View source for Japanese cruiser Agano

{{short description|Agano-class cruiser}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{{About|the cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy|the frigate of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force|JS Agano}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Japanese cruiser Agano.jpg
|Ship caption=''Agano'' off [[Sasebo, Nagasaki|Sasebo]], October 1942
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[Empire of Japan]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Empire of Japan|naval}}
|Ship name=''Agano''
|Ship namesake=[[Agano River]]
|Ship ordered=1939 Fiscal Year
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder= [[Sasebo Naval Arsenal]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down= 18 June 1940
|Ship launched=22 October 1941
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=
|Ship commissioned=31 October 1942
|Ship in service=
|Ship struck= 31 March 1944
|Ship identification=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship fate=Sunk by {{USS|Skate|SS-305|6}}, 15 February 1944
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
| Header caption = (as built)
| Ship class = {{sclass|Agano|cruiser|0}} [[light cruiser]]
| Ship displacement = *{{convert|6652|t|LT|lk=on|abbr=on}} ([[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard]])
*{{convert|8534|t|LT|abbr=on}} ([[Full-load displacement|full load]])
| Ship length = {{convert|174.1|m|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[o/a]])
| Ship beam = {{convert|15.2|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| Ship draft = {{convert|5.63|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| Ship power = *6 [[water-tube boiler]]s
*{{convert|100000|shp|lk=on|abbr=on}}
| Ship propulsion = 4 shafts; 4 geared [[steam turbine]] sets
| Ship speed = {{convert|35|kn|lk=in}}
| Ship range = {{convert|6300|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|18|kn}}
| Ship complement = 51 officers, 649 sailors; 57 and 669 when serving as a [[flagship]]
| Ship sensors = *Type 93 Model 2 [[hydrophone]]
*Type 93 Model 3 [[sonar]]
| Ship EW = 
| Ship armament = *3 × twin [[15 cm/50 41st Year Type|{{convert|15|cm|0|abbr=on}} guns]]
*2 × twin [[8 cm/60 98th Year Type|8&nbsp;cm (3&nbsp;in)]] [[AA gun]]s
*2 × triple [[Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun|{{convert|2.5|cm|0|abbr=on}}]] AA guns
*2 × twin [[Hotchkiss M1929 machine gun|{{cvt|13.2|mm|1}}]] [[anti-aircraft machinegun|AA MGs]]
*2 × quadruple [[Type 93 torpedo|{{convert|61|cm|0|abbr=on}}]] [[torpedo tube]]s
*2 × [[depth charge]] chutes, 18 depth charges
*3 × [[naval mine|mines]]
| Ship armor = *[[Belt armor|Belt]] {{convert|60|mm|in|abbr=on}}
*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]] {{convert|20|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
| Ship aircraft = 2 × [[floatplane]]s
| Ship aircraft facilities = 1 × aircraft [[Aircraft catapult#Interwar and World War II|catapult]]
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

{{nihongo|'''''Agano''''' |阿賀野| }} was the [[lead ship]] of [[Agano-class cruiser|her class]] of four [[light cruiser]]s built for the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] (IJN) during [[World War II]]. Completed in 1942, she escorted a troop convoy to [[New Guinea]] in December. In early 1943 the ship participated in [[Operation Ke]], the evacuation of Japanese troops from [[Guadalcanal]]. Six months later ''Agano'' transported troops and supplies to New Guinea and she played a role in the [[Battle of Empress Augusta Bay]] in early November where she damaged the destroyer {{ship|USS|Spence}}. A few weeks later, the ship was badly damaged by American [[airstrike]]s and she sailed for [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]] under her own power the following day. While en route, ''Agano'' was torpedoed by an American submarine and had to be towed to her destination. After several months of repairs, she left for Japan, but was intercepted and sunk by another American submarine in February 1944. Most of her crew was rescued by her escorting [[destroyer]], but that ship was sunk with the loss of most of her crew and all of ''Agano''{{'}}s survivors by an American airstrike the following day.

==Design and description==
The ''Agano''-class ships were intended to replace the obsolete light cruisers built in the 1910s and 1920s as [[flagship]]s of destroyer [[flotilla]]s. The ships measured {{convert|174.1|m|ftin|sp=us}} [[Length overall|long overall]] with a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|15.2|m|ftin|sp=us}} and had a [[draft (ship)|draft]] of {{convert|5.63|m|ftin|sp=us}}. They [[Displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|6652|t|LT|0|sp=us|lk=on}} at [[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard load]] and {{convert|8534|t|LT|0|sp=us}} at [[deep load]].<ref name=w6>Whitley, p. 186</ref> The ships had a crew of 51 officers and 649 enlisted men; assignment as a flagship added 6 officers and 20 more sailors.<ref>Lacroix & Wells, p. 591</ref>

