© 1998 Allyn D. Nevitt
@Updated - January 16, 2012 - Allyn Nevitt
@Enhanced - Anthony Tully with Allyn Nevitt - March 2020
Name Translation: "New Moon"
31 March 1943:
Completed at Nagasaki. Ship's captain: Commander Kaneda Kiyoshi [50] (prev. C.O. HAYASHIO).
1 April:
At Sasebo. Assigned to Desron 11, First Fleet, for training.
4 April:
Arrived at Kure.
11 April:
Cruised to Oita. Hereafter training back and forth between Kure and Hashirajima.
22 April:
Arrived at Beppu Bay, Kyushu.
{# watches tenses! past vs present - stick with it}
26 April:
Departed for Agenosho.
28 April:
Departed Agenosho with HYUGA for Sasebo.
29 April:
Arrived at Sasebo. NIIZUKI departed next day to return to Kure.
1 May:
Arrived at Kure. Carried out maintenance work.
9 May:
Cruised to Hashirajima.
18 May:
Left Kure with MOGAMI for Yokosuka in response to U.S. invasion of Attu. Later returned to Kure.
31 May:
Assigned to Eighth Fleet.
2 June:
Requested by Outer South Sea Force to expedite movement to Rabaul. This is then cancelled.
8 June:
Departed Kure for Yokosuka.
16 June:
Left Yokosuka for Truk with large task force composed of: CVEs UNYO, CHUYO, Batdiv 3 KONGO, HARUNA, Crudiv 7 SUZUYA, KUMANO, Cardiv 2 RYUHO, escorted by ISUZU, YUKIKAZE, TANIKAZE, HAMAKAZE, NIIZUKI, KIYONAMI, ARIAKE, SHIGURE, KAWAKAZE, SUZUKAZE, AKEBONO, USHIO, and SAZANAMI.
17 June:
USS FLYING FISH (SS-229) attempts intercept, fails.
19 June:
Task force arrived at Saipan. Departed next day.
20 June:
Task force arrived at Truk.
23-25 June:
With SUZUYA and ARIAKE, departed for transport (5th AA Defense Unit) run to Rabaul. They sailed in company with KUMANO and SUZUKAZE transporting a similar contingent (28th AA Defense Units.)
25 June:
Arrived at Rabaul. It is said the Japanese were eager to test NIIZUKI's radar capabilities and she was to participate in the very next mission. NIIZUKI immediately became flagship of Comdesron 3 (Rear Admiral Akiyama Teruo [41]). [1]
30 June:
Dawn: The Allies commenced the central Solomons offensive with the invasion of Rendova. NIIZUKI is ordered south with cruiser YUBARI and destroyers MOCHIZUKI, SATSUKI, and YUNAGI to Shortlands to join five other destroyers then at Buin and Buka Island and then to proceed immediately to attack the enemy's beachhead on the north coast of Rendova Island.
1 July:
0730: Arrived at Buin, Bougainville.
2 July:
Led Rendova bombardment mission (cover duty) led by Comdesron 3 (Rear Admiral Akiyama Teruo.# only mention once) Composition:
- 1630: Departed Buin.
- 2330 Force entered the Blanche Channel, and finding no enemy ships, commenced bombardment of positions ashore at midnight.
3 July:
Action:
- 0010-0025 Force is engaged by three enemy PT boats (Nos. 156, 157, 161.) NIIZUKI leads three other DDs in a counter-attack. No damage received, and two PT boats claimed sunk.
- 0700: Returned to Buin.
4 July:
To counter the Rendova landing, it was decided to do so indirectly, by reinforcing Kolombangara's garrison, which could then see to ferrying troops across to New Georgia. This to take place in two runs planned for the night of July 4 and night of July 5. NIIZUKI assigned to `Group A', the July 4 attempt.
- 1640 Group A under Comdesdiv 22 [Commander Kanaoka Kunizo] departed Buin: Desdiv 22 (NAGATSUKI, SATSUKI), NIIZUKI and YUNAGI. Comdesron 3 remained behind, aboard YUBARI to plan further actions. The force is carrying 1,300 soldiers and 180 tons of ammunition and provisions.
- 2215 Force arrived off Kolombangara.
Action:
- 2220 An enemy force is revealed ahead to the south, just then opening a bombardment of Bairoka Harbor, on the New Georgia side of Kula Gulf.
- With the enemy identified as four cruisers and four destroyers, concluding the odds unfavorable, Commander Kanaoka ordered abortion of the operation and high-speed retirement from the scene. However, since NIIZUKI appears to have a radar bearing fix he commited to launching one torpedo attack.
- 2225 NIIZUKI fired four torpedoes; NAGATSUKI fired six, and YUNAGI fired four, while SATSUKI refrained from launch. The extreme range was estimated to be in excess of 6,000 meters.
-[At 2243 a torpedo hit USS STRONG (DD-467)on the port side between the stacks. She foundered at 2322. At 2303 TBS announced STRONG was sinking from torpedo hit but it was judged from a submarine due to recent undersea activity and sound contact at that time and so though breifly detected just after reversing course, Akiyama was not pursued. At the time shore batteries were also firing on parts of the U.S. force, further complicating American interpretation of what was happening.]
