Heavy Cruiser Myoko
Open the military map重巡洋艦妙高
Cruiser
Myoko was the lead ship of the Myoko-class heavy cruisers. After heavy battle damage and repairs throughout the war, she was severely damaged by American submarine torpedoes in December 1944. Unable to be repaired, she was scuttled in the Strait of Malacca on 8 July 1946.
- Armament
- 20cm連装砲5基10門、12.7cm高角砲4基8門、61cm3連装魚雷発射管4基、零式水上偵察機3機
- Fate
- Scuttled
History
Myoko (妙高) was the lead ship of the Myoko-class heavy cruisers, laid down at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on 25 October 1924, launched on 16 April 1927 in a ceremony attended by Emperor Hirohito, and commissioned on 31 July 1929. Named after Mount Myoko in Niigata Prefecture.
At the time of their construction, the Myoko class represented the most powerful heavy cruisers in the world, armed with ten 20 cm guns, which caused considerable international alarm. The design influenced subsequent Japanese cruiser development, particularly the Takao class.
Myoko participated in numerous Pacific War engagements including the Battle of Midway, the Guadalcanal campaign, and various operations in the Southwest Pacific. She sustained significant battle damage multiple times.
In December 1944, while en route to Japan for repairs, Myoko was struck by a torpedo from the American submarine USS Bergall (SS-320) off southern Indochina on 13 December, causing severe damage to her stern. She was towed to Singapore where she remained for the rest of the war, unable to be effectively repaired due to material shortages. At war's end she was taken over by the British. Due to her irreparable state and the need to clear her from the harbor, she was towed to the Strait of Malacca and scuttled off Port Swettenham on 8 July 1946.
Related sites (4)
- Built35.290, 139.660
Built at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal. Laid down 25 October 1924.
- Homeport33.160, 129.720
Home port Sasebo: registered to the Kure Naval District on completion in 1929 and transferred to the Sasebo Naval District in 1934.
- Sunk3.083, 100.667
Scuttled by the Royal Navy in the Strait of Malacca off Port Swettenham (now Port Klang), approx. 3°05′N 100°40′E, on 8 July 1946, after being left irreparable at Singapore by submarine torpedo damage in December 1944.
- Stationed7.417, 151.783
Truk Lagoon (Chuuk), Forward operational base for many Pacific engagements.
Images
