Haruna was a relatively lucky ship. One of the Kongo class battlecruisers/fast battleships, she started the war covering the various Japanese invasions before escorting the carriers during the Indian Ocean Raid and the Battle of Midway. She survived without a scratch, though in a funny inversion the Americans claimed that she had been sunk by B-17s off the Phillipines. In fact, there were no Japanese battleships nearby and Haruna herself was more than 1,500 miles away.
Her greatest success came when she participated in “The Bombardment” on Henderson Field on Guadalcanal on 13 October 1942. She and her sister Kongo heavily damaged both runways and blew up almost all of the Avgas and half the aircraft the US had there. However, their sisters Hiei and Kirishima would both be sunk a month later trying to repeat the success.
1943 passed quietly, with Haruna joining various unsuccessful counterattacks. 1944 was the beginning of the end. She escorted the carriers again during the disastrous Battle of Philippine Sea and suffered 2 bomb hits. Repaired, she then joined the death ride of the Japanese Navy, and survived the hell that was the Battle of Leyte Gulf with only minor damage.
Afterwards, Kongo was recalled with the rest of the battleships to Japan, but was sunk enroute by a US submarine at midnight on 21 November. The next day, the now orphaned Haruna ran aground on a coral reef enroute to Brunei, suffering serious damage and she was forced to return to Japan, evading attacks by American wolfpacks along the way.
On her return to Japan, Haruna was placed in reserve and most of her crew and AA guns sent ashore. She was only hit by one bomb in the March 19th raid on Kure, with only light damage. She was again only hit once on 24 July, but her luck finally ran out on 28 July. Hammered by 8 bombs, she settled to the bottom by the afternoon. She was scrapped post-war.
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Haruna was a relatively lucky ship. One of the Kongo class battlecruisers/fast battleships, she started the war covering the various Japanese invasions before escorting the carriers during the Indian Ocean Raid and the Battle of Midway. She survived without a scratch, though in a funny inversion the Americans claimed that she had been sunk by B-17s off the Phillipines. In fact, there were no Japanese battleships nearby and Haruna herself was more than 1,500 miles away.
Her greatest success came when she participated in “The Bombardment” on Henderson Field on Guadalcanal on 13 October 1942. She and her sister Kongo heavily damaged both runways and blew up almost all of the Avgas and half the aircraft the US had there. However, their sisters Hiei and Kirishima would both be sunk a month later trying to repeat the success.
1943 passed quietly, with Haruna joining various unsuccessful counterattacks. 1944 was the beginning of the end. She escorted the carriers again during the disastrous Battle of Philippine Sea and suffered 2 bomb hits. Repaired, she then joined the death ride of the Japanese Navy, and survived the hell that was the Battle of Leyte Gulf with only minor damage.
Afterwards, Kongo was recalled with the rest of the battleships to Japan, but was sunk enroute by a US submarine at midnight on 21 November. The next day, the now orphaned Haruna ran aground on a coral reef enroute to Brunei, suffering serious damage and she was forced to return to Japan, evading attacks by American wolfpacks along the way.
On her return to Japan, Haruna was placed in reserve and most of her crew and AA guns sent ashore. She was only hit by one bomb in the March 19th raid on Kure, with only light damage. She was again only hit once on 24 July, but her luck finally ran out on 28 July. Hammered by 8 bombs, she settled to the bottom by the afternoon. She was scrapped post-war.