The Battle of Sagami Bay on 22 July 1945 was the last surface naval engagement of World War II.
Key Facts
- Date
- 22 July 1945 (night)
- U.S. Force
- Destroyer Squadron 61 (DesRon 61)
- Freighter sunk
- No.5 Hakutetsu Maru
- Tonnage sunk
- 800 long tons
- Freighter damaged
- Enbun Maru (6,919 long tons)
- Japanese escorts damaged
- None
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
By mid-1945, U.S. naval forces were conducting intensive anti-shipping operations along the Japanese coast to sever supply lines. A Japanese convoy consisting of two freighters escorted by subchaser No. 42 and minesweeper No. 1 was operating near the tip of the Bōsō Peninsula, making it a target for American destroyer forces operating in the area.
On the night of 22 July 1945, U.S. Navy Destroyer Squadron 61 intercepted the Japanese convoy in Sagami Bay. American forces sank the 800-long-ton freighter No.5 Hakutetsu Maru and damaged the larger freighter Enbun Maru (6,919 long tons). The Japanese escorts, subchaser No. 42 and minesweeper No. 1, escaped without damage.
The Enbun Maru and the undamaged Japanese escorts withdrew to Tateyama Bay. The engagement proved to be the final surface action of World War II, occurring just weeks before Japan's surrender in August 1945, underscoring the extent of U.S. naval dominance in Japanese coastal waters by that stage of the war.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent