Murasame

CountryJapan
Ship ClassShiratsuyu-class Destroyer
BuilderOsaka
Launched1 Jan 1937
Sunk6 Mar 1943
Displacement1,685 tons standard

Contributor:

ww2dbaseMurasame, a 1685-ton Shiratsuyu class destroyer built at Osaka, Japan, was completed in January 1937. During the Second World War she was employed in several campaigns, beginning with the invasion of the Philippines, during which she escorted transports that landed Japanese troops at Vigan, northwestern Luzon, on 11 December 1941. In January 1942 she participated in landings at Tarakan, Borneo, and was part of the force that defeated Allied warships in the Battle of the Java Sea on 27 February. Murasame also participated in the June 1942 Battle of the Midway as part of Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo's Covering Group.

ww2dbaseDuring the Guadalcanal Campaign Murasame played a supporting role in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons in late August 1942, was damaged by air attack during a supply run on 5 October 1942, escorted transports to Guadalcanal on 14-15 October, rescued crewmen when the light cruiser Yura was sunk on 25 October and took part in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands a few days later. She directly engaged U.S. warships during the brutal night battle off Guadalcanal on 13 November 1942, receiving damage that put her forward boiler room out of action.

ww2dbaseOn 5-6 March 1943, less than a month after the Japanese had given up the fight for Guadalcanal, Murasame and the destroyer Minegumo took supplies to the Japanese base at Vila, on Kolombangara Island. While withdrawing after landing their cargo, the two ships encountered a greatly superior U.S. Navy cruiser-destroyer task force. In a brief battle, both Japanese ships were sunk. None of Murasame's crewmen survived her loss.

ww2dbaseSource: Naval Historical Center

Last Major Revision: Jan 2005

Destroyer Murasame Interactive Map

Maps

Track chart featuring the movements of USS Montpelier during the action in Kula Gulf, Solomon Islands on 6 Mar 1943 where Japanese destroyers Murasame and Minegumo were sunk.




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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Yuchen Liang says:
26 Jan 2024 07:39:33 PM

She was probably the only ship of her class to take her entire crew down with her.
2. Yuchen Liang says:
5 Mar 2024 03:37:55 PM

Turns out, I was wrong. Some 53 officers and crew survived her sinking, and I think I meant to post that on the page for the destroyer Yamakaze.

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More on Murasame
Event(s) Participated:
» Invasion of the Philippine Islands
» Dutch East Indies Campaign, Java
» Attack on Darwin
» Battle of Midway and the Aleutian Islands
» Guadalcanal Campaign

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