World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseOnami was completed at Osaka, Japan in late 1942, with Commander Kiyoshi Kikkawa in command. On 20 Jan 1943, she was assigned to the Destroyer Division 31 of Destroyer Squadron 2 of the Japanese Navy 2nd Fleet. Two weeks later, she was named as the flagship of the destroyer division's commanding officer Captain Kiyoto Kagawa. She escorted ships between Japan and islands of Central and South Pacific Ocean, and then participated in two successful "Tokyo Express" runs to Bougainville and Buka in Nov 1943. On 25 Nov 1943, Onami led four other destroyer-transports on another "Tokyo Express" run from Rabaul to Buka, with three of the group's ships laden with troops. After successfully delivering their cargo, they encountered six American destroyers, engaging in what was to be known as the Battle of Cape St. George. Aided by radar, American destroyers Charles Ausburne and Claxton silently closed in and launched torpedoes, sinking Onami with the loss of all hands, including both Kagawa and Kikkawa. No realized it at the time, but this "Tokyo Express" run led by Onami was to be the last of the Pacific War.

Onami Operational Timeline

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