© 2001-2016 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Lars Ahlberg.
Revision 19
KIRISHIMA and HIEI take up position to the rear of Kido Butai and steam eastward at 13 knots.
2 December 1941:
940 miles north of Midway Island. KIRISHIMA receives the
coded signal "Niitakayama nobore (Climb Mt. Niitaka) 1208" from the Combined
Fleet. It signifies that hostilities will commence on 8 December (Japan time).
4 December 1941:
The Striking Force reaches the rendezvous point (42N,
170E) and the warships refuel to capacity from the Supply Group's oilers.
7 December 1941: The
Attack on Pearl Harbor:
At 0630, BatDiv 3/1 launches their E8N Dave
two-seat reconnaissance floatplanes to patrol south of the Striking Force.
CruDiv 8 also launches picket floatplanes.
At 0755, the Striking Force's first wave of 189 aircraft (90 Type 97 Nakajima B5N2 Kate attack planes, 54 Type 99 Aichi D3A1 Val dive-bombers and 45 Type 0 Mitsubishi A6M2 Zeke fighters) led by Cdr (later Captain) Fuchida Mitsuo attack the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor and other military installations on Oahu, Hawaiian Islands.
About 0840, they are followed by a second wave of 171 aircraft (54 Kates, 81 Vals and 36 Zekes) led by LtCdr Shimazaki Shigekazu. By 0945, they retire towards their carriers.
During the attacks, the Striking Force sinks battleships USS ARIZONA (BB-39), CALIFORNIA (BB-44), OKLAHOMA (BB-37) and WEST VIRGINIA (BB-49) and damages MARYLAND (BB-46), NEVADA (BB-36), PENNSYLVANIA (BB-38) and TENNESSEE (BB-43) and other smaller ships. 2,335 American servicemen die in the attack, most on ARIZONA. After recovering all but 29 of its aircraft lost in the attack, the Striking Force departs Hawaiian waters towards Japan.
During the sortie KIRISHIMA receives serious damage after being swamped by successive waves.
24 December 1941:
KIRISHIMA arrives at Kure.
27 December 1941:
At Kure. Drydocked.
30 December 1941:
Undocked. Returns to Hashirajima.
8 January 1942:
BatDiv 3/1 departs Hashirajima for Truk with the Carrier Striking Force: CarDivs 1 and 5, CruDiv 8 and DesRon 1's light cruiser ABUKUMA and destroyers.
14 January 1942:
Arrives at Truk.
17 January 1942: - Operation "R" - The Invasions of Rabaul and Kavieng:
BatDiv 3/1 departs Truk with the Carrier Striking Force, CruDiv 8 and DesRon 1 for an area north of New Ireland. BatDiv 3/1 provides cover for the Striking Force's air attacks and distant support of the invasion forces.
23 January 1942:
Departs New Ireland area.
27 January 1942:
Returns to Truk. CarDiv 5's SHOKAKU detaches from the
Carrier Striking Force for Japan.
1 February 1942:
BatDiv 3/1 departs Truk with the Carrier Striking Force:
CarDiv 1, CarDiv 5's ZUIKAKU, CruDiv 8's CHIKUMA and DesRon 1 in pursuit of Vice
Admiral (later Fleet Admiral) William F. "Bull" Halsey's (former CO of SARATOGA,
CV-3) Task Force 8 (ENTERPRISE, CV-6) and Rear Admiral (later Admiral) Frank J.
Fletcher's Task Force 17 (YORKTOWN, CV-5) reported to be attacking Wotje,
Kwajalein, Jaluit, Makin, and Mili in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands.
4 February 1942:
BatDiv 3/1 and the Carrier Striking Force group are
ordered to Palau. CarDiv 5's ZUIKAKU detaches via Truk for Japan to join
SHOKAKU.
8 February 1942:
BatDiv 3/1, CarDiv 1, CHIKUMA and DesRon 1 arrive at
Palau.
18 February 1942:
Bat Div 3 departs Palau for Staring (Teluk) Bay, near Kendari, Celebes (now Sulwasei).
21 February 1942:
BatDiv 3 arrives at Staring Bay. Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Kondo Nobutake (former CO of KONGO) CruDiv 4's ATAGO, MAYA and TAKAO and six destroyers also arrive and refuel. Vice Admiral (Admiral, posthumously) Nagumo Chuichi's (former CO of YAMASHIRO) First Air Fleet Striking Force ("Kido Butai") CarDiv 1's AKAGI and KAGA, CarDiv 2's HIRYU and SORYU and CruDiv 8's CHIKUMA and TONE, DesRon 1's light cruiser ABUKUMA with DesDiv 17's URAKAZE, ISOKAZE, TANIKAZE and HAMAKAZE and DesDiv 18's KASUMI, SHIRANUHI and ARIAKE arrives from their stike on Darwin, Australia and refuels.
