The Story of a B-29 Bomber Ripping of a Kongo Class IJN Battleship’s Stern With a Direct Hit

The Surprise at Kure Naval Arsenal

On June 22, 1945, American B-29 bombers launched a major airstrike on the Japanese Kure Naval Arsenal, a key site for shipbuilding and naval weapon production during World War II. This location on the southern coast of Honshu was heavily fortified and played a major role in the construction and maintenance of the Japanese fleet.

Among the targets that day was the aging battleship Haruna, a Kongo-class ship commissioned in 1913. At the time of the attack, Haruna was docked inside the arsenal’s harbor, an area known as zone 657A. The bombing raid was carried out by the 58th and 73rd Bomb Wings, who released 1,289 bombs from an altitude of 18,000 feet. These bombs ranged in size from 500 to 2,000 pounds and were set to detonate with a short delay after impact.

The Damage Done by High-Level Bombing

One declassified intelligence photo shows a B-29 strike hitting the stern of the Haruna. Although an early report claimed the bombs were 4,000-pound class, further documentation confirmed that the largest bombs dropped that day were actually 2,000 pounds. The exact damage to the Haruna included the loss of its stern, torn away by direct hits. Even near-misses within about 50 feet of the hull could cause serious underwater damage, much like torpedoes.

The Haruna was the oldest Japanese battleship still in service at the time, and though updated several times over its long career, it was not designed to resist the kind of damage that modern aerial bombs could cause. The armor layout included half-inch steel on the upper decks, with a thicker four-inch armored deck deeper inside. The bomb likely punched through the upper armor before detonating just above the thicker lower deck, causing massive internal damage but not sinking the ship immediately.

Visual Records and Bomb Accuracy

Aerial surveillance photos and bombing maps showed the Haruna docked within the primary strike zone. Of the bombs dropped, 288 fell within 1,000 feet of the aim point, and 415 more landed within the next 1,000 feet. The ship was well within this damage radius. In total, 162 B-29s participated in the mission, each carrying over five tons of bombs. There was no fighter resistance during the operation, which lasted about 14.5 hours round-trip.

The aftermath map indicated that over 70% of the arsenal’s roof area was damaged. Buildings near the harbor were either destroyed, gutted by fire, or suffered roof damage. The Haruna, although badly damaged by the B-29 strike, was not destroyed on that day.

Final Attacks and the Sinking of Haruna

The Haruna remained afloat until late July 1945. On July 24, it suffered a light hit from carrier-based aircraft, but it was the July 28 raid that sealed its fate. American planes from carriers including the USS Lexington launched a final attack using mostly 500- and 1,000-pound general-purpose bombs. These aircraft included Hellcats, Corsairs, Helldivers, and Avengers.

Although the exact number of hits varies by report, it’s believed the ship was struck by at least eight bombs with an additional ten near misses. The damage was too severe this time, and the Haruna finally sank in the harbor where it had been docked.