Action of 8 June 1945
Encyclopedia
The Action of 8 June 1945, sometimes called the Sinking of the Ashigara was a naval action that resulted in the sinking of the heavy cruiser
of the Imperial Japanese Navy
by the British Royal Navy
submarine . Ashigara—which was being escorted by the destroyer —was being used to transport troops from Indonesia
for the defence of Singapore
and the sinking resulted in a huge loss of life.
At such a distance, Hezlet had to make precise estimable calculations before his chance of an attack disappeared. After 21 minutes, Trenchant fired a full bow salvo of eight torpedoes at about 12:12 at a range of 4000 yd (3,657.6 m) aimed individually from a quarter of length ahead to a quarter of a length astern. Because of the shoreline to port Ashigara could only alter toward Trenchant and that meant running into the torpedoes. After three minutes five torpedoes struck the Ashigara. Trenchants company queued to view through the search periscope, but the periscope attracted anti-aircraft fire from Ashigara. Hezlet then turned Trenchant to bring her stern tubes to bear and fired two more torpedoes nearly an hour after first sighting the cruiser. Torpedoes fired by Ashigara at Trenchants periscope missed, but a fire caused by the first hits had spread rapidly through Ashigara causing a huge pall of smoke to obscure Hezlets's view.
Kamikaze dropped three patterns of depth charges, but these were 3 mi (2.6 nmi; 4.8 km) from Trenchant. Within a few minutes, Ashigara began to capsize rapidly, and Kamikaze immediately returned to pick up survivors.
The sinking of Ashigara earned Hezlet a DSM
and the U.S. Legion of Merit
. HMS Trenchant flew the Jolly Roger
as a tribute to her success when she reached her base at Trincomalee
. Tactically it was one of the most brilliant submarine attacks of the war in terms of range.
Heavy cruiser
The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range, high speed and an armament of naval guns roughly 203mm calibre . The heavy cruiser can be seen as a lineage of ship design from 1915 until 1945, although the term 'heavy cruiser' only came into formal use in 1930...
of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
by the British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
submarine . Ashigara—which was being escorted by the destroyer —was being used to transport troops from Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
for the defence of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and the sinking resulted in a huge loss of life.
Background
Trenchant took up position on the inside of the Bangka Strait while the submarine watched on the other side. On 8 June 1945, Ashigara left Batavia for Singapore with 1,600 troops on board to reinforce the defence of Singapore. She was escorted by the destroyer Kamikaze which had been present at the Japanese defeat in the Malacca Strait. Blueback reported this movement to Hezlet as he was in a better position and soon patrolled the area.The action
Kamikaze was patrolling the area and soon a cautious Hezlet spotted the masts of Ashigara nearly 6 mi (5.2 nmi; 9.7 km) away through the periscope at around 11:48. It soon became clear to Hezlet that he could not reach a firing position closer to Ashigara than 4000 yd (3,657.6 m), the limit of his torpedoes' range.At such a distance, Hezlet had to make precise estimable calculations before his chance of an attack disappeared. After 21 minutes, Trenchant fired a full bow salvo of eight torpedoes at about 12:12 at a range of 4000 yd (3,657.6 m) aimed individually from a quarter of length ahead to a quarter of a length astern. Because of the shoreline to port Ashigara could only alter toward Trenchant and that meant running into the torpedoes. After three minutes five torpedoes struck the Ashigara. Trenchants company queued to view through the search periscope, but the periscope attracted anti-aircraft fire from Ashigara. Hezlet then turned Trenchant to bring her stern tubes to bear and fired two more torpedoes nearly an hour after first sighting the cruiser. Torpedoes fired by Ashigara at Trenchants periscope missed, but a fire caused by the first hits had spread rapidly through Ashigara causing a huge pall of smoke to obscure Hezlets's view.
Kamikaze dropped three patterns of depth charges, but these were 3 mi (2.6 nmi; 4.8 km) from Trenchant. Within a few minutes, Ashigara began to capsize rapidly, and Kamikaze immediately returned to pick up survivors.
Aftermath
Losses in the sinking were heavy; out of 1,600 troops, only 400 were saved, whilst the majority of the crew of around 850 were rescued, including Captain Miura. Ashigara was the last remaining Japanese capital ship in the area after the cruiser had been sunk the previous month. After the sinking of Ashigara, 10th Area Fleet based out of Singapore was left with a solitary destroyer; KamikazeThe sinking of Ashigara earned Hezlet a DSM
Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious service to the government of the United States in either a senior government service position or as a senior officer of the United...
and the U.S. Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
. HMS Trenchant flew the Jolly Roger
Jolly Roger
The Jolly Roger is any of various flags flown to identify a ship's crew as pirates. The flag most commonly identified as the Jolly Roger today is the skull and crossbones, a flag consisting of a human skull above two long bones set in an x-mark arrangement on a black field. This design was used by...
as a tribute to her success when she reached her base at Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
. Tactically it was one of the most brilliant submarine attacks of the war in terms of range.