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USS Arleigh Burke

USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), named for Admiral Arleigh A. Burke, USN (1901–1996), is the lead ship of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer guided-missile destroyers. She was laid down by the Bath Iron Works company at Bath, Maine, on 6 December 1988; launched on 16 September 1989; and commissioned on 4 July 1991.

Arleigh Burke's designers incorporated many lessons learned by the Royal Navy during the Falklands campaign and from the Ticonderoga-class cruiser guided-missile cruisers. The Ticonderoga-class cruisers were becoming too expensive to continue building and too difficult to upgrade. Arleigh Burke was the first modern destroyer designed with features meant to lower its radar cross-section, which improves a ship's ability to evade radar detection. She also used a slightly downgraded version of the Aegis Combat System, which allows for launching, tracking, and evading missiles simultaneously. Her all-steel construction provides good protection for her superstructure, while her Collective Protection System allows her to operate in environments contaminated by chemical, biological, or radiological materials.

History
Before Arleigh Burke was commissioned, the Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force was involved in the initial phases of testing. New systems, operated by fleet sailors ashore, were examined at land-based test facilities. The combat systems testing took place at the Combat System Engineering Development Site in Moorestown, New Jersey. The propulsion plant testing occurred at the Gas Turbine Ship Land-Based Engineering Site in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These test results supported the acquisition decision to begin limited production of the ship class.

The ship was launched on 16 September 1989 by Mrs. Roberta (Gorsuch) Burke. Admiral Burke was present in person at her commissioning ceremony on 4 July, which was held on the waterfront in downtown Norfolk, Virginia.

After being commissioned and throughout 1992, Arleigh Burke conducted extensive testing at sea. As is often the case with new ship classes, U.S. Navy officers and shipyard engineers encountered a number of problems with some shipboard systems that required the attention of the warship's design and production agencies. An additional phase of testing was added to verify the effectiveness of the modifications made to these systems—modifications incorporated into later destroyers of the Arleigh Burke class.

Following her initial operational testing, Arleigh Burke was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea in 1993, serving as the "Green Crown" during Operation Provide Promise. During her second deployment in 1995, Arleigh Burke steamed in the Mediterranean Sea as the "Red Crown" in support of the No-Fly Zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina. During her third cruise, in 1998, she steamed in the Mediterranean Sea, Adriatic Sea, Red Sea, and Black Sea, as a participant in numerous American and Allied exercises. During her fourth cruise in 2000–2001, Arleigh Burke saw service in the Mediterranean and Red Seas and in the Persian Gulf, enforcing United Nations sanctions against Iraq and conducting exercises with allied naval partners.

On her fifth deployment in 2003, Arleigh Burke and the other units of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)-led carrier battle group participated in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. During this wartime cruise, Arleigh Burke fired Tomahawk missile strikes against targets in Iraq, escorted merchant ships and naval auxiliaries through geographic choke points, and carried out "leadership interdiction" operations in the northern Arabian Sea. She also undertook counter-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden. This cruise, which lasted from January through June 2003, saw Arleigh Burke at sea over 92 percent of the time.

In March 2003, she was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 2.

Arleigh Burke has earned one Navy Unit Commendation, three Meritorious Unit Commendations, three Battle Efficiency E Awards, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, and five Sea Service Deployment Ribbons.

As a member of Destroyer Squadron 22, Arleigh Burke operated with the USS George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group under the direction of the Commander, Carrier Group 2.

In May 2007, Arleigh Burke ran what the Navy called a "soft aground" off Cape Henry Light at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. Her captain, Commander Esther J. McClure, was relieved of her command shortly thereafter as a result of a "loss of confidence in her ability to command".

In October 2007, Arleigh Burke was involved in anti-pirate operations in Somalia.

In 2009, Arleigh Burke was deployed to the eastern coast of Africa in support of AFRICOM's Africa Partnership Station. The ship represented the United States during a port visit to the island nation of Seychelles where they played a role in securing a status of forces agreement between the two countries.

In August 2010, Arleigh Burke entered the BAE Systems Ship Repair shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia for DDG Modernization, a program to upgrade the ship's systems and to extend the service life to 40 years.

On 23 September 2014, Arleigh Burke took part in the 2014 military intervention against ISIS, firing Tomahawk missiles on targets in Syria while the ship was in the Red Sea.

In 2018, the ship made two three-month overseas deployments, returning to Norfolk, Virginia, between cruises.

In 2019, she entered General Dynamics NASSCO's shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia, for continued work towards modernization for ballistic missile defense.

In March 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Arleigh Burke transited the Atlantic Ocean and conducted a home port shift to Rota, Spain, joining the Forward Deployed Naval Forces in Europe as part of Destroyer Squadron 60. Prior to the port shift, she received extensive upgrades, including Aegis Baseline 9 for BMD capability, as well as replacing her aft Phalanx CIWS with a SeaRAM CIWS. The ship crossed the Arctic Circle in May 2021.

The crew began their first forward-deployed patrol in August 2021, returning in December 2021. During 2021, Arleigh Burke sailed more than 44,000 miles, circumnavigated Europe, and executed operations in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Barents Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and Arctic Ocean. Port calls included Tallinn, Estonia; Helsinki, Finland; Gdynia, Poland; Varna, Bulgaria; Constanta, Romania; and Golcuk, Turkey.

In March 2022, USS Arleigh Burke was selected as the 2021 Battle E Winner for Destroyer Squadron 60. The Battle "E" recognizes the top ship in each squadron and is awarded for demonstrating sustained superior performance, operational effectiveness, and continuous readiness.

In April 2022, Arleigh Burke completed the largest maintenance availability ever conducted in Rota, Spain, and then commenced her second forward-deployed patrol in May 2022.

On 9 July 2022, Arleigh Burke arrived in Riga for a scheduled port visit.

On 13–14 April 2024, Arleigh Burke and USS Carney shot down at least six Iranian ballistic missiles during the 2024 Iranian strikes in Israel.

Ship's crest
The Shield outlined in blue and gold stands for the achievements in battle of Admiral Burke against the naval power of Japan. The fist and mace symbolize the offensive and defensive power of the new destroyer. The mace, also a symbol of authority, represents Admiral Burke's service as Chief of Naval Operations. It also refers to Admiral Marc Mitscher, an influential figure and mentor for whom Admiral Burke served as chief of staff. Admiral Burke's Destroyer Squadron 23, represented by the border of 23 ovals, was the only United States Destroyer Squadron awarded a Presidential Unit Citation, signified by the canton of blue, yellow, and red. The ovals also refer to the year 1923, in which Midshipman Burke graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. Twenty-three also reflects Admiral Burke's distinguished service on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations as (OP-23).

The mounted figure of Saint George recalls Admiral Burke's celebrated victory in the Battle of Cape St. George over Japanese naval forces. His mantle bears a gold cross for the Navy Cross awarded to the admiral. The birch branch on the helmet represents Admiral Burke himself, a reference to his name derived from his Scandinavian heritage.

The red sea dragon symbolizes Japanese naval power assaulted by forces under Captain Burke's command. It is gorged with the two gold stars he was awarded for outstanding service. The lance impaling the dragon signifies ordnance on target. The capabilities of the new destroyer, the most powerful and survivable ever built, are signified by the full armor and equipment of the warrior Saint George. The admiral's nickname "31-Knot Burke" is recalled by the number "31" on the horse.

The motto of the ship is "Fast and Feared". The ship's crest was designed by John Sproston of the Institute of Heraldry following a personal interview with Admiral Burke. The crest can also be found on a United States Postal Service postage stamp honoring Admiral Burke that was issued in 2010.