The ''Agano'' class had four geared [[steam turbine]] sets, each driving a single [[propeller shaft]], using steam provided by six [[Kampon]] Ro Gō [[water-tube boiler]]s. The turbines were designed to produce a total of {{convert|100000|shp|lk=in}} and give the ships a speed of {{convert|35|kn|lk=in}}. The ships carried enough [[fuel oil]] to give them a range of {{convert|6300|nmi|lk=in}} at a speed of {{convert|18|kn}}.<ref name=j6>Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 111</ref>

===Armament and protection===
The main armament of the ''Agano'' class consisted of six [[15 cm/50 41st Year Type|41st Year Type {{convert|15|cm|0|adj=on|sp=us}} guns]] in three twin-[[gun turret]]s, two [[superfiring]] in front of the [[superstructure]] and one [[wiktionary:aft|aft]]. The secondary armament included four [[8 cm/60 98th Year Type|Type 98 8&nbsp;cm (3&nbsp;in)]] [[anti-aircraft gun|anti-aircraft (AA) guns]] in two twin-gun mounts [[amidships]].<ref name=Stille>Stille, pp. 35–36</ref> The suite of light anti-aircraft weapons included a pair of triple mounts for [[Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun|Type 96 {{convert|2.5|cm|0|adj=on|sp=us}}]] AA guns and two twin-gun mounts for [[Hotchkiss M1929 machine gun|Type 93 {{cvt|13.2|mm|1}}]] [[anti-aircraft machinegun]]s. The ships also had two rotating quadruple torpedo launchers on the upper deck for [[Type 93 torpedo|Type 93 {{convert|61|cm|adj=on|sp=us}} (''Long Lance'') torpedoes]] on the centerline and had a reload system with eight spare torpedoes. The ''Agano''-class ships were also fitted with a pair of [[Aichi E13A]] [[floatplane]]s and a [[aircraft catapult|catapult]].<ref>Lacroix & Wells, pp. 571–72, 579–580</ref> To [[anti-submarine warfare|detect submarines]], the ''Agano''s were equipped with a Type 93 Model 2 [[hydrophone]] installation and a Type 93 Model 3 [[sonar]]. They were equipped with two [[depth charge]] chutes for 18 depth charges and could also carry three [[naval mine|mines]].<ref>Lacroix & Wells, pp. 579–581</ref>

The propulsion machinery was protected by a waterline [[Belt armor|armor belt]] {{convert|60|mm|sp=us}} thick with {{convert|20|mm|1|sp=us|adj=on}} transverse [[bulkhead (partition)|bulkhead]]s fore and aft of the propulsion machinery and a middle [[deck (ship)|deck]] of the same thickness. The ships' [[magazine (artillery)|magazine]]s were enclosed in armored boxes with {{convert|55|mm|sp=us|adj=on}} sides, 20-millimeter tops and 20- or 25-millimeter ends.<ref>Lacroix & Wells, pp. 563–564</ref>

==Construction and career==
''Agano'', named for the [[Agano River]],<ref>Lacroix & Wells, p. 562</ref> was [[Keel laying|laid down]] at [[Sasebo Naval Arsenal]] on 18 June 1940, [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 22 October 1941 and completed on 31 October 1942.<ref name="w6"/> She was assigned as flagship of Destroyer Squadron 10 ({{lang|ja|Sentai 10}}) of the [[IJN 3rd Fleet|Third Fleet]] on 20 November after [[Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z)#working up|working up]]. The ship departed [[Kure, Hiroshima|Kure]] six days later and arrived at Truk in the [[Caroline Islands]] on 1 December where [[Rear Admiral]] [[Susumu Kimura]] hoisted his flag aboard her the following day.<ref>Lacroix & Wells, pp. 593–594</ref> On 16 December ''Agano'' escorted the [[aircraft carrier]] {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Jun'yō||2}} and a troop convoy to [[Wewak]] and [[Madang]] in [[New Guinea]]. The ships briefly covered the landing of Japanese forces at [[Jayapura|Hollandia]] before returning to Truk on 20 December.<ref name="combinedfleet" />

