Operation Kita facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Operation Kita |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Pacific War | |||||||
 Japanese battleship Ise in 1943 |
|||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Japan |
|
||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Matsuda Chiaki |
|
||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
|
||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Several aircraft | None | ||||||
Operation Kita (北号作戦, Hoku-gō sakusen, "North") was a secret mission carried out by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in February 1945 during the Pacific War. Its main goal was to bring two special ships, called battleship-carriers, and four escort ships back to Japan from Singapore. These ships had been based in Singapore since November of the previous year.
The Allies found out about the Japanese plan. They tried to stop the ships using submarines and aircraft. However, all their attempts failed. Because the Allies were making it harder and harder to get supplies to Japan, the Ise-class battleship-carriers and their escorts were among the last Japanese warships to safely reach Japan from the Southwest Pacific before the war ended.
Before leaving Singapore, the Japanese ships were loaded with important supplies like oil and other raw materials. This was part of an effort to get more supplies through the Allied blockade of Japan. The Allies knew about the ships and their mission because they had secretly decoded Japanese radio messages. They planned to attack the ships with submarines and United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) planes. To prepare, 26 submarines were placed along the ships' expected route.
The Japanese ships sailed on February 10, 1945. A Royal Navy submarine saw them leave port. However, attempts by this submarine and several United States Navy submarines to attack between February 11 and 14 were not successful. More than 88 USAAF planes tried to bomb the ships on February 13 and 14, but bad weather stopped them. Another submarine attack on February 16 also failed to damage any Japanese ships. As a result, the Japanese ships reached Kure, Japan, on February 20 without any losses.
Even though this mission was a success, the Japanese government had to stop trying to ship oil from Southeast Asia to Japan in March. This was because Allied submarines were sinking too many Japanese oil tankers. All the ships that took part in Operation Kita were later sunk in or near Japanese waters before the war ended.
Contents
Why This Mission Was Important
During 1944, Allied submarines were very effective. They cut off the supply of oil from Southeast Asia to Japan. They also greatly reduced other important goods reaching Japan. By this time, Japan's oil reserves were almost gone.
U.S. Navy submarines sank many Japanese warships in 1944. These included one battleship, seven aircraft carriers, two heavy cruisers, and seven light cruisers. In early 1945, the Japanese government realized that all their supply routes from the south would eventually be cut off. They tried to get more oil by loading drums of it onto freighters. Several Japanese aircraft carriers were also used to carry oil drums from Singapore to Japan.
On November 11, 1944, two special Japanese ships, the Ise and the Hyūga, sailed from Japan. These were hybrid battleship-aircraft carriers. They were part of Carrier Division 4 and led by Rear Admiral Matsuda Chiaki. They went to join the main Japanese fleet in the Southwest Pacific. This move was meant to strengthen the remaining Japanese forces and place the ships closer to fuel sources. On their way from Japan, each ship carried about 1,000 tons of ammunition for Japanese troops defending Manila in the Philippines.
Due to heavy Allied air attacks on Manila, the two warships unloaded their supplies in the Spratly Islands on November 14. They then sailed to Lingga Roads near Singapore on November 20, arriving two days later. The Allies knew the battleship-carriers had sailed because they had decoded Japanese radio messages. Allied submarines were ordered to watch for the ships, but they did not find Ise or Hyūga on their trip to Singapore. The two ships later went to Cam Ranh Bay in Indochina in December. They returned to Singapore on January 11, 1945. The U.S. Third Fleet searched the South China Sea between January 10 and 20, but they did not find Ise or Hyūga.
Getting Ready for the Voyage
In early February 1945, the Ise, Hyūga, and their escort ships received orders for Operation Kita. The goal was to bring some Japanese warships from the Southwest Pacific back to Japan. These ships would be loaded with important supplies. The ships chosen to go with the battleship-carriers were the light cruiser Ōyodo and the destroyers Asashimo, Hatsushimo, and Kasumi. This group of ships was called the Completion Force.
The Completion Force left Lingga Roads on February 6 and began loading their cargo in Singapore the next day. Just before docking, Ise hit a mine that had been dropped by Allied planes. This caused a small amount of damage. While in Singapore, all six ships were loaded with supplies, and Ise received temporary repairs.