Awards
Arleigh Burke has earned the following awards during her service life.

 * Navy Unit Commendation - (2003, 2007, 2014)
 * Meritorious Unit Commendation - (1998, 2001, 2018)
 * Battle Efficiency E Award - (1992, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2014, 2021)
 * National Defense Service Medal
 * Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
 * Kuwait Liberation Medal
 * Sea Service Deployment Ribbon - 13
 * Overseas Service Ribbon

In popular culture

 * USS Arleigh Burke was featured in the opening credits of the television series JAG. It also appeared as USS Cayuga in the 1997 JAG episode "Cowboys and Cossacks".
 * USS Arleigh Burke was used to film the at-sea scenes in the 2003 NCIS episode "The Immortals".
 * Filming for Season 3 of the Amazon TV show Jack Ryan took place onboard Arleigh Burke in October 2021. Scenes were filmed in the ship's pilot house and the Commanding Officer's Cabin with actor John Krasinski.

title: USS Arleigh Burke


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Japanese battleship Fusō

Fusō (扶桑) was the lead ship of the two Fusō-class battleship dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Launched in 1914 and commissioned in 1915, she initially patrolled off the coast of China, playing no part in World War I. In 1923, she assisted survivors of the Great Kantō earthquake.

Fusō was modernized in 1930–1935 and again in 1937–1941, with improvements to her armor and propulsion machinery and a rebuilt superstructure in the pagoda mast style. With only 14 in guns, she was outclassed by other Japanese battleships at the beginning of World War II, and played auxiliary roles for most of the war.

Fusō was part of Vice-Admiral Shōji Nishimura's Southern Force at the Battle of Leyte Gulf. She was sunk in the early hours of 25 October 1944 by torpedoes and naval gunfire during the Battle of Surigao Strait. Some reports claimed Fusō broke in half, and that both halves remained afloat and burning for an hour; according to survivors' accounts, however, the ship sank after 40 minutes of flooding and caught fire when her fuel bunkers spilled open. Of the few dozen crewmen who escaped, only 10 survived to return to Japan.

Description
The ship had a length of 192.1 m between perpendiculars and 202.7 m overall. She had a beam of 28.7 m and a draft of 8.7 m. Fusō displaced 29326 LT at standard load and 35900 LT at full load. Her crew consisted of 1,198 officers and enlisted men in 1915 and 1,396 in 1935. During World War II, the crew probably totalled around 1,800–1,900 men.

During the ship's first modernization during 1930–1933, her forward superstructure was enlarged with multiple platforms added to her tripod foremast. Her rear superstructure was rebuilt to accommodate mounts for 127 mm anti-aircraft (AA) guns and additional fire-control directors. Fusō was also given torpedo bulges to improve her underwater protection and to compensate for the weight of the additional armor and equipment. During the second phase of her first reconstruction in 1934–1935, Fusō's torpedo bulge was enlarged and her stern was lengthened by 7.62 m. These changes increased her overall length to 212.75 m, her beam to 33.1 m and her draft to 9.69 m. Her displacement increased by nearly 4000 LT to 39154 LT at deep load.

Propulsion
The ship had two sets of Brown-Curtis direct-drive steam turbines, each of which drove two propeller shafts. The turbines were designed to produce a total of 40000 shp, using steam provided by 24 Miyahara-type water-tube boilers, each of which consumed a mixture of coal and oil. Fusō had a stowage capacity of 4000 LT of coal and 1000 LT of fuel oil, giving her a range of 8000 nmi at a speed of 14 kn. The ship exceeded her design speed of 22.5 kn during her sea trials, reaching 23 kn at 46500 shp.

During her first modernization, the Miyahara boilers were replaced by six new Kampon oil-fired boilers fitted in the former aft boiler room, and the forward funnel was removed. The Brown-Curtis turbines were replaced by four geared Kanpon turbines with a designed output of 75000 shp. During her 1933 trials, Fusō reached a top speed of 24.7 kn from 76889 shp. The fuel storage of the ship was increased to a total of 5100 LT of fuel oil that gave her a range of 11800 nmi at a speed of 16 kn.

Armament
The twelve 45-caliber 14-inch guns of Fusō were mounted in six twin-gun turrets, numbered one through six from front to rear, each with an elevation range of −5 to +30 degrees. The turrets were arranged in an uncommon 2-1-1-2 style with superfiring pairs of turrets fore and aft; the middle turrets were not superfiring, and had a funnel between them. The main guns and their turrets were modernized during the ship's 1930 reconstruction; the elevation of the main guns was increased to +43 degrees, increasing their maximum range from 27800 to 35450 yd. Initially, the guns could fire at a rate of 1.5 rounds per minute, and this was also improved during her first modernization. The orientation of Turret No. 3 was reversed during the modernization; it now faced forward.

Originally, Fusō was fitted with a secondary armament of sixteen 50-caliber six-inch 41st Year Type guns mounted in casemates on the upper sides of the hull. The gun had a maximum range of 22970 yd and fired at a rate of up to six shots per minute. She was fitted with five 40-caliber three-inch (76 mm) AA guns in 1918. The high-angle guns were in single mounts on both sides of the forward superstructure and both sides of the second funnel, as well as on the port side of the aft superstructure. These guns had a maximum elevation of +75 degrees, and could fire a 5.99 kg shell at a rate of 13 to 20 rounds per minute to a maximum height of 7200 m. The ship was also fitted with six submerged 533 mm torpedo tubes, three on each broadside.

During the first phase of Fusō's modernization of the early 1930s, all five three-inch guns were removed and replaced with eight 40-caliber 127-millimeter dual-purpose guns, fitted on both sides of the fore and aft superstructures in four twin-gun mounts. When firing at surface targets, the guns had a range of 14700 m; they had a maximum ceiling of 9440 m at their maximum elevation of +90 degrees. Their maximum rate of fire was 14 rounds a minute, but their sustained rate of fire was around eight rounds per minute. At this time, the ship was also provided with four quadruple mounts for the license-built Type 93 13.2 mm machine guns, two on the pagoda mast and one on each side of the funnel. The maximum range of these guns was 6500 m, but the effective range against aircraft was only 1000 m. The cyclic rate was adjustable between 425 and 475 rounds per minute, but the need to change 30-round magazines reduced the effective rate to 250 rounds per minute.

The improvements made during the first reconstruction increased Fusō's draft by 1 m, soaking the two foremost six-inch guns, so they were removed during the first phase of the ship's second modernization in 1937 and 1938. During this same phase, the Type 93 13.2 mm machine guns were replaced by eight 25 mm Type 96 light AA guns in twin-gun mounts. Four of these mounts were fitted on the forward superstructure, one on each side of the funnel and two on the rear superstructure. This was the standard Japanese light AA gun during World War II, but it suffered from severe design shortcomings that rendered it a largely ineffective weapon. According to historian Mark Stille, the twin and triple mounts "lacked sufficient speed in train or elevation; the gun sights were unable to handle fast targets; the gun exhibited excessive vibration; the magazine was too small, and, finally, the gun produced excessive muzzle blast". The configuration of the AA guns varied significantly; in July 1943, 17 single and two twin-mounts were added for a total of 37. In July 1944, the ship was fitted with additional AA guns: 23 single, six twin and eight triple-mounts, for a total of 95 in her final configuration. These 25 mm guns had an effective range of 1500 - 3000 m, and an effective ceiling of 5500 m at an elevation of +85 degrees. The maximum effective rate of fire was only between 110 and 120 rounds per minute because of the frequent need to change the fifteen-round magazines.

