Japanese target ship Hakachi
Encyclopedia
The was a bomb target ship
Target ship
A target ship is a vessel — typically an obsolete or captured warship — used for naval gunnery practice or for weapons testing.-Rationale:Sinking redundant warships is an effective way of testing new weapons and warships in as realistic a manner as possible. Whilst practice torpedoes are fired...

 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...

 (IJN) serving during the Second World War, the only ship of her class.

Background

Project number J32. In before the pacific war, the IJN wanted to raise the training efficiency of bomber for the outbreak of war. The Yakaze
Japanese destroyer Yakaze
was a destroyer, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy immediately following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.-History:...

 was converted to a target ship for bombing training, however, her armour was thin because she converted from destroyer. Yakaze was able to bear only 1 kilogram bomb. The IJN wanted the target ship which Combined Fleet
Combined Fleet
The was the main ocean-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Combined Fleet was not a standing force, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units normally under separate commands in peacetime....

 could use in the southern front. Hakachi was built by such a background, she was able to bear 10 kilogram bomb dropped from 4000 m (13,123.4 ft) meters sky. The IJN built Ōhama-class
Ōhama class target ship
The was a bombing target ship class of the Imperial Japanese Navy , serving during World War II. 5 vessels were planned under the Kai-Maru 5 Programme , however, only lead ship Ōhama was completed.-Design and Construction:...

 as a next generation target ships, because Hakachi was only one.

Service

The Hakachi as commissiones on 18 November 1943, on 1 December, she assigned to the Combined Fleet. On 24 December, she sailed to Truk and she worked bombing training. Two months later, she was heavily damaged by U.S. carrier aircraft during Operation Hailstone
Operation Hailstone
Operation Hailstone was a massive naval air and surface attack launched on February 17–18, 1944, during World War II by the United States Navy against the Japanese naval and air base at Truk in the Caroline Islands, a pre-war Japanese territory.-Background:Truk was a major Japanese logistical base...

. She sheltered to Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...

 on 24 February 1944, and repaired by Akashi
Japanese repair ship Akashi
Akashi was a Japanese repair ship, serving during the World War II. She was the only specifically designed repair ship operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The navy based her design on the US Navy's USS Medusa.-Construction:...

. On 18 March, she sailed to Lingga Islands
Lingga Islands
Not to be confused with "Linga", a common Scottish island name, see Linga The Lingga Islands or Lingga Archipelago are a group of islands in Indonesia, located south of Singapore, along both sides of the equator, off the eastern coast of Riau Islands province on Sumatra island...

. On 24 May, she sailed to Davao Gulf
Davao Gulf
Davao Gulf is a gulf found in Mindanao in the Philippines. It has an area of 308,000 hectares. Davao Gulf cuts into the island of Mindanao from Celebes Sea. It is surrounded by all four provinces in the Davao Region. The largest island in the gulf is Samal Island. Davao City, on the gulf's west...

. She worked in each place. On 1 October, she undertook convoy escort operation. She Survived war at the Seto Inland Sea.
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