Kaju Sugiura

Infobox Military Person
name= Kaju Sugiura
lived= 5 May 1896 - 16 May 1945 [Nishida, "Imperial Japanese Navy".]
placeofbirth=Aichi Prefecture, Japan
placeofdeath=Strait of Malacca


caption=
nickname=
allegiance=Empire of Japan
branch=navy|Empire of Japan
serviceyears=1918-1945
rank=Vice Admiral (posthumously)
commands="Tade", "Uzuki"
DesRon 5, DesRon17, DesRon4
"Haguro"
unit=
battles=World War II
oBattle of Vella Gulf
oBattle of the Malacca Strait
awards=
family=
laterwork=nihongo|Kaju Sugiura|杉浦嘉十|Sugiura Kaju|extra= 5 May 1896 - 16 May 1945, was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.

Biography

A native of Aichi Prefecture, Sugiura graduated from the 46st class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1918. He was ranked 81st out of 124 cadets. He served his midshipman duty aboard the cruiser "Azuma", and after commissioned as an ensign he was assigned to the battleship "Fusō" and cruiser "Tone".

Sugiura returned to school, and became a torpedo and naval artillery expert. As a sub-lieutenant, he served on the "Mutsu" and the destroyer "Kuri", and as lieutenant, he was executive officer and chief navigator on the destroyer "Yunagi". After graduation from the Naval War College (Japan) in 1930, he was promoted to lieutenant commander. He was his first command: the destroyer "Tade", on 1 December 1930. He subsequently captained the "Uzuki" in 1931. He held a number of staff positions through the 1930s, including that of instructor at a number of the naval ordinance schools and was commander of Destroyer Group 5 in 1939.

Sugiura was promoted to captain on 15 November 1940, and assigned command of Destroyer Group 17 shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Sugiura became commander of Destroyer Group 4 ("Hagikaze", flagship, "Arashi", "Shigure" and "Kawakaze") on 20 February 1943, and was thus in a central role in the Battle of Vella Gulf from August 6 - 7, 1943.

On the night of 6 August Sugiura's force carrying 950 troops and supplies for New Georgia was ambused by US Task Group 31.2 (USS "Dunlap", USS "Craven", USS "Maury", USS "Lang", USS "Sterett", and USS "Stack"). All four Japanese destroyers were hit. "Hagikaze", "Arashi" and "Kawakaze" burst into flames and were quickly sunk by gunfire. The torpedo that hit "Shigure" was a dud, damaging the rudder only, and she escaped in the darkness. The many Japanese soldiers and sailors left floating in the water after their ships sank were refused rescue by the American destroyers. Over 1,000 Japanese troops and sailors were lost. During the battle, Sugiura's flagship destroyer was sunk, but Sugiura survived.

Sugiura was later appointed captain of the cruiser "Haguro", He was killed on 16 May 1945 when his ship was sunk by Royal Navy warships during the Battle of the Malacca Strait off Penang, Malaysia. He was promoted to vice admiral posthumously.

References

Books

*cite book
last = Brown
first = David
authorlink =
year = 1990
title = Warship Losses of World War Two
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 1-55750-914-X
*cite book
last = Calhoun
first = C. Raymond
authorlink =
year = 2000
chapter =
title = Tin Can Sailor: Life Aboard the USS Sterett, 1939-1945
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 1-55750-228-5
*cite book
last = Crenshaw
first = Russell Sydnor
authorlink =
year = 1998
chapter =
title = South Pacific Destroyer: The Battle for the Solomons from Savo Island to Vella Gulf
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 1-55750-136-X
*cite book
last = D'Albas
first = Andrieu
authorlink =
year = 1965
title = Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II
publisher = Devin-Adair Pub
location =
id = ISBN 0-8159-5302-X
*cite book
last = Dull
first = Paul S.
authorlink =
year = 1978
chapter =
title = A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-87021-097-1
*cite book
last = Fuller
first = Richard
year = 1992
title = Shokan: Hirohito's Samurai
publisher = Arms and Armour Press
location = London
id = ISBN 1854091514
*cite book
last = Hara
first = Tameichi
authorlink = Tameichi Hara
year = 1961
chapter =
title = Japanese Destroyer Captain
publisher = Ballantine Books
location = New York & Toronto
id = ISBN 0-345-27894-1-Firsthand account of the battle by Japanese squadron commander aboard "Shigure".
*cite book
last = Kilpatrick
first = C. W.
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1987
chapter =
title = Naval Night Battles of the Solomons
publisher = Exposition Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-682-40333-4
*cite book
last = Lacroix
first = Eric
authorlink =
coauthors = Linton Wells
year = 1997
chapter =
title = Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-87021-311-3
*cite book
last = Morison
first = Samuel Eliot
authorlink = Samuel Eliot Morison
coauthors =
year = 1958
chapter =
title = Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier", vol. 6 of "History of United States Naval Operations in World War II
publisher = Castle Books
location =
id = 0785813071
*cite book
last = Roscoe
first = Theodore
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1953
chapter =
title = United States Destroyer Operations in World War Two
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location =
id = 0870217267
*cite book
last = Winton
first = John
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1969
chapter =
title = The Forgotten Fleet
publisher = Michael Joseph Ltd
location =
id = ISBN 0718106431
*cite book
last = Winton
first = John
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1981
chapter =
title = Sink the Haguro
publisher = Saunders of Toronto Ltd
location =
id = ISBN 0854221522

External links

*cite web
last = Chen
first = Peter
coauthors =
year = 2004-2007
url = http://ww2db.com/ship_spec.php?ship_id=87
title = "Haguro"
work = World War II Database
accessdate = 2007-02-22
*cite web
last = Hackett
first = Bob
coauthors = Sander Kingsepp
year = 1997 - 2006
url = http://www.combinedfleet.com/haguro_t.htm
title = HIJMS Haguro: Tabular Record of Movement
work = (Combinedfleet.com)
accessdate = 2007-02-22
*cite web
last = Hough
first = Stan
coauthors =
year = 1998
url = http://www.stanhough.com/Vigilant.htm
title = H.M.S. VIGILANT. 1945
work = Stan Hough
accessdate = 2007-02-22- Firsthand account of the battle by a member of HMS "Vigilant's" crew.
*cite web
last = Kemble
first = Mike
coauthors =
year = 2003
url = http://www.mikekemble.com/ww2/haguro.html
title = The Sinking of the Haguro
work = World War II Research Index
accessdate = 2007-02-22- Fairly detailed account of the battle
*cite web
last = Muir
first = Dan
coauthors =
year =
url = http://www.navweaps.com/index_oob/OOB_WWII_Pacific/OOB_WWII_Loss_Haguro.htm
title = Order of Battle, Battle off Penang (Loss of IJN Haguro)
work = (navweaps.com)
accessdate = 2007-02-22
*cite web
last = Nishida
first = Hiroshi
url = http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/px46.htm#v003
title = Imperial Japanese Navy
accessdate = 2007-02-25
* [http://www.microworks.net/pacific/battles/vella_gulf.htm Description by Vincent O'Hara]
* [http://www.navweaps.com/index_oob/OOB_WWII_Pacific/OOB_WWII_Vella-Gulf.htm Order of battle]

Notes