Armor
The ship's waterline armor belt was 305 to 229 mm thick; below it was a strake of 102 mm armor. The deck armor ranged in thickness from 32 to 51 mm. The turrets were protected with an armor thickness of 279.4 mm on the face, 228.6 mm on the sides, and 114.5 mm on the roof. The barbettes of the turrets were protected by armor 305 mm thick, while the casemates of the 152 mm guns were protected by 152 mm armor plates. The sides of the conning tower were 351 mm thick. The vessel contained 737 watertight compartments (574 underneath the armor deck, 163 above) to preserve buoyancy in the event of battle damage.

During her first reconstruction Fusō's armor was substantially upgraded. The deck armor was increased to a maximum thickness of 114 mm. A longitudinal bulkhead of 76 mm of high-tensile steel was added to improve underwater protection.

Aircraft
Fusō was briefly fitted with an aircraft flying-off platform on Turret No. 2 in 1924. During the first phase of her first modernization, a catapult was fitted on the roof of Turret No. 3 and the ship was equipped to operate three floatplanes, although no hangar was provided. The initial Nakajima E4N2 biplanes were replaced by Nakajima E8N2 biplanes in 1938. Fusō's ability to operate her aircraft was greatly improved during the second phase of her second modernization in 1940–41 when the aircraft handling equipment was moved to the stern and a new catapult was installed. Mitsubishi F1M biplanes replaced the E8Ns from 1942 on.

Fire control and sensors
When completed in 1915, Fusō had two 3.5 m and two 1.5 m rangefinders in her forward superstructure, a 4.5 m rangefinder on the roof of Turret No. 2, and 4.5-meter rangefinders in Turrets 3, 4, and 5. In late 1917 a fire-control director was installed on a platform on the foremast. The 4.5-meter rangefinders were replaced by 8 m instruments in 1923. During the ship's first modernization, four directors for the 12.7 mm AA guns were added, one each on each side of the fore and aft superstructures, and an eight-meter rangefinder was installed at the top of the pagoda mast. This was replaced by a 10 m rangefinder during 1938. At this same time, the two 3.5-meter rangefinders on the forward superstructure were replaced by directors for the 25 mm AA guns. Additional 25 mm directors were installed on platforms on each side of the funnel.

While in drydock in July 1943, Type 21 air search radar was installed on the roof of the 10-meter rangefinder at the top of the pagoda mast. In August 1944, two Type 22 surface search radar units were installed on the pagoda mast and two Type 13 early warning radar units were fitted on the funnel. Fusō was the only Japanese battleship to mount radar on her funnel.

Construction and service
Given a classical name for Japan, Fusō was laid down at the Kure Naval Arsenal on 11 March 1912 and launched on 28 March 1914. She was commissioned on 8 November 1915 and assigned to the 1st Division, of the 1st Fleet on 13 December under the command of Captain Kōzō Satō. The ship did not take part in any combat during World War I, as there were no longer any forces of the Central Powers in Asia by the time she was completed; she patrolled off the coast of China during that time. The ship served as the flagship of the 1st Division during 1917 and 1918. During the ship's period in reserve in 1918, five 76.2 mm anti-aircraft guns were installed. She aided survivors of the Great Kantō earthquake between 9 and 22 September 1923. Captain Mitsumasa Yonai assumed command on 1 July 1924 and was relieved on 1 November by Captain Sankichi Takahashi. In the 1920s, Fusō conducted training off the coast of China and was often placed in reserve.

The first phase of the ship's first modernization began on 12 April 1930 at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal; machinery was replaced, armor was reinforced, and torpedo bulges were fitted. Fusō arrived on 26 September 1932 at Kure Naval Arsenal, where her armament was upgraded and her torpedo tubes were removed. Her sea trials began on 12 May 1933, and the second phase of her modernization began less than a year later. The ship's stern was lengthened and work was completed in March 1935. Captain Jinichi Kusaka was assigned command from November 1935 to December 1936. After sporadic use for training for the next two years, Fusō was assigned as a training ship in 1936 and 1937.

Fusō began the first phase of her second modernization on 26 February 1937, and Captain Hiroaki Abe assumed command on 1 December. He was relieved by Captain Ruitaro Fujita on 1 April 1938, the day after this phase of her modernization was completed. The ship was again assigned to the 1st Division of the 1st Fleet on 15 November. She briefly operated in Chinese waters in early 1939 before the second phase of her second modernization began on 12 December 1940. This was completed on 10 April 1941, and Fusō was assigned to the 2nd Division of the 1st Fleet. Captain Mitsuo Kinoshita assumed command on 15 September, when the division consisted of the two Fusō-class and the two Ise-class battleships.

World War II

On 10 April 1941, Fusō was assigned to the 2nd Division of the 1st Fleet. When the war started for Japan on 8 December, the division, reinforced by the battleships JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Nagato and JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Mutsu and the light carrier JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Hōshō, sortied from Hashirajima to the Bonin Islands as distant support for the 1st Air Fleet attacking Pearl Harbor, and returned six days later. On 21 February 1942, the ship returned to the shipyard at Kure to replace her gun barrels, departing on 25 February. Together with the rest of the 2nd Battleship Division, she pursued but did not catch the American carrier force that had launched the Doolittle Raid on 18 April 1942.

Fusō and the rest of the 2nd Battleship Division set sail on 28 May 1942 with the Aleutian Support Group at the same time that most of the Imperial Fleet began an attack on Midway Island (Operation MI). Commanded by Vice-Admiral Shirō Takasu, the division was composed of Japan's four oldest battleships, including Fusō, accompanied by two light cruisers, 12 destroyers, and two oilers. Official records do not show the division as part of the larger Midway operation, known as Operation AL; they were to accompany the fleet under Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, but were only to provide support to the Aleutian task force if needed.

On 14 June, Fusō returned to Yokosuka and arrived back at Hashirajima on 24 June. In an effort to replace the aircraft carriers lost at the Battle of Midway, the navy made plans to convert the two Fusō-class ships to hybrid battleship-carriers, but the two Ise-class battleships were chosen instead. The ship was assigned to the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy at Etajima, Hiroshima, for use as a training ship between 15 November 1942 and 15 January 1943. Captain Keizō Komura assumed command on 5 December, and was relieved by Captain Nobumichi Tsuruoka on 1 June the next year. Seven days later, Fusō rescued 353 survivors from Mutsu when that ship exploded at Hashirajima.

Between 18 and 24 July 1943, the ship was at the Kure drydock for fitting of radar and additional 25 mm AA guns. Fusō sailed from the Inland Sea on 18 August for Truk Naval Base, carrying supplies, and arrived five days later. The Japanese had intercepted American radio traffic that suggested an attack on Wake Island, and on 17 October, Fusō and the bulk of the 1st Fleet sailed for Eniwetok to be in a position to intercept any such attack. The fleet arrived on the 19th, departed four days later, and arrived back at Truk on 26 October.

On 1 February 1944, Fusō departed Truk with Nagato to avoid an American air raid, and arrived at Palau on 4 February. They left on 16 February to escape another air raid. The ships arrived on 21 February at Lingga Island, and Fusō was employed there as a training ship. A week later, Captain Masami Ban relieved Tsuruoka. The ship was refitted at Singapore between 13 and 27 April, and returned to Lingga. She was transferred to Tawi-Tawi on 11 May and provided cover for the convoy that failed to reinforce Biak Island at the end of the month. Fusō transferred to Tarakan Island off Borneo to refuel in early July before returning to Japan and escaping an attack by the submarine USS Pomfret (SS-391). In early August at Kure, she was refitted with additional radars and light AA guns. Fusō and her sister ship were transferred to Battleship Division 2 of the 2nd Fleet on 10 September, and Fusō became the flagship of the division under the command of Vice-Admiral Shōji Nishimura on 23 September. They departed Kure on 23 September for Lingga, escaping an attack by the submarine USS Plaice (SS-390) the next day, and arrived on 4 October, where Nishimura transferred his flag to Yamashiro. The ships then transferred to Brunei to refuel in preparation for Operation Shō-Gō, the attempt to destroy the American fleet conducting the invasion of Leyte.

