GUNKAN SERIES 15 GUADALCANAL BOMBARDMENT VOLUNTEER CORPS

Haruna was a Japanese battlecruiser, the keel of which was laid in 1912, launched in December 1913, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in April 1915. The total length of the ship was 222 meters, width 31 meters, and a full displacement of 36,000 tons. Harun's top speed was around 30-31 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 8 356 mm guns in four turrets, two guns each, and the secondary armament was mainly 14 152 mm guns. Haruna was the fourth and final Congo-class battleship. In the interwar period, Haruna was intensively modernized, which led to: a significant improvement in the armor of the ship, the reconstruction of the front superstructure, which took the shape of a Japanese pagoda, and an increase in power and modernization of the engine room. Haruna also received catapults enabling the operation of seaplanes. Haruna's combat career in World War II began with her participation in supporting the invasion of British territory in Indochina. In April 1942, the ship also took part in the famous raid of the Japanese fleet to the Indian Ocean, and later - in June this year - took part in the Battle of Midway, where, despite many air attacks, it suffered only minor damage. Haruna also took part in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in October 1942. In 1944, he fought in the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944 and in the Battle of Leyte in October of the same year. In 1945, due to a lack of fuel, Haruna did not take any combat actions, and in July of that year it was severely damaged and later sunk by American on-board planes at the naval base in Kure. The wreckage of the Haruna battlecruiser was scrapped in 1948.The Congo was a Japanese battlecruiser, the keel of which was laid in 1911, launched in May 1912, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in August 1913. The total length of the ship was 222 meters, width 31 meters, and a full displacement of 36,600 tons. The Congo battleship's top speed was around 30 knots. The main armament at the time of the launch was 8 356 mm guns in four turrets, two guns each, and the secondary armament was mainly 8 152 mm guns. The Congo was the first of the four battlecruisers of the type to bear that name - the Congo. The unit was built at the British Vickers shipyard in Barrows-in-Furness. Thorough modernization of the Congo took place in the period 1929-1931 and 1935-1937, when the ship's engine room was completely changed, the superstructures were expanded, the anti-torpedo cover was improved and the seaplane catapults were added. During World War II, Congo took part in the Battle of Midway (June 1942), but played a marginal role there. In the last months of 1942 he took part in the fighting in the Guadalcanal area, incl. by firing at American positions on the island. In 1944 he fought in the Battle of Leyte, where he was instrumental in sinking the USS Gambler Bay escort carrier. Congo was sunk on November 21, 1944 as a result of a torpedo attack by the American submarine USS Sealion.Isuzu was a Japanese light cruiser the keel of which was laid in 1920, launched in October 1921, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in August 1923. The length of the ship at the time of launching was 162.1 m, width 14.2 m, and the actual full displacement - 5,700 tons. The cruiser Isuzu had a maximum speed of 36 knots. At the time of launching, the main armament was 7 140 mm guns in single positions, and the additional armament was, among others: 2 80 mm cannons and 8 torpedo tubes. Isuzu was the second Nagara-class cruiser. The cruisers of this type were built on the basis of the successful design of the Kuma class ships. In fact, the two types differ slightly, and often the Nagara type is referred to as the modified Kuma type. The main differences were in the construction of superstructures, which allowed Nagara-type units to operate seaplanes. Already at the time of launching, they also received better torpedo tubes of a new type. Nagara-class cruisers were built from the very beginning as the so-called "Leaders" of the destroyer flotillas, which resulted in the creation of very fast ships, with good artillery armament, but relatively poorly armored. The combat career of cruiser Isuzu began during the Sino-Japanese fighting in the 1930s. In the course of these struggles, he performed mainly patrol functions in Chinese waters and supported Japanese landings. The Isuzu combat trail in World War II began in December 1941 with support for the Japanese attack on Hong Kong. From December 1941 to April 1942, it covered subsequent landing operations of French Indochina. From September 1942, he fought in the area of the Solomon Islands and Guadalcanal Island - in the course of these fights he took part in the Battle of Santa Cruz. Isuzu also took part in the Battle of Leyte Bay in October 1944. In November this year, it was badly damaged and was repaired for a few months: first to Singapore, and then to the port of Surabaya. From April 1945, after repairs were completed, it was primarily used as a convoy guard. The cruiser Isuzu was sunk on April 7, 1945 by the American submarine USS Gabilan.