25 February 1942:
BatDiv 3 departs Staring Bay in support of the Carrier Striking Force's attacks on Java.
1 March 1942:
S of Java. At 1154, one of KIRISHIMA’s E8N2 floatplanes drops two 60-kg bombs on a fleeing Allied merchant.
250 miles SSE of Christmas Island. At 1550 (local), the Mobile Force is steaming at 16 knots at 14-25S, 106-50E, when one of AKAGI's combat air patrol fighters sights a "MARBLEHEAD-class" light cruiser (actually Lt Joshua J. Nix's EDSALL (DD-219) steaming about 30 kilometers behind the force.
At 1552, Vice Admiral Nagumo orders BatDiv 3/2 and CruDiv 8 to intercept the cruiser and destroy it. Vice Admiral Mikawa leads the chase from HIEI, flanked by heavy cruisers CHIKUMA (port) and TONE (starboard), leading KIRISHIMA.
At 1602, EDSALL is sighted from HIEI off port bow, 16 miles away. At 1603, CHIKUMA opens fire with her 8-inch guns at extremely long range. All her shots miss. EDSALL, damaged earlier by one of her depth charges, lays down a smokescreen and begins evasive maneuvers.
At 1616, HIEI opens fire with her 14-inch guns at a range of 27,900 yards, straddling the target, but not hitting it.
At 1620, HIEI signals: "All forces, charge!” The target is soon identified as a destroyer by lookouts from HIEI and CHIKUMA.
At 1655, HIEI and heavy cruisers check the fire without having scored a single hit. HIRYU launches eight and SORYU nine D3A1 "Val" dive bombers against EDSALL. Between 1657 and 1720 the destroyer receives several bomb hits, slowing her down and setting afire. EDSALL is enveloped in white smoke and slowly circling counterclockwise. KAGA’s dive bombers are credited with five hits, SORYU’s with three hits and HIRYU’s with one direct hit on EDSALL.[2]
At 1718, KIRISHIMA, now heading NNE, joins the fight, opening fire from main and secondary guns at EDSALL. At 1720, HIEI opens fire from her main and secondary guns at a range of 19,400 yards. At 1730, both battleships are ordered to check fire. In all, HIEI fires 210 14-inch and 70 6-inch shells at EDSALL and KIRISHIMA fires 87 14-in and 62 6-in shells. At 1731, battered old destroyer EDSALL sinks by the stern at 13-45S, 106-47E.
During the engagement, KIRISHIMA fires 87 14-in and 62 6-in shells.
11 March 1942:
After the surrender of the Dutch East Indies, returns to Staring Bay.
11-25 March 1942:
At Staring Bay. BatDiv 3 refuels, then assumes 'standby alert'. After more than three months of continuous operations, the crews are allowed some rest and relaxation.
6 April 1942:
Bay of Bengal. At about 0600, the three ships of Kurita’s Northern Group attack and sink the 5,381-ton Norwegian tanker ELSA. After 0730, KUMANO and SUZUYA and destroyer SHIRAKUMO attack a six-ship convoy and sink 4,986-ton American Export Line’s
EXMOOR (ex-CITY OF ST. JOSEPH), 9,066-ton British freighter MALDA, 7,718-ton British freighter AUTOCLYCUS and 2,441-ton British freighter SHINKUANG at 19N, 86E. Ozawa's cruisers also sink 6,622-ton British freighter INDORA
and Captain J. H. Gregory’s British India Line’s 4,921-ton cargo ship SILKSWORTH. About 50 of SILKSWORTH's mostly Chinese crewmen survive.
13 April 1942:
By nightfall, the fleet passes Singapore and enters the South China Sea, bound for Japan.
15 April 1942:
Oiler NIPPON MARU refuels KIRISHIMA with 1,100 metric tons of fuel oil.
20 April 1942:
Early naval aviator Captain (Vice Admiral, posthumously)
Iwabuchi Sanji (43)(former CO of KASHII) is appointed CO.
Captain (later Rear Admiral) Yamaguchi is reassigned as the Chief of Staff of
Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo's First Southern Expeditionary Fleet (Malay Force)
based at Singapore.
