Kuma Class Cruiser - Ships in Class

Ships in Class

Five vessels were built in the Kuma class. Only one (Kitakami) survived the Pacific War.

Kuma (球磨)

Ordered in 1917 to the Sasebo Navy Yard, launched 14 July 1919, and completed 31 August 1920, Kuma was active in screening the landings of Japanese troops in the Philippines in the early months of World War II, and remained stationed there for local defense. Later assigned to the Southwest Area Fleet in the Netherlands East Indies, she was refit at Singapore from October-November 1943. She was torpedoed by the HMS Tally-Ho (P317) off the west coast of Malaya on 10 March 1944.

Tama (多摩)

Ordered in 1917 to Mitsubishi in Nagasaki, launched 10 February 1920, and completed 29 January 1921, Camouflaged in Arctic colors, Tama participated in the Aleutian Islands Campaign and the Battle of the Komandorski Islands and spent most of the early part of World War II in northern waters. She was later used as a fast transport and made numerous sorties to Rabaul and other locations in the Solomon Islands. After refit in Japan in late 1943, she remained in Japanese home waters until reassigned to the Imperial Japanese Navy’s all-out final defense of the Philippines in October 1944. She was at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, where she was damaged by USN aircraft and was torpedoed by USN submarines northeast of the Philippines on 25 October 1944 while attempting to return to Okinawa.

Kitakami (北上)

Ordered in 1917 to the Sasebo Naval Arsenal, launched 3 July 1920, and completed 15 April 1921, Kitakami was converted into a torpedo cruiser under a short-lived Imperial Japanese Navy program, which was abandoned at the eve of World War II. She subsequently participated in Battle of Midway as part of the Aleutian screening force. She was later used as a fast transport and made numerous sorties to Rabaul and other locations in the Solomon Islands and New Guinea. From March 1943, she was assigned to the Southwest Area Fleet for escort and transport duties. After taking severe damage in a torpedo attack by HMS Templar on 27 January 1944, she returned to Japan for conversion to carrier for Kaiten human torpedoes, but never served in this capacity due to lack of fuel. She survived the end of the war, and was used as a tender for repatriation vessels after the war. She was scrapped from 10 August 1946 – 31 March 1947.

Ōi (大井)

Ordered in 1917 to the Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Kobe, launched 15 July 1920, and completed 3 November 1921, Ōi was converted into a torpedo cruiser under a short-lived Imperial Japanese Navy programme, which was abandoned at the eve of World War II. She subsequently participated in the Battle of Midway as part of the Aleutian screening force. She was later used as a fast transport and made numerous sorties to Rabaul and other locations in the Solomon Islands and New Guinea. From March 1943, she was assigned to the Southwest Area Fleet for escort and transport duties. She was torpedoed west of Manila on 10 September 1944.

Kiso (木曾)

Ordered in 1917 to the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki, launched 14 December 1920, and completed 4 May 1921, Kiso participated in the Battle of the Aleutian Islands and spent most of the early part of World War II in northern waters. She was later used as a fast transport and made numerous sorties to Rabaul and other locations in the Solomon Islands. She was later at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. After refit in Japan in late 1943, she remained in Japanese home waters until reassigned to the Imperial Japanese Navy’s all-out final defense of the Philippines in October 1944. She survived the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and was assigned guard duties in the Philippines. She was sunk by USN carrier-based aircraft west of Manila on 13 November 1944.