Крейсер "Кума": История и служба в Императорском флоте Японии

Kuma class light cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy

Kuma (球磨 ) was a light cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy. The lead vessel of the five ship class, she was named after the Kuma River in Kumamoto prefecture, Japan.

After the construction of the s, the demerits of the small cruiser concept became apparent. At the end of 1917, plans for an additional six Tenryū class vessels, plus three new design 7,200 ton class scout cruisers were shelved, in place of an intermediate 5,500 ton class vessel which could be used as both a long range, high speed reconnaissance ship, and also as a command vessel for destroyer or submarine flotillas. Kuma was laid down at Sasebo Naval Arsenal on 29 August 1918, launched on 14 July 1919 and commissioned on 31 August 1920.

The Kuma class vessels were essentially enlarged versions of the Tenryū class cruisers, with greater speed, range, and weaponry. With improvements in geared turbine engine technology, the Kuma class vessels were capable of the high speed of , and a range of at Kuma could be distinguished from her sister ships by the addition of funnel caps from 1929.

Immediately after commissioning, Kuma was assigned to cover the landings of Japanese troops during the Japanese intervention in Siberia against the Bolshevik Red Army. She was subsequently based at Port Arthur, and patrolled the northern China coast between the Kwantung Leased Territory and Qingdao. Kuma was refit in late 1934 with a tripod mast, two rotatable quadruple torpedo launchers, and an aircraft catapult for launching a reconnaissance floatplane, typically a Kawanishi E7K1 "Alf".

On 10 April 1941, Kuma was assigned to Vice Admiral Ibo Takahashi's CruDiv 16 in the Japanese 3rd Fleet. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor on 8 December 1941, Kuma was participating in the invasion of the northern Philippines, having departed from its base in Mako, Pescadores Islands with the Japanese cruiser Ashigara, Japanese cruiser Maya and destroyers Japanese destroyer Asakaze and Japanese destroyer Matsukaze. From 10–11 December, Kuma covered landings at Aparri and Vigan; off Vigan, Kuma was attacked unsuccessfully by five USAAF Boeing B 17 Flying Fortress bombers of the 14th Squadron. On 22 December, Kuma covered further landings at Lingayen Gulf, Philippines. On 3 January 1942, Kuma was reassigned to Vice Admiral Rokuzō Sugiyama's Third Southern Expeditionary Fleet. She was assigned to patrols around the Philippine islands from 10 January to 27 February 1942. On 10 April, Kuma covered landings on Cebu by the Kawaguchi Detachment's 35th Infantry Brigade HQ and the 124th Infantry Regiment, and on 16 April landings on Panay by the Kawamura Detachment's 9th Infantry Brigade HQ and the 41st Infantry Regiment. On 6 May, Kuma covered the final assault on the American bastion on Corregidor Island in Manila Bay. Afterwards, Kuma remained on patrol at Manila until 12 August 1942. Kuma was removed from the navy list on 10 March 1944.

Kumas wreck was discovered in March 2004 by a group of divers including Australian explorer Kevin Denlay operating off the research vessel MV Empress, based out of Singapore. The wreck was found to be on its starboard side in 155 feet (47 m) of water, covered in fishing nets and snagged fishing lines. The bridge structure was fairly intact, although half buried in bottom silt, and her funnels had fallen off. The port side waist 5.5 inch gun was basically intact, as were the two on the fore deck, although the top of the waist mount enclosure had partially disintegrated. The circular rotating base of the forward port torpedo rack was intact, but there were no torpedo tubes mounted on it. However, the aft port rotating torpedo tube mount had completely fallen off the ship. The glass in many of the portholes, especially amidships, has been melted and fused due to the intensity of the fire that raged while the vessel was sinking. The ship's stern was missing completely aft of where the torpedoes hit; all that remained was a jagged edge, although the outboard port propeller and shaft were still visible protruding from the wreck. In 2014 it was reported that illegal salvagers recovered scrap metal from several shipwrecks, including Kuma. Subsequent reports state that the wreck is almost completely gone now.