Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts

Thursday 20 October 2022

FFM-4 JS Mikuma's Ship Crest : Legend Of The Sun And The Hawk




FFM-4 JS Mikuma's Logo Mark. Image : JMSDF



The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ( JMSDF ) had just unveiled the ship emblem of its fourth Mogami-class multi-mission stealth frigate the JS Mikuma ( FFM-4 ). It was the result of a design competition which was open to the public from 6th Jun to 5th Jul 2022. Out of a total of 157 submissions, the winning piece was selected by the pre-commissioning ship crew themselves and it featured a mythical hawk known as the Hitaka, the sun, the moon, a star ( Polaris ) and the Big Dipper. 

Apart from Polaris and the Big Dipper, all the above entities are key characters in the Legend of the Sun and Hawk ( 日と鷹神話 ) recorded in the ancient text known as Toyonishi Manuscript ( 豊西記 ). It is the story of the creation of the Mikuma river and the three hills around it.

In Japanese, the ship's crest or emblem is known as the logo mark ( ロゴマーク rogo maku ). My previous articles on the JS Mogami and the JS Kumano's logo mark can be found here, JS Noshiro's here and that of the JS Ise's possibly plagiarised logo mark here.  


Manga rendition of the Legend of the Sun and the Hawk
 by Kuze Mizuki. Image : yamataikoku9.web.fc2.com



Sun and Hawk Legend


The Mikuma River ( 三隈川 mikumagawa ), namesake of the multi-mission frigate JS Mikuma , refers to the section of the Chikugo River that flows westward through the city of Hita right in the heart of Kyushu. The Hita Basin ( 日田盆地 Hita Bonchi ) is located just north of one of Kyushu's most active volcano Mt Aso and it is surrounded by mountains. It lies within the boundaries of Oita Prefecture, an area known in the past as Bungonokuni ( 豊後国 ).

Legend had it that a long long time ago there was a gigantic lake in the Hita Basin. One day, a humongous bird known as the Sun Hawk ( 日鷹 Hitaka ) flew across the lake from the east, dipped the feathers of its wings into the water and then flew north as the sun rises and disappeared. That immediately triggered off terrifying earth tremors and suddenly turned day into night.

The huge whirlpools formed and monstrous waves battered the cliffs on the western banks of the lake for three days and three nights. The cliffs eventually collapsed and the water gushed out and formed the westward flowing Mikuma River. As a result of the outflow, the lake was completely drained. The torrent also created three knolls which are known as the Hill of the Sun ( 日隈 Hinokuma ) to the south, Hill of the Moon  ( 月隈 Tsukikuma ) to the north and the Hill of the Star (星隈 Hoshikuma ) to the west. 

Collectively these hills are known as the Three Hills of Mikuma ( 三隈三山 Mikuma Sanzan ) or the Three Knolls of Hita ( 日田三丘 Hita Mitsuo ). These geological features still define the terrain where the Mikuma river flows through today.


Hita City, Mikuma River and the three hills



Could this ancient foklore have a possible scientific explanation? Absolutely! Japan has numerous active and dormant volcanos and many of these have caldera lakes. The rims of these crater lakes are subjected to weathering and erosion and can obviously be destroyed by subsequent seismic activities or even an eruption. Mt Aso, located just south of Hita City, has a caldera with a circumference of 120km, one of the biggest in the world, and that could have once been filled with water. Satellite imagery even showed a breach over its western rim from which a river flowed.



Aso Caldera NS 25km, EW 17km. Circumference 120km. Wikipedia




JS Mikuma's Logo Mark



The ship's crest of the JS Mikama takes a pentagonal shape with the silhouette of the mythical Sun Hawk in black prominantly featured at its centre. Its wings are spread and stretched right across the entire crest with the wingtips extending a little beyond the geometry of the crest. Superimposed on the hawk are the silhouettes of water in light blue and that of the warship in grey. They signify that the JS Mikuma will have the power of the water to move forcefully forwards.

Above the hawk is the sun, which represents Hinokuma, the hill of the sun. It is positioned above all perhaps because in Shintoism the Sun Goddess Amaterasu Okami is regarded as the supreme deity.

The moon at the lower left represents the Tsukikuma, the hill of the moon. According to JMSDF, the star at the lower right of the crest is Polaris ( 北極星 Hokkyokusei ), the north star. It represents the Hoshikuma, the hill of the star. Next to it is the asterism known as the Big Dipper ( 北斗七星 Hokutoshichisei ) with its seven stars in its familiar inverted ladle configuration. Interestingly, these stars are orientated in the correct position as they would in the night sky, with the two stars of the Big Dipper's bowl pointing towards Polaris. Kudos to the designer for getting this right! Together, Polaris and the Big Dipper would herald safe navigation on the high seas.

The crest is framed by a perimeter of dark grey within which the words Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is written at the top and FFM-4 JS Mikuma is written at the bottom. Lastly, the words みくま, the ship's name in hiragana, is placed in front of the silhouettes of the hawk, water and warship. 

JS Mikuma's ship crest was designed by Sasaki Ruri ( 佐々木留理 ) from Nara Prefecture.


Stars of the Big Dipper's bowl points towards Polaris ( top right )
Image : Miguel Claro via Space.com


Note : The Japanese kanji character 三 ( mi ) means three while 隈 ( kuma ) means corner or nook. In combination 三隈 ( Mikuma ) literally means three corners or three nooks. However, in this case we know that it means the three hills of Hita. 
















































































Monday 17 October 2022

Third Taigei-Class Submarine JS Jingei Launched

 

SS515 Jingei Launched in MHI's Kobe shipyard


The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force ( JMSDF ) had launched its third Taigei-class submarine on 12 Oct 2022 at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' Kobe shipyard. It was named the Jingei, meaning swift whale. This came almost one year since the launch of the second-in-class the Hakugei which means white whale.

The Taigei-class submarines are advanced designs with lithium-ion batteries instead of the tried and proven lead-acid batteries. In Japanese, taigei means " big whale ". It is now almost certain that the entire class will be named after whales.

This will be the second Japanese naval vessel to bear the name Jingei, the first being the Imperial Japanese Navy ( IJN ) submarine tender which was launched in 1922 and saw service in World War Two. In kanji ( Chinese characters ), Jingei would be written as 迅鯨. In hiragana it would be じんげい.

Since the IJN warships always had their names in kanji, in order to distinguish their modern warships from those of the IJN's WWII vessels, JMSDF deliberately avoids expressing the ship's name in kanji and officially uses the hiragana form instead.

According to the JMSDF ship naming convention, submarines would be named after maritime phenomenon, marine animals and auspicious creatures. The name jingei conjures a majestic whale, King of the Ocean, streaking through the waves at breakneck speeds ...

The Jingei will be commissioned around March 2024.



The Jingei is the 1330th ship built by the MHI Kobe shipyard. JMSDF


The Jingei all dressed up for the launch and naming ceremony. JMSDF


I name thee ... Jingei. JMSDF


SS515 Jingei ( じんげい ) name revealed. JMSDF


View from VIP stand with naming documents. JMSDF


Cord cutting with sacred ship launching silver axe followed. JMSDF


Sacred silver axe for launching the JS Jingei. JMSDF


The Jingei is launched. JMSDF


Ribbons flutter amidst the lively tune of the Gunkan March. JMSDF

Watch the Video below :







Tuesday 19 July 2022

Shachihoko : FFM-3 JS Noshiro Selects Mythical Tiger Fish For Ship's Emblem

 



JS Noshiro's ship crest or logo mark. Image : JMSDF


The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ( JMSDF ) had just unveiled the ship emblem of its third Mogami-class multi-mission stealth frigate the JS Noshiro ( FFM-3 ). It was the result of a design competition which was open to the public from 24th Feb to 25th Mar 2022. The winning piece was selected by the pre-commissioning ship crew themselves and it featured a mythical creature known as the shachihoko which has the head of a tiger and the body of a fish. 

The shachihoko is a well known cultural entity in Noshiro City, Akita Prefecture. It is found adorning the top of gigantic castle floats which are lighted up at night and paraded in the streets to celebrate the Tanabata Festival which is usually held in early August every year.

