The Oite Kamikaze-class destroyer was unique in that, it was sunk entering Truk Lagoon rather than exiting it
Early in 1944, the island base of Truk served as the Japanese equivalent of Pearl Harbor; it was a formidable naval and aviation base that had to be destroyed before the Allies could advance farther toward Tokyo. Yet, Truk was also the best-defended naval base outside of the Japanese Home Islands, making an Allied attack expensive.
Truk’s intact defense against long-range bombing would be a carnage, thus an idea was developed to destroy it with a series of enormous naval raids spearheaded by the expanding US carrier fleet. One of the most well-known operations carried out by American carriers in the Pacific was Operation Hailstone.
During Operation Hailstone, the US Navy focussed its efforts on the ships in Truk Lagoon and the air garrison at Truk, as stated by Mark Lardas in his book Truk 1944–1945. An early morning fighter sweep and the subsequent bomber attack with fragmentation bombs on the airfield effectively ended the air garrison’s chances of surviving the assault. The remainder of the day was then spent by the Navy sinking ships.
Less than a week before the US strike, the majority of Imperial Japan’s Combined Fleet left Truk quickly, but there were still a lot of commercial ships and warships in the harbor. On February 17, 1944, the US Navy sank eight warships as well as more than 30 merchant ships and naval auxiliary vessels. Most were downed by US Navy aircraft, and a few were sunk by surface warships circling the atoll to capture escapists.
The Oite was one of them. It was an old destroyer, the Japanese equivalent of the flush-deck destroyers used by the US Navy. It was one of nine Kamikaze-class destroyers constructed for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the early 1920s. Instead of the 127mm guns of the most recent classes of Japanese destroyers during World War Two, it was mounted with 4.7in guns. It and its sisters underwent modifications early on in the conflict to enhance their antisubmarine capabilities.
By 1944, it had three 4.7in main batteries and only four torpedo tubes due to the removal of one main gun and the aft torpedo tubes. The original armament was replaced by extra-depth charge throwers and 25mm antiaircraft guns. During the outbreak of World War Two, Oite and a number of her classmates had been demoted to the Fourth Fleet. In 1941, it took part in the invasion of Wake Island, and in 1942 and 1943, it served as a Central Pacific convoy escort.
In contrast to other ships, the Oite was sunk while entering Truk Lagoon. A US submarine protecting the channel between Truk and the Palau Islands had sunk the light cruiser Agano the day before. The Oite raced into the US airstrike after picking up 523 survivors and heading back to Truk to dump them.
The Oite sped through North Pass toward the navy anchorage off Dublon in an effort to flee the plane. Shortly after the Oite passed through North Pass, carrier planes captured it. Given that the Oite was traveling more than 20 knots and making erratic maneuvers, it was a stunning accomplishment when an Avenger from the USS Bunker Hill landed a torpedo amidships. The ancient destroyer was destroyed by the hit. It split in half and submerged nearly immediately. Trapped below decks, the 523 Agano survivors never stood a chance. All but 20 of the 172-person crew of the Oite also perished to a man.
The plate provided by Adam Tooby depicts the moment the Oite was hit by the torpedo, just after it had passed through North Pass and entered Truk Lagoon. On the far side, the ship can be seen dodging a torpedo that is going parallel to it as another torpedo strikes it from the front. During a strafing run on the destroyer, two Hellcat fighters can be spotted in front of the Oite.
In 1986, the wreck of the Oite was found. It was split in two, with the bow part capsized and the bridge submerged in the sea bottom, and the stern half standing upright. It is a well-liked diving target, located two hundred feet below the surface.
Truk 1944–45 is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo by Adam Tooby via Osprey
