Japanese Battleship Mutsu - Service and World War II

Service and World War II

After commissioning the Mutsu served in the First Battleship Division of the First Fleet. Upon completion of her modernisation she rejoined the First Battleship Division.

During World War II Mutsu saw limited action, spending much of her time in home waters. Mutsu, as part of a covering force for the Pearl Harbor task force forayed from Hashirajima to the Bonin Islands from 8 to 13 December 1941, in company with the light carrier Hosho and the First Fleet's Battleship 2 division's Ise, Hyuga, Fusō, and Yamashiro, escorted by light cruisers and destroyers. The group saw no action.

The Mutsu departed Hashirajima as part of the Battleship Division First Fleet's Main Body under the command of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto on 29 May 1942 in company with the battleships Yamato, Nagato, the aircraft carrier Hosho, the cruiser Sendai, nine destroyers and four auxiliary vessels to provide support to Operation “MI”, the Japanese Navy’s attempt to take the island of Midway. During the resulting battle the Mutsu remained with the main body 300 miles behind Vice Admiral Nagumo's First Carrier Striking Force, and did not engage US forces. At the end of the battle the Mutsu joined up with the retiring Carrier Striking Force on 5 June and took aboard about one-half of the survivors from the carriers Akagi, Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu that had been picked up earlier by covering destroyers and also refuelled a number of destroyers. On 14 June the Mutsu returned to her home anchorage in Hashirajima.

In July the Mutsu was transferred from the Battleship Division 1 to the Battleship Division 2 which was allocated to training and 'standby alert' duties.

The Mutsu departed Yokosuka accompanied by the cruisers Atago, Takao, Maya, Haguro, Yura, Myoko, the seaplane tender Chitose and escorting destroyers on 11 August to support operations during the Guadalcanal Campaign. The task force arrived at the major Japanese base at Truk on 17 August 1942. On 20 August, while sailing from Truk to rendezvous with the main body of Vice Admiral Nagumo's Third Fleet, the Mutsu, the cruiser “Atago’’ and escorting destroyers, in response to a flying boat detecting the escort carrier USS Long Island ferrying aircraft, attempted to locate the American ship. No contact was made.

During the battle of the Eastern Solomon islands on 27 August, Mutsu fired four shells at tracking enemy aircraft during what was her first and only action of the war. Following her return to Truk a group of skilled AA gunnery officers and men were detached from the Mutsu to serve as instructors to ground-based naval anti-aircraft gunners stationed in Rabaul. During her time at Truk the Mutsu off-loaded surplus fuel to the fleet oil tanker Kenyo Maru which allowed the tanker to refuel other ships involved in Guadalcanal operations.

On 7 January 1943, the Mutsu steamed from Truk via Saipan to return to Japan in the company of the carrier Zuikaku, the cruiser Suzuya and the destroyers Inazuma, Isonami and Ariake. Upon her return to Hashirajima, Mutsu resumed 'standby alert' duties.

The Mutsu left Hashirajima for Kure on 13 April, where in response to the situation in the Komandorski Islands, she took aboard a full load of ammunition and supplies and prepared to participate in a sortie to reinforce the Japanese garrisons in the Aleutian Islands, but the situation changed and she was never dispatched.