of the Japanese Sixth Fleet, hosted a briefing by fleet commanding officer Vice Admiral Mitsumi Shimizu on the invasion of Rabaul, New Britain and Kavieng, New Ireland.
1 Feb 1942 The United States launched its first air offensive against the Marshall Islands as SBD and TBD aircraft from carriers USS Yorktown and USS Enterprise struck Japanese bases in the island group. Cruisers USS Northampton, USS Chester, and USS Salt Lake City also bombarded atolls in the Marshall Islands, sinking gunboat Toyotsu Maru and transport Bordeaux Maru and damaging cruiser Katori, submarine I-23, submarine depot ship Yasukuni Maru, minelayer Tokiwa, and several others. Vice Admiral Mitsumi Shimizu was wounded aboard Katori. USS Chester sustained damage from a Japanese dive bomber during the attack; 8 were killed, 21 were wounded.
9 Feb 1942 Katori departed Kwajalein, Marshall Islands for Yokosuka, Japan.
16 Feb 1942 Katori arrived at Yokosuka, Japan.
21 Feb 1942 Katori entered the drydocks at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in Japan for repairs.
5 Mar 1942 Katori exited the drydocks at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in Japan.
18 Mar 1942 Katori departed Yokosuka, Japan.
20 Mar 1942 Katori arrived at Kure, Japan.
23 Mar 1942 Katori arrived at the fleet anchorage east of Iseko Jima in Hiroshima Bay, Japan, near Hashirajima. Vice Admiral Marquis Teruhisa Komatsu, the new commanding officer of Japanese Sixth Fleet as of 16 Mar 1942, disembarked from Katori to attend a meeting with Isoroku Yamamoto aboard battleship Yamato.
16 Apr 1942 Later in the day, after Vice Admiral Marquis Teruhisa Komatsu returned from his meeting with Isoroku Yamamoto, Katori departed Hiroshima Bay for Truk, Caroline Islands.
20 Apr 1942 Katori arrived at Truk, Caroline Islands.
30 Apr 1942 Katori departed Truk, Caroline Islands.
3 May 1942 Katori arrived at Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.
4 May 1942 Katori arrived at Roi, Marshall Islands.
6 May 1942 Katori departed Roi, Marshall Islands.
7 May 1942 Katori arrived at Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.
1 Jul 1942 Captain Nobuki Nakaoka was made the commanding officer of Katori, relieving Noboru Owada, at Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.
1 Aug 1942 Katori departed Kwajalein, Marshall Islands.
8 Aug 1942 Katori arrived at Yokosuka, Japan and was drydocked at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal.
17 Aug 1942 Katori exited the drydocks at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in Japan.
18 Aug 1942 Katori departed Yokosuka, Japan.
24 Aug 1942 Katori arrived at Truk, Caroline Islands.
8 Sep 1942 Katori's floatplane was transferred ashore to Truk, Caroline Islands.
28 Nov 1942 Captain Takeji Miyazaki was made the commanding officer of Katori while at Truk, Caroline Islands, relieving Nobuki Nakaoka.
21 Mar 1943 Katori departed Truk, Caroline Islands.
26 Mar 1943 Katori arrived at Yokosuka, Japan.
27 Mar 1943 Katori arrived at Yokosuka, Japan.
16 Apr 1943 Katori entered the drydocks at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in Japan for a scheduled refit.
30 Apr 1943 Katori exited the drydocks at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in Japan after completing a scheduled refit.
5 May 1943 Katori departed Yokosuka, Japan.
11 May 1943 Katori arrived at Truk, Caroline Islands.
11 May 1943 Katori arrived Truk, Caroline Islands.
21 Jun 1943 Katori was made the flagship of Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi, the new commanding officer of the Japanese Sixth Fleet.
20 Jul 1943 Captain Hyoe Minakuchi was made the commanding officer of Katori, relieving Takeji Miyazaki.
15 Oct 1943 Captain Tamekiyo Oda was made the commanding officer of Katori, relieving Hyoe Minakuchi.
15 Feb 1944 Katori was assigned to the General Escort Command.
19 Feb 1944 Armed merchant cruiser Akagi Maru, cruiser Katori, destroyer Maikaze, destroyer Nowaki, and minesweeping trawler Shonan Maru No. 15 departed Truk, Caroline Islands at 0430 hours for Yokosuka, Japan. After 0500 hours, Truk came under attack by many US carrier aircraft. A number of aircraft spotted the group and attacked, sinking Akagi Maru and damaging Katori and Maikaze; at least one US F6F fighter was shot down during the attack on this group. Battleship New Jersey, battleship Iowa, cruiser Minneapolos, cruiser New Orleans, destroyer Bradford, and destroyer Burns then approached at about 1300 hours about 64 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Truk. Maikaze fired a spread of torpedoes, which missed the two battleships. Gunfire from Minneapolis and New Orleans started a fire on Maikaze, causing an explosion, and leading to her sinking at 1343 hours; all aboard were lost. Then, New Jersey sank Shonan Maru No. 15 with her port side 5-inch battery. Next, Iowa opened fire on Katori, straddling Katori with the first salvo. Katori fired torpedoes, but all of them missed. Iowa's gunfire eventually overwhelmed and sank Katori; Captain Tamekiyo Oda was among those killed. Nowaki alone escaped the attack.
31 Mar 1944 Katori was stricken from the Japanese Navy list.




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More on Katori
Personnel:
» Niimi, Masaichi

Event(s) Participated:
» Attack on Truk

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» Katori Tabular Record of Movement

Light Cruiser Katori Photo Gallery
Katori, seen in US Division of Naval Intelligence booklet A503 FM30-50 for identification of ships, date unknown
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