''Agano'' escorted the forces covering the evacuation of Japanese troops from Guadalcanal Island (Operation KE) from 31 January to 9 February 1943, during which 11,700 Japanese soldiers were removed.<ref name="combinedfleet">Hackett & Kingsepp</ref> The ship was transferred to the [[1st Mobile Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)|1st Mobile Fleet]] the following day. She returned to [[Kure Naval District]] in early May for her [[sea trial]]s and was then assigned to the [[Combined Fleet]] preparing to counterattack the [[Aleutian Islands Campaign|American offensive]] in the [[Aleutian Islands]], but this operation was cancelled after the Allied victory on [[Attu Island|Attu]] on 29 May. ''Agano'' was refitted at the [[Kure Naval Arsenal]] from 3 June to 2 July. The ship exchanged her 13.2&nbsp;mm machine guns for a pair of twin-gun Type 96 mounts and another pair of triple 25&nbsp;mm mounts were added amidships, giving her a total of sixteen 25&nbsp;mm guns. A [[Type 21 radar|Type 21]] [[early-warning radar]] was also installed.<ref>Lacroix & Wells, p. 594</ref>

''Agano'' departed for Truk on 9 July escorting the [[First Carrier Division]] while carrying troops and supplies. Despite numerous sightings by American submarines and an attack on the aircraft carrier {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Zuihō||2}}, the convoy made it safely to Truk on the 15th. ''Agano'' helped to ferry troops and supplies to [[Rabaul]] on 19–26 July. In response to the American carrier raid on [[Tarawa]] on 18 September, the ship and much of the fleet sortied for [[Eniwetok]] to search for the American forces before they returned to Truk on 23 September, having failed to locate them. The Japanese had intercepted some American radio traffic that suggested another attack on [[Wake Island]], and on 17 October, ''Agano'' and the bulk of the fleet sailed for Eniwetok to be in a position to intercept any such attack, but no attack occurred and the fleet returned to Truk.<ref name="combinedfleet" />

===Battle of Empress Augusta Bay===
{{main|Battle of Empress Augusta Bay}}
[[File:Bougainville campaign 1945.jpg|thumb|upright=0.5|A map of Bougainville]]
The ship, now the flagship of Rear Admiral [[Morikazu Osugi]], departed Truk on 30 October for Rabaul just as the Americans were preparing to [[Landings at Cape Torokina|invade Bougainville Island]] on 1 November. The Japanese attempted to disrupt the landings on the night of 1/2 November with a force of two [[heavy cruiser]]s, two light cruisers, including ''Agano'', and six destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral [[Sentarō Ōmori]]. The Japanese ships had been spotted by American aircraft around 21:00 and Task Force 39, which consisted of four light cruisers and eight destroyers, was ordered to intercept them.<ref>O'Hara, pp. 206–207</ref>

Omori arranged his ships in three staggered columns; the outer ones were each led by one of the light cruisers followed by three destroyers and the two heavy cruisers were in the middle. Osugi in ''Agano'' led the southernmost column, which trailed the main body. One of the cruiser floatplanes claimed to have spotted a cruiser and three destroyers {{cvt|20|nmi}} south at 01:20 and Ōmori ordered his ships to make a 180-degree maneuver intended to buy time for the pilot to investigate [[Empress Augusta Bay]] for American shipping. Less than an hour later, he reported that American transports crowded the bay; the pilot had actually spotted three [[minelayer]]s and their destroyer escort that were leaving the bay. Omori ordered his ships to reverse course at 02:25. In the darkness, and with most ships lacking radar, the Japanese formation of three columns was disordered by the maneuvers and commanders lost track of where their ships were in relation to each other.<ref>O'Hara, pp. 207, 209–210</ref>

American radar picked up the Japanese at a range of {{convert|36000|yd|m}} at 02:27 and Rear Admiral [[Aaron S. Merrill|Aaron Merrill]], commander of the task force, ordered his destroyers to attack with their torpedoes while his cruisers stood off to avoid Japanese torpedoes and would open fire when the torpedoes struck their targets to maintain the element of surprise. The leading division of four destroyers fired a [[salvo]] of 25 torpedoes by 02:46, but they were detected as they turned away and the Japanese turned into the torpedoes to makes themselves smaller targets. Their maneuvering caused Merrill to believe that his ships had been spotted and the first of his cruisers opened fire at the light cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Sendai||2}}, leading the northernmost column, three minutes later.<ref>O'Hara, pp. 210–211</ref>

The abrupt maneuvers by the Japanese ships, both to evade the American torpedoes and to fire their own, led to one collision and several near misses early in the battle. Most of the American cruisers were firing at the heavy cruisers in the center column by 03:05 and Omori turned away in a 270-degree turn that cut across the path of ''Agano''{{'}}s column. The heavy cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Myōkō||2}} rammed and crippled the destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Hatsukaze||2}} while the heavy cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Haguro||2}} nearly struck the destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Wakatsuki||2}}. Incorrectly believing that he had sunk three of the American cruisers, Omori ordered his ships to cease fire at 03:29 and turned away to disengage four minutes later. Osugi, who had kept his ships on the disengaged side of the heavy cruisers after the collision, fired a parting shot of eight torpedoes at 03:40, all of which missed.<ref>O'Hara, pp. 211–214</ref>

