Inter-war period 1922–1930 Construction of
Furutaka and her
sister ship was authorized in March 1922, and contracts were placed for the two vessels on 22 June. The
keel for the new cruiser was
laid down on 5 December that year at the
Mitsubishi shipyard in
Nagasaki. Civil unrest in Japan in 1923 slowed work on the ship. Her completed hull was
launched on 25 February 1925, and
fitting-out work was scheduled to be completed by 23 November. Problems with the ship's turbines during
sea trials delayed completion until 31 March 1926, the day she was
commissioned into active service. Upon entering service,
Furutaka was assigned to Cruiser Division 5, along with
Kako and the light cruisers , , and ; the cruisers were initially based at
Yokosuka Naval Arsenal.
Furutaka became the divisional
flagship. On 9 May 1926,
Furutaka made a short trip from
Yokohama to
Shimoda with a number of senior government officials aboard, including
Vice Admiral Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu;
Prime Minister Wakatsuki Reijirō; and
Navy Minister Takarabe Takeshi.
Kako replaced
Furutaka as the division flagship on 1 December while the latter underwent modifications that lasted into February 1927. By that time, the ships assigned to the division were the two
Furutakas and the light cruisers and .
Furutaka rejoined the unit for a cruise to China that began on 27 March, which included a stop in
Amoy, China, along with
Makung in the
Pescadores. By 26 April, the ships had arrived back in Japan, stopping first at
Sasebo. Summer training exercises with the rest of the fleet were held in the
Bungo Channel. During the first phase of the maneuvers in August,
Naka and
Jintsū were damaged in collisions, leaving just
Furutaka and
Kako to operate during the second phase conducted in September and October. The exercises concluded with a
fleet review off Yokohama on 30 October. The two recently completed s joined
Furutaka and
Kako in Cruiser Division 5 in December, becoming the new division flagship.
Furutaka went into the shipyard for alterations between 2 and 16 December.
Furutaka and the rest of the division sailed on 29 May 1928, bound for
Qingdao, China. From there, they proceeded to
Ryojun in the
Kwantung Leased Territory, arriving on 9 April. The ships then moved to
Dairen, also in the Kwangtung territory, where they joined the second expedition to
Shandong, China. The Japanese force brought soldiers to Qingdao in response to fighting during the
Northern Expedition that threatened Japanese interests in the area, which led to the
Jinan incident.
Furutaka and the other cruisers thereafter returned home, and they were present for the annual summer and autumn maneuvers. All four vessels participated in a major fleet review held on 4 December to mark the coronation of Emperor
Hirohito.
Furutaka and the other cruisers made another cruise to Shandong and then Ryojun that began on 28 March 1929 and concluded in April.
Furutaka was placed in reserve on 7 November for the modification work that lasted until 1 December 1930.
1930–1941 Upon returning to active service after the conclusion of her refit,
Furutaka rejoined Cruiser Division 5; at the same time,
Kako and
Kinugasa were decommissioned for their refits, leaving just in the unit with her. The two cruisers visited Qingdao in April 1931. After returning to Yokosuka the following month,
Furutaka was
dry docked for periodic maintenance that lasted from 29 May to 29 September. She and
Aoba were also decommissioned on 1 December, leaving Cruiser Division 5 without active units.
Furutaka was moved to Kure on 1 February 1932, where she was dry docked again for repairs to her hull that lasted from 23 February to 30 April.
Furutaka remained in
reserve until 15 November 1933, when she was assigned to Cruiser Division 6, by which time her sister and the two
Aobas had already been transferred there.
Furutaka was soon dry docked at Kure for needed updates, including the installation of a new
wireless system, which lasted from 20 November to 31 January 1934. Damage to her hull necessitated emergency repairs at
Maizuru Naval Arsenal from 5 to 8 September. The ship then joined the other two cruisers of the division at Ryojun for another voyage to Tsingtao, which concluded in Sasebo on 5 October. The three cruisers of 6th division sailed on 29 March 1935 for another short cruise in Chinese waters, this time off the mouth of the
Yangtze.