The Hyūga took on 4,944 drums of aviation gasoline, 326 drums of regular gasoline, and 440 oil field workers. The Ise was loaded with 5,200 drums of aviation gasoline and 551 oil workers. Each battleship-carrier also carried 1,750 tons of rubber, 1,750 tons of tin, and 200 tons of other metals. The Ōyodo was loaded with 120 tons of tin, 70 tons of tungsten, 70 tons of aviation gasoline, 50 tons of rubber, 40 tons of zinc, and 20 tons of mercury. An additional 140 tons of rubber and tin were divided among the three destroyers.
Allied intelligence knew about the Completion Force's ships and their mission through code-breaking. Allied spy units carefully watched radio messages from the Singapore area. This secret information, called "Ultra" intelligence, gave details about the battleship-carriers' movements to Singapore, their preparations to return to Japan, and their planned route. Rear Admiral James Fife, Jr., who commanded Allied submarines in the South-West Pacific, made it a top priority to stop Ise and Hyūga from reaching Japan. He placed 15 submarines along their expected path. A plan was made for the U.S. Navy and USAAF to attack the ships together.
At that time, the U.S. Seventh Fleet had four battleships in Filipino waters. They were protecting the Allied landing area at Lingayen Gulf in Luzon. This was to guard against attacks from Japanese forces until the USAAF in the region was strong enough. In early February, USAAF units in the Philippines were busy supporting the United States Army in the Philippines Campaign and attacking Japanese bases in Formosa. A big campaign against Japanese shipping in the South China Sea was planned but had not yet started.
The Journey
The Completion Force left Singapore on the evening of February 10. They chose this time because of a weather forecast for bad weather on the way to Japan. The British submarine HMS Tantalus saw the ships leaving port. It tried to attack them on February 11 but was chased away by a Japanese aircraft. After this, Tantalus sent a radio message to Fife's headquarters. The four U.S. Navy battleships at Lingayen Gulf sailed on February 10. They were heading to U.S. bases for repairs and to prepare for the invasion of Okinawa. These ships left the Philippines area on February 14 without trying to stop the Completion Force.
U.S. Navy submarines tried to attack the Japanese ships on February 12 but failed. Around 1:45 p.m., USS Charr found the Completion Force about 9 nautical miles away using its radar. It sent a message about the contact. An hour later, USS Blackfin also made radar contact with the Japanese ships from 15 nautical miles away. For the next 14 hours, the submarines Blackfin, Charr, Flounder, Pargo, and Tuna tried to get into a good position to attack. However, they could not. Another group of submarines to the north, including USS Guavina, Hake, and Pampanito, also could not get close enough to attack the Completion Force.
USAAF planes found the Completion Force on February 12. After that, radar-equipped Army Air Forces and U.S. Navy planes tracked the Japanese ships almost constantly. On the morning of February 13, a group of B-24 Liberator heavy bombers and 40 B-25 Mitchell medium bombers were sent to attack. They were escorted by 48 P-51 Mustang fighters. The planes came from bases on Leyte and Mindoro islands. The aircraft met up near the Completion Force, but thick clouds prevented them from seeing any of the ships. Since bombing by radar was not allowed (to avoid accidentally hitting Allied submarines), the planes returned to their bases without attacking. On the same day, the Australian destroyers HMAS Arunta and Warramunga left Lingayen Gulf. They went to a spot about 300 nautical miles west of Manila. They were ready to rescue any aircrews whose planes were shot down while attacking the Completion Force.
More submarines tried to attack the Japanese force on February 13. A group of three submarines—USS Bergall, Blower, and Guitarro—were placed along its route. Bergall saw the Japanese ships at 12:30 p.m. The submarine was underwater and tried to get into a firing position. However, it could not get closer than 4,800 yards. Still, it fired six torpedoes at the Japanese force, but all of them missed. Blower also tried an underwater attack, firing five torpedoes at one of the battleship-carriers and the Ōyodo; all of these missed too.