In Japanese, the ship's crest or emblem is known as the logo mark ( ロゴマーク rogo maku ). My previous articles on the JS Mogami and the JS Kumano's logo mark can be found here and that of the JS Ise's possibly plagiarised logo mark here.  


Noshiro


The JS Noshiro was named after the Noshiro River ( 能代川 noshirogawa ) in Akita Prefecture. For most of its 136km course, this Class A river is actually known as the Yoneshiro River ( 米代川 yoneshirogawa ). It has its source in the Ou Mountains of the Hachimantai Plateau and flows westwards to the Sea of Japan. 

At the end of its journey to the sea, the Yoneshiro River reaches the city of Noshiro and that last section near the river mouth is commonly known as the Noshiro River.

Noshiro City has a population of just under 50000 and is most famously known for the way its people celebrated the Tanabata Festival with giant lantern castle floats that seemed to reach up to the summer night sky. These humongous structures are assembled with the help of construction cranes and the biggest ever built measured 24.1m in height. Their sides would be painted with pictures depicting anything from fauna to flora, folks going through their daily chores such as fishing, farming and wood cutting, battlefield scenes and the top of the structures would invariably be adorned with several prominent pairs of shachihokos - the fearsome looking Japanese tiger fish that is commonly found on the roof top of a castle's main keep. 



Noshiro City's Lantern Castle with Shachihoko.
Photo : Noshiro City Official WP


Tanabata has its origins from the ancient Chinese Cowherd and Weaver Girl folk tale. It is said that a long time ago, on the eastern bank of the Celestial River lived Orihime ( 織姫 ) a talented weaver girl who was the daughter of the Heavenly Emperor. She would create colourful fabric for the clouds in the skies day in and day out. However, she eventually got tired of this monotonous life and the Emperor, having taken pity on her, married her to Hikoboshi ( 彦星 ) the cowherd from the western bank.

The cowhead and the weaver girl loved each other and lived a blissful marriage life. With their new found happiness Orihime subsequently neglected her weaving duties and Hikoboshi stopped tending his herd. That angered the Heavenly Emperor. He separated the couple and confined them to the opposite sides of the Celestial River and only allowed them to meet once a year on the seven day of the seventh month. It is said that the magpies are so touched by the loving bond between the cowherd and the weaver girl that they would form a bridge across the Celestial River on that evening for the annual reunion of the couple over the river.


Tanabata : Orihime and Hikoboshi on magpie bridge.
Image : Anhellica


Today, we can still see the characters of this ancient legend immortalised in the summer night sky. The Celestial River is the Milkyway Galaxy which stretches across the sky like a silvery flow of water. The cowherd is represented by the bright star Altair in the constellation of Aquila on one side of the Milkyway while on the other side lies the even brighter weaver star Vega in the constellation of Lyra. The Chinese believed that if a woman prayed to the Weaver Star on that night, she would receive wisdom and also agility and dexterity, characteristics that could go a long way in maintaining a blissful marriage.


Vega and Altair and the Milkyway ( light blue zone ) in the
 summer night sky. Image : In-the-sky.org


In Japan, Tanabata ( 七夕 ) which literally means the evening of the seventh, is at times celebrated on the 7th of July ( Gregorian calendar ) but traditionally it would be the seventh day of the seventh month on the Japanese lunisolar calender which meant that day would be some time in August. It is also known as the Star Festival ( 星祭り hoshi matsuri ) and is observed not just in Noshiro City alone but everywhere across the country. However each region has its own way of celebrating this festival, like Sendai City with its Tanabata decorations made from paper and bamboo hanging in the streets and fireworks show. 


Tanabata decorations of Sendai City. Photo : Rakuten Travel


Noshiro's unique towering lantern castles was an age old tradition that dated back to the Edo period. During the Tenpo era ( 1830 -1844 ), a lantern float was made in the image of the Nagoya Castle and it proved to be popular. It had been created almost every year since then. There is photographic proof that during the Meiji era, there existed a lantern that measured 17.6m in height and 5.4m in width. However with the rapid industrialisation and electrification of Japan, street level electric cables limited the height of the lantern castles to about 7 to 8m. In recent years, the electric cables along Noshiro City's Route 101 were buried underground and the city started on a project to restore the gigantic castle floats to their original size in 2012 with the aim to promote tourism.

The following year, a castle float measuring exactly 17.6m was crafted based on the Meiji era photo and was named Karoku, in the memory of an Edo period carpenter Miyakoshi Karoku ( 宮腰嘉六 ) who had worked on the lanterns, thus reviving a century-old tradition. In 2014, an even taller record breaking castle float was created measuring 24.1m in height. It was named Chikasue, after the Sengoku era warlord Ando Chikasue ( 安東愛季 ) who ruled northern Dewa Province from the Hiyama Castle located at Noshiro.


Revived after more than a century :
Lantern Castle "Karoku" 17.6m
Photo : noshirotanabata.com



Tallest in Japan : Lantern Castle " Chikasue " 24.1m
Photo : noshirotanabata.com

When night fell, the lantern castles were lit and paraded in the streets and the people chanted, danced and sang amidst the sound of taiko drums, cymbals and flutes as they pulled the floats around the city. These visually stunning illuminated floats are known as the Sky Castle That Never Sleeps ( 天空の不夜城 tenku no fuyajo ).

You can watch Noshiro's 2015 Tanabata Festival from demonstration footage used on Sharp's Aquos 4K TVs here or below.


This video here or below by Akita Shirakami Tourism shows the entire assembly process of castle floats " Chikasue " and " Karoku " in time lapse.



The Shachihoko


The shachihoko is a mythical animal that has the head of a tiger and the body of a carp. It is almost always depicted facing the sky with its tail curled above its head. It is believed to have the power to cause the rain to fall and is therefore frequently found as a roof ornament on top of temples and castles which are mainly constructed of wood to protect them from fire. 

The kanji or Chinese-styled character for the shachihoko is 鯱. It is made up of two distinct components 魚 ( fish ) and 虎 ( tiger ). So even in kanji it means tiger fish. We also frequently encounter it written in katagana form as シャチホコ. 

Shachihokos are found all over Japan and not just in Noshiro City alone. Some shachihoko installed on a castle's tenshukaku or main keep can be huge, like those of the Nagoya Castle in Aichi Prefecture which inspired Noshiro's lantern floats. The shachihoko on top of the Chikasue lantern castle has a length of 5m while that of the Karoku measured 3m which means they are absolutely massive, making them instantly recognisable motifs of Noshiro City.


Multiple shachihokos on top of lantern float Chikasue's tenshukaku.
Photo : noshirotanabata.com


Four days ago a life-sized replica of Nagoya Castle's golden shachihoko or kin shachihoko was displayed at the central plaza of Hokkaido's New Chitose Airport Terminal 2 ( domestic terminal ) in a publicity blitz for tourism. It stands at more than 3m in height and is covered with more than 1800 pieces of gold foil! You can have an idea of its size when you compare it with the cabin attendents standing next to it. The kin shachihoko will be on display until 19th Aug 2022. 


Life-size replica : Nagoya Castle's Golden Shachikiko at
Hokkaido's New Chitose Airport T2. Photo : Kyodoshi


JS Noshiro's Logo Mark


According to JMSDF, the sachihoko is undoubtedly the guardian deity of Noshiro City's lantern castles. By incorporating it in the emblem of JS Noshiro, it is hoped that the shachihoko will similarly watch over the safety of the frigate and by extension be the protector of the entire Japanese nation and its people as well.

The rim of the emblem is supposed to represent " team effort " as the multi-mission frigates go on a crew-based manning system. JMSDF plans to rotate four teams of crew for every three frigates.

It was designed by Tadokoro Toshitake ( 田所俊威 ) of Saitama Prefecture.



