Battle of Surigao Strait

Commanded by Rear Admiral Masami Ban, Fusō left Brunei at 15:30 on 22 October 1944 as part of Nishimura's Southern Force, heading east into the Sulu Sea and then northeast into the Mindanao Sea. Intending to join Vice-Admiral Takeo Kurita's force in Leyte Gulf, the force passed west of Mindanao Island into Surigao Strait, where it met a large force of battleships and cruisers lying in wait. The Battle of Surigao Strait became the southernmost action in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

At 09:08 on 24 October, Fusō, Yamashiro, and the heavy cruiser Mogami spotted a group of 27 planes, including Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers and Curtiss SB2C Helldiver dive bombers escorted by Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters from the carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6). A bomb from one of them destroyed the catapult and both floatplanes. Another bomb hit the ship near Turret No. 2 and penetrated the decks, killing everyone in No. 1 secondary battery; the ship began to list 2 degrees to starboard. Early the next morning, Fusō opened fire around 01:05 after a shape was spotted off the port bow; it turned out to be Mogami; Fusō's fire killed three sailors in that ship's sick bay.

One or two torpedoes, possibly fired by the destroyer USS Melvin (DD-680), hit Fusō amidships on the starboard side at 03:09 on the 25th; she listed to starboard, slowed down, and fell out of formation. Some Japanese and American eyewitnesses later claimed Fusō broke in half, and that both halves remained afloat and burning for an hour, but they specifically mentioned only the size of the fire on the water, and not any details of the ship. Historian John Toland agreed in 1970 that Fusō had broken in two, but according to historian Anthony Tully in 2009:

"[Survivors' accounts] and the USS Hutchins (DD-476) report are describing a sinking and event at odds with the conventional record—one that seems far removed from the spectacle of the invariably alleged huge magazine explosion and blossom of light at 0338 that supposedly blew the battleship in half! ... Fuso was torpedoed, and as a result of progressive flooding, upended and capsized within forty minutes."

Fusō sank between 03:38 and 03:50, releasing a large quantity of oil which ignited on the surface as she went down; only a few dozen men survived the rapid sinking and subsequent oil fire. There is evidence that some of these were rescued by the destroyer JAPANESE DESTROYER Asagumo, which was itself sunk a short time later; it is also possible that some who escaped the sinking reached Leyte only to be killed by Filipinos, as is known to have happened to survivors from other Japanese warships sunk in the Battle of Surigao Strait. Ten crew members are known to have survived, all of whom returned to Japan. The total number of casualties is estimated at 1,620 sailors.

Fusō was removed from the navy list on 31 August 1945.

Wreck
RV Petrel discovered the wreck of Fusō on 25 November 2017. The ship lies upside down in 607 ft of water and is in one piece on the seabed, with the hull broken amidships from the impact with the bottom. The pagoda mast broke off during the sinking and is some distance away from the wreck.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Japanese battleship Fusō


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Punchbowl

Punchbowl is an alternative spelling of punch bowl, a large bowl for serving drinks, or may refer to:

Topography

 * Punchbowl, a type of waterfall

Places

 * Punchbowl, Korea, valley and site of 1950s battles
 * Punchbowl, New South Wales, suburb of Sydney, Australia
 * Punchbowl, Tasmania, suburb of Launceston, Australia
 * Punchbowl Cemetery, formally National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Oahu, Hawaii, US
 * Punchbowl Crater, volcanic remnant in Oahu, Hawaii, US

Other uses

 * Punchbowl, a fictional city in Stubbs the Zombie
 * Battle of the Punchbowl, a 1951 engagement of the Korean War
 * Punchbowl.com, an online invitations service and digital greeting cards site
 * Tales From The Punchbowl, an album released in 1995 and as the fourth studio album by Primus

title: Punchbowl


text:
Pinus fenzeliana

Pinus fenzeliana commonly known as the Hainan white pine or Fenzel's pine, is a tree endemic to the island of Hainan off southern China. This pine reaches heights of 20 m with a trunk 1 m in diameter.

Description
The leaves are needle-like, in fascicles of five, and 5–13 cm long. The seed cones are 6–11 cm long, with thick, woody scales; the seeds are large, about 8–15 mm long, with a vestigial 3 mm wing, similar to the related Chinese white pine (Pinus armandii). Hainan white pine differs from that species in the shorter needles, smaller cones, and in being adapted to a subtropical rainforest habitat.

A pine from the Dabie Mountains in Anhui, eastern China, first described as a species Pinus dabeshanensis, is occasionally treated as a variety of this species, but more commonly as a variety of P. armandii, which it more closely resembles.

Reports of Pinus fenzeliana from Vietnam have not been verified; trees in this area have proved to be either Vietnamese white pine (Pinus dalatensis) or Guangdong white pine (Pinus wangii), which both differ markedly in cone and seed size and shape, though similar in foliage.

title: Pinus fenzeliana


text:
USS Puerto Rico

USS Puerto Rico may refer to:

 * USS Puerto Rico (CB-5) was a planned Alaska-class cruiser whose construction was canceled in 1943
 * USNS Puerto Rico (HST-2) was the former name of a high speed ferry acquired by the U.S. Navy in 2012
 * USNS Puerto Rico (T-EPF-11) is a Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport

title: USS Puerto Rico


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Japanese battleship Haruna

Haruna (榛名) was a warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I and World War II. Designed by the British naval engineer George Thurston and named after Mount Haruna, she was the fourth and last battlecruiser of the Kongō-class battlecruiser, amongst the most heavily armed ships in any navy when built. Laid down in 1912 at the Kawasaki Shipyards in Kobe, Haruna was formally commissioned in 1915 on the same day as her sister ship, JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Kirishima. Haruna patrolled off the Chinese coast during World War I. During gunnery drills in 1920, an explosion destroyed one of her guns, damaged the gun turret, and killed seven men.

During her career, Haruna underwent two major reconstructions. Beginning in 1926, the Imperial Japanese Navy rebuilt her as a battleship, strengthening her armor and improving her speed and power capabilities. In 1933, her superstructure was completely rebuilt, her speed was increased, and she was equipped with launch catapults for floatplanes. Now fast enough to accompany Japan's growing carrier fleet, Haruna was reclassified as a fast battleship. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Haruna transported Imperial Japanese Army troops to mainland China before being redeployed to the 3rd Battleship Division in 1941. On the eve of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, she sailed as part of the Southern Force in preparation for the Battle of Singapore.

Haruna fought in almost every major naval action of the Pacific Theater during World War II. She covered the Japanese landings in Malaya (in present-day Malaysia) and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) in 1942 before engaging American forces at the Battle of Midway and during the Guadalcanal Campaign. Throughout 1943, Haruna primarily remained at Truk Lagoon (Micronesia), Kure Naval Base (near Hiroshima), Sasebo Naval Base (near Nagasaki), and the Lingga Islands (in present-day Indonesia), and deployed on several occasions in response to American carrier airstrikes on Japanese island bases. Haruna participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944, engaging American vessels in the latter.

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

Design and construction

Haruna was the fourth and last of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Kongō-class battlecruisers, a line of capital ships designed by the British naval engineer George Thurston. The class was ordered in 1910 in the Japanese Emergency Naval Expansion Bill after the commissioning of HMS Invincible (1907) in 1908. The four battlecruisers of the Kongo class were designed to match the naval capabilities of the other major powers at the time; they have been called the battlecruiser versions of the British (formerly Turkish) battleship HMS Erin. Their heavy armament and armor protection (which contributed 23.3 percent of their displacement) were greatly superior to those of any other Japanese capital ship afloat at the time.

The keel of Haruna was laid down at Kobe by Kawasaki on 16 March 1912, with most of the parts used in her construction manufactured in Japan. Due to a shortage of available slipways, Haruna and her sister ship JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Kirishima were the first two capital ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy to be built in private shipyards. Launched on 14 December 1913, Haruna's fitting-out began in early 1914. She was completed on 19 April 1915.

Armament
Haruna's main battery consisted of eight 14 in heavy-caliber main guns in four twin turrets (two forward, two aft). The turrets were noted by the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence to be "similar to the British 15-inch turrets", with improvements made in flash-tightness. Each of her main guns could fire high-explosive or armor-piercing shells a maximum of 38770 yd at a firing rate of two shells per minute. In keeping with the Japanese doctrine of deploying more powerful vessels before their opponents, Haruna and her sister ships were the first vessels in the world equipped with 14 in guns. The main guns carried ammunition for 90 salvoes, and had an approximate barrel life of 250 to 280 rounds. In 1941, separate dyes (used to distinguish between shells fired from multiple ships) were introduced for the armor-piercing shells of the four Kongo-class battleships, with Haruna's armor-piercing shells using black dye.

Her secondary battery was originally sixteen 6 in 50-caliber medium guns in single casemates (all located amidships), eight 3 in guns and eight submerged 21 in torpedo tubes. The six-inch guns could fire five to six rounds per minute, with a barrel life of 500 rounds. The 6"/50 caliber gun was capable of firing both anti-aircraft and anti-ship shells, though the positioning of the guns on Haruna made antiaircraft firing impractical. During her second reconstruction, the older 3-inch guns were removed and replaced with eight 5 in dual-purpose guns. These 5"/40 caliber guns could fire between 8 and 14 rounds per minute, with a barrel life of 800 to 1,500 rounds. The 5"/40 had the widest variety of shot types of Haruna's guns, being designed to fire antiaircraft, antiship, and illumination shells. She was also armed with a large number of 1 in antiaircraft machine guns. In 1943, her secondary armament was reconfigured to eight 6 in guns, twelve 5 in guns, and finally by the end of 1944 one hundred and eight Type 96 antiaircraft autocannon in 30 triple and 18 single mounts.

1915–1926: Battlecruiser
On 19 April 1915, Haruna was formally commissioned at Kobe. On 13 December 1915, after eight months of trials, she was assigned to the 3rd Battleship Division of the 2nd Fleet. On 9 April 1916, she departed Sasebo Naval Base for operations in the East China Sea, returning to Japan 10 days later. On 1 December 1916, Captain Saburo Hyakutake assumed command of Haruna until 15 September 1917, when Captain Naomi Taniguchi replaced him. On 1 December 1917, she was placed in reserve, as hostilities in the Pacific theatre of World War I concluded.

On 12 September 1920, Haruna was involved in gunnery drills off Hokkaidō when a breech explosion destroyed the starboard gun of the No. 1 turret, killing seven men and badly damaging the armored roof of the turret. A later investigation by the Imperial Japanese Navy concluded that a faulty fuse ignited the gunpowder bags in the breech, detonating the shell while still in the barrel. The turret was repaired at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, where the elevation of her 14-inch guns was also increased by seven degrees. Three months later, she was once again placed in reserve.

With the conclusion of World War I and the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty, the size of the Imperial Japanese Navy was significantly lessened, with a ratio of 5:5:3 required between the capital ships of the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan. The treaty also banned Japan from building any new capital ships until 1931, with no capital ship permitted to exceed 35000 LT. Provided that new additions did not exceed 3000 LT, existing capital ships were allowed to be upgraded with improved anti-torpedo bulges and deck armor. By the time the Washington Treaty had been fully implemented in Japan, only three classes of World War I-era capital ships remained active: the Ise-class battleships, the Kongō-class battlecruisers, and one of the Fusō-class battleships (JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Yamashiro).

1926–1933: Reconstruction into battleship
Unable to construct new capital ships until 1931, Japan resorted to upgrading battleships and battlecruisers. In July 1926, Haruna became the first of Japan's vessels to undergo extensive modernization and modification, in drydock at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal. Over the next two years, her horizontal armor near her ammunition magazines was strengthened, and the machinery spaces within the hull were increased. Anti-torpedo bulges were added along the waterline, as permitted by the Washington Treaty. She was refitted to accommodate three Type 90 Model 0 floatplanes. To increase her speed and power capacities, all 36 Yarrow boilers were removed and replaced with 16 newer boilers, and Brown-Curtis direct-drive turbines were installed. Haruna's forward funnel was removed, and her second funnel was enlarged and lengthened. The modifications to her hull increased her armor weight from 6,502 to 10,313 long tons, directly violating the terms of the Washington Treaty. In July 1928, Haruna—now capable of speeds of 29 kn—was reclassified as a battleship.

Following new sea trials, Haruna was assigned on 10 December 1928 to the 4th Battleship Division of the 2nd Fleet as the Emperor's special ship. For the next 12 months, she operated between Sasebo, Port Arthur, and the East China Sea. On 1 February 1929, Prince Takamatsu, the younger brother of Emperor Hirohito, was assigned to the crew. On 20 November 1929, she was reassigned to the 1st Battleship Division. She was placed in reserve on 1 December 1930.

On 22 April 1930, Japan signed the London Naval Treaty, placing further restrictions on its maritime forces. In addition to the scrapping of several older battleships, Japan would not be permitted to construct new capital ships until 1937. After minor fitting-out work, her reconstruction begun in 1926 was declared complete on 1 October 1931. On 8 November 1931, she served as the Emperor's ship during his official visit to Kumamoto prefecture.

In September 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria. On 25 February 1933, based on the report by the Lytton Commission, the League of Nations agreed that Japan's invasion had violated Chinese sovereignty. Refusing to accept the organization's judgment, Japan withdrew from the League of Nations the same day. By the end of 1934, Japan would also announce that it would withdraw from the Washington and London Naval Treaties, thus removing all restrictions on the number and size of its capital ships.

1933–1941: Fast battleship
Haruna was reactivated and assigned to the 1st Battleship Division on 20 May 1933. However, on 1 August 1933, Haruna was drydocked at Kure Naval Arsenal in preparation for upgrades that would enable her to escort Japan's growing fleet of aircraft carriers. Her stern was lengthened by 26 ft, and her bridge was completely reconstructed according to Japan's pagoda mast style of forward superstructure. Her 16 older boilers were removed and replaced with 11 oil-fired Kampon Boilers and newer geared turbines. Catapults and rails were added to support three Nakajima E8N or Kawanishi E7K reconnaissance and spotter floatplanes.

Haruna's armor was also extensively upgraded. Her main belt was strengthened to a uniform thickness of 8 inches (up from varying thicknesses of 6 to 8 inches), while diagonal bulkheads of depths ranging from 5 to 8 in now reinforced the main armored belt. The turret armor was strengthened to 10 in, while 4 in were added to portions of the deck armor. Her ammunition magazine protection was also strengthened to 4.0 in. The reconstruction was finished on 30 September 1934. Capable of more than 30 kn despite the significant increase in hull displacement, Haruna was now reclassified as a fast battleship.

