The Heavy Cruiser Tone formed the 8th Cruiser Squadron with her sistership Chikuma. They operated together through most of their careers, including the covering force for the Pearl Harbor operation in Dec 1941. She participated in operations against Wake Island, the raid on Darwin in Feb, and operations in the Indian Ocean in Mar-Apr. She returned to the Pacific for Midway campaign, and saw action around Guadalcanal. On 24 Aug Tone was damaged by aircraft from USS Saratoga during the Battle of Santa Cruz, while Chikuma was hit by aircraft from USS Hornet. After repairs, both were at Simpson Harbor, Rabaul, on 5 Nov. 1943 when aircraft from Saratoga and Princeton again damaged them. In Feb 1944 they were formed into the 7th Cruiser Squadron and sortied into the Indian Ocean. They returned to the Pacific and were present at the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June, and formed part of Kurita's Center Force at the Battle of Leyte Gulf. During the action with US escort carriers and destroyers off Samar, Chikuma was sunk by aircraft torpedoes, 25 Oct 1944. Tone survived and returned to Japan after bomb damage in Mar 1945. She was sunk in the raids on Kure, 24 Jul 1945, raised postwar and broken up in 1948.
Submitted by The Virtual Navy
Submitted by The Virtual Navy
