© 2000-2009 Bob Hackett, Sander Kingsepp and Lars Ahlberg
Revision 729 November 1941:
BatDiv 3's section 2, HARUNA and KONGO, is attached to
Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Kondo Nobutake's (former CO of KONGO) Second Fleet,
Southern (Malay) Force's Main Body: BatDiv 3/2, CruDiv 4's ATAGO, TAKAO and MAYA
and eight destroyers. The Main Body departs Hashirajima for Mako,
Pescadores.
2 December 1941:
The Main Body arrives at Mako.
4 December 1941:
The Main Body departs Mako for Indochina (Vietnam) to
provide distant support for the invasion forces.
8 December 1941: The Invasions of Malaya and the Philippines:
CruDiv 4's
MAYA detaches from the Main Body to support the landings at Appari and Vigan in
the Philippines.
9 December 1941: The
Pursuit of the Royal Navy's "Force Z":
The Main Body is SE of
Indochina near Poulo Condore Island.
10 December 1941:
At dawn, Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Kurita
Takeo's (former CO of KONGO) CruDiv 7's KUMANO, MOGAMI, MIKUMA and SUZUYA with
DesRon 3's light cruiser SENDAI and four destroyers join the Main Body. Kondo
also orders Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo (former CO of HARUNA) to join in the
hunt with cruiser CHOKAI.
That afternoon, the Main Body and all other ships depart the search area after receiving reports that both British capital ships were sunk off Kuantan, Malaya. Force Z was overwhelmed by 94 torpedo-bombers (Type 96 Mitsubishi G3M2 "Nells" and Type 1 G4M1 "Bettys") of the Genzan, Kanoya and Mihoro Kokutais of Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Matsunaga Sadaichi's (former CO of ISUZU) 22nd Air Flotilla based at Saigon and Thudamot in French Indochina. 840 British seamen are lost including Admiral Phillips.[2]
11 December 1941:
The Main Body arrives at Camranh Bay, Indochina.
14 December 1941:
The Main Body departs Camranh to cover the Second Malaya
Convoy, NE of Natuna Besar Island.
17 December 1941:
The Main Body returns to Camranh.
18 December 1941:
The Main Body departs Camranh to cover the invasion
landings at Lingayen Gulf, Philippines.
20-23 December 1941:
The Main Body lies off the coast of Luzon.
23 December 1941:
The Main Body returns to Camranh, then departs for
Formosa.
11 January 1942:
The Main Body arrives at Mako.
14 January 1942:
The Main Body departs Mako for the Palau Islands in the
Carolines.
18 January 1942:
The Main Body arrives at Palau. Provides distant cover
for the Dutch East Indies invasion forces.
21-25 January 1942:
The Main Body splits into two groups to provide
distant support of air attacks on Ambon Island. HARUNA, CarDiv 2, CruDiv 4's
MAYA and four destroyers operate out of Palau to the east of Mindanao, the
Philippines. The KONGO, CruDiv 4's ATAGO and TAKAO and four destroyers operate
south of Palau.
18 February 1942:
The Main Body departs Palau.
21 February 1942:
The Main Body arrives at Staring (now Teluk) Bay
near Kendari, Celebes. Vice Admiral Nagumo Chuichi (former CO of YAMASHIRO)
also arrives from his 19 February attack on Darwin with his Carrier Striking
Force: CarDiv 1's AKAGI and KAGA, CarDiv 2's HIRYU and SORYU, Bat Div 3/1's HIEI
and KIRISHIMA, CruDiv 8's CHIKUMA and TONE, DesRon 1's light cruiser ABUKUMA and
seven destroyers. The Main Body and the Carrier Striking Force
refuel.
25 February 1942: Operation "J" - The Invasion of the Netherlands East
Indies:
The Main Body departs Staring Bay following the Carrier Striking
Force, CruDiv 8, DesRon 1 and six tankers. The Main Body supports air attacks on
Java.
7 March 1942:
BatDiv 3/2 bombards Christmas Island with DesDiv 17's
URAKAZE and HAMAKAZE.
9 March 1942:
After the surrender of the Dutch East Indies, the BatDiv 3/2
group returns to Staring Bay, Celebes.
10-25 March 1942:
At Staring Bay. BatDiv 3's HARUNA, HIEI, KONGO and
KIRISHIMA refuel. After more than three months of continuous operations, the
crews are allowed some rest and relaxation.