22 April 1942:
Arrives at Sasebo. Maintains standby alert.
11 May 1942:
At Sasebo. Drydocked. 25-mm AA guns Nos. 7 and 8 are
relocated from the upper deck to the vicinity of the forward funnel to provide
better arcs of fire.
20 May 1942:
Undocked.
21 May 1942:
Departs Sasebo.
23 May 1942:
Arrives at Hashirajima, then conducts battle training.
27 May 1942:
Rear Admiral Abe Hiroaki's (former CO of FUSO) Support
Group, BatDiv 3, Section 2's KIRISHIMA and HARUNA depart Hashirajima with Vice
Admiral Nagumo's First Mobile Force, Carrier Strike Force's CarDiv 1's
AKAGI and KAGA, CarDiv 2's HIRYU and SORYU, CruDiv 8's CHIKUMA and TONE and
DesRon 10's light cruiser NAGARA and 11 destroyers.
4 June 1942: Operation
"MI" - The Battle of Midway:
KIRISHIMA is steaming abreast with AKAGI on her starboard beam when the Strike Force is attacked by four USAAF torpedo-carrying Martin B-26 "Marauders" of the 69th Squadron, 38th Bombardment Group. Ten A6M "Zeke" fighters are sent to intercept them. KIRISHIMA helps to repel the attack, firing her main caliber guns. Two of the B-26s are shot down.
0825: LtCdr William H. Brockman in USS NAUTILUS (SS-168) fires a Mark 14 steam torpedo at KIRISHIMA from 4,500 yards but misses. He attempts to fire another torpedo but it malfunctions and never leaves the tube. KIRISHIMA opens fire with her starboard batteries unsuccessfully at the submarine's periscope. Light cruiser NAGARA counter-attacks NAUTILUS unsuccessfully with depth charges. KIRISHIMA departs the area at 25 knots.
1025: HARUNA is dive-bombed unsuccessfully by planes from USS YORKTOWN (CV-5), but during the next few minutes the carriers AKAGI, KAGA and SORYU are all hit and set afire by SDB dive-bombers from YORKTOWN and ENTERPRISE. Detached and north of the Kido Butai, undamaged carrier HIRYU launches 24 aircraft to attack the American carriers.
1220: HIRYU's D3A1 Val dive-bombers find and hit Rear Admiral (MOH '14/later Admiral) Frank J. Fletcher's (former CO of VERMONT, BB-20) flagship, USS YORKTOWN (CV-5), with two bombs that stop her dead in the water. After about an hour, YORKTOWN's damage control teams restore her power.
1442: A second strike by the last ten of HIRYU's B5N2 Kates sends two torpedoes into YORKTOWN and she again loses power. Later she is torpedoed by submarine I-168 and finally sinks on 7 June.
1658: Twenty-four SDB dive-bombers launched from ENTERPRISE, including 10 recovered from abandoned YORKTOWN, find HIRYU, hit her with four bombs and set her ablaze.
1730: Captain Iwabuchi is ordered to standby to tow HIRYU with KIRISHIMA. As night falls and HIRYU blazes, Iwabuchi grows concerned about the possibility of a submarine attack on his now illuminated battleship. He radios Nagumo for permission to abandon HIRYU.
1837: Nagumo orders Iwabuchi to rejoin NAGARA now the flagship after AKAGI was sunk.
5 June 1942:
That night, KIRISHIMA takes aboard an unknown number of
survivors from carriers AKAGI, KAGA, SORYU and HIRYU who were rescued earlier by
DesRon 10's destroyers.
14 June 1942:
Returns to Hashirajima.
9 July 1942:
Moves to Kure. Maintains standby alert.
14 July 1942:
KIRISHIMA and HIEI (F) are reassigned from the First Fleet
to Vice Admiral Nagumo's Third Fleet in Rear Admiral Abe Hiroaki's new BatDiv
11. KIRISHIMA and HIEI's aircraft complement is upgraded: they receive one Aichi E13A1 "Jake" reconnaissance floatplane and two Mitsubishi Type F1M2 "Pete" floatplanes, tail codes CIII-x (in red) .
16 August 1942:
BatDiv 11's KIRISHIMA and HIEI depart Kure via Yokosuka
towards Truk with a task group: CarDiv 1's SHOKAKU, ZUIKAKU, CarDiv 2's light
carrier RYUJO, CruDiv 8's CHIKUMA and TONE, DesRon 10's light cruiser NAGARA and 11 destroyers. [3]
20-23 August 1942:
The CINC, Combined Fleet, Admiral (Fleet Admiral,
posthumously) Yamamoto Isoroku (former CO of AKAGI) cancels a planned stop at
Truk. The fleet refuels at sea from oilers while enroute towards Guadalcanal.