Thursday 30 December 2021

4th Japanese Multi-Mission Frigate JS Mikuma Launched + Glimpse Of JS Mogami Close-up



FFM-4 JS Mikuma prior to being launched. Photo : JMSDF

 

The fourth Mogami-class multi-mission frigate built for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has been launched at Mitsubishi Heavy Industry's Nagasaki Shipyard on 10th Dec 2021. It is named the JS Mikuma ( みくま ) and has the pennant number FFM-4. In kanji characters mikuma would be written as 三隈.

The name is derived from the Mikuma River of Kyushu's Oita Prefecture, which is consistent with Japanese MOD's policy of naming destroyers and frigates after natural phenomena, mountains, rivers and localities. The source of the Mikuma River could be traced to the northern slopes of the active volcano Mt Aso and it would continue as the Chikugo River as it flows westwards all the way to the Ariake Sea.

It would be the third Japanese ship to bear that name, the first being the WWII era heavy cruiser IJNS Mikuma and the second being the Cold War era destroyer escort JS Mikuma ( DE-217 ).

A total of 22 multi-mission frigates had been planned for the JMSDF in order to increase the number of escort vessels in its surface fleet from the current 47 to 54. They will be constructed at a rate of two per year and so far the shipyards have been keeping to their schedule. JS Kumano, the first frigate to be launched, is now undergoing sea trials and would be commissioned in Mar 2022.

The naming and launching ceremony of the JS Mikuma was officiated by Vice Admiral Deguchi Katsuto, Commander Sasebo Naval District. The guest of honor was Oniki Makoto, the deputy Minister for Defense.

More on the multi-mission frigate here.



JS Mikuma at launch. Photo : JMSDF



JS Mikuma at launch. Photo : Oniki Makoto



JS Mikuma name revealed. Photo : Sasebo Regional HQ



Minister Oniki Makoto. Photo : JMSDF



JS Mikuma naming document. Photo : Oniki Makoto



JS Mikuma prior to launch. Photo : JMSDF



Silver axe for launching ship. Image : JMSDF



JS Mikuma prior to launch. Photo : Sasebo Regional HQ




Celebrating the launch of JS Mikuma by @ginntokii.
Map of Mikuma and Chikugo River at top right.


                                                                       Launch of JS Mikuma FFM-4. Video : JMSDF


Inspection Of JS Mogami


As deputy Defense Minister Oniki launched the JS Mikuma, he also took the opportunity to inspect the first-in-class JS Mogami which was being fitted at the same shipyard. These are probably the first official close-up photos of the frigates. Of course we can expect more in another two months when the JS Kumano and JS Mogami are commissioned.


Oniki and entourage in front of the JS Mogami's main gun. Photo : ATLA

Notice the extreme inclination of the side window panels of the bridge, almost like an extension of the sloping ship superstructure. Yet the front panels are inclined from the vertical plane top out like most conventional bridge windows, as evident from the reflection of the man standing in the background in the extreme right of the image.


On the upper deck behind the main gun. Photo : ATLA




Inspecting the bridge. Photo ATLA

The sloping starboard side window panels can be clearly seen in the above photo. Just like the half completed mast, the bridge is also still under construction. 


Minister Oniki being briefed. Photo : ATLA













Wednesday 22 December 2021

To Kill An Orion オライオン哨戒機の解体作業

 


JMSDF P-3C at Hachinohe Air Base
Photo @p_studio75 via Twitter


The P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft needs no introduction. It is named after the great hunter Orion in Greek mythology. Designed by the Lockheed Corporation and first introduced into service with the United States Navy at the height of the Cold War in Aug 1962, it had since been adopted by numerous countries worldwide. Many are still in active service after almost six decades.

Operators of the P-3 included Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, Norway, Portugal, Canada, Brazil, Pakistan, and many others, even Iran. Among them Japan has the biggest fleet of the P-3C after the USA, numbering 110 aircrafts in total. 

These P-3Cs were acquired to replace the earlier generation P-2J Neptune. Except the first three which were built by Lockheed and procured under the foreign military sales program, the rest totalling 107 airframes were produced by Kawasaki Heavy Industries under licence. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ( JMSDF ) received its first P-3C on 29 Apr 1981. Most of the aircrafts were configured for maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare but a small number were converted to OP-3C optical reconnaissance aircraft. A handful were purpose-built as UP-3C equipment testing aircraft, UP-3D electronic warfare trainer and EP-3 ELINT/SIGINT aircraft.

After decades of continuous service with the JMSDF, the P-3C is facing obsolescence and is being gradually replaced by the Kawasaki P-1. Many have already been scrapped or mothballed over the years and the P-3C numbers are dwindling. The total number of P-3C still in active service is said to be only 44 airframes by Mar 2021. 

One of the latest airframe to be dismembered is P-3C serial number 5067 assigned to Fleet Air Wing 2 ( 第二航空群 ) at Hachinohe Air Base ( 八戸基地 ). It was a less advanced version with the Update II.5 configuration. Most of the JMSDF's active P-3 fleet has the Update III or III+ configuration. This aircraft was delivered to the JMSDF on 6th Nov 1990.


Dismantling P-3C s/n 5067. Video Capture : Fleet Air Wing 2 JMSDF



Cut up fuselage of P-3C. Video Capture : Fleet Air Wing 2 JMSDF.


The time-lapse video below was originally posted by Fleet Air Wing 2 on 21 Dec 2021 but the event must have taken place much earlier in the year in late summer or early autumn from the appearance of the foliage and the worksite in general.

It showed how a P-3C was completely cut up and scrapped, all within a matter of hours, well maybe half a day, gauging from the length of the shadows. Of course all the useful or sensitive parts like the radar and the turboprop engines would have already been removed, and likely the aircraft had also been drained of hydraulic fluid and other toxic chemicals that could potentially contaminate the environment. I am not certain if asbestos had been used as an insulating material in the construction of the P-3C as Japan only completely banned asbestos used in 2004 and this aircraft was constructed in 1990. Those yellow stuff from the fuselage looked suspicious. Fortunately, the workers were all seen wearing what looked like N95 respirator masks. Asbestos can cause mesothelioma, an aggressive malignancy that affects the lungs, and asbestosis, a progressive chronic lung disease, frequently only years or decades after initial exposure.


At the end of the video are the words 長い間お疲れさまでした ( nagaiaida otsukare samade shita ) meaning " Thank you for all the hard work over the years ". At least the aviators are appreciative of the Orion's contributions to Japan's maritime security, but seeing any aircraft being destroyed is heart wrenching.

The P-3C Orion's days might be numbered in the JMSDF but rather than simply destroying them Japan might want to consider donating them to South East Asian nations that are in need of maritime patrol aircrafts like Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia. That fact that it had not been done so far could be the fear of retribution from China who has many territorial disputes with these countries. Hopefully some may be preserved, perhaps at the Kanoya Air Base Museum which have yet to receive a P-3 of any variant. One of each, P-3C, OP-3C, UP-3C, UP-3D and EP-3 would be great!




Friday 10 December 2021

Raging Eagles Over South China Sea : The Sinking of The HMS Prince Of Wales And HMS Repulse




HMS Prince of Wales and Mitsubishi G4M1 of
the Kanoya Air Group in the Sea Battle off Malaya.
Image : Tamiya 

 


80 years ago on 10th Dec 1941, a ferocious naval battle took place in the South China Sea off the coast of Kuantan, Malaysia. It was an encounter between the warships of the Royal Navy's Eastern Fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy's land based attack bombers. The British fleet, comprising of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales, the battlecruiser HMS Repulse and four destroyers had sortied from their main base in Singapore two days earlier without the benefit of air cover or submarine screen. Against them were veteran aviators of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service, battle-hardened by bombing campaigns in China. The outcome was an astounding victory for the Japanese with the sinking of the two British capital ships and the loss of hundreds of their crew. 

Known to the Japanese as the Naval Battle off Malaya ( マレー沖海戦 Mare-oki kaisen ), it was the first time in history that air power alone had defeated competent naval units maneuvering in the open ocean. It heralded the rise of aviation as the arbiter of naval engagements and the eventual demise of the battleship. 

It is a seldom known fact that so jubilant were the Japanese with their achievements, a wartime song was immediately commissioned and composed on the fly at their national broadcaster NHK's headquarters in Tokyo that very same day, to be released with the evening news. The song would be titled " Annihilation of the British Eastern Fleet ".