26 March 1942:
BatDiv 3 sorties from Staring Bay via the Timor Sea into
the Indian Ocean with the Carrier Striking Force: CarDiv 1's AKAGI, CarDiv 2,
CarDiv 5's SHOKAKU and ZUIKAKU, CruDiv 8's CHIKUMA and TONE, Supply Units No. 1
and 2, DesRon 1's light cruiser ABUKUMA and 11 destroyers.
5 April 1942: Operation
"C "– The Raids in the Indian Ocean:
BatDiv 3 supports the Striking
Force's attack on Columbo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). At 0800, 315 of the "Kido
Butai's" aircraft led by Cdr (later Captain) Fuchida Mitsuo (of Pearl Harbor)
attack the British naval base. They wreck the base's facilities, destroy 27
aircraft and sink the destroyer HMS TENEDOS and the armed merchant
cruiser HMS HECTOR. Five hundred sailors are killed. A floatplane from the
cruiser TONE finds Vice Admiral (later Admiral of the Fleet Sir) James
Somerville's (former CO of HMS NORFOLK) British Eastern Fleet's cruisers HMS
CORNWALL and HMS DORSETSHIRE at sea - without air cover. Between 1338-1400, 88
aircraft from AKAGI, HIRYU and SORYU sink both ships. After the attack, BatDiv 3
and the Striking Force withdraw to the SE and search unsuccessfully for the rest
of Somerville's fleet.
6 April 1942:
At 0500, Vice Admiral Nagumo orders the Striking Force with
BatDiv 3 to reverse course to the NW.
9 April 1942:
At 0600, the Striking Force launches 91 Aichi D3A1 "Val"
dive-bombers and 41 Mitsubishi A6M2 "Zeke" fighters led by Cdr Fuchida to attack
the British naval base at Trincomalee, Ceylon. They find the harbor empty, but
wreck the base's facilities and shoot down nine planes. HARUNA launches a Type
95 Nakajima E8N2 "Dave" two-seat reconnaissance floatplane which spots an
enemy carrier 65 miles south of the base.
23 April 1942:
The fleet arrives at Hashirajima.
April-May 1942:
Kure. Refit, drydocked.
1 May 1942:
Captain Takama is promoted to Rear Admiral.
19 May 1942:
BatDiv 3 departs Hashirajima with the First and Third Fleets.
The fleets conduct two-day maneuvers at sea.
23 May 1942:
BatDiv 3 returns to Hashirajima.
29 May 1942: Operation
"MI" - The Battle of Midway:
The Support Group's BatDiv 3, Section
2's HARUNA and KIRISHIMA depart Hashirajima for Midway with Vice Admiral
Nagumo's First Mobile Force, Carrier Strike Force: CarDiv 1's AKAGI and KAGA,
CarDiv 2's HIRYU and SORYU, CruDiv 8's TONE and CHIKUMA, DesRon 10's light
cruiser NAGARA and 11 destroyers.
4 June 1942:
At 0430, HARUNA catapults a "Dave" floatplane to search for
American carriers northeast of the Striking Force. Longer-range search planes
are also launched from the AKAGI and the KAGA and later by the CHIKUMA and TONE.
At 0817, HARUNA and KIRISHIMA are attacked by 11 Midway-based obsolete Marine
SB2U-3 "Vindicator" dive-bombers, but they only score near-misses. When KAGA is
set afire, HARUNA briefly closes to assist.
At 1020, two SBDs from YORKTOWN approach HARUNA from her starboard beam and score two very near misses. The battleship disappears behind the waterspouts and some lookouts on nearby vessels report her as lost. At 1649, HARUNA is attacked unsuccessfully by four level-bombers. At 1707, HARUNA is attacked unsuccessfully by two SBD-3 "Dauntless" dive-bombers of VB-3 from USS YORKTOWN (CV-5). At 1826, HARUNA comes under attack by eight B-17Es "Flying Fortress" of the 431st Bomb Group, but they fail to score a hit.
5 June 1942:
From 1508 to 1545 (JST), DesDiv 17's TANIKZAE is attacked by
three waves of SBDs, about 50 aircraft total. Near-misses cause an explosion in
her after turret. She claims four SBDs shot down. At about 1600, HARUNA is
attacked by SBDs not far from where TANIKAZE was attacked. HARUNA suffers but
minor damage. That night, after the Striking Force joins the Main Body, DesRon
10's destroyers come alongside HARUNA. She takes aboard an unknown number of
survivors that the destroyers rescued earlier from the sunken carriers AKAGI,
KAGA, HIRYU and SORYU.