24 August 1942: The
Battle of the Eastern Solomons:
BatDiv 11 cruises northeast of
Guadalcanal with the Carrier Strike Force, Mobile Force, Main Body: CarDiv 1,
CruDiv 7's KUMANO and SUZUYA, CruDiv 8's CHIKUMA, Desron 10. Detached light
carrier RYUJO is sunk by aircraft from Task Group 11's USS SARATOGA (CV-3).
CarDiv 1 launches an air attack against Task Force 16's USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6)
which is hit by three bombs but is not sunk. Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses"
bomb CarDiv 1. SHOKAKU is slightly damaged by bomb fragments. KIRISHIMA is
not damaged.
28 August 1942:
Arrives at Truk. Maintains standby alert.
30 August 1942:
BatDiv 11 arrives at Truk. Refuels from oiler TATEKAWA
MARU.
10 September 1942:
BatDiv 11 sorties from Truk with Vice Admiral Nagumo
Chuichi's Third Fleet: CarDiv 1's SHOKAKU, ZUIKAKU, ZUIHO, CruDiv 7's KUMANO and
SUZUYA, CruDiv 8's CHIKUMA, DesRon 10's light cruiser NAGARA and 11 destroyers.
The Third Fleet accompanies Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Kondo Nobutake's
(former CO of KONGO) Second Fleet: Bat Div 3's KONGO, HARUNA, CruDiv 4's ATAGO,
TAKAO and MAYA, CruDiv 5's HAGURO and MYOKO and DesRon 2 to an area north of the
Solomon Islands.
15-17 September 1942:
At sea. The fleets refuel destroyers.
18-20 September 1942:
The Second and Third Fleets sortie towards the
Solomons.
20 September 1942:
The fleets are ordered to return to Truk.
23 September 1942:
Arrives at Truk. Undergoes maintenance and conducts training. Maintains standby alert. Two floatplanes are landed, one Jake and one Pete.
11 October 1942:
BatDiv 11 departs Truk to attack U.S. forces off
Guadalcanal with Rear Admiral Abe's Vanguard Force: CruDiv 7's SUZUYA, CruDiv
8's TONE and CHIKUMA, DesRon 10's light Cruiser NAGARA and eight destroyers. The
Vanguard Force accompanies Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Kakuta Kakuji's
(former CO of NAGATO) Air Group Force: CarDiv 2's HIYO, JUNYO, destroyers
HAYASHIO and KUROSHIO. Abe and Kakuta's forces are followed by Nagumo's Carrier
Strike Force, Main Body: CarDiv 1's SHOKAKU, ZUIKAKU and ZUIHO, cruiser KUMANO
and eight destroyers.
12 October 1942:
East of the Solomon Islands. BatDiv 11's KIRISHIMA and
HIEI and the Second and Third Fleets take up position to provide distant cover
for Vice Admiral Kurita Takeo's (former CO of KONGO) BatDiv 3's KONGO and HARUNA
that is detached with DesRon 2's light cruiser ISUZU and destroyers and proceeds
to Guadalcanal.
14-15 October 1942:
BatDiv 11 maintains distant cover while KONGO and
HARUNA bombard Henderson Field. The next night, Vice Admiral Mikawa's Eighth
Fleet cruisers CHOKAI and KINUGASA bombard the airfield again.
23 October 1942:
650 miles north of Espirtu Santo. The Vanguard Force is
sighted by a PBY "Catalina" patrol plane based in the Santa Cruz Islands.
25 October 1942:
After 1000 an AirSoPac PBY-5A "Catalina" spots the Vanguard Force. It is intercepted by two F1M2
Pete floatplanes from KIRISHIMA and chased away, receiving over
70 hits. The patrol plane is damaged, but finally escapes.
1450: The Vanguard Force is sighted heading north at 25 knots by six B-17s of the 11th Bombardment Group (Heavy) based at Espirtu Santo.
1510. The six B-17s bomb KIRISHIMA but score no hits.
26 October 1942: The
Battle of Santa Cruz:
0630: The Vanguard Force making 20 knots is
reported by two Douglas "Dauntless" SDB dive-bombers of Air Group 10 from USS
ENTERPRISE (CV-6).