For the British, the loss of The HMS Prince of Wales and the HMS Repulse was an omnious sign of many more bad things to come. It laid the door open for the Imperial Japanese Army's invasion of the Malay Peninsula that would eventaully lead to the fall of Singapore, once thought to be an impregnable fortress.

This article is the second in a series commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Fall of Singapore. The first in the series here.


The Eastern Fleet


The British Eastern Fleet was a naval formation that grew out of a flawed empire defence policy dating back to 1919. Financially drained by the First World War and unable to maintain a military force large enough to protect all their empire assets and interests in the Far East against a potential adversary such as Japan, the British formulated a series of war plans which called for the construction of a main fleet base in Singapore which would be used to supply and support a relief force that would be assembled and sent from Europe to the Far East during periods of heightened tensions or hostilities. 

This arrangement allowed most of the ever-shrinking Royal Navy's fleet assets to be kept in home waters to protect the British Isles while only a token few vessels would be deployed east of the Suez Canal. It would be known as the Singapore Strategy.

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Singapore was transformed into a major military bastion with the construction of the Sembawang Naval Base and its supporting infrastructure. When completed in 1938, it had what was then the largest dry dock and the third largest floating dock in the world. It was protected by two newly completed airfields, RAF Tengah and RAF Sembawang and by 15 inch naval guns in two coastal artillery batteries and numerous fixed gun installations of smaller calibre. 

When war with Japan seemed imminent in October 1941, the Admiralty dispatched one of its newest battleship the HMS Prince of Wales with its escorting destroyers to Singapore. The task group was joined by the WWI era fast battlecruiser HMS Repulse in Celon and arrived at the Sembawang wharves on 2nd December. Shortly after, the Eastern Fleet were to be formally constituted on 8th December with the merger of the East Indies Squadron and the China Squadron when the Japanese invaded Malaya and the Pacific War broke out. Admiral Sir Tom Philips, until then Commander-in-Chief China Station, was appointed C-in-C Eastern Fleet.


Major command areas of the Royal Navy 1939 - 1945.
The Eastern Fleet was formed from the amalgamation 
of the East Indies and China Stations.
Image : navalhistoryarchieve.org


War Comes To Malaya And Singapore


The Japanese invasion of British Malaya had began just after mid-night on 8th Dec 1941 without a formal declaration of war. General Tomoyuki Yamashita's 25th Army made amphibious landings at Kota Bharu in the north-east of the Malay Peninsula and at Singora and Pattani in southern Thailand. The invasion convoy had already been sighted by Lockheed Hudson bombers of No. 1 Squadron RAAF off Cape Ca Mau, French Indochina, on 6th December. However given the uncertainty of their destination and intentions, Commander-in-Chief Far East Command Air Chief Marshal Robert Brooke-Popham did not authorise any offensive operations against the convoy until attacks were made against friendly territories. Unfortunately, the convoy could not be located on the following day due to bad weather, but the turn of events prompted C-in-C Eastern Fleet Adm Philips to recall the HMS Repulse which was then enroute to Port Darwin, Australia, back to Singapore. 

Shortly after at 0400 hours on 8th December, IJN bombers based in French Indochina also conducted the first of many bombing raids on Singapore City causing destruction and casualties.



HMS prince of Wales departing Singapore 8th Dec 1941. Wikipedia.



HMS Repulse departing Singapore 8th Dec 1941. Wikipedia



Departure of Force Z


Hoping to intercept and destroy the Japanese invasion fleet at Kota Bharu and Singora, Admiral Philips ordered the HMS Prince of Wales, the HMS Repulse and the destroyers HMS Electra (H-27), HMS Express (H-61), HMS Tenedos (H-04) and HMAS Vampire (D-68) to sortie north. He believed that as long as adequate fighter support could be provided and if he could achieve surprise, there would be a reasonable chance of destroying Japanese reinforcements and severing their line of supply, bringing reprieve to the hard pressed Commonwealth ground forces. As such, air reconnaissance forward of his intended course and fighter cover over the area of his intended strike was requested. The task force was designated Force Z and departed Singapore at 1735 hours on 8th December, keeping to a north-east course into the South China Sea, thus avoiding the heavily mined coastal waters of the Malay Peninsula. 

By 0900 hours on 9th December, the fleet passed to the east of the Anambas Islands and thereafter followed a northerly course. Onboard his flagship the HMS Prince of Wales, Adm Philips would learn from his Chief of Staff Adm Palliser whom he had left in Singapore as his representative and to co-ordinate naval requirements with the other services, that the fighter cover he had requested off Singora on 10th December could not be provided. The RAF had already withdrawn from its Kota Bharu Airfield and most of its Northern Malaya airfileds had sustained damage from Japanese bombing raids. The Brewster Buffalo F2A fighters of No 453 Squadron RAAF on standby at RAF Sembawang were still available though as the dedicated fleet defense squadron. He was also warned of strong Japanese bomber forces that were believed to be stationed in southern Indochina.  


Naval Battle off Malaya important land marks and sites.


Detection 


Unkown to Adm Philips, the IJN already had several submarines forming a picket line stretching from the eastern end of the Singapore Straits all the way north to the South China Sea off the coast of Trengganu to detect and provide early warning on British fleet movements. At 1345 hours the Japanese submarine I-65 reported the discovery of 2 Repulse-type warships following a course of 340 at 14 knots at a location bearing 196 degrees and 225 nautical miles from Pulo Condore ( modern day Con Son Island, Vietnam ). 

I-65 was a Kaidai5-class cruiser submarine assigned to the 5th Submarine Squadron, 30th Submarine Division and was helmed by Commander Harada Hakue ( 原田毫衛 ). For a few hours it shadowed the British fleet on the surface making 18 to 20 knots, taking advantage of the poor weather to avoid being detected itself. It had a temporary lost of contact with the British fleet at 1550 hours but managed to reacquire its quarry at 1652 hours. Subsequently, the submarine was forced to dive because of an unexpected buzzing by a Kawanishi E7K Alf seaplane from the cruiser Kinu. The pilot had mistaken the I-65 for an enemy submarine. When submarine resurfaced, the enemy fleet had disappeared. 

By then, the poor weather and squalls that had help conceal the British fleet from the Japanese search planes had cleared. At around 1700 hours three seaplanes had detected the task force and continued to track it until nightfall. For the first time since departing Singapore, Adm Philips realised his fleet had been discovered by the enemy.


Mission Aborted


At 1835 hours, the destroyer HMS Tenedos was low on fuel and was sent back to Singapore. Force Z then maintained a westerly course until an hour after sunset in an attempt to mislead the seaplanes into believing they were bound for Singora. They would later change course under the cover of darkness and head for Singapore.

Submarine I-65's report was received by the cruisers Kinu, Yura and the 81st Naval Communications Unit in Saigon. The reception was poor and it had taken another 90 minutes for the message to be decoded and relayed. The discovery of the British fleet lead Vice Admiral Ozawa Jisaburo ( 小沢冶三郎 ), commander of the Southern Expeditionary Fleet, to order the immediate withdrawal of his now empty transports from the east coast of the Malay Peninsula back to their base at Cam Ranh Bay in French Indochina. He also ordered all his surface combatants including the heavy cruisers Chokai, Mogami, Kumano, Mikuma, Suzuya and elements of the 3rd Destroyer Squadron to sortie 200 nautical miles south to intercept the enemy fleet and prepare for a night encounter. 


Failed Strike


Over at Saigon Airbase, HQ 22nd Air Flotilla only received news of the discovery of the British fleet more than 2 hours after the message was sent, at 1600 hours 9th December. An earlier report from its own reconnaissance plane sent at 0930 hours had erroneously indicated that the capital ships were still in Singapore and bombers of the Kanoya, Genzan and Mihoro Air Groups were being loaded with bombs in preparetion for a raid on Singapore Harbour that very night. 