14 June 1942:
Returns to Hashirajima.
20 June 1942:
Captain (later Rear Admiral) Ishii Keishi (former CO of OBB
target ship SETTSU) assumes command. Rear Admiral Takama is reassigned as
ComDesRon 4, Second Fleet (Advanced Force) on 14 July 1942.
14 July 1942:
HARUNA is assigned to the Second Fleet. Vice Admiral Kurita
Takeo (former CO of KONGO) assumes command of the resized BatDiv 3's KONGO (F)
and HARUNA from Vice Admiral Mikawa who is reassigned as Commander of the Eighth
Fleet at Rabaul. HIEI and KIRISHIMA are reassigned to the new BatDiv 11.
August- 5 September 1942:
At Kure. Refit.
6-10 September 1942:
Bat Div 3 departs Kure for Truk with DesDiv 31's
MAKINAMI and DesDiv 32's NAGANAMI.
10 September 1942:
Bat Div 3 sorties from Truk with Vice Admiral Kondo's
Second Fleet: CruDiv 4's ATAGO, TAKAO and MAYA, CruDiv 5's HAGURO and MYOKO
and DesRon 2. The Second Fleet accompanies Vice Admiral (Admiral, posthumously)
Nagumo Chuichi's (former CO of YAMASHIRO) Third Fleet:CarDiv 1's SHOKAKU,
ZUIKAKU and ZUIHO, BatDiv 11's HIEI and KIRISHIMA, CruDiv 7's KUMANO and SUZUYA,
CruDiv 8's CHIKUMA, DesRon 10's light cruiser NAGARA and 11 destroyers 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:
The fleets arrive at Truk. Bat Div 3 provides distant
support for operations in the Solomon Islands. In October, a Type 22 radar is
installed.
11 October 1942:
Kurita's Bat Div 3 departs Truk for Guadalcanal with the
Second and Third Fleets.
12 October 1942:
Bat Div 3 detaches from Kondo and Nagumo's fleets with
Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Tanaka Raizo's (former CO of KONGO) DesRon 2's
light cruiser ISUZU and three destroyers. Six destroyers from Shortland join
Kurita's force. All head towards the Solomon Islands.
13 October 1942:
Beginning at 0133, BatDiv 3 bombards Henderson Field,
Guadalcanal. HARUNA and KONGO fire 918 (483 and 435 respectively) 35.6 cm.
(14-in.) shells including thousand pound Type 3 HE shells originally designed as
anti-aircraft rounds. Each Type 3 round contains 470 individual incendiary
submunitions. After the HE shells are expended, BatDiv 3 continues the
bombardment with less effective AP shells. Kurita's battleships destroy more
than 40 U.S. aircraft on the ground.
17-18 October 1942:
BatDiv 3 and DesDiv 15's KAGERO and OYASHIO refuel at
sea with Kondo's Advance Force.
26 October 1942: The
Battle of Santa Cruz:
HARUNA is attacked by a PBY "Catalina" flying
boat, but not damaged.
30 October 1942:
BatDiv 3 returns to Truk.
9 November 1942:
BatDiv 3 departs Truk with task group: carrier JUNYO,
cruiser TONE, DesRon 3's light cruiser SENDAI and five destroyers. BatDiv 3
supports air attacks launched at the USS ENTERPRISE (CV-6) south of Guadalcanal,
but JUNYO's aircraft fail to find ENTERPRISE.
15 November 1942:
The Second Naval Battle of
Guadalcanal:
After the loss of BatDiv 11's KIRISHIMA off Savo
Island, BatDiv 3 departs the area for Truk.
30 January 1943: Operation "KE" – The Evacuation of Guadalcanal:
BatDiv 3
departs Truk with a task force of units of the Second and Third Fleet: carriers
ZUIKAKU, ZUIHO and JUNYO, CruDiv 4's ATAGO and TAKAO, CruDiv 5's HAGURO and
MYOKO, DesRon 4's light cruiser NAGARA, DesRon 10's light cruiser AGANO and
destroyers. The task force steams north of the Solomons as a feint to cover the
evacuation of Japanese forces from Guadalcanal by destroyers from Rabaul.
9 February 1943:
After the successful evacuation of 12,000 troops from
Guadalcanal, the task force returns to Truk.