0740: Kondo orders Abe's Vanguard Force to forego screening Nagumo's Carrier Striking Force and to close on an American carrier force sighted earlier by a Nakajima B5N Kate from ZUIKAKU.
The Vanguard Force is attacked by dive-bombers and torpedo planes from ENTERPRISE and HORNET (CV-8). Three SDB dive-bombers attack KIRISHIMA. She is not damaged, but several 1,000-lb. bombs hit CHIKUMA.
Nagumo and Kakuta launch air attacks that mortally damage HORNET. They also damage ENTERPRISE and light anti-aircraft cruiser SAN JUAN (CLAA-54). A 550-lb bomb hits new battleship SOUTH DAKOTA (BB-57). It jams her No. 1 turret in train and disables two of the three 16-inch rifles in her No. 2 turret.
30 October 1942:
The Vanguard Force returns to Truk, then maintains
'standby alert'.
1 November 1942:
BatDiv 11's Rear Admiral Abe Hiroaki is promoted to Vice
Admiral.
2 November 1942:
Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo (former CO of HARUNA) assumes
command of the Third Fleet. Vice Admiral Nagumo is reassigned as the Commandant
of the Sasebo Naval Station. Vice Admiral Kondo, Commander of the Second Fleet,
is appointed the Deputy Commander of the Combined Fleet.
9 November 1942:
At 1643, Vice Admiral Kondo's Advance Force and Vice Admiral Abe Hiroaki's Volunteer Attack Force (the latter including BatDiv 11) depart Truk for Shortland.
10 November 1942:
At 0530, BatDiv 11 and DesDiv 27's SHIGURE, SHIRATSUYU and YUGURE
depart the Shortland anchorage off Bougainville to execute Vice Admiral Kondo's
planned landing of 14,500 men, heavy weapons and supplies of the IJA's 38th
Infantry Division and the 8th Special Naval Landing Force on
Guadalcanal. The twelve destroyers of Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Tanka
Raizo's (former CO of KONGO) DesRon 2 will escort an 11-ship high-speed
reinforcement convoy. The landing is to be preceded by another bombardment of
Henderson Field. Part of Kondo's plan calls for DesDiv 27's destroyers to act as
picket ships between Guadalcanal and the Russell Islands.
12 November 1942:
In the early morning, BatDiv 11 is joined by Rear
Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Kimura Susumu's (former CO of HARUNA) DesRon 10's
light cruiser NAGARA (F) and destroyers AKATSUKI, AMATSUKAZE, IKAZUCHI,
INAZUMA, TERUZUKI and YUKIKAZE that arrive from Truk.
1030: A B-17 heading towards Savo Island spots Abe's force. Two covering Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" fighters, launched from a holding position north of Malaita Island by Vice Admiral Kakuta's carrier JUNYO, attempt unsuccessfully to intercept the bomber.
1530: Abe's force rendezvous with Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Takama Tamotsu's (former CO of HARUNA) DesRon 4 sweeping unit's ASAGUMO (F), HARUSAME, MURASAME, SAMIDARE and YUDACHI. Abe orders the destroyers to form a tight double half-ring formation as an anti-submarine measure. NAGARA follows with BatDiv 11 in column behind. The force proceeds south down the "Slot" at 18 knots.
HIEI catapults an F1M2 Pete reconnaissance floatplane. A heavy rainstorm begins that lasts several hours. The plane reports more than a dozen enemy warships off Lunga Point, Guadalcanal.
13 November 1942:The
First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal:
0000: Abe orders his force to reverse course and slow to 12 knots because of the weather.
0110: Abe orders BatDiv 11 to make their 14-inch main batteries ready to fire Type 3 shells.
0124: Captain Gilbert C. Hoover's USS HELENA's (CL-50) SG radar picks up a return at 28,000 yards, probably destroyer YUDACHI.
0125: Lookouts aboard HIEI sight Cape Esperance. Admiral Abe orders that preparations begin for the shelling of Henderson Field. Unknown to Abe, HELENA's radar picks up KIRISHIMA and battleship HIEI at 32,000 yards.
HELENA alerts Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan's (a former naval aide to President Roosevelt), Task Group 67.4 consisting of cruisers USS SAN FRANCISCO (CA-38)(F), PORTLAND (CA-33), ATLANTA (CL-51), JUNEAU (CL-52) and destroyers CUSHING (DD-376), LAFFEY (DD-459), STERETT (DD-407), MONSSEN (DD-436), FLETCHER (DD-445), O'BANNON (DD-450), AARON WARD (DD-483) and BARTON (DD-599).