USS Bashaw and Flasher, the northernmost submarines Rear Admiral Fife had sent, met the Completion Force on the afternoon of February 13. Bashaw saw the Japanese ships as they came out of a rain shower at 3:15 p.m. But one of the battleship-carriers spotted the submarine and launched an aircraft to attack it. Bashaw had to dive when the battleship-carrier started shelling it with its main guns. Neither Bashaw nor Flasher could intercept the Completion Force. During this time, the other submarines in the area kept chasing the Japanese ships but did not find them again.
Another air attack was attempted against the Completion Force on February 14. Fewer B-24s, B-25s, and P-51 escorts were sent this day. This was because the Japanese ships were now too far for planes based at Leyte. Again, clouds over the Completion Force stopped the Allied planes from seeing the Japanese ships. They could not attack because radar-aimed bombing was forbidden. This was the USAAF's last attempt to bomb the Japanese force. The only successes for the USAAF planes were shooting down a Mitsubishi Ki-57 "Topsy" transport plane near the Completion Force on February 13. They also shot down several fighter planes in the area of the ships between February 12 and 14. The two Australian destroyers were then given other duties on February 15.
Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, who commanded the U.S. Pacific Fleet's submarine force, followed the failed attempts to stop the Completion Force in the South China Sea. He placed another eleven submarines along its expected route between the Luzon Strait and Japan. The Completion Force reached the Matsu Islands at the northern end of the Formosa Strait on the evening of February 15. They anchored there for five hours. The Japanese ships continued their journey to Kure through Korea and the Shimonoseki Strait at midnight. The destroyers Kamikaze and Nokaze joined the force for part of the day. At 5:07 a.m. on February 16, USS Rasher found the Completion Force south of the Chinese city of Wenchow. It fired six torpedoes at one of the escort ships, but all missed. At this time, the Japanese ships were sailing at a speed of 18 knots. None of the other American submarines found the Japanese force as it sailed east of where Lockwood had placed them.
The Completion Force finished its entire voyage in about 10 days. After getting past the Allied patrols, it anchored off Chusan Island near Shanghai. This was from 9:06 p.m. on February 16 until 7:00 a.m. on February 18. Then, it sailed for Sanzenpo Harbor near Sacheon on the southern coast of Korea. It arrived there at 4 p.m. that day and anchored overnight. The Completion Force left Sanzenpo Harbor at 7 a.m. on February 19. It reached the Japanese island of Mutsurejima at 4 p.m. that day. After anchoring overnight, the Completion Force docked at Kure at 10 a.m. on February 20. The ships of the Completion Force were among the last Japanese warships to reach Japan from the Southwest Pacific.
What Happened Next
The Allied naval commanders were disappointed. The 26 submarines sent against the Completion Force failed to damage any of the ships. Fife believed this was because the Completion Force was very fast. Also, the weather was bad during the operation. The Japanese ships also had equipment that could detect submarine radar signals. In a letter to Lockwood, he wrote that the failure of his submarines "was a bitter pill to take and I make no alibi".
Using freighters and warships to carry oil did help increase Japanese oil imports. The total amount of oil that reached Japan in early 1945 was more than in late 1944. However, Allied submarines sank most of the merchant tankers trying to sail from Southeast Asia to Japan in February. In March, the Japanese stopped trying to import oil from this area. After the Completion Force left, the only major Japanese warships still able to sail in the Southwest Pacific were the heavy cruisers Ashigara and Haguro, and the light cruiser Isuzu. These three cruisers did not try to return to Japan. All of them were sunk by Allied submarines and destroyers between April and June.
After reaching Japan, Ise and Hyūga were used to help defend the city of Kure and its naval base from air attacks. Because of fuel and aircraft shortages, the ships did not go to sea again. Both were sunk during the U.S. Navy's attacks on Kure between July 24 and 28, 1945. The Ōyodo became part of the Kure Training Force and stayed in port until she was sunk on July 28. The three destroyers also did not survive the war. Asashimo and Kasumi were sunk by American carrier aircraft while escorting the battleship Yamato during Operation Ten-Go on April 6. Hatsushimo sank after hitting a mine near Maizuru on July 30.
See also
- The Channel Dash was a successful German operation in February 1942. It brought two battlecruisers and an escort group back to German waters from France through the heavily guarded English Channel.
- Operation Scylla, a smaller operation by the Italian Royal Navy in July 1943.