15 -20 February 1943:
BatDiv 3 departs Truk for Kure with seaplane
carrier NISSHIN and DesDiv 27's SHIGURE.
20 February -31 March 1943:
Kure. Overhaul and refit. Type 21 air and
surface detection radar installed. Six
6-in. guns removed. Additional 25-mm.
AA installed. Concrete protection is added in the vicinity of the steering
gear.
1 April 1943:
Bat Div 3 departs Kure for Truk.
6 April 1943:
BatDiv 3 arrives at Truk.
1 May 1943:
Captain Ishii is promoted to Rear Admiral.
17 May 1943:
In response to the American invasion of Attu in the
Aleutians, departs Truk for Yokosuka with a task force: BatDiv 1's MUSASHI, Bat
Div 3, CarDiv 2's JUNYO and HIYO, CruDiv 8's TONE and CHIKUMA and nine
destroyers.
20 May 1943:
Alerted by Ultras, USS SAWFISH (SS-276) picks up the task
force on radar but the submarine is unable to attack.
22 May 1943:
USS TRIGGER (SS-237) sights the task force off Tokyo Bay, but
the submarine is unable to attack. The task force arrives safely. The carriers
ZUIKAKU, SHOKAKU and ZUIHO and light cruisers AGANO and OYODO join the task
force at Yokosuka -Tokyo Bay. CruDiv 7's KUMANO, MOGAMI and SUZUYA also arrive
from Tokuyama. Before this powerful force can depart for a counterattack against
the Aleutians, Attu falls to U.S. forces.
May 1943:
Departs Yokosuka with the fleet on maneuvers.
June 1943:
Refit at Yokosuka.
14 June 1943:
Captain (later Rear Admiral) Morishita Nobuei (former
CO of OI ) assumes command. Rear Admiral Ishii becomes Chief of Staff of the
Sasebo Naval Base.
16 June 1943:
BatDiv 3 departs Yokosuka for Truk with a task group: light
carrier RYUHO, escort carriers UNYO, CHUYO, CruDiv 7's KUMANO and SUZUYA and
seven destroyers.
17 June 1943:
USS FLYING FISH (SS-229) sights the group making 20 knots,
but the submarine is unable to attack.
21 June 1943:
USS SPEARFISH (SS-190) attacks one of the carriers in the
group, but misses with four torpedoes. The task group arrives safely at
Truk.
9 August 1943:
Vice Admiral Kurita assumes command of the Second Fleet.
Kondo, promoted to Admiral on 23 April 1943, is reassigned as Commander-in-Chief
of the China Area Fleet.
18 September 1943:
At Truk. BatDiv 3 remains at Truk as guardships with
flagship MUSASHI and FUSO during the fleet's sortie to Brown Island,
Eniwetok in response to raids on Tarawa, Makin and Abemama Atolls by Rear
Admiral Charles A. Pownall's Task Force 15.
25 September 1943:
The fleet arrives back at Truk.
25 September-17 October 1943:
At Truk.
5-6 November 1943:
Rear Admiral (later Vice Admiral) Alfred E.
Montgomery's (former CO of RANGER (CV-4) Task Force 14's carriers USS ESSEX
(CV-9), YORKTOWN (CV-10), LEXINGTON (CV-16), INDEPENDENCE (CV-22), BELLEAU WOOD
(CVL-24) and COWPENS (CVL-25) launch raids on Wake and the Marshall Islands.
17 October 1943:
The Japanese intercept radio traffic that suggests the
Americans are planning another raid on Wake Island. Admiral Koga sorties from
Truk to intercept the enemy carriers with the fleet: BatDiv 1's YAMATO, MUSASHI,
and NAGATO, BatDiv 2's FUSO, Bat Div 3's KONGO and HARUNA, CarDiv 1's SHOKAKU,
ZUIKAKU and ZUIHO, CruDiv 4's ATAGO, TAKAO, MAYA and CHOKAI, CruDiv 7's SUZUYA
and MOGAMI, CruDiv 8's CHIKUMA and TONE and light cruisers AGANO, NOSHIRO,
OYODO and destroyers.
19-23 October 1943:
Arrives at Brown Atoll, Eniwetok.
23 October 1943:
Departs Brown and sorties to a position 250 miles south
of Wake. Returns after no contact is made with enemy forces.
26 October 1943:
The fleet arrives back at Truk.
