Japanese Battlecruiser Haruna

Laid down on the 15th of March 1912 and launched on the 14th of December 1914, Haruna was the forth of the four-ship Kongō-class battlecruisers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her three sisters were Kirishima, Hiei and Kongō. Commissioned into the fleet on the 19th of April 1915, she saw no action during the First World War, although she undertook patrols off the Chinese coast.

During gunnery drills in 1920, an explosion destroyed one of her guns, damaged the gun turret, and killed seven men.

In 1926 Haruna underwent a reconstruction to transform her into a battleship. Additional armour was added and her speed increased. In 1933 a more extensive reconstruction was undertaken, with her superstructure completely rebuilt, aircraft facilities added and her machinery upgraded. She was redesignated a fast battleship and primarily used to escort Japan’s fast aircraft carriers.

During the Second World War, she provided support for the invasion of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and in the Indian Ocean raid of April 1942. During the Battle of Midway, she provided escort to Nagumo’s four carriers, before redeploying to the Solomon Islands during the Battle of Guadalcanal. Haruna participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944 (22–23 October).

In 1945, Haruna was transferred to Kure Naval Base, where she was sunk by aircraft of Task Force 38 on 28 July 1945.