Furutaka and the others arrived back in Yokosuka on 4 April. Another dry docking followed for
Furutaka for repairs that lasted from 28 May to 20 June. She thereafter rejoined the unit for the annual summer and autumn maneuvers. The ship was placed back in reserve on 15 November, attached to the Kure Guard Squadron. She remained there until 15 February 1936, after which she laid idle until 6 March 1937, when she was taken into the shipyard at Kure for her major reconstruction, which lasted until 30 April 1939. This was earlier than originally planned, because the ship had suffered some damage to her turbine blades in 1935–1936, and was in need of an engine overhaul. After the turrets and torpedo tubes were removed at Kure,
Furutaka was moved temporarily to the
Osaka Iron Works for alterations to her hull. As the four
Furutaka and
Aoba-class cruisers began to return to service after their reconstructions, they were assigned again to Cruiser Division 6, then part of the
1st Fleet. By early 1940, this consisted of only
Kinugasa (the flagship) and
Furutaka. The two cruisers embarked on a cruise to south China on 26 March 1940, concluding in
Takao, Japan, on 2 April. They then sailed into the
Seto Inland Sea for training exercises. The two cruisers were present for another fleet review on 11 October, which marked the 2,600th anniversary of the founding of Japan. The following month,
Aoba rejoined the unit, and on 1 March 1941,
Kinugasa restored the division to full strength. The other three cruisers had already sailed to patrol in Chinese waters on 24 February, arriving back in the Inland Sea on 3 March.
Furutaka and
Kako conducted a short cruise in Japanese waters from 5 to 14 September.
Furutaka thereafter entered dry dock at Kure for periodic maintenance. As preparations for the upcoming, wide-ranging offensives against Anglo-American forces began in earnest in late 1941,
Furutaka and the rest of the division conducted combat drills in mid-October. On 1 November, they were allocated to the
South Seas Force. More training followed in the Bungo Channel through the first half of November, after which the cruisers returned to Kure to load fuel, ammunition, and other supplies. They sailed for
Hahajima in the
Bonin Islands, arriving there on 2 December; by that time, the division had come under the command of
Rear Admiral Aritomo Goto.
World War II reconnaissance plane
Furutaka and the rest of 6th Cruiser Division were assigned to support the wide-ranging amphibious invasions in the Central Pacific planned by the
Imperial General Headquarters, which were to establish the defensive barrier that would protect the
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere Japan planned to seize. As part of the South Sea Force,
Furutaka was to participate in the invasion of
Guam,
Wake Island, and
Rabaul. The unit also included
Yūbari, the two s, and two divisions of
destroyers.
Furutaka and the rest of her division departed Hahajima on 4 December to support the
invasion of Guam, which took place on 8 December. Transports sent a landing force of some 700 soldiers ashore, which quickly defeated the American garrison, which provided only minimal resistance. Four days later, she and the other cruisers arrived at the Japanese naval base at
Truk in the
Caroline Islands, and they sailed the following day to provide additional firepower to the
second assault on Wake on 22 December, which succeeded in capturing the island the following day. By 10 January 1942, the four cruisers had arrived back at Truk. With the first two objectives secured in the Central Pacific, the ships of the South Sea Force turned to their next target: Rabaul, on the island of
New Britain, and neighboring
Kavieng on
New Ireland. The ships sailed from Truk on 18 January, as part of the distant covering force for the landing five days later, and by 30 January,
Furutaka and the other ships were anchored in the harbor at Rabaul. On 1 February, raids by American
aircraft carriers on Japanese positions in the
Marshall Islands prompted Goto to sortie with his four cruisers in an attempt to catch the carriers. By 4 February, the cruisers had reached
Roi-Namur, and two days later they arrived in
Kwajalein, but by that time the Americans had withdrawn, so Goto sailed back to Truk, arriving on 10 February. There, the ships underwent maintenance. Another American carrier raid on 20 February, this time targeting Rabaul, led Goto to sortie again, but the search again proved fruitless and the cruisers were back in Truk on 23 February. In March, Goto's ships covered a series of amphibious assaults in New Guinea and nearby islands, beginning on 8 March with landings at
Lae and
Salamaua in New Guinea. On 30 March, they escorted the landing force for the occupation of
Shortland Island, followed by
Kieta on the island of
Bougainville the next day. By 10 April,
Furutaka and the other cruisers had arrived in Truk, where they underwent periodic maintenance. By that time, the initial phase of Japanese conquests had been completed, and already in April, the Imperial Headquarters had decided to embark on a second phase of operations. The first of these, codenamed
Operation Mo, centered on attacks on
Port Moresby in New Guinea and the island of
Tulagi in the
Solomon Islands.
