page_title: Japanese cruiser Kitakami
section_title: As a Kaiten carrier
hierarchical_section_title: Japanese cruiser Kitakami / Service career / As a Kaiten carrier
caption_attribution_description: 日本語: 巡洋艦『北上』の右舷側軌道から発進する『回天1型』 English: Kaiten Type 1 launch test from starboard of HIJMS Kitakami
context_page_description: Kitakami was a Kuma-class cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy, named after the Kitakami River in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.
context_section_description: From 14 August 1944 Kitakami was repaired and modified at Sasebo Naval Arsenal into a Kaiten human torpedo carrier with a capacity for eight Kaiten. A 20-ton crane, formerly from the seaplane carrier Chitose, was fitted to raise and lower the Kaiten into the water. Her stern was remodeled into an overhanging ramp configuration and the aft turbines were removed as well, and the space used to hold spare parts and repair equipment. The removal of these turbines reduced Kitakami's top speed from 36 to 23 knots (67 to 43 km/h). All of Kitakami's remaining armaments were removed and replaced by two Type 89 127-mm AA guns and 67 Type 96 25-mm (twelve triple-mount and 31 single-mount) AA guns, two Type 13 air-search and one Type 22 surface-search radars. Two depth charge launching rails were installed at the stern and two depth charge throwers were also installed. The refit was completed on 20 January 1945, and Kitakami was reassigned directly to the Combined Fleet.
  On 19 March 1945, American Task Force 58 aircraft carriers Essex, Intrepid, Hornet, Wasp, Hancock, Bennington and Belleau Wood made the first carrier attack of the war on Kure Naval Arsenal. More than 240 aircraft (Curtiss SB2C Helldivers, Vought F4U Corsairs and Grumman F6F Hellcats) attacked the battleships  Hyūga, Ise, Yamato, Haruna, aircraft carriers Amagi, Katsuragi, Ryūhō, Kaiyō and other ships. Kitakami sustained no damage.
  In July 1945, an additional twenty seven single mount Type 96 25-mm AA guns were fitted to Kitakami. However, on 24 July 1945 about 200 aircraft Task Force 38's Essex, Ticonderoga, Randolph, Hancock, Monterey and Bataan again attacked the Kure area. Kitakami was damaged by strafing and thirty-two crewmen were killed.
caption: Kaiten Type 1 being first trial launched.
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