Action of 8 June 1945

Action of 8 June 1945
Part of the Pacific theatre of the Second World War
Japanese Myōkō-class heavy cruiser Ashigara
Date 8 June 1945 Location Bangka Strait, Java Sea 01°59′S 104°56′E / 1.983°S 104.933°E / -1.983; 104.933[1] Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Arthur Hezlet	Shin'ichi Ichise Hayao Miura
Strength
HMS Trenchant HMS Stygian	Heavy cruiser Ashigara Destroyer Kamikaze
Casualties and losses
None	Ashigara sunk 1,350 dead

The action of 8 June 1945, sometimes called the Sinking of Ashigara was a naval action that resulted in the sinking of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) heavy cruiser Ashigara by the British submarine HMS Trenchant. Ashigara was transporting Japanese troops from the Dutch East Indies for the defence of Singapore and its loss caused many casualties.

The voyage of Ashigara was revealed to the Allies by Ultra decrypts, which enabled Rear-Admiral James Fife, the US commander of submarines, South-West Pacific, to lay an ambush. Trenchant and HMS Stygian patrolled on either side of the Hendrik Klippen Shoal at the north end of the Bangka Strait, between Sumatra and Bangka Island. The British submarines were alerted by sighting reports from US submarines.

Trenchant fired a long-range salvo of eight torpedoes at Ashigara, from a tactically-awkward angle but the Japanese cruiser was too close to the Sumatran shore to turn away. The cruiser had to accelerate and turn towards the torpedoes but could only evade three of them. The five hits caused a big fire and Ashigara took on a list to starboard before capsizing. The destroyer Kamikaze rescued survivors but 1,350 men of the crew and troops being transported were killed.