11 December 1943:
BatDiv 3 departs Truk for Sasebo with DesDiv 4's MAIKAZE
and NOWAKI.
16 December 1943:
Arrives at Sasebo. Refit, then training in Inland Sea.
25 January 1944:
Captain (later Rear Admiral) Shigenaga Kazu (former CO of
CHIKUMA) assumes command from Captain (later Rear Admiral) Morishita who is
selected to command YAMATO.
8 March 1944:
BatDiv 3 departs Kure for Lingga (south of Singapore) with a
task group: carrier ZUIKAKU, cruiser MOGAMI, DesDiv 10's ASAGUMO, AKIGUMO and
KAZAGUMO.
11 March 1944:
At 1210, the task group is sighted by USS LAPON (SS-260)
but the submarine is unable to attack. ZUIKAKU and MOGAMI are detached from the
task group and put into Seletar Naval Base, Singapore. The remainder of the task
force continues south to Lingga.
14 March-11 May 1944:
Training at Lingga.
31 March 1944:
Departs Lingga for Singapore.
April -11 May 1944:
Departs Singapore for Lingga. Training.
11 May 1944:
Steams with Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo's (former CO of
HARUNA) Mobile Fleet from Lingga to the Tawi Tawi anchorage.
13 May-13 June 1944:
At Tawi Tawi with Vice Admiral Kurita's Force "C"
Vanguard: BatDiv 1's YAMATO and MUSASHI, BatDiv 3, CarDiv 3's CHITOSE, CHIYODA
and ZUIHO, CruDiv 4's ATAGO, TAKAO, MAYA and CHOKAI, CruDiv 7's KUMANO and
SUZUYA, CruDiv 8's CHIKUMA and TONE, DesRon 2's light cruiser NOSHIRO and six
destroyers.
13 June 1944: Operation
"A-GO" - The Battle of the Philippine Sea:
In Tokyo, the CINC,
Combined Fleet, Admiral Toyoda Soemu, (former CO of HYUGA), sends out a signal
that activates the A-GO plan for the Defense of the Marianas.
14 June 1944:
At Guimaras. Refuels from oilers.
15 June 1944:
The Mobile Fleet departs Guimaras through the Visayan Sea.
At 1622, the Mobile Fleet is sighted in the San Bernardino Strait by LtCdr
Robert Risser's USS FLYING FISH (SS-229).
17 June 1944:
LtCdr (later Rear Admiral) Herman J. Kossler's USS CAVALLA
(SS-244) sights the Mobile Fleet in the Philippine Sea and reports its movement
after surfacing later that evening.
18-19 June 1944:
Ozawa splits the Mobile Fleet. Forces "A" and "B"
proceed southward. The Vanguard Force "C" proceeds due east in the Philippine
Sea headed towards Saipan. The Mobile Fleet's aircraft attack the U.S. Task
Force 58 off Saipan, but suffer overwhelming aircraft losses in the "Great
Mariana's Turkey Shoot".
20 June 1944:
At 1830, BatDiv 3 and carrier CHIYODA are attacked by
Curtiss SB2C "Helldiver" dive-bombers and Grumman TBM "Avenger" torpedo-bombers
from USS BUNKER HILL (CVL-17), MONTEREY (CVL-26) and CABOT (CVL-28). Four
aircraft from CABOT's VT-31 score 500-lb. bomb hits on HARUNA's turret No. 4 and
quarterdeck and several near misses. Fifteen crewmen are killed and many others
wounded. The bombs damage HARUNA's hull below the water line and start leakage
into a powder magazine, but she is able to maintain 27 knots. During the battle,
air attacks sink carrier HIYO and damage carriers ZUIKAKU, JUNYO, CHIYODA
and RYUHO while CAVALLA sinks SHOKAKU and ALBACORE (SS-218) sinks new armored
carrier TAIHO. HARUNA retires with the Mobile Fleet to Nakagusuku Wan
(Bay), Okinawa.
21 June 1944:
At 1612, USN codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message from the Chief of Staff, 2nd Fleet that reads: "Haruna and Maya received the following damages in the battle of the 20th: 1. Haruna ----- (lists fairly extensive damages, from bomb hit(s), -----. Maya. Flooding in vicinity of ------ (120 tons of water have entered). Port ----- out of commission --."