Furutaka and the rest of Cruiser Division 6 were assigned to the operation, forming the core of the Main Force in company with the
light carrier . The ships sailed from Truk on 30 April and passed through the
Bougainville Strait two days later. On 3 May, troops went ashore on Tulagi while the Main Force patrolled offshore; following the landing, the Main Force withdrew toward
Buka Island, but an American carrier raid on Tulagi on 4 May prompted Goto to take his ships back east in the direction of
Guadalcanal. The Japanese stopped at Shortland to refuel from the oiler on 5 May. The next day, Goto sortied to cover the invasion force for Port Moresby.
Battle of the Coral Sea While
Furutaka and the rest of the invasion force were en route to Port Moresby on 6 May, American land-based bombers attacked the fleet several times, and the cruisers assisted in repelling the bombers. The following day, Goto's formation came under heavy air attack from American carrier aircraft in the
Battle of the Coral Sea.
Shōhō was sunk, after which
Furutaka and
Kinugasa were detached to strengthen the escort around the fleet carrier , while the rest of the invasion fleet withdrew.
Shōkaku had also been damaged in the fighting, so
Furutaka and
Kinugasa escorted her out of the immediate combat area. By 10 May, the two cruisers had detached from
Shōkaku and had arrived back in Kieta. Three days later, they moved to Shortland to refuel, before getting underway again on 15 May, bound for Truk. They arrived there on 17 May and remained in the port until the end of the month.
Furutaka and
Kinugasa departed on 31 May to return to Kure for refits,
Furutaka being repaired and refitted from 5 to 28 June. As a result, she was not available to participate in the
Battle of Midway in early June.
Furutaka and
Kinugasa departed immediately after completing repairs on 28 June and arrived in Truk on 4 July and thereafter embarked on a patrol through the Solomons, including stops at
Rekata Bay on
Santa Isabel and
Queen Carola Harbor on Buka. During these operations, the division was assigned to the newly created
8th Fleet, under the command of
Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa.
Battle of Savo Island In the
Battle of Savo Island on 9 August 1942, Cruiser Division 6, the heavy cruiser , light cruisers and
Yūbari and destroyer engaged the
Allied forces in a night gun and torpedo action. At about 23:00,
Chōkai,
Furutaka and
Kako all launched their reconnaissance
floatplanes. The circling floatplanes dropped flares illuminating the targets and all the Japanese ships opened fire. The heavy cruisers , and were sunk and was scuttled. Heavy cruiser was damaged as were the destroyers and . On the Japanese side,
Chōkai was hit three times,
Kinugasa twice,
Aoba once and
Furutaka was not damaged and returned to Kavieng on 10 August. During the
Battle of the Eastern Solomons in late August, Cruiser Division 6 and
Chōkai departed Shortland to provide distant cover for the Guadalcanal reinforcement convoys. That same day, a
Consolidated PBY Catalina of VP23's "Black Cats" unsuccessfully attacked
Furutaka in daylight.
Furutaka shuttled between Kieta and Rabaul as needed to refuel and resupply through mid-September. The submarine attacked
Furutaka south of New Ireland on 12 September, but did no damage.
Battle of Cape Esperance So alerted, the American heavy cruisers and , and light cruisers and —all equipped with radar—and five destroyers steamed around the end of Guadalcanal to block the entrance to Savo Sound. At 22:35,
Helenas radar spotted the Japanese fleet, and the Americans successfully
crossed the Japanese "T". Both fleets opened fire, but Admiral Goto, thinking that he was under
friendly fire, ordered a 180-degree turn that exposed each of his ships to the American broadsides.
Aoba was damaged heavily, and Admiral Goto was mortally wounded on her bridge. With
Aoba crippled, Captain Araki of
Furutaka turned his ship out of the
line of battle to engage
Salt Lake City. Destroyer launched two torpedoes toward
Furutaka that either missed or failed to detonate.
Duncan continued firing at
Furutaka until she was put out of action by numerous shell hits. At 23:54,
Furutaka was hit by a torpedo from that flooded her forward engine room and permanently disabled her. During the battle, about 90 shells hit
Furutaka and some ignited her
Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedoes, starting fires. At 02:28 on 12 October,
Furutaka sank stern first at . Captain Araki and 514 survivors were rescued by the destroyers , and . Thirty-three crewmen were killed and 110 were later counted as missing. The Americans took 115 of
Furutakas crew as
prisoners of war, including her Operations Officer, LtCdr. Shotaro Matsui. Most of these surviving crew were imprisoned at the
Featherston prisoner of war camp in
New Zealand.
Furutaka was removed from the
Navy List on 10 November 1942. ==Wreck==