Japanese destroyer Momi (1944)

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For other ships with the same name, see Japanese ship Momi.
Momi II.jpg
Momi, 4 September 1944
History
Empire of Japan
NameMomi
Ordered1942
BuilderYokosuka Naval Arsenal
Laid down2 February 1944
Launched16 June 1944
Completed3 September 1944
FateSunk by aircraft, 5 January 1945
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type Matsu-class escort destroyer
Displacement1,282 t (1,262 long tons) (standard)
Length100 m (328 ft 1 in) (o/a)
Beam9.35 m (30 ft 8 in)
Draft3.3 m (10 ft 10 in)
Installed power2 × water-tube boilers; 19,000 shp (14,000 kW)
Propulsion2 shafts, 2 × geared steam turbines
Speed27.8 knots (51.5 km/h; 32.0 mph)
Range4,680 nmi (8,670 km; 5,390 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement210
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament

Momi (樅, translation: "Fir tree") was a Matsu-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), sunk on 5 January 1945 by an American air attack west of Manila, in the South China Sea.

Design and description[]

Designed for ease of production, the Matsu class was smaller, slower and more lightly armed than previous destroyers as the IJN intended them for second-line duties like escorting convoys, releasing the larger ships for missions with the fleet.[1] The ships measured 100 meters (328 ft 1 in) long overall, with a beam of 9.35 meters (30 ft 8 in) and a draft of 3.3 meters (10 ft 10 in).[2] Their crew numbered 210 officers and enlisted men.[3] They displaced 1,282 metric tons (1,262 long tons) at standard load and 1,554 metric tons (1,529 long tons) at deep load.[4] The ships had two Kampon geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by two Kampon water-tube boilers. The turbines were rated at a total of 19,000 shaft horsepower (14,000 kW) for a speed of 27.8 knots (51.5 km/h; 32.0 mph). The Matsus had a range of 4,680 nautical miles (8,670 km; 5,390 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph).[5]

The main armament of the Matsu-class ships consisted of three 127-millimeter (5 in) Type 89 dual-purpose guns in one twin-gun mount aft and one single mount forward of the superstructure. The single mount was partially protected against spray by a gun shield. The accuracy of the Type 89 guns was severely reduced against aircraft because no high-angle gunnery director was fitted. The ships carried a total of 25 Type 96 25-millimeter (1 in) anti-aircraft guns in 4 triple and 13 single mounts. The Matsus were equipped with Type 13 early-warning and Type 22 surface-search radars.[6] The ships were also armed with a single rotating quadruple mount amidships for 610-millimeter (24 in) torpedoes. They could deliver their 36 depth charges via two stern rails and two throwers.[2][6]

Operational history[]

On 27 September 1944 off Iturup in the Kurile Islands (45º44'N, 148º41'E), Momi was damaged by a torpedo from the submarine USS Searaven. Between 25 October and 2 November, together with the destroyer Hinoki, she escorted the aircraft carriers Ryūhō and Kaiyō on a transport mission from Sasebo to Keelung, then returned to Kure.

Momi sortied from Kure on 16 December 1944 as part of the escort for the aircraft carrier Unryū. The remainder of the escort consisted of the destroyers Shigure and Hinoki. Because an American invasion fleet had been spotted approaching the Philippine Islands, Unryū was intended to deliver a squadron of 30 Ohka kamikaze planes to Manila.

The task force sailed west through the Shimonoseki Straits to avoid American submarines, then turned south. On 19 December, the ship encountered the submarine USS Redfish, which sank Unryū, then submerged deep to escape the charging Hinoki. Shigure remained in the area to pick up survivors and unsuccessfully track down and sink the American submarine, while Hinoki and Momi shaped course for Japanese-occupied China. From there, they escorted Ikutagawa Maru to Manila, arriving on 4 January 1945.

The two destroyers were then ordered to withdraw to Taiwan, but were caught by American destroyers, including USS Bennion, on the afternoon of 5 January. They escaped 127 mm (5 in) gunfire and a spread of torpedoes fired from maximum range, but were caught by carrier-based aircraft from Task Force 77. A 454 kg (1,000 lb) bomb from a Douglas SBD Dauntless crippled Hinoki at 5:17 PM; and at 7:10 PM, a torpedo from a Grumman TBF Avenger struck Momi. She sank with all hands at

 WikiMiniAtlas
14°0′N 120°20′E / 14.000°N 120.333°E / 14.000; 120.333Coordinates: 14°0′N 120°20′E / 14.000°N 120.333°E / 14.000; 120.333.

Citations[]

  1. ^ Stille, p. 38
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Sturton, p. 196
  3. ^ Stille, p. 45
  4. ^ Whitley, p. 206
  5. ^ Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 151
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Stille, p. 41

Bibliography[]

  • Jentschura, Hansgeorg; Jung, Dieter & Mickel, Peter (1977). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN 0-87021-893-X.
  • Nevitt, Allyn D. (1998). "IJN Momi: Tabular Record of Movement". www.combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
  • Stille, Mark (2013). Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers 1919–45 (2): Asahio to Tachibana Classes. Botley, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84908-987-6.
  • "Star-Crossed Sortie: The Last Voyage of Unryū and DesDiv 52" by Anthony Tully (retrieved January 16, 2007)
  • Sturton, Ian (1980). "Japan". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
  • Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-326-1.
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