23 June 1944:
At 0848, codebreakers intercept and decrypt a message from the Chief of Staff, 1st Mobile Fleet that reads: "Haruna, Shigure and Samidare will carry out repairs of damage at Sasebo; Maya will do the same at Yokosuka and others at Sasebo --."
22 June 1944:
Okinawa. HARUNA refuels destroyers then departs for Japan.
24 June 1944:
Arrives at Sasebo. Drydocked for battle damage repairs and
refit. Type 13 radar and additional 25-mm. AA guns are installed.
15 August 1944:
Departs Saesbo for Singapore with DesDiv 4's YAMAGUMO,
MICHISHIO and NOWAKI.
18 August 1944:
At 0029, LtCdr Robert E. M. Ward's USS SAILFISH (SS-192)
makes radar contact with HARUNA group in the South China Sea. At 0135, at
18-40N, 116-10E, Ward fires four torpedoes at HARUNA from 3,600 yards. All miss.
21 August 1944:
HARUNA arrives at Lingga. She rejoins KONGO in Vice
Admiral Suzuki Yoshio's (former CO of KONGO) BatDiv 3. She remains at
Lingga for almost two months.
15 October 1944:
Captain Shigenaga is promoted to Rear Admiral.
18-20 October 1944:
BatDiv 3 departs Lingga with fleet for Brunei Bay,
Borneo.
23 October 1944: The
Battle of the Palawan Passage:
Two American submarines attack Force
A. USS DARTER (SS-227) sinks Kurita's flagship ATAGO. Destroyer KISHINAMI picks
him up. Ten hours later, he transfers to YAMATO to resume command of the First
Diversion Attack Force. DARTER also damages TAKAO. USS DACE (SS-247) sinks MAYA.
HARUNA is not damaged.
24 October 1944: The
Battle of the Sibuyan Sea:
Force A endures raids by over 250 U.S.
carrier aircraft. MUSASHI, hit by numerous aircraft torpedoes and bombs, sinks
in the Visayan Sea. YAMATO, hit by bombs, is down by the bow. Force A continues
on course through the Sibuyan Sea. HARUNA is damaged by near misses. At 1530
hours, Force A reverses course back through the Sibuyan Sea. At 1715 hours,
Kurita again reverses course. At 2330 hours, Force enters the San Bernadino
Strait in single file.
25 October 1944: The
Battle off Samar:
At 0030, Force A exits the San Bernardino Strait
and proceeds towards Leyte Gulf. At 0558 Force A opens fire at the "jeep" escort
carriers of "Taffy 3": USS ST. LO (CVE-63), WHITE PLAINS (CVE-66), KALININ BAY
(CVE-68), FANSHAW BAY (CVE-70) (F), KITKUN BAY (CVE-71) and GAMBIER BAY
(CVE-73). "Taffy 3"'s carriers are screened by destroyers USS HOEL (DD-533),
JOHNSTON (DD-557), HEERMANN (DD-532) and destroyer escorts USS SAMUEL B. ROBERTS
(DE-413), DENNIS (DE-405), RAYMOND (DE-341) and JOHN C. BUTLER (DE-339).
At 0604, WHITE PLAINS and flagship FANSHAW BAY are straddled by 14-inch salvos from either HARUNA or KONGO. At 0654, destroyer HEERMANN fires three torpedoes at HARUNA. These torpedoes miss HARUNA but cause YAMATO and NAGATO to turn northward and steam for 10 miles until the torpedoes run out of fuel.
Between 0755 and 0910, Force A sinks GAMBIER BAY, HOEL, ROBERTS and JOHNSTON. Kurita orders all ships to head north, but at 1020 he reverses course southward and again heads towards Leyte Gulf. Between 1030 and 1320, CHOKAI, CHIKUMA and SUZUYA are disabled by battle damage and subsequently lost. Force "A" reverses course northward and at 2100 retires through the San Bernardino Strait.
26 October 1944:
Aircraft attack Force A in the Tablas Strait off Panay
Island, but HARUNA is not hit.
27 October 1944:
No attacks. HARUNA and NAGATO refuel the destroyers
ISOKAZE and YUKIKAZE at Dangerous Ground off Palawan.
28 October 1944:
The remnants of Force A arrive at Brunei. Refuel.
6 November 1944:
Carrier JUNYO and light cruiser KISO, escorted by DesDiv
30's YUZUKI and UZUKI, arrive at Brunei from Sasebo with ammunition resupply for
Kurita's force.
