Image: http://www.combinedfleet.com/matsu01.jpg

Career
Ordered:	1944
Laid down:	February 2, 1944
Launched:	June 16, 1944
Completed:	September 3, 1944
Fate:	Sunk by air attack west of Manila (14ºN, 120º20'E) 5 January 1945
General Characteristics
Displacement:	1,262 tons (standard), 1,506 tons (trial)
Length:	328 ft 1 in (100.0 m)
Beam:	30 ft 8 in (9.35 m)
Draft:	10 ft 10 in (3.3 m)
Speed:	27.8 knots (51.5 km/h)
Complement:	210
Armament:	3 × 5 in ( 127 mm) / 40 caliber DP guns, 24 × 25 mm AA guns, 4 × 13 mm AA guns, 4 × 24 in torpedo tubes, 36 depth charges

The Momi (translation: "white pine") was a Matsu class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy, sunk on January 5, 1944 by an American air attack west of Manila, in the South China Sea. Image File history File links Naval_Ensign_of_Japan. ... is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... June 16 is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945and died 2007 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Look up ton in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The metre or meter is a measure of length. ... A knot is a non SI unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour. ... The word calibre (British English) or caliber (American English) designates the interior diameter of a tube or the exterior diameter of a wire or rod. ... A dual purpose gun is a naval weapon mounting designed to engage both surface and air targets. ... Torpedo tubes of the French SNLE Redoutable A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes in a horizontal direction. ... Depth Charge used by U.S. Navy later in World War II The depth charge is the oldest anti-submarine weapon. ... Matsu can refer to: Matsu, a significant sea goddess in Chinese culture. ... The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) (: 大日本帝國海軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国海軍   or 日本海軍 Nippon Kaigun), officially Navy of Empire of Greater Japan, also known as the Japanese Navy or Combined Fleet was the Navy of Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japans constitutional renunciation of the use of force... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The South China Sea, showing surrounding countries and neighbouring seas and oceans The South China Sea is a marginal sea south of China. ...

On September 27, 1944 off Etoforu in the Kurile Islands (45º44'N, 148º41'E), Momi was damaged by a torpedo from the submarine USS Searaven (SS-196). Between October 25 and November 2, together with the destroyer Hinoki, she escorted the Ryuho and Kaiyo on a transport mission from Sasebo to Keelung, then returned to Kure. is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands (Russian: Кури́льские острова́), also known as Kurile Islands, stretch northeast from Hokkaido, Japan, to Kamchatka, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. ... USS Searaven (SS-196), a Sargo-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the searaven, a sculpin of the northern Atlantic coast of America. ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... The Ryuho ) was a Japanese naval vessel which started life as the submarine depot ship Taigei, and was taken out of service in December 1941 for conversion into a light aircraft carrier. ... Sasebo (佐世保市; -shi) is a city located in Nagasaki, Japan. ...

The Momi set sail from Kure on December 16, 1944 as part of the escort for the aircraft carrier Unryu. The remainder of the escort consisted of the destroyers Shigure and Hinoki. Because an American invasion fleet had been spotted approaching the Philippine Islands, the Unryu was intended to deliver a squadron of 30 Ohka kamikaze planes to Manila. December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The Japanese aircraft carrier Unryu (雲龍) was a fleet aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy which served during World War II. The name Unryu means Heavenward Bound Dragon Riding the Clouds. The name vessel of the Unryu class, the Unryu was a lightly built carrier design based on the Hiryu... Shigure was a Shiratsuyu-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... Ohka Model 11 replica at the Yasukuni Shrine The Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka (櫻花 cherry blossom) was a purpose-built kamikaze aircraft employed by Japan towards the end of World War II. The United States gave the aircraft the name Baka (Japanese for fool). It was a small flying bomb that... USS Bunker Hill was hit by Ogawa (see picture left) and another kamikaze near KyÅ«shÅ« on May 11, 1945. ... Nickname: Map of Metro Manila showing the location of Manila Coordinates: 14°35 N 121° E Country Philippines Region National Capital Region Districts 1st to 6th districts of Manila Barangays 897 Incorporated (city) June 10, 1574 Government  - Mayor Alfredo S. Lim (GO)  - Vice Mayor Isko Moreno (independent) Area  - City 38. ...

The task force sailed west through the Shimonoseki Straits to avoid American submarines, then turned south. But on December 19, the task force encountered the USS Redfish (SS-395), which sank the Unryu, then submerged deep to escape the charging Hinoki. The Kanmon Straits (関門海峡 Kanmon Kaikyō) or Straits of Shimonoseki is the stretch of water separating two of Japans four main islands. ... December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... USS Redfish (SS/AGSS-395), a Balao-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the redfish, a variety of salmon also called blueback, sawqui, red salmon, and nerka. ...

Shigure remained in the area to pick up survivors from the Unryu and attempt to track down and sink the American submarine, while Hinoki and Momi set sail for Japanese occupied China. From there, they escorted the Ikutagawa Maru to Manila, arriving on January 4, 1945. January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The two destroyers were then ordered to withdraw to Taiwan, but were caught by American destroyers, including the USS Bennion (DD-662), on the afternoon of January 5. They escaped, but were then caught by carrier-based aircraft from Task Force 77. A 1,000-lb (454kg) bomb from an SBD Dauntless dive bomber crippled the Hinoki at 5:17 PM; then, at 7:10 PM, a torpedo from a TBF Avenger torpedo bomber struck the Momi and she sank with all hands. The Hinoki managed to get under way again and briefly escaped under cover of darkness, but was caught and sunk by American destroyers on January 7. USS Bennion (DD-662) was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named for Captain Mervyn S. Bennion (1887–1941), who was killed in action during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, while in command of West Virginia (BB-48). ... The Douglas SBD Dauntless was the U.S. Navys main scout bomber and dive bomber from mid-1940 until 1943, when it was replaced by the SB2C Helldiver. ... Grumman TBF Avengers in 1942 The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) was an American torpedo bomber, developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps and used by a large number of air forces around the world. ... January 7 is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Commanding Officers

Chief Equipping Officer - Lt. Cmdr. Tsuneo Yonei - August 1944 - 7 September 1944

Lt. Cmdr. Tsuneo Yonei - 7 September 1944 - 5 January 1945 (KIA)

External links

"Star-Crossed Sortie: The Last Voyage of Unryu and DesDiv 52" by Anthony Tully (retrieved January 16, 2007)

"Matsu class 1st class destroyers" (retrieved January 16, 2007)