- However the mission had been thwarted. Without landing the troops and supplies, Akiyama's destroyers hurried back to Buin.[1]
Battle of Kula Gulf - 5-6 July 1943
5 July:
- 0519 Returned to Buin.
- In the morning light cruiser YUBARI, flagship of Desron 3, is damaged by a mine port side aft at Buin. Because of this, she had to return to Rabaul and the flag of Desron 3 is shifted to NIIZUKI. Because of changed situation, the planned `Group B' run to take place that night is revised, and greatly increased in strength by merging the July 4th force with it, plus reinforcements.
- Leading troop transport run "REINFORCEMENT FORCE" to Kolombangara (cover duty). Composition:
- 1736: Reinforcement force left northern entrance of Shortland Harbor.
- 2200 The unit is northeast of Kolombangara, and shifted to southeast course entering Kula Gulf. Twenty-six minutes later First Transport Unit separated from column as planned; proceeding to Vila.
Action:
- 2306 NIIZUKI's radar detected enemy surface ships broad on the port beam, range 5,000 kilometers. Uncertain of the contact, some time is taken to evaluate it.
- 2314 Akiyama ordered the seven ships to reverse course by column movement to starboard, heading back in a northerly direction to close the contact. Despite suspicions, he directs 2nd Transport Unit to leave column as planned and to proceed to Vila.
- 2348 On same general bearing of the contact, lookouts on SUZUKAZE confirmed sighting three enemy cruisers and one destroyer bearing 56 degrees, 6,000 meters and radios a warning. The flagship ordered preparations for torpedo action to starboard.
- 2352 NIIZUKI radioed "All groups concentrate" (i.e., recalling the Transport Units to join him) and increased speed to 30 knots. The force then commenced a simultaneous turn 40 degrees to port to launch all loaded torpedoes. [NIIZUKI may have launched four; SUZUKAZE eight ; and TANIKAZE eight torpedoes; range 4,000 meters.]
- 2356 NIIZUKI reported enemy ships sighted on diagonal path that will cross her course. At that moment, enemy gunfire deluge began, concentrating on and hitting NIIZUKI repeatedly. (Possibly as noted had already fired torpedoes) All three Japanese destroyers opened return gunfire on the enemy.
6 July:
- 0002 Enemy `Brooklyn-class' cruiser [USS HELENA (CL-50)] was observed to be hit by torpedoes, burst into flames, jackknife, and sink. [Given the interval between first hit and the next two, it seems possible a NIIZUKI torpedo blew off the bow; then torpedoes from SUZUKAZE and TANIKAZE arrived.]
- 0006 NIIZUKI observed heavily afire from many 6" and 5" shell hits with forward batteries and bridge observed smashed by shellfire. The flagship now appeared to suffer a steering failure, shearing out of formation to port (westward) [It may simply be due to destruction of the bridge for steering was restored] SUZUKAZE and TANIKAZE, also damaged, left the scene and retired northwest to reload torpedoes.
- 0011 NIIZUKI radioed that after temporary repairs she could make 26 knots. Tried to catch up. However, enemy fire struck her again and she was last seen wallowing westward afire. AMAGIRI and HATSUYUKI tried to intervene but soon broke off and resumed landing mission. After this the Japanese lost contact with the flagship.
- 0025 (About) It is very likely NIIZUKI was torpedoed and sunk at this time. One or two torpedoes striking the starboard side forward and sending her to the bottom. (TANIKAZE had finished reload of torpedoes and returned to the scene at 0158 but saw no sign of NIIZUKI or enemy. Thus 0200 provided the IJN's terminus ante quem for NIIZUKI's sinking.)
- 0315 AMAGIRI steaming back from Vila arrived at NIIZUKI's sinking site, hearing Japanese shouts and survivors paddling in oily water. She lowers her boats to search. But three minutes later lookouts spotted enemy ships also engaged in rescue work (of HELENA's survivors) 13,000 yards to the NNW. The rescue must be abandoned.
- 0340 After engaging the enemy briefly, AMAGIRI retired northwest. A half-hour later, this situation repeated as home-bound MOCHIUKI also at 0405 engaged the two American destroyers which had resumed rescue work. No damage is inflicted by either side. Though she passed the scene of the NIIZUKI's sinking, there again is no opportunity to attempt rescue. The Battle of Kula Gulf ended.
Sunk::
Sometime probably before 0100 - and certainly before 0300 - NIIZUKI had gone down in a position approximately five miles east of Tuki Point, Kolombangara (7-57 S, 157-12 E), Probably slightly north of where AMAGIRI attempted to rescue survivors. Since the Americans did not report some massive explosion, apparently her magazines did not explode; it is known her torpedoes did not. The number of survivors - if any - rescued by AMAGIRI is unknown. Some later swam ashore to Kolombangara and joined Yokosuka 7th Naval Special Landing Unit, but Commander Kaneda, Admiral Akiyama and the entire Desron 3 staff, along with almost all hands are lost in action. Approximately 290 officers and men lost.[2]
10 September 1943:
Removed from Navy List.
17 April 2019
Vulcan Inc. of the Paul Allen group announced they had located the wreck of the IJN NIIZUKI. (For details see Notes and Sources)
See Also Lancers Special Feature:
Introduction: The NIIZUKI.
Acknowledgements: Special thanks to Anthony Tully and Bill Somerville for contributing from their works to this TROM.