0131: HELENA's radar picks up smaller returns, most probably Abe's destroyers.
Admiral Callaghan orders a northward turn in an attempt to cross the Japanese formation's "T", but the maneuver is executed too late.
0142: Cdr Kikkawa Kiyoshi's lead destroyer YUDACHI and HIEI's lookouts report sighting enemy warships only 9,000 meters away. Abe quickly orders BatDiv 11's gunnery officers to replace the Type 3 incendiary shells with Type 1 armor piercing shells.
YUDACHI almost collides with LtCdr Edward N. Parker's destroyer CUSHING (DD-376), leading four destroyers in the van of the American force, but not equipped with radar. YUDACHI goes full left rudder and veers off to port.
0150: HIEI and Cdr Takasuka Osamu's destroyer AKATSUKI switch on their searchlights and illuminate Captain Samuel P. Jenkins' ATLANTA. Abe's force commences a night gun battle with American cruisers and destroyers. ATLANTA and HELENA quickly shoot out AKATSUKI’s probing searchlight. AKATSUKI is also hit by gunfire from Captain Cassin Young's (MOH at Pearl Harbor) SAN FRANCISCO and sinks with all hands.
Return fire from Japanese warships rains down on ATLANTA. In the confusion of the battle, SAN FRANCISCO mistakenly also fires on ATLANTA and hits her with about nineteen 8-inch shells. Rear Admiral Norman Scott, most of his staff, and many other crewmen are KIA. ATLANTA is then hit port side in the forward engine room by a torpedo, probably fired by LtCdr Terauchi Masamichi's destroyer INAZUMA. ATLANTA loses all but auxiliary diesel power. Without primary power, she cannot train and fire her guns and drifts out of control. She is forced to shift steering control to her steering engine room aft.
0154: HIEI, passing SAN FRANCISCO on an opposite course, opens fire at about 2,500 yards. Her main and secondary armament shatter SAN FRANCISCO’s superstructure. Rear Admiral Callaghan, three of his staff officers and skipper Captain Young are among those killed.HIEI is only able to get off two salvos before she is hit by two 8-inch shells, most probably from SAN FRANCISCO. One shell is a dud, but the other penetrates HIEI’s hull on the starboard quarter and the resultant flooding disables HIEI’s steering gear. Vice Admiral Abe orders KIRISHIMA to detach from HIEI and head northward.
0200: Abe abandons his bombardment mission and withdraws from the battle.
During the battle, KIRISHIMA fires 27 Type 1 AP, 22 Type 3 and 8 Type 0 incendiary 14-in shells, plus 313 secondary caliber shells. She scores three hits with Type 3 incendiary shells on SAN FRANCISCO’s armor belt on port side, causing minor flooding and a fire in the laundry. KIRISHIMA claims her target as sunk. In turn, she receives one 8-in shell hit from SAN FRANCISCO and loses seven men to machine gun fire. KIRISHIMA shifts fire to USS HELENA, hitting her once. She also damages several destroyers, including LAFFEY, MONSSEN, and possibly AARON WARD.
On the Japanese side, Cdr Hara’s destroyer AMATSUKAZE is damaged by gunfire from light cruiser HELENA that knocks out AMATSUKAZE’s guns, main director and jams her rudder. Destroyer IKAZUCHI's No. 1 mount is knocked out by gunfire and destroyer MURASAME is hit in the forward boiler room.
Rear Admirals Callaghan and Scott are awarded Medals of Honor (MOH) posthumously. LtCdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Bruce McCandless, who assumes command of SAN FRANCISCO and Cdr (later Rear Admiral-Ret) Herbert E. Schonland, SAN FRANCISCO's damage control officer, are also both awarded Medals of Honor.
0615: HIEI, unsteerable and circling at five knots, is attacked repeatedly by Marine Douglas SDB "Dauntless" dive-bombers of VMSB-131 from Henderson Field and Grumman TBF "Avenger" torpedo planes and SDBs from ENTERPRISE (CV-6).
0815: Vice Admiral Abe signals KIRISHIMA to tow HIEI to Shortland that night and orders the rest of the Attack Force to retire. Then he transfers his flag to destroyer YUKIKAZE.
0930: Tug USS BOBOLINK (AT-131) arrives and takes ATLANTA under tow.
1400: Flooding from the torpedo hit makes it clear that ATLANTA cannot be saved. Captain Jenkins orders her surviving crewmen taken off by Higgins boats sent from Guadalcanal. Jenkins and a demolition party remain until the scuttling charges explode, then leave the ship.
