Imperial Japanese Navy Battleships

12 Jul 1918: Kawachi destroyed by magazine explosion at Tokuyama Bay

Washington Treaty

While the Japanese may have complained the loudest about the battleship "ratio" (for every 5 RN and 5 USN battleships, the IJN got 3) in the Treaty, France and Italy may have had more to complain about. Their "ratio" was 1.75! Since Japan's naval forces were concentrated in the Pacific while US and British forces were scattered worldwide, Japan actually enjoyed local 5:3:2 battleship superiority over the US and Britain. Japan's naval superiority was further enhanced by treaty provisions that limited US and British naval bases in the western Pacific.

• 12 Nov 1921-6 Feb 1922: Washington Conference on naval arms limitation.
  
• 6 Feb 1922: The Washington Treaty signed.

7 Dec 1941-2 Sep 1945: World War II: Total defeat for Japan.

The Pacific Theater of World War II was mostly known for its aircraft carrier actions, but the battleships still played a role. Japan's battleships were not particularly active during the war. This was largely due to fuel shortages, which were directly attributable to the highly successful USN submarine campaign. Yamato and Musashi, history's largest and most powerful battleships, spent much of the war sitting in Truk Lagoon. Fuso and Yamashiro seldom left the home islands. Hyuga and Ise wasted much valuable time being converted to hybrid carriers.

On those occasions when Japanese battleships and battlecruisers were used, they were not terribly effective. Two Japanese battlecruisers were lost in surface actions in the Guadalcanal Campaign. Kirishima gets a certain amount of credit for damaging the much newer and more powerful USS South Dakota (BB-57), but loses much of that credit for failing to notice the USS Washington (BB-56) closing in on her until after it was far too late. Admiral Nishimura's fleet at Surigao Strait was hopelessly outnumbered, but they were not maneuvering very well, and Oldendorf managed to cross Nishimura's "T". Perhaps the worst case was Admiral Kurita's failure in the Battle off Samar. His disorganized "general attack" on the tiny units of "Taffy 3" was ineffective. The American units, notably the destroyer USS Johnston (DD-557) responded with remarkable daring and bravery, and drove off Kurita's overwhelmingly superior force. Even the mighty Yamato was chased away from the battle while trying to evade a torpedo from the destroyer USS Heerman (DD-532). Kurita's retreat seems almost inexplicable, since Leyte Gulf was a battle that the IJN had to win or die trying.

The Battle of Midway (4-6 Jun 1942) left the IJN very short of aircraft carriers, and this shortage changed Japanese construction programs:

• The incomplete Yamato-class battleship Shinano was completed as an aircraft carrier.
• The fourth Yamato-class battleship was cancelled.
• The older battleships Hyuga and Ise were converted to hybrid carriers in 1943-1944. Their two aft turrets were removed and replaced with a flight deck. By the time the conversions were complete, though, there were not enough aircraft to put on board. Their conversion was ultimately a waste of valuable time and resources.
• Plans for the Super-Yamato class were abandoned before contracts were placed with the shipyards.

• 7 Dec 1941: Pearl Harbor Aircraft from a Japanese carrier task force under the command of Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto, successfully attack US battleship fleet at Pearl Harbor. Yamamoto commands from the Nagato.
  
• 4-6 Jun 1942: Battle of Midway: Although this was a carrier battle, the loss of 4 carriers changed the IJN's construction plans radically to emphasize carrier construction.
  
• Aug 1942-Feb 1943: Guadalcanal campaign. The four Kongo class battlecruisers are frequently employed for shore bombardment, and occasionally clash with US surface ships.
  • 12 Nov 1942: Hiei severely damaged by heavy cruisers USS Portland (CA-33) and USS San Francisco (CA-38), and destroyers USS Cushing (DD-376) and USS O'Bannon (DD-450).
  • 13 Nov 1942: Hiei sunk by aircraft from USS Enterprise (CV-6).
  • 15 Nov 1942: Night Action off Guadalcanal. Kirishima damages USS South Dakota (BB-57), but is sunk by USS Washington (BB-56).
    
• 8 Jun 1943: Mutsu destroyed by magazine explosion at Hiroshima Bay
• 23-25 Oct 1944: Battle of Leyte Gulf.The largest naval battle in history. It was so large, that historians usually subdivide it into several smaller battles, such as the Battle off Cape Engano, the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, the Battle off Samar, the Battle of the Surigao Strait, etc. All of Japan's remaining battleships and battlecruisers were used in a futile attempt to repel US amphibious landings in the Phillipines.
  • 24 Oct 1944: Battle of the Sibuyan Sea. Musashi sunk by US carrier aircraft from the USS Enterprise (CV-6), the USS Essex (CV-9), the USS Intrepid (CV-11), USS Cabot, and USS Franklin (CV-13).
  • 24 Oct 1944: Battle of the Surigao Strait. Fuso and Yamashiro, under the command of Vice Admiral Shoji Nishimura, are sunk by US Task Force 77.2, under the command of Rear Admiral Jesse Oldendorf. Yamashiro was probably sunk by gunfire from US battleships USS Mississippi (BB-41), USS Tennessee (BB-43), USS California (BB-44), USS Maryland (BB-46), and USS West Virginia (BB-48). USS Pennsylvania (BB-38), was also in the battle line, but did not fire. Fuso was probably sunk by torpedoes from US destroyers and PT boats. This is the last naval battle between battleships.
    
  • 25 Oct 1944: Battle off Samar. Yamato, Nagato, Haruna and Kongo along with numerous cruisers and destroyers, under the command of Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita, are effectively defeated by the decidedly inferior Task Group 77.4.3, (better known as "Taffy 3") under the command of Rear Adm. Clifton A.F. Sprague. The Japanese force managed to sink the destroyers Hoel (DD-533); Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413); and Johnston (DD-557), as well as the escort carrier Gambier Bay, (CVE-73), but Kurita ultimately retreated.
    
• 21 Nov 1944: Kongo sunk by submarine USS Sealion (SS-315) in the East China Sea.
• 7 Apr 1945: Yamato, on suicide mission to Okinawa, sunk by US carrier planes.
  
• 28 Jul 1945: Haruna, Hyuga, and Ise sunk in shallow water near Kure by aircraft from US Task Force 38.
  
• 2 Sep 1945: Japan surrenders aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63).