As a result, the Singapore bombing mission was immediately cancelled and the bombers were instead directed to intercept and attack the British fleet. Some were loaded with bombs while the others had their bomb loads swapped out with torpedoes. It was about half an hour before sunset when the bombers took off. Based on the last known location, course and speed, the pilots had hoped to locate the British ships just after dark but the inclement weather off Cape Ca Mau prevented them from finding the fleet. The bombers eventually jettisoned their bombs in the sea and returned to their bases around midnight after hours of fruitless search. 


Close Encounter


By 1920 hours, unknown to their respective commanders, the British and the Japanese surface fleets were converging from east to west and were separated by probably 20 nautical miles or less. A reconnaissance flight of 3 medium bombers of the Mihoro Air Group spotted a wake and activated a flare at 2000 hours but it turned out to be Adm Ozawa's flagship the IJNS Chokai. This flare was spotted by the British fleet from an estimated distance of 5 nautical miles but the radar on the HMS Prince of Wales mysteriously failed to detect the Japanese cruiser. The two fleets had sailed past each other in the darkness and the poor weather without being aware of the presence of the other. Moonrise would only be due at 2228 hours that night. 

At around 2330 hours, an urgent message from Adm Palliser reported of Japanese landings at Kuantan, located on the east coast of Malaya midway between Kota Bharu and Singapore, not too far away from the fleet's location. Adm Philip decided to investigate and altered course accordingly without signalling Singapore about his intentions. The probable reasons of maintaining radio silence was likely to preserve the element of surprise and also not to give away the fleet's position to the enemy.


Submarine Attack


At 2352 hours IJN submarine I-58 reported having to dive during a close encounter with two destroyers. It later detected the two enemy capital ships and at 0015 hours 10th December fired a spread of five torpedoes at the HMS Repulse without scoring a single hit. The submarine reported its position at 140 nautical miles from Kuantan bearing 57 degrees. The British fleet was blissfully unaware of this contact and torpedo attack and continued to speed towards its objective. I-58 was a Kaidai3A-class cruiser submarine captained by Lt Commander Kitano Soshichi ( 北野惣七 ) and was assigned to the 19th Submarine Division, 4th Submarine Squadron. It had operated out of Samah on Hainan Island. After the unsuccessful torpedo attack, I-58 continued to trail the British fleet until contact was lost before dawn at 0445 hours. 

By then, based on the course and speed information from the I-58 sighting, the Japanese had determined that the enemy fleet was keeping to a true bearing of 180 degrees and was in retreat. Due to concerns of fuel shortage, Vice Admiral Kondo Nobutake ( 近藤信竹 ), commander of IJN's 2nd Fleet, decided to turn around his surface fleet and terminate the interdiction mission. Vice Admiral Ozawa similarly withdrew his submarine force from the pursue leaving the fate of the British fleet to the hands of Rear Admiral Matsunaga Sadaichi ( 松永貞市 ) with his medium bombers of the 22nd Air Flotilla.


Mitsubishi G4M Model 11 Type 1 Attack Bomber (Betty) of the Kanoya
 Air Group during the Sea Battle off Malaya. Image : Hasegawa Model Co.


Nell And Betty


Submarine I-58's report was received by HQ 22nd Air Flotilla at 0315 hours and by 0625 hours Genzan Air Group's ( 元山海軍航空隊 ) 4th Squadron comprising of 9 Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" twin-engine medium bombers lead by Lieutenant Makino left Saigon Airfield on a search mission for the enemy fleet. Another 26 G3M bombers of the Genzan Air Group would leave at 0755 hours, 17 were carrying torpedoes while the remaining 9 were loaded with bombs. 

Next to depart at 0814 hours would be 26 Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" medium bombers of the Kanoya Air Group ( 鹿屋海軍航空隊 ), all armed with torpedoes. They launched from Thu Dau Mot Airfield located 20km north of Saigon. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Squadrons had taken off in sequence and flew in formation at an altitude of 3000m on a course of 187 Degrees. 

Finally at 0820 hours, the Mihoro Air Group ( 美幌海軍航空隊 ) would launch 33 Mitsubishi G3M bombers in four squadrons from Saigon Airfield, 8 with torpedoes and 25 with bombs. The last aircraft took off at 0930 hours. Only 1 G3M of the Genzan Group aborted due to engine trouble.


Mitsubishi G3M2 Model 22 Type 96 Attack Bomber ( Nell ) of the Genzan
Air Group during the Sea Battle off Malaya. Image : Hasegawa Model Co.


Detour To Kuantan


Meanwhile on the other side of the South China Sea at sunrise which was 0627 hours, the British fleet discovered 4 radar contacts but they turned out to be cargo vessels. A Supermarine Walrus amphibious plane took-off from the HMS Prince of Wales at 0645 hours to investigate the purported Kuantan landings but reported nothing amiss. With the fleet soon to be approaching the coast at 0730 hours, the destroyer HMS Express was sent to investigate the landing site and it too detected no enemy activities. The report about the landing was clearly false and Force Z resumed its home bound journey at 0900 hours, totally ignorant that a large fleet of enemy long range bombers was already actively searching for it. The task force had then intended to go around the eastern side of the Anambas Islands to avoid minefields. 



Naval Battle Off Malaya Set at 1/700 scale. Image : Tamiya Model Co.



The Naval Battle Off Malaya


Not anticipating the fleet's westward detour to Kuantan, the Japanese bombers were searching too far south of Force Z's actual location and had began to turn back having found nothing initially when the Number 4 search aircraft discovered the detached destroyer HMS Tenedos some 130 nautical miles east-southeast of the main force. At approximately 1000 hours, it reported the co-ordinates of the destroyer and dropped two 60kg bombs but achieved no hits. Shortly after at 1014 hours, lead by Lieutenant Nikaido Rokuo ( 二階堂麓夫 ), 9 Mitsubishi G3M belonging to the Genzan Air Group's 3rd Squadron arrived on scene, each armed with a single 500kg bomb. They had mistaken the HMS Tenedos for the HMS Repulse and wasted all their ordnance on the destroyer without getting a single hit. Tenedos reported about being attacked and had emerged relatively unscathed, suffering only one casualty. It continued towards Singapore after the air raid. 


Map of the Sea Battle off Malaya.
Image : history.navy.mil


At 1015 hours, flying in a sector north of most other Japanese aircraft, Ensign Hoashi Masato ( 帆足正音 ) in the Number 3 search aircraft finally spotted Force Z from an altitude of 3000m and reported the exact location as 4 Deg North, 103 Deg 55 Min East. It was welcoming news for the bomber pilots as by that time many were already critically low on fuel. Lieutenant Iki Haruki ( 壹岐春記 ), commander of Kanoya Air Group's 3rd Squadron recalled that moment when he was approaching the limit of the 700 mile combat radius of the Mitsubishi G4M. He was so far south that he could see the island of Singapore below to his far right and thought to himself that the situation was not good. Just then, the co-ordinates of the enemy fleet was received but there was some initial confusion as he tried to plot the location on his aeronautical charts - it turned out to be somewhere on land over the Malay Peninsula! He would later learn that Kanoya Air Group commander Captain Fujiyoshi Naoshiro ( 藤吉直四郎 ) was desparate enough to radio their headquarters to request that they be informed of the enemy's position in plain text.     


Level bombing of the HMS Prince of Wales ( top ) and HMS
Repulse.  Ministry of Navy permit number 783. Wikipedia


Once the deciphered information on the British fleet's location was disseminated by HQ, all bomber squadrons began converging and executed their attacks piece meal without waiting for the rest as they were already low on fuel. First to arrive at 1115 hours were 8 Mitsubishi G3M of the Mihoro Air Group's Shirai Squadron ( 白井中隊 ). They were each armed with two 250kg bombs and carried out level bombing on the HMS Repulse. A total of 14 bombs were dropped, as one aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire shortly after making the first bombing run and was unable to drop the second bomb, while another bomber could not release its second bomb due to a mechanical issue. While there were many near misses, the HMS Repulse was struck by one bomb during the first bombing run close to its starboard rear catapult. It penetrated the hangar and the upper deck and exploded in the marine mess area, causing a few casualties among the damage control team but otherwise relatively minor damage.