1530: During the day, HIEI suffers 70 American sorties. She takes on a list to starboard and is down at the stern. Vice Admiral Abe orders Captain Nishida to Abandon Ship. Nishida reluctantly orders HIEI scuttled. The Emperor's portrait is removed. Nishida and other survivors are rescued by DesDiv 27's SHIGURE, SHIRATSUYU, YUGURE and DesDiv 61's TERUZUKI.
1652: 360 miles south of Guadalcanal. Captain (later Vice Admiral) Thomas L. Gatch's USS SOUTH DAKOTA (BB-57) escorting Rear Admiral (later Admiral) Thomas C. Kinkaid's (former CO of INDIANAPOLIS, CA-35) Task Force 16's ENTERPRISE (CV-6) from Noumea, New Caledonia to Guadalcanal, joins Captain (later Vice Admiral) Glenn B. Davis' new battleship WASHINGTON (BB-56) and destroyers PRESTON (DD-379), BENHAM (DD-397), WALKE (DD-416) and GWIN (DD-433) at sea. As ordered by Vice Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey, ComSoPac, they form Task Force 64 under the command of Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Willis A. Lee (former CO of CONCORD, CL-10) aboard WASHINGTON.
1838: Admiral Yamamoto orders Abe not to scuttle HIEI, but the message is received too late.
1900-0100: HIEI sinks by the stern at 09-00S, 159-00E. 188 crewmen are lost.
1915: TF 64 detaches from the ENTERPRISE group and heads north at 26 knots.
2015: ATLANTA sinks three miles west of Lunga Point in 180 feet of water.
Admiral Yamamoto relieves Abe of tactical command and orders his deputy Vice Admiral Kondo to shell Henderson Field the next night. For this tasking, Kondo orders his battle worthy forces to rendezvous north of Guadalcanal. [4]
2210: Admiral Kondo's Force gathers at the rendezvous point at Ontong Java. He forms an Emergency Bombardment (Volunteer Attack) Force composed of KIRISHIMA, CruDiv 4's ATAGO (F) and TAKAO. DesRon 10's light cruiser NAGARA and six destroyers form a Screening Unit while DesRon 3's light cruiser SENDAI and three destroyers form a Sweeping Unit. Carrier JUNYO, battleships KONGO and HARUNA and the remainder of Kondo's Second Fleet Advanced Force are to hold station as distant cover.
14 November 1942:
0130-0200: CHOKAI, MAYA and SUZUYA bombard Henderson Field with 1, 370 8-inch shells, then retire towards Shortlands.
0530: Vice Admiral Kondo's Bombardment Force is detached from the Advance Force and proceeds slowly southeastward while KONGO and HARUNA refuel the destroyers. After refueling, KONGO and HARUNA detach and take up station with the covering force.
0739: LtCdr (later Vice Admiral/Medal of Honor) Lawson P. "Red" Ramage's USS TROUT (SS-202) sights KIRISHIMA but the submarine is unable to gain an attack position.
During the day, Rear Admiral Tanaka's reinforcement convoy is attacked repeatedly by aircraft from the "Cactus Air Force" on Guadalcanal and ENTERPRISE's Air Group. Six of Tanaka's 11 troop transports are sunk or abandoned and one damaged so severely that she is forced to return to Shortland. Tanaka presses on with his four remaining transports.
1455: 100 miles south of Guadalcanal. A Japanese search plane sights Lee's TF 64, but misidentifies the ships as two "cruisers" and four destroyers.
1518: East of Santa Ysabel Island, TROUT again sights KIRISHIMA. Ramage fires five Mark-14 torpedoes at her. One, a dud, hits the battleship. Another passes under a destroyer, and others narrowly miss Kondo's flagship, ATAGO.
2045: Kondo receives a report from another search plane of a sighting of two enemy "cruisers" and four destroyers heading north at 25 knots.
2210: Lookouts aboard light cruiser SENDAI report sighting two enemy "cruisers" and four destroyers north of Savo Island. Admiral Kondo splits his force so that they can attack the Americans from several directions at once.
The Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal:At 2301, WASHINGTON makes radar contact at 18,000 yards, bearing to the east of Savo Island. At 2316, WASHINGTON opens fire on SENDAI and URANAMI with her 16-inch main battery. SENDAI makes smoke, puts about and retires undamaged. Light cruiser NAGARA and destroyer AYANAMI engage the Americans with gunfire and torpedoes. Destroyers PRESTON and WALKE are sunk; BENHAM is so badly damaged that she must be scuttled the next evening by GWIN (by gunfire, after attempts with four Mark 15 torpedoes fail). Five-inch shells from SOUTH DAKOTA and WASHINGTON's cripple AYANAMI and she has to be scuttled by URANAMI.
