Remembering the tragedy
The Japanese battleship Mutsu was a Nagato
Class battleship, the first class of dreadnoughts
to mount 16-inch main guns. Mutsu was paid
for by popular subscription, mostly by donations
from schoolchildren. She survived the cuts
imposed on the Japanese Navy by the Washington
Treaty, and she and her sister Nagato remained
the most powerful capital ships in the IJN
until the completion of the gigantic Yamato
Class battleships.
During WWII Mutsu took part in the attack
on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Midway, and
the Solomons Campaign. Around noontime on
June 8, 1943, while moored in Hiroshima Bay,
Mutsu was suddenly rocked by a violent explosion,
which blew the ship in two. The 535-foot
forward section rolls over to starboard and
sinks immediately, coming to rest upside
down in 130 feet of water. The 147-foot aft
section upends, and remains floating with
the stern pointing up towards the sky. It
finally sank 14 hours later at 33-58N, 132-24E,
and no doubt many lives were saved by this
delay in sinking. Boats from other ships
came to the aid of the survivors, rescuing
353 crew members, while 1,121 men lost their
lives. Japanese destroyers scoured the bay,
but no evidence of Allies submarines or X-craft
could be found. Nor do the Allies boast of
a victory; loss to enemy action seems unlikely.
Visibility at the time of the explosion was
poor, but eyewitness accounts indicate a
reddish-brown fireball, indicating a magazine
explosion. Some claim to have seen smoke
in the vicinity of the number three turret
just before the explosion. Preliminary findings
indicate that the ship was lost to an accident.
The wounded are sequestered in a local hospital,
while the rest of the survivors are quickly
shipped off to remote outposts across the
empire. The Japanese have made a quick decision:
the loss of the Mutsu will be covered up,
the ship will be salvaged and returned to
service as quickly as possible, and the enemy
will never know.
Divers are send down to explore the wreck,
and are initially unable to locate the aft
section. They describe the forward section
as being "bent like a nail", but
the High Command is insistent: the ship must
be raised, towed to drydock, and repaired
before word of the loss leaks out. Local
commanders are given a ridiculously short
deadline of three months, so salvage experts
and divers are brought in from all over Japan.
Salvage divers are not told what ship they
are working on, but quickly figure it out
when they are brought on board Mutsu's sister
ship Nagato, to familiarize themselves with
layout of the wreck.
Eventually,the reality of the situation sets
in, and the salvage orders are rescinded.
Salvers cut into the hull to recover valuable
fuel oil, and then the wreck is abandoned.
Investigations into her loss center on special
incendiary shells stored on board, but experiments
are unable to cause these shells to explode.
Explorations of the wreck rule out an external
explosion, eliminating Allied submarines
or special forces. After two months of work,
the investigators present their report: the
explosion was caused by human interference,
either by a ring of saboteurs or a disgruntled
crewmen in the number three turret who had
been recently accused of theft.
A failed salvage attempt in 1949 was followed
by extensive salvage operations between 1970
and 1978. Recovered items include part of
the bow, the anchors, screws, rudder, main
guns, the complete number 4 turret, and personal
effects of the crew. The Mutsu Memorial Museum
opens in Tôwa Chô, where many artifacts are
restored and displayed, while other items
go to other museums and shrines.
Mutsu at anchor before the war.
A 16-inch turret breaks the surface during
salvage operations
The Number 4 turret is landed to await restoration
The restored Number 4 turret
The Mutsu Memorial Museum
One of Mutsu's screws
Main anchor
The business end of a naval rifle
Another 16-inch weapon on display at the
museum
A Japanese AA gun on display- can anyone
tell me what it is?
An 8-inch gun inside the museum