8 November 1944:
At 0300, departs Brunei towards Pratas Islands (near the
Formosa Strait) with BatDiv 1's YAMATO and NAGATO, BatDiv 3, light cruiser
YAHAGI, DesDiv 17's four destroyers. JUNYO, cruisers TONE and ASHIGARA, KISO
and DesDiv 30 follow. JUNYO, TONE, KISO and DesDiv 30 are detached to Manila.
The remainder of the group makes a feint through the Balabac Strait, then
returns to Brunei.
11 November 1944:
At 1000, arrives at Brunei Bay. Refuels from
oiler HAKKO MARU.
15 November 1944:
NAGATO is reassigned to BatDiv 3 in Second Fleet
with HARUNA and KONGO.
16 November 1944:
At Brunei. Attacked by 40 USAAF Consolidated B-24
"Liberator" bombers and 15 Lockheed "Lightning" P-38 fighters. BatDiv 3 is not
damaged. At 1830, KONGO departs for Kure with BatDiv 1's YAMATO, BatDiv 3, light
cruiser YAHAGI and four destroyers. HARUNA remains at Brunei and joins ASHIGARA
and HAGURO and light cruiser OYODO.
17 November 1944:
At Brunei. At 0400, HARUNA and the cruisers depart
Brunei.
18 November 1944:
HARUNA group arrives at the Spratly Islands. CarDiv 4's
ISE and HYUGA and DesDiv 61's SHIMOTSUKI are already there unloading troops and
supplies after being diverted from Manila because of carrier air attacks on that
port.
Vice Admiral Shima Kiyohide (former CO of OI), CINC, Fifth Fleet arrives from Manila aboard DesDiv 21's HATSUSHIMO accompanied by DesDiv 2's ASASHIMO and DesDiv 7's KASUMI and USHIO. Shima transfers his flag to ASHIGARA.
20 November 1944:
HARUNA departs the Spratlys for Lingga with CarDiv
4, ASHIGARA, HAGURO, OYODO and destroyers.
22 November 1944:
At 1500, arrives at Lingga Roads, but HARUNA runs
aground on a reef while maneuvering to anchor. She damages her bilge amidships
forward. The damage is serious and requires her return to Sasebo for repairs.
28 November 1944.
Departs Lingga.
29 November 1944:
Arrives at Singapore in the early morning. Departs 1930
that day for Mako, Pescadores with destroyers HATSUSHIMO and KASUMI.
1 December 1944:
At 2213, the HARUNA group, making 18 knots, is picked up
on radar by LtCdr Herman J. Kossler's USS CAVALLA (SS-244) at 11-16N, 111-38E.
As he closes the track, Kossler sights an escort.
2 December 1944:
At 0111, Kossler identifies one of the contacts as "a
battleship, possibly YAMATO". He makes an "end around" approach to attack.
Kossler takes CAVALLA to periscope depth, but is forced to dive to avoid being
rammed by an escort. While diving, Kossler "snap-shoots" six torpedoes at
HARUNA, but they all miss.
4 December 1944:
South of Formosa. At 2246, HARUNA is bombed by a B-29,
but not damaged.
5 December 1944:
At 1020, the HARUNA group arrives at Mako. Destroyers
KASUMI and HATSUSHIMO are detached and later escort a convoy to Camranh.
6 December:
Departs Mako for Sasebo with carrier JUNYO, DesDiv 41's
SUZUTSUKI, FUYUTSUKI and DesDiv 31's destroyer escort MAKI.
8 December 1944:
At about 2000, alerted by Ultra, LtCdr L. D. McGregor's
USS REDFISH (SS-395) makes radar contact on the zigzagging task group at 31,000
yards making 19 knots. McGregor attempts an "end-around" but loses contact. He
signals six nearby American submarines of his contact. At 2030, McGregor regains
contact and continues tracking the task group. At 2130, LtCdr R. E. Styles' USS
SEA DEVIL (SS-400) makes radar contact on the task group at 16,000 yards.
9 December 1944:
About midnight, LtCdr C. B. Stevens' USS PLAICE (SS-390)
picks up the task group at 24,000 yards.
At about 0100, LtCdr Styles' SEA DEVIL makes a radar-depth approach on the
task group SW of Homazaki at 31-43N, 129-04E. At 4,300 yards, Styles fires four
Mark-23 steam torpedoes at the largest target. One or two of the torpedoes hit
JUNYO. She takes on water and slows.