At 2340, SOUTH DAKOTA resumes fire at Hashimoto's ships. Her rear turret sets fire to three floatplanes on her own quarterdeck. The next salvo blows two planes overboard, but then SOUTH DAKOTA's radar is disabled by an electrical malfunction.
At 2351, Admiral Kondo orders his unit to stand by to change course to 130 in order to proceed with his bombardment mission. ATAGO is leading TAKAO and KIRISHIMA in a line-ahead formation, when a new type enemy battleship is sighted off the starboard bow.
Around 2353, KIRISHIMA and ATAGO illuminate SOUTH DAKOTA with their searchlights and then open fire, followed by TAKAO; ATAGO also launches a salvo of eight torpedoes. Within the next few minutes KIRISHIMA fires a total of 117 14-inch shells (68 Type 3 incendiaries, 22 Type 0 Common and 27 Type 1 APC), scoring multiple hits with secondary and main guns. One Type 1 APC explodes against SOUTH DAKOTA's No. 3 turret's barbette.
SOUTH DAKOTA also takes seventeen 8-inch hits from ATAGO and TAKAO, plus five 6-inch and one 5-inch hits. The hits prove the worth of SOUTH DAKOTA's armor, but make a shambles of her superstructure, tear up radar and communications cables, shatter her radar plot, disable her gun directors and destroy four of her six fire-control radars.
15 November 1942:
Undetected, WASHINGTON approaches to within 5,800 yards and opens fire at KIRISHIMA around 0000. First straddled, KIRISHIMA attempts to return fire, but her forward turrets are quickly disabled and a fire breaks out in the forward wireless station.
At 0002, WASHINGTON checks fire, when her target is reported as sunk. At 0004 she resumes fire, scoring new hits during the next three minutes. KIRISHIMA is reported to be ablaze and heading away, making two complete circles en route. WASHINGTON fires 36 additional rounds from her main guns. [5]
Aboard KIRISHIMA multiple fires are burning in amidships and stern area. Both aft turrets are disabled as a result of damage to their hydraulic system. The steering compartment is partially flooded and the rudders jammed at 10 degrees starboard. Multiple underwater hits cause an increasing list to starboard. To prevent an explosion, Capt Iwabuchi orders the forward magazines flooded.
Despite rising temperature in the engine rooms, the crippled battleship is capable of making speed, but she remains practically unnavigable. Several attempts are made to steer with the help of engines, but to no avail. The divers sent to the steering compartment fail to penetrate the watertight scuttles in the adjacent bulkhead. By 0249, the entire steering compartment is flooded and KIRISHIMA starts to drift. By that time most fires are put out.
NAGARA briefly tries to tow the battered battleship, but this attempt fails. When the starboard list increases, Iwabuchi orders to flood port engine rooms. Destroyers ASAGUMO, TERUZUKI and SAMIDARE are ordered to stand by to pick up the crew in case of need.
WASHINGTON is untouched.
Kondo orders Rear Admiral Tanka's reinforcement convoy to turn away (At dawn, Tanaka lands about 2,000 troops by running his four remaining transports aground on the beach near Tassafaronga). The attempt to tow badly battered KIRISHIMA by NAGARA is given up.
0325: KIRISHIMA suddenly rolls over and capsizes to port 7.5 miles NW of Savo Island at 09-05S, 159-42E. A total of 212 crewmen are lost. ASAGUMO, TERUZUKI and SAMIDARE rescue Captain Iwabuchi, his Executive Officer Cdr (Rear Admiral, posthumously) Ono Koro (later KIA as MUTSU's XO) and 1,098 survivors. The Emperor's portrait is transferred to destroyer ASAGUMO. [5]The first battleship vs. battleship encounter in the Pacific War is over, as is Admiral Yamamoto's "decisive naval battle" for Guadalcanal.
22 November 1942:
Captain Iwabuchi is formally relieved of command.[6]
20 December 1942:
BatDiv 11 is deactivated and KIRISHIMA is removed from
the Navy List.
August 1992:
Oceanographer Dr. Robert D. Ballard discovers the wreck of
KIRISHIMA in 4,000 feet of water, resting upside down with its bow blown off. [7]