Genzan Air Group's torpedo-armed Mitsubishi G3M bomber.
Image : Hasegawa Model Co.


Just as the Mihoro bombers were retreating, two squadrons of Mitsubishi G3M bombers belonging to the Genzan Air Group joined the battle. Lead by Lieutenant Ishihara Isao ( 石原薫 ) and Lieutenant Takai Sadao ( 高井貞夫 ), a total of 16 aircrafts, all armed with torpedoes, attacked the two capital ships. 8 torpedoes were launched against the HMS Repulse but it managed to elude all of them with skillful maneuvering. Interestingly, it was said that Takai was initially unsure if the HMS Repulse was a Kongo-class battleship because of the similarity in profile, but his doubts disappeared the moment he saw the British flag and he launched the torpedo attack.

The HMS Prince of Wales on the other hand was not so lucky. Of the 5 torpedoes launched against it, 1 hit the port stern area where the outer propeller shaft emerged from the hull, instantly twisting the shaft and rupturing the seal that prevented seawater from entering the shaft tunnel. It caused flooding of the B engine room and several other compartments aft. The effect of the loss of propulsion and flooding caused the HMS Prince of Wales to list 11.5 degrees to port and its speed to decreased to 16 knots. The listing had meant the starboard 5.25 inch anti-aircraft guns could not be depressed low enough to counter low-flying attackers. The torpedo hit had also taken out most of the ship's auxillary electrical power which was crucial in running the steering gear, the pumps, the internal communications system, the ventilation system and for powering the gun turrets. The battleship was essentially doomed without the ability to steer, to carry out damage control and to defend itself against further waves of air attacks. During that encounter, British anti-aircraft fire accounted for the destruction of 1 bomber.

At 1150 hours, 8 torpedo carrying Mitsubishi G3M bombers of the 4th Squadron, Mihoro Air Group arrived, lead by Lieutenant Takahashi Katsusaku ( 高橋勝作 ). The squadron also had difficulty identifying the HMS Repulse because of the striking resemblance to the IJNS Kongo. They were only convinced the warship was British after receiving anti-aircraft fire. Except for the squadron leader's aircraft which suffered from a malfunction, 7 bombers launched 7 torpedoes against the HMS Repulse but all missed the battlecruiser. 3 bombers suffered minor damage from anti-acraft fire but Takahashi's plane took on significant damage as he had to repeat the torpedo run for a second time. At 1158 hours Captain Tennant, commanding officer of the HMS Repulse, took his own initiative to break radio silence to call for help. " From REPULSE, to any British Man of War, enemy aircraft bombing. My position 134NYTW22X09.". It would be the first and only radio message transmitted by Force Z since its departure from Singapore. At 1216 hours, 11 Brewster Buffalo F2A fighters left Singapore but would not be expected to arrive at the battle site some 240km away until 1300 hours or later.

Trouble for the British fleet was far from over as 26 Mitsubishi G4M of the Kanoya Air Group lead by Lieutenant-Commander Miyauchi Shichizo ( 宮内七三 ) arrived next at 1207 hours. They were all armed with torpedoes. Of the 9 bombers of the 1st Squadron, 4 attacked the HMS Prince of Wales while the other 5 bombers attacked the HMS Repulse. It was followed by 8 bombers of the 2nd Squadron, where 2 attacked the HMS Prince of Wales and 6 attacked the HMS Repulse. Collectively, these two squadrons achieved 3 torpedo hits on the starboard side of the HMS Prince of Wales. One at the bow, one opposite B main gun turret and another at the stern aft of Y turret which punctured the hull and bent the outer starboard propeller shaft inwards and over the inner shaft, jamming it instantly. 

The HMS Repulse had so far dodged an amazing 19 torpedoes but her luck was about to run out. Last to have a go were the 9 bombers of Lieutenant Iki Haruki's 3rd Squadron that carried out an anvil attack, bracketing the battlecruiser with torpedoes from both port and starboard from which there was no escape. Iki would recount after the war that descending between the clouds at 300 to 400m altitude during his torpedo approach, he witnessed the 1st Squadron's torpedo attack on the HMS Prince of Wales creating a huge column of water sprout just aft of the bridge. It was like nothing he had seen before, but exactly like the oil paintings depicting the scenes in the Battle of Tsushima Strait during the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. Almost immediately, he saw another torpedo strike the stern of the battleship, and he thought to himself - well that's another hit, no more Prince of Wales, I'll go after ship number two ( Repulse ). 

As he lead his squadron to attack the HMS Repulse from the starboard side, the battlecruiser made a hard turn to starboard and he soon found himself on the vessel's port side while his fellow squadron mates from flights 2 and 3 responded to the Repulse's maneuvres by turning further to starboard to get a better angle of attack and ended up on the opposite side. Caught in a pincer attack which had formed by coincidence, the Repulse received one torpedo hit on the port side followed by another 3 hits in quick succession. 

Lt Iki recalled his torpedo run that day, approaching the warship and listening to the manual range and altitude read out from his chief observer Warrant Officer Yahagi Yuji ( 矢萩友二 ). He released his torpedo when he was 800m away from the Repulse and at an altitude of 30m. Under fire, he immediately steered his aircraft hard to port with the closest approach to the ship at 300m. Then his observer Petty Officer Maekawa Tamotsu ( 前川保 ) screamed " Hit !". Any jubilation from the successful torpedo attack would be short lived as the number 2 bomber in Iki's flight exploded in a ball of fire at a distance of 150m from Repulse just as he was turning away. Shortly, Maekawa would scream a second time " Hit again! " and then " Flight leader has been hit! " as the number 3 bomber also exploded 50m from the ship. The two ill fated bombers were flown by pilots Sakurai Toshimitsu ( 桃井敏光 ) and Taue Yoshikazu ( 田植良和 ). It could be inferred that the second torpedo that struck the Repulse after Iki's own must have been released by either one of the dead pilots. The Repulse listed heavily to port within a matter of minutes and then rolled over and sank at 1233 hours with many casulties. 

There were shouts of "Banzai" from the bomber's crew as Iki headed back to Thu Dau Mot Airbase. They celebrated their sucesssful mission with wine taken from the emergency rations. His aircraft was the first to land at Thu Dau Mot after the mission. Later, in his after action report, he would indicate that the two torpedoes that hit the HMS Repulse were released by his two dead squadron mates. He thought it was the least he could do for them.

The final wave of 17 Mitsubishi G3M bombers of the Mihoro Air Group all carrying 500kg bombs arrived at the battle scene at 1230 hours just as the HMS Repulse was sinking. They were the Takeda Squadron ( 武田中隊 ) and the Ohira Squadron ( 大平中隊 ). They carried out level bombing on the already mortally damaged HMS Prince of Wales, without steerage and crawling with the propulsion power from a single propeller shaft. Although most of the bombs missed their target, the Takeda Squadron achieved one hit amidships and that bomb penetrated the upper deck to explode at the Cinema Flat below where the wounded had aggregated, causing an untold number of casualties. The order to abandon ship was given and the destroyer HMS Express came alongside to take off survivors. At 1318 hours, the HMS Prince of Wales rolled over to port and sank, taking with her Admiral Philips and commanding officer Captain John Leach who chose to go down with their ship.


Last moments of the HMS Prince of Wales with HMS Express taking survivors
Photo : IWM / Wikipedia


A total of 813 sailors were lost, 513 from the HMS Repulse and 327 from the HMS Prince of Wales. Survivors from the Repulse were picked up by the destroyers HMS Electra and HMAS Vampire. The RAAF Brewster Buffalos arrived on scene at 1318 hours just as the Prince of Wales sank. All of the attackers had already left for their bases save one. Ensign Hoashi, the pilot whom had earlier discovered the British fleet was still loitering in the area in his reconnaissance plane. He managed to evade the Buffalos and returned to confirm the sinking of the two capital ships.