After returning to Rabaul, ''Agano'' was near-missed by a bomb when the aircraft carriers {{USS|Saratoga|CV-3|6}} and {{USS|Princeton|CVL-23|6}} attacked the port on 5 November. The bomb damaged one anti-aircraft gun and killed one crewman. ''Agano'' and her sister {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Noshiro||2}} put to sea on the following day to destroy the American forces near Empress Augusta Bay, but this was cancelled and the ships returned to Rabaul on 7 November. Four days later, the American aircraft carriers of [[Task Group]] 50.2 attacked Rabaul. ''Agano'' was hit by a [[Mark 13 torpedo]] which blew off the very end of her stern and bent her rearmost propeller shafts. The ship's rudder was not damaged, although Osugi was injured in the attack. After emergency repairs were made by the ship's crew, ''Agano'' departed Rabaul under her own power the next day, escorted by the destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Urakaze|1940|2}}. Not long after their departure, the ships were sighted by the American submarine {{USS|Scamp|SS-277|6}}, which launched six torpedoes. One of them struck the cruiser amidships, flooding all of the [[Fire room|boiler rooms]], which knocked out all power. While attempting to repair the damage, the submarine {{USS|Albacore|SS-218|2}} attempted to attack, but was prevented from doing so by depth charges from ''Urakaze''. ''Noshiro'' and the light cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Nagara||2}} were ordered to her assistance on the 13th and her sister took ''Agano'' in tow upon her arrival. The tow parted the following day and ''Nagara'' took over the task. The damaged ship finally reached Truk on 16 November.<ref>Lacroix & Wells, p. 595</ref>

===Sinking===
Temporary repairs by the repair ship {{ship|Japanese repair ship|Akashi||2}} began immediately upon her arrival and lasted until 15 February 1944. That evening she departed Truk to get permanent repairs in  the [[Japanese home islands]], escorted by the destroyer {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Oite|1924|2}} and [[submarine chaser]] ''CH-28''. On the afternoon of 16 February, about {{convert|160|nmi|km}} north of Truk,   ''Agano'' was attacked by the submarine {{USS|Skate|SS-305|2}}, which fired four torpedoes. Two struck the cruiser on the starboard side at 16:44, flooding Boiler Room No. 2 which gave her a [[list (watercraft)|list]] of 12° and started a large fire. The ship progressively flooded and ''Oite'' rescued 523 survivors between 20:00 and 23:30. ''Agano'' sank at {{coord|10|11|N|151|42|E|display=inline, title}} at 01:50 on 17 February and was struck from the [[navy list]] on 31 March.<ref>Lacroix & Wells, pp. 595–596</ref>

As ''Oite'' was approaching Truk the following morning, the destroyer was sunk by [[Grumman TBF Avenger]]s of [[Task Force 58]] in the course of [[Operation Hailstone]], and sank within minutes, taking all but twenty of her own crew down with her.  All of the ''Agano'' crewmembers originally rescued were lost.<ref name="combinedfleet" />

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book| last1 = Jentschura| first1 = Hansgeorg| first2 = Dieter |last2=Jung|first3=Peter |last3=Mickel| year = 1977| title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945| publisher = United States Naval Institute| location = Annapolis, Maryland| isbn = 0-87021-893-X|name-list-style=amp}}
*{{cite book|last1=Lacroix|first1=Eric|last2=Wells II|first2=Linton |title=Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|date=1997|isbn=0-87021-311-3 |name-list-style=amp |author-link2=Linton Wells II}}
*{{cite book | last = O'Hara | first = Vincent P.| year = 2007 | title = The U.S. Navy Against the Axis: Surface Combat 1941-1945 | publisher = Naval Institute Press | location = Annapolis, Maryland| isbn = 978-1-59114-650-6 }}
*{{cite book | last = Stille | first = Mark | year = 2012 |  title = Imperial Japanese Navy Light Cruisers 1941-45| publisher = Osprey | location =Botley, UK | isbn = 978-1-84908-562-5 }}
*{{cite book | last = Whitley | first = M. J. | author-link =Michael J. Whitley | year = 1995 | title = Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia | publisher = Naval Institute Press | location = Annapolis, Maryland| isbn = 1-55750-141-6 }}

{{Agano class cruiser}}
{{February 1944 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agano}}
[[Category:Agano-class cruisers]]
[[Category:Ships built by Sasebo Naval Arsenal]]
[[Category:1941 ships]]
[[Category:World War II cruisers of Japan]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by American submarines]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Warships lost with all hands]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in February 1944]]