Light Cruiser Isuzu

Isuzu was laid down at Uraga Dock Company in Yokosuka, launched 29 October 1921, and commissioned 15 August 1923 as the second ship of the Nagara class. Displacing approximately 5,170 tons standard, the Nagara class originally carried seven 140mm guns and eight 610mm torpedo tubes, and made 36 knots. Isuzu served in the early Pacific War in convoy escort and fleet operations. In 1944, she was taken in hand for an extraordinary conversion: all her 140mm guns were removed and she was rearmed with three twin-mount 127mm dual-purpose guns, 38 (later about 50) 25mm AA guns, two quadruple torpedo mounts, and radar and anti-submarine equipment, transforming her into an anti-aircraft cruiser — a rare configuration among Japanese cruisers. She subsequently served in the defense of shipping lanes in the South-West Pacific. On 7 April 1945 — the same day battleship Yamato was sunk in Operation Ten-Go — Isuzu had just landed troops at Bima on Sumbawa Island in the Lesser Sunda Islands. About 60 miles northwest of Bima she was hit by a torpedo from USS Gabilan (SS-252) and then by three from USS Charr (SS-328), and sank with the loss of 190 of her crew; about 450 were rescued. Her conversion reflected Japan's desperate need for anti-aircraft protection in the war's final year.