It was a lopsided victory for the Japanese who lost one Mitsubishi G3M of the Genzan Air Group and two Mitsubishi G4M of the Kanoya Air Group to British anti-aircraft fire. 21 airmen in those three aircrafts lost thier lives. In addition, 25 bombers suffered light damage repairable at the unit level, 2 bombers with moderate damage required depot level repairs and another 2 bombers were damage beyond salvage. In total, 85 medium bombers had participated in the battle.



Lt. Iki Haruki as a bomber pilot in WWII 


Irei Bouquets


Lt Iki Haruki's squadron did not suffer from too much battle damage apart from the two destroyed bombers. After the mission he counted "only" seventeen bullet holes in his bomber but the other squadrons of the Kanoya Air Group fared worse and had crash landings and they were short of aircrafts. On 11th December, the day after the epic naval battle, Iki was ordered to proceed to the HQ garrison of the Takao Air Group ( 高雄海軍航空隊 ) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan to replenish the planes. For three days he was flight testing the new bombers as they were being readied by the mechanics. He returned to Thu Dau Mot Airfield on 14th December in a nine plane formation. By 16th December all maintenance works on the freshly arrived bombers were completed and the air group received orders to attack a British wireless telegraph station on Siantan Island of the Anambas Archipelago on 18th December. There was a good harbour on the island that the Malaya invasion force would like to use as an advanced base for the coming attack on Singapore Island. 

Realising that the mission flight path would bring them near to the site of the sunken warships off Kuantan and that there would be no enemy fighters or anti-aircaft fire to contend with, Iki asked his observer Maekawa to buy two bouquets of flowers from a shop near their base. The bombing mission was successfully completed and on the way back, Iki lead his squadron of nine bombers in a formation flight at an altitude of 30m and dropped a bouquet over the location where the HMS Repulse had rested and then similarly another bouquet over at where the the HMS Prince of Wales had sunken. It was to provide solace and closure to not only their fellow aviators who perished in the three bombers that were shot down but also as a tribute to the courageous British sailors who had fought so gallantly before going down with their ships. The ritual of conducting a memorial service to the deceased is known as irei ( 慰霊 ) in Japanese.

According to Iki, the dark sihouettes of the two sunken ships could be easily seen from an altitude of 300m as they had come to rest in shallow waters of 60 to 70 metres. The weather was good, the waves were calm and the water was very clear that afternoon. 

Subsequently, his bouquet dropping act was widely publicised by the various Japanese newspapers. A journalist from Mainichi Shimbun however erroneously reported the event to have taken place a day after the battle and that misinformation had unfortunately perpetuated from then onwards. In 1943, an elementary school textbook had also included a description of Iki's deeds as the heroic story " Chivalry in the Battlefield ", although his name was not mentioned specifically. It had also gotten the date wrong, indicating it as occuring the day after the battle. 

Iki would feel embarassed everytime when people asked him about the episode of bouquet dropping. He would simply say that he did not do it in order to be praised. To him, it was just a natural behavior as a warrior to express his sorrow to his comrade-in-arms when they had lost their lives in the line of duty. Even to the enemy wardead, there has to be respect and empathy beyond hostilty. After the War ended, Iki's spontaneous gesture of honouring the fallen airmen and sailors, friend and foe alike, so intrigued the British that he would be interviwed many times by them. He would be blessed with longevity, passing away in 2011, age 99 years old.



Cover page of music score for the songs
"Annihitaion of the British Eastern Fleet" and "Decisive Victory"
published in April 1942. Image : Kosho.or.jp



Instant Wartime Song


News of the stunning victory of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service ( IJNAS ) over the British Eastern Fleet in the South China Sea was released by the Ministry of Navy, Imperial General Headquarters at 4pm Tokyo time 10th December 1941, barely an hour after the HMS Prince of Wales had sunken. Japanese national broadcaster NHK ( 日本放送協会 Nippon Hoso Kyokai ) announced the victory at 4:20pm over the radio, and the Japanese people were jubilant and thrilled when they heard the news. None however were more excited about the victory than NHK's producer and later director Maruyama Tetsuo ( 丸山鉄雄 ). He immediately decided that the vanquishing of the British fleet was the perfect subject for the creation of a broadcasting news song ( 放送ニュース歌謡 hoso nyusu kayo ) which is also sometimes referred to as the current affairs song ( 時局歌 jikyokuka ). These are songs commissioned by radio stations to complement their regular news bulletins and they had already existed before World War II but their popularity soared with the progression of the global conflict. The only problem was, he had wanted it to be broadcasted with the 7pm news on NHK Radio 1 ( callsign JOAK ), which was due in about 3 hours!


Cover of Takahashi Kikutaro's Song Collection
published in 1938. Image : Fusensha.ocnk.net


With little time to spare, he asked the prolific composer Koseki Yuji ( 古関裕而 ) and lyricist Takahashi Kikutaro ( 高橋掬太郎 ) for help. Normally, the composer would start work on the song only after the lyrics were written, but the extremely short notice had meant that Koseki and Takahashi had to work on the song simultaneously in order to be able to finish it on time. They had consulted each other over the phone as the song had gradually taken shape.


Koseki Yuji ( centre ) with Fujiyama Ichiro ( right )
and Mari Yoshiko ( left ). Original Photo : Columbia Japan


The selected performer was the popular Japanese singer Fujiyama Ichiro ( 藤山一郎 ) who was also a well known musician, composer and conductor. He was truely surprised when he arrived at the studio, assuming that the lyrics and the song were already completed and ready for his practising, only to discover that Takahashi was still in the middle of writing the words!

Eventually, the excitement and thrill of receiving the good news on the Japanese victory in the southern oceans pushed Takahashi and Koseki to overcome all technical difficulties and time constrains to complete the song on time. It would be titled " Annihilation of the British Eastern Fleet " ( 英国東洋艦隊潰滅 Eikoku Toyo Kantai Kaimetsu ). Due to the urgent circumstances which it was composed, a short portion of Setouchi Tokichi's famous Warship March ( 軍艦行進曲 Gunkan Koshinkyoku ) was even interjected between the first and second verses of the original song. This rather plagiaristic interlude would be removed in later versions.

The lyrics writing and composing was done right to the last minute and there was only one rehearsal before the newly completed song was broadcasted. Although its creation was rushed, the song was rhythmic and powerful and conveyed the excitement of war and victory. It was said that Fujiyama sang it beautifully and after the event Maruyama was full of praise for the successful effort by the trio. He would later reflect that from the announcement of the news to the completion of the song was only three hours, a normally impossible technical feat in both lyrics writing and composing, and that it can only be a joyous milestone in the world of news songs. 

After that, NHK continued to commission news songs following many significant Imperial Japanese military conquests such as " The Song of the Fall of Singapore " and " The Fall of Manila " but they did not quite create the same impact on the populace at the same magnitude as the " Annihilation of the British Eastern Fleet " did. 

Incidentally, the " Annihilation of the British Eastern Fleet ", popular as it might have been, was not made into a record during the War. It could be that it was then not NHK's priority to have the song released on vinyl. Perhaps feeling that it would be a business opportunity lost, Columbia Records Japan had poet, writer and lyricist for children's song Sato Hachiro ( サトウハチロー ) write lyrics to Koseki Yuji's original melody and created a new song called " Decisive Victory " ( 断じて勝つぞ Danjite Katsuzo ). Sung again by Fujiyama Ichiro and also the Columbia Choir, it was already recorded on 20th Dec 1941 but was not released in vinyl until Febuarary 1942.  

Interestingly, while on a troop entertainment tour of South East Asia in Oct 1942 under the auspices of NHK, the ship that was ferrying Koseki and his delegation of fellow artistes was approaching the Kuantan coast on the Malay Peninsula when out of the blue the " Annihilation of the British Eastern Fleet " was performed by the spontaneous efforts of those on board. Such was the popularity of the song at that time. 

Not long after, the end of World War II and the defeat of Japan in Aug 1945 would bring an end to the golden era of military songs ( 軍歌 gunka ) and news songs. It was not until August 1966, twenty five years after it was composed that the " Annihilation of the British Eastern Fleet " was finally released on record. It was included in the " Japanese Military Song Collection In Stereo " by Columbia Records Japan. The performer was still Fujiyama Ichiro.

