Operation Dukedom
Part of the Pacific theater of World War II
Japanese cruiser Haguro.
Date May 15 – 16, 1945 Location Strait of Malacca Result United Kingdom victory
Combatants
United Kingdom	Empire of Japan
Commanders
Arthur John Power Manley Laurence Power	Shigeru Fukudome Shintaro Hashimoto† Kaju Sugiura†
Strength
5 destroyers	1 cruiser 1 destroyer
Casualties
1 destroyer damaged, 2 killed[1]	1 cruiser sunk, 1 destroyer damaged, 927 killed[2]

The Battle of the Malacca Strait, sometimes called the Sinking of the Haguro, and in Japanese sources as the Battle off Penang (ペナン沖海戦), was a naval battle that resulted from the British search and destroy operation in May, 1945, called Operation Dukedom, that resulted in the sinking of the Japanese cruiser Haguro. Haguro had been operating as a supply ship for Japanese garrisons in the Dutch East Indies and the Bay of Bengal since 1 May 1945. Combatants China (from 1937) Việt Minh ((from 1941) United States of America (from 1941) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (from 1941) British India (1941) Commonwealth of Australia (1941) Free France (1941) Philippines (1941) Netherlands (1941) New Zealand (1941) Canada (1941) Soviet Union (from 1945) Peoples... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (137th in leap years). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday. ... This wide-angle map of south-east Asia shows that the Strait is the most direct route from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific. ... Anthem: Kimi ga Yo Imperial Reign Slogan: Fukoku Kyohei Enrich the Country, Strengthen the Military (a. ... Shigeru Fukudome (1891-1971) was a Japanese vice admiral and Chief of Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Graduating from the Japanese Naval Academy in 1913, and later the Naval Staff College in 1926, Fukudome was first assigned to the Combined Fleet in 1940 to April... USS Lassen, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range attackers (originally torpedo boats, later submarines and aircraft). ... USS Port Royal (CG-73), a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser (really an uprated guided missile destroyer), launched in 1992. ... The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was the name given to the campaigns of the Pacific War in India, Burma, Thailand, Malaya and Singapore. ... Combatants British Army, Indian Army, Australian Army, Federated Malay States Volunteer Forces Imperial Japanese Army Commanders Arthur Percival Tomoyuki Yamashita Strength 140,000 70,000 Casualties 5,000 killed, 50,000 prisoners of war no more than 34,000 The Battle of Malaya was a conflict between a Commonwealth army... The Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse was a World War II naval engagement which illustrated the effectiveness of aerial attacks against naval forces that were not protected by air cover and the resulting importance of including an aircraft carrier in any major fleet action. ... It has been suggested that Japanese Raids into Indian Ocean be merged into this article or section. ... The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (8,293 sq km on 139 islands), are a group of islands situated in the Bay of Bengal at about 780 miles from Kolkata, 740 miles from Chennai and 120 miles from Cape Nargis in Burma. ... Haguro (羽黒) was the last of the four-member Myoko class of heavy cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... The Dutch East Indies, or Netherlands East Indies, (Dutch: Nederlands-Indië) was the name of the colonies set up by the Dutch East India Company, which came under administration of the Netherlands during the 19th century (see Indonesia). ... A map showing the location of the Bay of Bengal. ...

The action

On the 9th May, she left Singapore, escorted by the destroyer Kamikaze, to re-supply the Port Blair garrison on the Andaman Islands and to evacuate troops back to Singapore. The Royal Navy was alerted to this by a decrypted Japanese naval signal^[3], subsequently confirmed by a sighting by the submarines HMS Statesman and Subtle. Force 61 of the Eastern Fleet set sail on 10th May from Trincomalee, Ceylon to intercept the Japanese flotilla. The Japanese were unwilling to risk any battle and, on receipt of an air reconnaissance warning, they returned to Singapore. This article or section may be confusing for some readers, and should be edited to be clearer or more simplified. ... The British Eastern Fleet (also known as the East Indies Fleet) was a fleet of the Royal Navy during World War II. It operated in the Indian Ocean and was based in Trincomalee in Ceylon. ... Trincomalee District Map Trincomalee (Tamil: (Thirukonamalai, hist: Sirigonakanda); Sinhala: (Thirikunamalaya)) is a port city on the northeast coast of Sri Lanka, about 110 miles northeast of Kandy. ...

On the 14th May, the Haguro and Kamikaze tried again and left Singapore. Next day, they were spotted by aircraft from Force 61. The subsequent air attack caused only minor damage to Haguro, for the loss of an aircraft whose crew was taken prisoner by the Japanese.

Information was relayed to the Japanese that two British destroyer squadrons had been sighted heading towards them. Again, they reversed course to return to the Malacca Strait. This change had been anticipated, however, and the 26th Destroyer Flotilla (HMS Saumarez, Verulam, Venus, Vigilant, and Virago), commanded by Captain Manley Power, made radar contact. The British destroyers arranged themselves in a crescent cordon and allowed the Japanese ships to sail into the trap. The Straits of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water between Peninsular Malaysia (West Malaysia) and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. ... Sir Manley Laurence Power (January 10, 1904 – May 1981) was a Royal Navy Admiral who fought in WWII as a Captain and later rose to more senior ranks, including the NATO position Allied Commander-in-Chief, Channel. ...

At 1:15am on the 16th, despite avoidance manoevres by the Japanese, the British destroyers were close enough to attack the Haguro from all sides. In an exchange of gunfire the Haguro and Saumarez were hit. There were three torpedo hits on the Haguro and she slowed and sunk at about 2:30am.

The Kamikaze was also damaged, but escaped, returning the next day to rescue survivors. About 320 survived but 900 died, including the Japanese commanders, Vice-Admiral Hashimoto and Rear-Admiral Sugiura.

References

Books

• Lacroix, Eric; Linton Wells (1997). Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-311-3. 
• Roskill, S. W. (1960). White Ensign, the British Navy At War, 1939-1945. United States Naval Institute. ASIN B000EJI8X8. 
• Winton, John (1969). The Forgotten Fleet. Michael Joseph Ltd. ISBN 0718106431. 
• Winton, John (1981). Sink the Haguro. Saunders of Toronto Ltd. ISBN 0854221522. 

Web

• Chen, Peter (2004-2007). Haguro. World War II Database. Retrieved on 2007 February 22.
• Hackett, Bob; Sander Kingsepp (1997 - 2006). HIJMS Haguro: Tabular Record of Movement. (Combinedfleet.com). Retrieved on 2007 February 22.
• Hough, Stan (1998). H.M.S. VIGILANT. 1945. Stan Hough. Retrieved on 2007 February 22.- Firsthand account of the battle by a member of HMS Vigilant's crew.
• Kemble, Mike (2003). The Sinking of the Haguro. World War II Research Index. Retrieved on 2007 February 22.- Fairly detailed account of the battle
• Muir, Dan. Order of Battle, Battle off Penang (Loss of IJN Haguro). (navweaps.com). Retrieved on 2007 February 22.
• Nevitt, Allyn D. (1998). IJN Kamikaze: Tabular Record of Movement. (Combinedfleet.com). Retrieved on 2007 February 22.

2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Notes