Muroran Naval Bombardment Memorial

The Muroran Naval Bombardment Memorial (室蘭艦砲射撃跡) marks the site and memory of one of the final Allied naval bombardments of the Japanese Home Islands during World War II. The principal memorial cenotaph stands within the grounds of Muroran Hachiman Shrine (室蘭八幡宮) in Muroran City, Hokkaido, erected by Muroran City on July 15, 1950 to honor the victims of the devastating attack.

On the morning of July 15, 1945, Task Unit 34.8.2 of the US Third Fleet, commanded by Rear Admiral Oscar C. Badger II, appeared off the coast of Muroran. The task unit comprised the fast battleships USS Iowa (BB-61), USS Missouri (BB-63), and USS Wisconsin (BB-64), light cruisers USS Atlanta (CL-104) and USS Dayton (CL-105), and eight destroyers. Admiral William F. Halsey Jr. himself accompanied the force aboard Missouri. At 09:36, the warships opened fire on two primary targets: the Japan Steel Works (日本製鋼所) — which had manufactured the massive 46 cm gun barrels for the superbattleships Yamato and Musashi — and the neighboring Wanishi Ironworks (輪西製鐵所).

Over approximately 50 minutes, the three battleships fired 860 sixteen-inch shells from ranges of 28,000 to 32,000 yards. However, hazy conditions severely hampered aerial observation. The Japan Steel Works attempted to conceal its facilities by igniting oil to create a smoke screen, which American spotters mistook for bombardment damage, causing them to redirect fire toward the Wanishi Ironworks. Of the 414 shells directed at Japan Steel Works, only 64 struck within the factory grounds while 130 hit the company housing area. At the Wanishi Ironworks, 446 shells were fired but many also fell in residential neighborhoods. In total, over 60% of the 860 shells landed in civilian areas.

The bombardment killed 485 people — 439 civilians and 46 military personnel and factory workers. At the Japan Steel Works alone, 112 employees died and 88 were wounded. The Wanishi Ironworks suffered 182 deaths and 52 wounded. Over 2,500 houses were destroyed by secondary fires caused by the concussion of the shells. In the carrier air raid of the previous day, July 14, Escort Ships No. 65 and No. 74 and a number of merchant vessels had already been sunk in and around the harbor.

The sounds of the bombardment were reportedly broadcast on American radio via a relay from USS Iowa. The industrial damage was significant: the Wanishi Ironworks lost approximately two and a half months of coke and pig iron production, while the Muroran Works lost 40% of a month's output.

Today, multiple memorial monuments stand throughout Muroran commemorating the bombardment victims. The main cenotaph at Muroran Hachiman Shrine hosts an annual memorial ceremony on July 15. Additional memorials exist at Nakajima Honcho Park (中島本町公園), erected in 1959 to commemorate 192 victims from that neighborhood. The sites serve as powerful reminders of the devastating impact of naval warfare on civilian populations in the closing days of World War II.