LtCdr Stevens' PLAICE is near
Meshima in the East China Sea. Stevens sees a destroyer and fires three
torpedoes at it, but all miss. Then about 0200, he sees JUNYO coming out of the
mist. Stevens doesn't have a firing "solution" on the distant carrier, but he
fires three torpedoes at the closer destroyer escort MAKI in a night surface
radar attack at 31-57N, 129-01E. One torpedo hits.
At about 0300, LtCdr
McGregor in REDFISH is able to just see HARUNA, JUNYO and three destroyers. He
makes a night surface radar attack on JUNYO at 32-13N, 129-13E. He fires six
torpedoes from 2,900 yards. One, perhaps, hits the carrier. McGregor reloads and
fires six more torpedoes at JUNYO.
HARUNA is undamaged during all the
submarine attacks, but JUNYO is hit on the starboard side forward and aft and
the starboard engine room floods. Although she takes on a 12-degree starboard
list, she makes 12 knots on her port engine and escapes further attack. MAKI,
hit in the port bow, also escapes and makes port at Nagasaki.
10 December 1944:
The remainder of the task group arrives at Sasebo.
11 December 1944:
HARUNA and DesDiv 41's FUYUTSUKI and SUZUTSUKI depart
Sasebo for Kure.
12 December 1944:
The HARUNA group arrives at Kure.
20 December 1944:
At Kure. Captain Yoshimura Matake (former ComDesDiv 27
and CO of CL YAHAGI) assumes command from Rear Admiral Shigenaga.
23 December 1944:
The former Vice Chief of the Naval General Staff, Vice
Admiral (Admiral, posthumously) Ito Seiichi (former CO of HARUNA) assumes
command of the Second Fleet. Vice Admiral Kurita is reassigned as the President
of the Etajima Naval Academy.
1 January 1945:
At Kure. BatDiv 3 is deactivated. HARUNA is reassigned to
the reactivated BatDiv 1, Second Fleet. During 1945, HARUNA's battle damage is
mostly repaired and she is camouflaged gray with very pale gray stripes on her
turrets.
10 February 1945:
BatDiv 1 is deactivated once again. HARUNA is assigned
to the Kure Naval District.
19 March 1945:
At Kure. Vice Admiral (later Admiral) Marc A. Mitscher's
(former CO of HORNET, CV-8) Task Force 58 carriers USS ESSEX (CV-9), INTREPID
(CV-11), HORNET (CV-12), WASP (CV-18), HANCOCK (CV-19), BENNINGTON (CV-20) and
BELLEAU WOOD (CVL-24) make the first carrier attack on the Kure Naval Arsenal.
More than 240 aircraft attack battleships HARUNA, YAMATO, ISE, HYUGA, carriers
RYUHO, KAIYO, AMAGI, KATSURAGI and other ships.
The fleet is defended vigorously, but unsuccessfully, by 54 Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden-Kai ("George") fighters of Captain (later General and CINC, JSDF)Genda Minoru's (of AKAGI at Pearl Harbor) 343rd NAG based at Matsuyama airfield. The 343rd pilots claim 52 aircraft shot down against 16 losses.
HARUNA, standing at the roadstead in Etajima Bight is attacked by 15 aircraft, but hit only once on the starboard side aft of the bridge which causes light damage.
22 June 1945:
The XXth (Twentieth) Air Force at Tinian launches 162 Boeing
B-29 "Superfortress" in mission No. 215 against the Kure Naval Arsenal. The
HARUNA is bracketed by near-miss bombs. One bomb hits the quarterdeck and causes
light damage.
28 July 1945:
At Kure. From 0800 to 1700, HARUNA is attacked again by the
USS WASP's (CV-18) Air Group 86, SHANGRI-LA (CV-38) and other aircraft from Task
Force 38. She receives many hits and near misses. At 1300, she is attacked but
not hit by over 70 USAAF B-24's of the 7th AF's 11th Bomb Group and other groups
based at Yontan Air Base, Okinawa.
At 1615, HARUNA comes under a final heavy attack, and is holed portside. This causes a list that brings the gash inflicted on 24 July under water. HARUNA takes on tons of water and sinks in shallow water next to a pier at 34-15N, 132-29E. In the two days of attacks, HARUNA receives nine bomb hits and 65 officers and men are lost.
20 November 1945:
Removed from Navy List.
1946-1948:
The wreck of HARUNA is raised and broken up.