On 28 October 1935, Captain Jisaburō Ozawa assumed command of Haruna. On 1 June 1936, she was assigned to the 3rd Battleship Division of the 1st Fleet. Throughout 1937, Haruna conducted extensive gunnery drills and patrols off the coast of China, primarily in the vicinity of Qingdao. On 7 July 1937, Japan officially declared war on China, thus beginning the Sino-Japanese War. One month later, Haruna transported Japanese Army forces to mainland China in preparation for campaigns into Chinese Nationalist territory. On 1 December 1937, she was again placed in reserve. On 2 April 1940, she was transferred from Sasebo to Taiwan. She was redesignated as a "special service ship" on 15 November 1940, and five months later was attached to the 3rd Battleship Division of the 1st Fleet, based in Hashirajima.

1941–1942: Early war service
Haruna and Kongō departed the Hashirajima fleet anchorage on 29 November 1941, to participate in the opening stage of the Pacific War as part of the Southern (Malay) Force's Main Body, under the overall command of Vice-Admiral Nobutake Kondō. On 4 December 1941, the Main Body arrived off the coast of Southern Siam and Northern Malaya, in preparation for the invasion of Siam and the Malayan Peninsula four days later. When Britain's "Force Z"—consisting of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales (53) and the battlecruiser HMS Repulse (1916)—was quickly defeated by Japan's land-based and carrier aircraft, Haruna's battlegroup withdrew from Malayan waters. The battlegroup subsequently sortied from Indochina for three days in mid-December to protect a reinforcement convoy traveling to Malaya and again on 18 December to cover the Army's landing at Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines. The Main Body departed Cam Ranh Bay in French Indochina on 23 December bound for Taiwan, arriving two days later.

On 11 December 1941, an erroneous report was published in the U.S. media that an American B-17 heavy bomber had bombed and mortally damaged Haruna during battle off Lingayen Gulf off the Philippines. No Japanese battleships were present, and Haruna was 1500 nmi away in the Gulf of Siam at the time.

On 18 January 1942, Kondō's Main Force arrived in Palau alongside two fast carriers, with the intention of covering Japan's invasion of Borneo and the Dutch East Indies. Haruna, JAPANESE CRUISER Maya, and the fleet carriers JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Hiryū and JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Sōryū operated to the east of Mindanao until 18 February 1942, when the Main Body departed Palau in preparation for "Operation J", Japan's invasion of the Dutch East Indies. On 25 February, the 3rd Battleship Division provided cover for air attacks on Java. Haruna bombarded Christmas Island on 7 March 1942, then returned to Staring-baai for 15 days of maintenance and rest. In April 1942, Haruna joined five fleet carriers in attacks on Colombo in Ceylon. Following the destruction of HMS Dorsetshire (40) on 5 April 1942, Haruna was sent southwest to locate the remainder of the British Eastern Fleet, under the command of Admiral James Somerville. On 9 April, one of her floatplanes spotted the carrier HMS Hermes (95) south of Trincomalee; Japanese airstrikes sank the carrier the same day. Having crippled the offensive capability of Britain's Eastern Fleet, the 3rd Battleship Division returned to Japan on 23 April. Haruna was drydocked throughout May 1942 for general repairs and refits.

On 29 May 1942, Haruna joined her sister ship JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Kirishima as part of Vice-Admiral Chūichi Nagumo's carrier strike force during the Battle of Midway. On 4 June, she was attacked in multiple airstrikes by American torpedo bombers, but she took no hits and succeeded in shooting down five American aircraft. On 5 June, she took on survivors from the four destroyed Japanese aircraft carriers before returning to Japan. She remained in Japan until September 1942, undergoing minor refits in August of that year. On 6 September, Haruna transferred to Truk Lagoon alongside the rest of the 3rd Battleship Division, and on 10 September the ship sortied as part of Admiral Kondō's 2nd Fleet into the Solomon Islands. On 20 September, the fleet was ordered to return to Truk.

Bombardment of Henderson Field
Main Article: Battle for Henderson Field

In the aftermath of the Battle of Cape Esperance, the Japanese Army opted to reinforce their positions on Guadalcanal. To protect their transport convoy from enemy air attack, Admiral Yamamoto sent Haruna and Kongō, escorted by one light cruiser and nine destroyers, to bombard Henderson Field. Because of their high speed, the two battleships could bombard the field and withdraw before being subjected to air attack from aircraft carriers. On the night of 13–14 October, the two battleships shelled Henderson Field from a distance of 16000 yd, firing 973 14-inch shells. In the most successful Japanese battleship action of the war, the bombardment heavily damaged both runways, destroyed almost all available aviation fuel, incapacitated 48 of the airfield's 90 aircraft, and killed 41 men. The Japanese troop convoy reached the island the next day.

During the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October 1942, Haruna was attacked by a PBY Catalina flying boat but received no damage. In mid-November, the battleship and other warships provided distant cover for the ultimately unsuccessful efforts to bombard Henderson Field again and land reinforcements on Guadalcanal. On 15 November 1942, following the Japanese defeat and loss of JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Hiei and JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Kirishima during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, the 3rd Battleship Division returned to Truk, where it remained for the rest of 1942.

1943: Movement between bases
Haruna engaged no enemy targets during 1943. In late January 1943, she participated in "Operation Ke", as part of a diversionary force and distant cover supporting Japanese destroyers that were evacuating personnel from Guadalcanal. During 15–20 February 1943, the 3rd Battleship Division transferred from Truk to Kure Naval Base. From 23 February to 31 March 1943, Haruna was drydocked in Kure Naval Arsenal for upgrades, receiving additional Type 96 25 mm antiaircraft guns and armor. On 17 May 1943, in response to the American invasion of Attu Island, Haruna sortied alongside JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Musashi, the 3rd Battleship Division, two fleet carriers, two cruisers and nine destroyers. Three days later, the submarine USS Sawfish (SS-276) discovered the task group, but was unable to attack. On 22 May 1943, the task force arrived in Yokosuka, where it was joined by an additional three fleet carriers and two light cruisers; the force was disbanded when Attu fell before the necessary preparations were finished. Throughout June 1943, Haruna was refitted at Yokosuka. On 18 September 1943, Haruna left Truk as part of a counterattack force in response to American raids on the Brown Islands in Micronesia, but no contact was made and the ship returned to the base.

On 17 October 1943, Haruna again left Truk as part of an even larger force—five battleships, three fleet carriers, eight heavy cruisers, three light cruisers and numerous destroyers—in response to American raids on Wake Island. When no contact was made the force returned to Truk on 26 October 1943. On 16 December 1943, she arrived at Sasebo for refits and inland-sea training.

1944: Final combat actions

On 25 January 1944, Captain Kazu Shigenaga assumed command of Haruna while the ship was stationed at Kure. The 3rd Battleship Division departed Kure on 8 March 1944. Arriving at Lingga on 14 March 1944, the division remained for training until 11 May 1944. On 11 May 1944, Haruna and Admiral Ozawa's Mobile Fleet departed Lingga for Tawi-Tawi, where they were joined by Vice-Admiral Takeo Kurita's "Force C". On 13 June, Ozawa's Mobile Fleet departed Tawitawi for the Mariana Islands. During the Battle of the Philippine Sea, Haruna escorted Japanese fast carriers, and was hit by two 500 lb armor-piercing bombs on 20 June 1944 from U.S. carrier aircraft. On 24 June, she was drydocked in Kure for repairs and refitting. In August 1944 she transferred to Lingga.

