Battle of the Malacca Strait

Battle of the Malacca Strait Part of the Pacific theater of World War II Japanese cruiser Haguro. Date May 15 – 16, 1945 Location Strait of Malacca Result Decisive British victory Belligerents  United Kingdom Empire of Japan Commanders Manley Laurence Power Shigeru Fukudome Shintaro Hashimoto  † Kaju Sugiura  † Strength 5 Destroyers 1 Heavy Cruiser 1 Destroyer Casualties and losses 1 destroyer damaged, 2 killed[1] 1 cruiser sunk, 1 destroyer damaged, 927 killed[2]

v • d • e South-East Asian Theatre French Indochina 1940 – Franco–Thai War – Thailand – Malaya – Dutch East Indies – Burma – Singapore – Indian Ocean 1942–45 – Air Raids 1944–45 – French Indochina 1945 – Malacca Strait – Tiderace

The Battle of the Malacca Strait, sometimes called the Sinking of the Haguro, and in Japanese sources as the Battle off Penang (ペナン沖海戦), was a naval battle that resulted from the British search and destroy operation in May, 1945, called Operation Dukedom, that resulted in the sinking of the Japanese cruiser Haguro. Haguro had been operating as a supply ship for Japanese garrisons in the Dutch East Indies and the Bay of Bengal since 1 May 1945.

The action

On the 9 May, the Haguro left Singapore, escorted by the destroyer Kamikaze, to re-supply the Port Blair garrison on the Andaman Islands and to evacuate troops back to Singapore. The Royal Navy was alerted to this by a decrypted Japanese naval signal^[3][4], subsequently confirmed by a sighting by the submarines HMS Statesman and Subtle. Force 61 of the Eastern Fleet set sail on 10 May from Trincomalee, Ceylon to intercept the Japanese flotilla. The Japanese were unwilling to risk any battle and, on receipt of an air reconnaissance warning, they returned to Singapore.

On the 14 May, Haguro and Kamikaze tried again and left Singapore. Next day, they were spotted by aircraft from Force 61. The subsequent air attack caused only minor damage to Haguro, for the loss of an aircraft whose crew was taken prisoner by the Japanese.

Information was relayed to the Japanese that two British destroyer squadrons had been sighted heading towards them. Again, they reversed course to return to the Malacca Strait. This change had been anticipated, however, and the 26th Destroyer Flotilla (HMS Saumarez, Verulam, Venus, Vigilant, and Virago), commanded by Captain Manley Power (on the Saumarez) steamed to intercept. In heavy rain squalls with lightning, Venus made radar contact at 34 miles (54 kilometers).^[5] The British destroyers arranged themselves in a crescent cordon and allowed the Japanese ships to sail into the trap.

At 0105 Saumarez 4.7-inch (12-cm) guns opened fire at a range of 3 kilometers and hit Haguro with the second salvo. Saumarez turned sharply right to pass astern of Haguro and raked Kamikaze with Bofors 40 mm gun fire as the Japanese destroyer appeared off the port bow and swept by. Haguro returned six main battery salvos at Saumarez before being hit at 0115 by three torpedoes fired by Saumarez and Verulam. Venus hit Haguro with one torpedo at 0125 and Virago stopped Haguro with two more torpedo hits two minutes later. Haguro sank at 0209 after receiving another torpedo from Vigilant, two more from Venus, and nearly an hour of gunfire from the 26th flotilla.^[5]

Kamikaze was also damaged, but escaped, returning the next day to rescue survivors. About 320 survived but 900 died, including the Japanese commanders, Vice-Admiral Hashimoto and Rear-Admiral Sugiura.

Saumarez main aerial and a funnel top had been shot away and an 8-inch (20-cm) shell nicked the forecastle. Two men were killed and 3 burned in the boiler room when a 5-inch (127 mm) shell severed Saumarez main steam pipe. There was no damage to the remainder of the 26th Flotilla.^[5]

References

Books

• Lacroix, Eric; Linton Wells (1997). Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-311-3. 
• Roskill, S. W. (1960). White Ensign, the British Navy At War, 1939-1945. United States Naval Institute. ASIN B000EJI8X8. 
• Winton, John (1969). The Forgotten Fleet. Michael Joseph Ltd. ISBN 0718106431. 
• Winton, John (1981). Sink the Haguro. Saunders of Toronto Ltd. ISBN 0854221522. 

Web

• Chen, Peter (2004-2007). "Haguro". World War II Database. http://ww2db.com/ship_spec.php?ship_id=87. Retrieved on 2007-02-22. 
• Hackett, Bob; Sander Kingsepp (1997 - 2006). "HIJMS Haguro: Tabular Record of Movement". (Combinedfleet.com). http://www.combinedfleet.com/haguro_t.htm. Retrieved on 2007-02-22. 
• Hough, Stan (1998). "H.M.S. VIGILANT. 1945". Stan Hough. http://www.stanhough.com/Vigilant.htm. Retrieved on 2007-02-22. - Firsthand account of the battle by a member of HMS Vigilant's crew.
• Kemble, Mike (2003). "The Sinking of the Haguro". World War II Research Index. http://www.mikekemble.com/ww2/haguro.html. Retrieved on 2007-02-22. - Fairly detailed account of the battle
• Muir, Dan. "Order of Battle, Battle off Penang (Loss of IJN Haguro)". (navweaps.com). http://www.navweaps.com/index_oob/OOB_WWII_Pacific/OOB_WWII_Loss_Haguro.htm. Retrieved on 2007-02-22. 
• Nevitt, Allyn D. (1998). "IJN Kamikaze: Tabular Record of Movement". (Combinedfleet.com). http://www.combinedfleet.com/kamika_t.htm. Retrieved on 2007-02-22. 
• I Was There! - We Settled a Jap Cruiser in Malacca Straits, The War Illustrated, August 17, 1945. - Firsthand account of the battle by members of HMS Venus's crew.

Notes