Fate
In May 1945, Haguro was the target of the British "Operation Dukedom" and was ambushed. The 26th Destroyer Flotilla found her with the destroyer Kamikaze just after midnight on May 16, 1945, and began the attack. During the battle, the Kamikaze was lightly damaged, but Haguro was hit by gunfire and three Mark IX Torpedoes. The Haguro soon began to slow down and took a 30-degrees list to port.
At 2:32 AM the Haguro began to go down stern first in the Malacca Strait, 55 miles (89 km) off Penang; Kamikaze rescued 320 survivors, but nine hundred men– including Vice Admiral Hashimoto and Rear Admiral Sugiura–perished with her. Rear Admiral Sugiura was later promoted to Vice Admiral posthumously on May 16. The battle was the last gun action ever fought between surface ships.
Haguro was stricken from the navy list on June 20, 1945.
The wreck was discovered in 2003, showing significant superstructure damage from her last and earlier battles.
Read more about this topic: Japanese Cruiser Haguro
Famous quotes containing the word fate:
“I have, as when the sun doth light a storm,
Buried this sigh in wrinkle of a smile;
But sorrow that is couched in seeming gladness
Is like that mirth fate turns to sudden sadness.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
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‘Twas fastened and burned at the stake as heretic,
While the flames roared around it they heard a strange
noise—
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—Unknown. The Old Orange Flute (l. 37–40)
“This, indeed, has always been the fate of the few that have professed scepticism, that, when they have done what they can to discredit their senses, they find themselves, after all, under a necessity of trusting to them. Mr. Hume has been so candid as to acknowledge this; and it is no less true of those who have shewn the same candour; for I never heard that any sceptic runs his head against a post, or stepped into a kennel, because he did not believe his eyes.”
—Thomas Reid (1710–1796)