Battle of Leyte Gulf
In October 1944, Haruna departed Lingga in preparation for "Operation Sho-1", Japan's counterattack during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval engagement in history, as part of Admiral Takao Kurita's center force, consisting of herself and her sistership Kongō, the battleship Nagato, and the "super battleships" Yamato and Musashi, the largest and most powerful battleships ever built, supported by ten heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and fifteen destroyers. The plan immediately had its hiccups. On the 23, the submarine USS Darter sank the heavy cruiser Atago, followed by the submarine USS Dace torpedoing and sinking the heavy cruiser Maya, then Darter crippled the heavy cruiser Takao, forcing her out of the battle alongside two destroyers to escort her. The next day, air attacks from US aircraft carriers persisted. Haruna survived with only minor damage from bomb splinters, but Musashi was sunk and the heavy cruiser Myōkō was crippled and forced out of the battle alongside two more destroyers to escort her.

Battle off Samar
A false retreat tricked the US into believing the Japanese center force was well out of the battle, leading to Admiral Halsey chasing Admiral Ozawa's decoy force. On the 25, the diminished center force located Taffy 3, a small US task force of six escort carriers, three destroyers, and four destroyer escorts, prompting Haruna to fire away. She initially targeted the destroyer USS Johnston with her 6-inch (152 mm) secondary guns, but missed her shots before reengaging the escort carriers. At 7:54, Haruna hit the escort carrier USS Kalinin Bay with a 14-inch (356 mm) shell to her hanger bay from a distance of 16,400 yards (15,000 meters), disabling her aircraft elevator. Haruna was then targeted by destroyer launched torpedoes, but they all missed. At 8:10, Haruna (probably) hit the escort carrier USS Gambier Bay with a 14-inch (356 mm) shell to her stern, causing negligible damage, as almost simultaneously Yamato hit her with an 18.1-inch (46 cm) shell that punched through her hanger bay. Haruna failed to hit Gambier Bay again as Yamato caused the majority of the fatal damage which sank the flat top.

After a fierce defensive action by the American ships, Admiral Kurita elected to withdraw, ending the battle.

Following the Japanese Navy's defeat at Leyte Gulf, Haruna returned to Brunei and Lingga for repairs. On 22 November 1944, she ran aground on a coral reef near Lingga, suffering serious damage to her watertight compartments and forcing her to return to Sasebo, where the hull was patched and repaired. On 2 December 1944, while returning to Japan from Southeast Asia as part of a task group, she evaded torpedoes fired by an American submarine. On 9 December, three more American submarines intercepted the task group; USS Sea Devil (SS-400), USS Plaice (SS-390), and USS Redfish (SS-395), and they proceeded to permanently cripple the aircraft carrier JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Junyō with three torpedo hits. Unharmed, Haruna arrived at Sasebo the following day. At the end of 1944, she transferred to Kure for full repairs and upgrading, having survived a year in which four other Japanese battleships had been lost.

1945: Loss
On 1 January 1945, Haruna was removed from the deactivated 3rd Battleship Division and transferred to the 1st Battleship Division of the 2nd Fleet. On 10 February, Haruna was assigned to the Kure Naval District. On 19 March 1945, American carrier aircraft attacked the remainder of the Japanese Navy at Kure. The base was defended by veteran Japanese fighter instructors flying Kawanishi N1K-J "Shiden" or "George" fighters, led by the man who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor, Minoru Genda. These fighter planes were superior in some respects to America's main fighter, the F6F Hellcat. They surprised the attackers, destroyed several American aircraft, and defended the base from the brunt of the attack. Haruna sustained light damage from a single bomb on the starboard side, and remained at Kure.

On 24 July 1945, the U.S. Navy's Task Force 38 began a series of aerial attacks on Kure Naval Base to destroy the last remnants of Japan's navy. The same day, the battleship JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Hyūga was sunk, and Haruna was hit by a single bomb which caused light damage. Four days later, she sustained eight bomb hits from Task Force 38's aircraft and sank at her moorings at 16:15. In two days of attacks, 65 officers and men of Haruna were killed. Her remnants were raised from the sea floor in 1946 and broken up over the course of two months.

General references

 * Boyle, David (1998). World War II in Photographs. London. Rebo Productions. ISBN 1-84053-089-8
 * Jackson, Robert (2000). The World's Great Battleships. Brown Books. ISBN 1-897884-60-5
 * Jackson, Robert (editor) (2008). 101 Great Warships. London: Amber Books. ISBN 978-1-905704-72-9
 * McCurtie, Francis (1989) [1945]. Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II. London: Bracken Books. ISBN 1-85170-194-X
 * Reynolds, Clark G (1982). The Carrier War. Time-Life Books. ISBN 0-8094-3304-4
 * Schom, Alan (2004). The Eagle and the Rising Sun: The Japanese-American War, 1941–1943. Norton & Company. ISBN 0-393-32628-4
 * Steinberg, Rafael (1980) Return to the Philippines. Time-Life Books Inc. ISBN 0-8094-2516-5
 * Stille, Cdr Mark (2008). Imperial Japanese Navy Battleships 1941–1945. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-280-6
 * Swanston, Alexander and Swanston, Malcolm (2007). The Historical Atlas of World War II. London: Cartographica Press Ltd. ISBN 0-7858-2200-3
 * Willmott, H.P. and Keegan, John (2002) [1999]. The Second World War in the Far East. Smithsonian Books. LCCN 2004049199. ISBN 1-58834-192-5
 * Stille, Cdr Mark (2008). Imperial Japanese Navy Battleships 1941–1945. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-280-6
 * Swanston, Alexander and Swanston, Malcolm (2007). The Historical Atlas of World War II. London: Cartographica Press Ltd. ISBN 0-7858-2200-3
 * Willmott, H.P. and Keegan, John (2002) [1999]. The Second World War in the Far East. Smithsonian Books. LCCN 2004049199. ISBN 1-58834-192-5

title: Japanese battleship Haruna


text:
USS Samoa

Two ships in the United States Navy have been named USS Samoa:

 * The first USS Samoa (1917) was a steamship used in the South Pacific from 1917 to 1920.
 * The second USS Samoa (CB-6) was to have been used for a large Alaska-class cruiser, but it was cancelled in 1943.

title: USS Samoa


text:
Pinus clausa

Pinus clausa is a species of pine endemic to the Southeastern United States. Its common names include sand pine, Florida spruce pine, and scrub pine.

Distribution
The tree is found in two separate locations, one across central peninsular Florida, and the other along the western Florida panhandle coast into the Alabama coast. There is a range gap of about 200 km between the populations (from the Ochlockonee River to Cedar Key). The sand pines of the Florida peninsula and of the Florida panhandle coast differ enough to be classified into two varieties or races, Pinus clausa var. clausa ("Ocala"), on the peninsula, and P. clausa var. immuginata ("Choctawhatchee"), along the panhandle coast. While most peninsular sand pines (var. clausa) have non-serotinous, or open, cones, most of the panhandle sand pines (var. immuginata) have serotinous, or closed, cones.

Sand pine is largely confined to the very infertile, excessively well-drained, sandy habitat of Florida scrub. It is often the only canopy tree in the Florida scrub ecosystem. Stands of sand pines in peninsular Florida tend to be dense and of the same age, while stands of sand pines along the panhandle coast tend to be more open than on the peninsula, and with trees of varying age.

Description
Pinus clausa is a small, often shrubby tree from 5 - 10 m, exceptionally to 21 m tall. It is vulnerable to windfall, and stands in areas prone to hurricanes can be found leaning in the same direction.

The leaves are needle-like, in pairs, 5 - 10 cm long, and its cones are 3 - 8 cm long.