When I first heard the " Annihilation of the British Eastern Fleet " being played, I thought it was slightly inferior to the " Song of the Fall of Singapore " and I still hold to that opinion today. But the more I listened to it, the more appealing it became. In fact, for a song created in less than three hours, it should be considered a masterpiece. Besides, Fujiyama's vocals are just awesome. 

Note that the IJN did not actually annihilate the entire Eastern Fleet as the title of the song might have suggested. The Eastern Fleet's assets included many other warships stationed from Durban to Hong Kong, but it effectively did so by removing at one fell swoop the two most powerful warships of the fleet. It would be many months into 1942 before the appearance of another British battleship in the Far East theatre.

You may listen to the song below or from this link. The footage I believe has been taken from the 1942 war film " The war at sea from Hawaii to Malaya " ( ハワイ.マレー沖海戦 ) by Toho Eiga.


                                                                          Annihilation of the British Eastern Fleet



英国東洋艦隊潰滅 ( Eikoku Toyokantai Kaimetsu )

Annihilation of the British Eastern Fleet



滅びたり滅びたり Horo bitari horo bitari

Perish! Perish!

敵東洋艦隊は Teki Toyo kantai wa

The enemy's Eastern Fleet,

マレー半島クワンタン沖に Mare Hanto Kuwantan oki ni

Off the coast of Kuantan, Malay Peninsula,

今ぞ沈みゆきぬ Ima zo shizumi yukinu

Is sinking now

勲し赫たり海の荒鷲よ Isaoshi kaku tari umi no ara washi yo

The meritorious storm eagles of the sea

沈むレパルス Shizumu Reparusu

Sink the Repulse

沈むプリンス.オブ.ウェールズ Shizumu Prinsu obu Weruzu

Sink the Prince of Wales


戦えり戦えり Tataka eri tataka eri 

To war! To war!

わが強者らは Waga tsuwamono ra wa

Men of great strength.

皇国の興廃を Kokoku no Kohai wo 

The fate of the Empire,

今ぞ身に負いぬ Ima zo mi ni oi nu

Now lies in our hands.

傲れるイギリス東洋艦隊を Ogo reru Igirisu toyo kantai wo

The proud English Eastern Fleet,

荒ぶ波に沈め去りぬ Susabu nami ni shizume sarinu

Shall sink beneath the rough seas


記憶せよ記憶せよ Kioku seyo kioku seyo

Remember! Remember!

いざ永遠にこの日を Iza towa ni konohi wo 

This day forever!

打ち向う敵艦を一拳屠り去りぬ Uchi muko u tekikan o ikkyo hofuri sarinu

The enemy warship has been slaughtered with a single punch,

開戦三日目に早この戦果ぞ Kaisen mikkame ni haya kono senka zo

Glorious results just three days since the start of the war. 

沈むレパルス Shizumu Reparusu

Sink the Repulse!

沈むプリンス.オブ.ウェールズ Shizumu Purinsu obu Weruzu

Sink the Prince of Wales!


万歳ぞ万歳ぞ Banzai zo banzai zo

Banzai! Banzai!

聞けあがる勝鬨 Kike agaru kachidoki

Hear the shout of victory!

マレー半島シンガポール Mare Hanto Shingaporu

The Malay Penisula, Singapore,

はやくも破れ去る Hayaku mo yabu re sa ru

Shall fall rapidly.

無敵の海軍見よこの荒鷲 Muteki no kaigun mi yo kono ara washi

Behold the Storm Eagles of the invincible navy.

勲仰げ仰げ勲 Isao aoge aoge isao

Meritorious services worthy of respect. Revere their exploits.  


作詞 高橋掬太郎  Lyrics : Takahashi Kikutaro

作曲 古関裕而  Compser : Koseki Yuji



                                               Version with first 3 verses and Gunkan March interlude from 0:42 to 0:57

This incomplete version with only the first three verses uses archival news footage from NHK and contains the Gunkan March interlude between verses 1 and 2.



The Straits Times of Singapore Headlines 11th Dec 1941
Image : Singapore Press Holdings

How The Japanese Won


The decisive victory of the Japanese in the Naval Battle of Malaya was certainly not a fluke. For years leading to the start of the Pacific War, Japan had progressively build up its military capabilities and had posessed the most powerful navy in the world by 1941, with eleven aircraft carriers and several naval air fleets, all equipped with very modern and advanced aircraft types. In particular, its long range land-based naval bombers ( 海軍陸上攻撃機 kaigun rikujo kogeki ki ), frequently abbreviated to just Rikko ( 陸攻 ), were a formidable force. Not only were these medium bombers designed to have very long range and high speed, though sometimes achieved at the expense of crew protection, the aviators were highly trained and many have gained combat experience through the trans-oceanic bombing campaigns of the Sino-Japanese War. 

The affable squadron commander Lieutenant Iki Haruki for example was said to have already completed 200 bombing missions at the beginning of the Pacific War, making him one of the most experienced among the Rikko fraternity. He went through very rigorous and realistic training for torpedo strikes against surface fleets and claimed to have practised executing torpedo attack final approaches at an altitude of 10m in anticipation of the very shallow waters at Pearl Harbor. The altitude for a typical IJNAS torpedo run is 30m, as we have seen during the attack on the British warships off Kuantan. The pilots and bombers of the IJNAS are affectionately given the nickname of Sea Eagles or Storm Eagles ( 荒鷲 arawashi ).

Japan's occupation of airfields in French Indochina from July 1941 onwards was also a crucial factor in its ultimate victory in the Naval Battle of Malaya. Had the medium bomber squadrons been based in Taiwan or even Hainan Island which Japan had also occupied, they would not have the necessary range to strike at British Malaya or the South China Sea.

In addition, the high level of coordination and information sharing between the surface fleet, submarine fleet and the aviation corps also ensured that the British fleet would not escape the entrapment in the South China Sea. 

The Japanese Navy also took the threat of the British capital ships against their own cruisers and battleships in the Southern Expeditionary Fleet very seriously and therefore spared no effort in planning and preparing for their elimination, beginning from the moment of the British announcement of the HMS Prince of Wales' deployment to the Far East. In anticipation of the arrival of the British capital ships in Singapore, the IJN began equipping their most elite Rikko bombing group the Kanoya Air Group with a total of 72 of the latest Mitsubishi G4M Betty medium bomber. Originally based in Taichung in central Taiwan and part of the 21st Air Flotilla, half the air group consisting of three squadrons were transferred to French Indochina to reinforce the 22nd Air Flotilla's Genzan and Mihoro Air Groups which operated older Mitsubishi G3M Nell bombers. The Kanoya detachment had arrived at Thu Dau Mot Airfiled only on 6th December 1941. As the turn of events had shown us, they would later have a huge impact on the outcome of the battle. 

Six warships against two submarine squadrons, a destroyer squadron, a cruiser division and a reinforced rikko air group, it is easy to predict which side would emerge victorious.       


Aftermarth


The loss of the two most powerful warships of the Eastern Fleet had given the IJN full conrol of the seas aound the Malay Peninsula and had reduced Singapore to a land base. Without its battleships, Singapore was no longer capable projecting naval power to the region as the British had hoped when they formulated the Singapore Strategy two decades prior. It would fall to General Yamashita's 25th Army on 15th Feb 1942.

After the disastrous Naval Battle of Malaya, the Eastern Fleet spent the next few months withdrawing to Sumatra and then to Ceylon, after the Dutch East Indies also fell to the Japanese. The shock of defeat from Hawaii to Singapore and Java finally galvanised the Allied Forces to form a joint naval command to fight back against the ever-expanding Japanese Empire in early 1942. It was known as the Ameican-British-Dutch-Australian Command or ABDA. Though short-lived, it was the beginning of an awakening and a long struggle to regain allied supremacy in the Far East / Western Pacific. 

The first article of the series commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Fall of Singapore can be found here.

*Time format used in the article is local Singapore time unless otherwise stated. Tokyo time ( then ) is 1 hour 30min ahead.