Over much of its range, it is fire-adapted to stand-replacing wildfires, with the cones remaining closed for many years (clausa = closed), until a natural forest fire kills the mature trees and opens the cones. These then reseed the burnt ground. Some populations differ in having cones that open at maturity, with seed dispersal not relying on fires. Without a fire every 20-60 years, Pinus clausa populations will be succeeded by oak and hickory. Most fires occur in the spring due to low water content in the needles and high winds. In addition, resin content is highest in the spring, causing extreme or uncontrollable fire behavior, such as a 1935 fire in Ocala National Forest that burned 5,670 acres (2,295 ha) in only 4 hours.

Uses
Pinus clausa woodlands are an important part of the Florida scrub ecosystem, and provide habitat for songbirds, birds of prey, grey and flying squirrels, as well as the endangered Florida sand skink and Florida scrub jay, among other species. It is one of the few canopy trees able to grow in arid, sandy, and hot locations with minimal care.

While the dense branching and crooked trunks makes this tree unsuitable for wood production, it is often used for wood pulp.

title: Pinus clausa


text:
Bazooka (instrument)

The bazooka is a brass musical instrument several feet in length which incorporates telescopic tubing like the trombone. Radio comedian Bob Burns is credited with inventing the instrument in the 1910s, and popularized it in the 1930s. It was also played by jazz musicians Noon Johnson and Sanford Kendrick.

Name
The name "bazooka" comes from an extension of the word "bazoo", which is slang for "mouth" or "boastful talk", and which ultimately probably stems from Dutch bazuin (buisine, a medieval trumpet). The name appears in the 1909 novel The Swoop, or How Clarence Saved England by P. G. Wodehouse.

During World War II, the United States Army's new M1 anti-tank weapon, a man-portable recoilless anti-tank rocket launcher, rapidly became universally known by its nickname the "bazooka" because of its resemblance to this musical instrument.

Instrument
From its start within a lipreed mouthpiece – which may consist of nothing but the bare tube or may employ a mouthpiece which is handmade to emulate one from a low brass instrument – the air column expands into a length of large-diameter pipe that slides freely around a length of narrower-diameter pipe, which, in turn, terminates in a widely flaring bell.

Although the slide action of the bazooka appears as if it would alter the pitch in the same way as the slide of a trombone, this is not the case, due to the extremely wide diameter of the bazooka's tubing relative to its length. Manipulating the horn's length changes only the tone quality, as subtle harmonic overtones fluctuate. This effect gives the bazooka its characteristic warbling, echoing sound.

All of the bazooka's notes are produced purely in falset. In other words, the player's lips produce pitches as they vibrate on the bare pipe end (or on the optional mouthpiece and leadpipe unit), but the pitches produced by the lips cannot generate a standing-wave vibration of the air inside such a wide tube. Therefore, unlike the trombone, the remainder of the bazooka works mainly as a megaphone to amplify the volume of the sound.

It can be seen being played by Bob Burns in the 1936 movie Rhythm on the Range during the song "I'm an Old Cowhand".

title: Bazooka (instrument)


text:
Thumb Fire

The Thumb Fire took place on September 5, 1881, in the Thumb area of Michigan in the United States. The fire, which burned over a million acres (4,000 km2) in less than a day, was the consequence of drought, hurricane-force winds, heat, the after-effects of the Port Huron Fire of 1871, and the ecological damage wrought by the era's logging techniques. The blaze, also called the Great Thumb Fire, the Great Forest Fire of 1881 and the Huron Fire, killed 282 people in Sanilac, Lapeer, Tuscola and Huron counties. The damage estimate was $2,347,000 in 1881, equivalent to $0 when adjusted for inflation. The fire sent enough soot and ash up into the atmosphere that sunlight was partially obscured at many locations on the East Coast of the United States. In New England cities, the sky appeared yellow and projected a strange luminosity onto buildings and vegetation. Twilight appeared at 12 noon. September 6, 1881, became known as Yellow Tuesday or Yellow Day because of the ominous nature of this atmospheric event.

History
August and the first days of September 1881 were hotter than usual, and the Thumb had had a rain deficit since April; in Thornville, this period was the driest registered up to 1969. There were forest fires beginning in mid-August, and on August 31, a fire started in northern Lapeer County. It destroyed several buildings in Sandusky and Deckerville in nearby Sanilac County. On Monday, September 5, the town of Bad Axe, in Huron County, burst into flames. Winds spread the fire to Huron City and Grindstone City. The fire continued to spread through Tuesday and Wednesday, September 6 and 7, consuming most of Huron, Tuscola, Sanilac and Lapeer counties.

Relief aid
In 1881 Clara Barton, at the age of 60, founded the American Red Cross. The organization's first official disaster relief operation was its response to the Michigan "Thumb Fire" of 1881. The Red Cross provided money, clothes and household items. The fire caused more than 14,000 people to be dependent on public aid. It also destroyed over 2,000 barns, dwellings, and schools.

Fire protection
After the fires of 1881, people started to organize firefighting plans. By the 1900s the timber barons were suffering huge losses from forest fires, so they developed the Northern Forest and Protection Association to manage forest fires in Michigan; it was superseded by the U.S. Forest Service. However, the Ford Motor Company, which owned large areas of forest, had already established serious conservation and cleanup methods, along with maintaining their own firetowers and timber patrols, in order to discover fires soon after their start. The early settlers used bucket brigades to protect their houses and barns, but they were no match for the raging fires. In 1917, Michigan purchased its first tractor for firefighting.

title: Thumb Fire


text:
Bazooka (chewing gum)

Bazooka is an American brand of bubble gum that was introduced in 1947. It is a product of "Bazooka Candy Brands" (BCB), which was a division of The Topps Co. until the latter’s acquisition by Fanatics, Inc. in 2022.

In October 2023, it was announced that Apax Partners had completed the acquisition of BCB and its product portfolio.

History
Bazooka bubble gum was first marketed shortly after World War II in the U.S. by the Topps Company of Brooklyn, New York. The gum was most likely named after the rocket-propelled weapon developed by the U.S. army during the war, which itself was named after a musical instrument.

The bubble gum was packaged in a red, white, and blue color scheme and originally sold for 1 penny. Beginning in 1953, Topps changed the packaging to include small comic strips with the gum, featuring the character "Bazooka Joe". There are over 1,535 different "Bazooka Joe" comic-strip wrappers to collect. Also on the comic strip is an offer for a premium and a fortune. Older Bazooka Joe comic strips were larger in size and are no longer available.

In addition to "Original", Topps eventually included the flavors "Strawberry Shake," "Cherry Berry," "Watermelon Whirl," and "Grape Rage." Bazooka bubble gum also makes sugar-free flavors such as "Original" and a "Flavor Blasts" variety, claimed to have a longer-lasting, more intense taste. Bazooka bubble gum comes in two different sizes.

Bazooka bubble gum is sold in many countries, often with Bazooka Joe comic strips translated to the local language. Bazooka gum is sold in Canada with cartoons in both English and French, depending upon the city. In Israel, it is manufactured under license by Elite in the company's factory in Nof HaGalil; the cartoons are written in Hebrew.

In Spain, it was sold under the name "Chicle Bazoka" (with only one "o") starting in the mid-1960s and featuring the Bazooka Joe strips. One of the publicity slogans was "Chicle bazoka, siempre en la boca" (Bazooka gum, always in the mouth). Rhymes were a popular publicity trick at the time.

In 2012, Bazooka Candy Brands announced they would no longer include comics, instead using brain-teasing puzzle wrappers in an attempt to modernize the brand.

In Argentina, sales continue with the comics in Spanish using the name "Yo amo Bazooka" (I love Bazooka). Topps lists all information about all of its Bazooka Candy brands through its website Candymania.

In April 2019, the company announced the launch of the Bazooka Throwback pack.

title: Bazooka (chewing gum)