Agano - class cruiser The four were light cruiser s operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy . They participated in numerous actions during World War II . The " Agano " class was followed by the larger " Ōyodo " class , of which only one vessel was completed . Background . The Imperial Japanese Navy had standardized on 5 , 500 ton displacement light cruisers as flagships for destroyer and submarine squadrons , and numerous vessels constructed shortly after World War I served in this role . The " Agano " class was conceived in the 1930s as a replacement for the aging " Tenryū " , " Kuma " and " Nagara " classes . Larger than these previous light cruisers , the " Agano " - class vessels were fast , but with little protection , and were under - gunned for their size . Originally they were to have eight 6 . 1 - inch guns in four twin mounts but the X turret was eliminated to allow a heavier torpedo armament and to save on costs . Design . Initial design specifications for the " Agano " class called for a nominal 5 , 000 ton displacement hull with six guns and eight dual purpose guns . Its armor was designed to protect against 6 inch gun and vital parts had additional protections . The " Agano " class was unique among Japanese cruisers in that its main armament could elevate to 55 degrees , but this was still not enough to make them effective as anti - aircraft weapons . The engines were a quadruple - shaft geared turbine arrangement with six boilers , developing for a maximum speed of . Like " Yūbari " , the " Agano " class had its stacks join into a single funnel . As completed , the main armament was the same type of 152 mm ( 6 inch ) gun as used on the " Kongō " - class battlecruiser s , some of these weapons having been removed from the " Fusō " and " Kongō " classes during their modernizations in the early and late 1930s , respectively . This gun fired a projectile . Secondary armament consisted of four 80 mm HA , which were actually 3 - inch ( 76 . 2 mm ) guns in two twin mountings . These guns fired a projectile and were of unique size in the Japanese navy . The design was equipped with thirty - two 25 mm AA guns . The torpedo tubes were mounted on the centerline as was more common with destroyers , and had a rapid reload system with eight spare torpedoes . The design included a single catapult forward of the main mast , with stowage for two floatplane s . Depth charge equipment was also fitted . In subsequent upgrades , the 25 mm anti - aircraft weaponry increased to 46 sets by 1944 , and then to 52 sets and finally 61 sets by July 1944 on the surviving ships . Ships in class . Four ships were budgeted under the 1939 4th Naval Replenishment Programme , three from the Sasebo Navy Yard and one from Yokosuka Naval Arsenal . " Agano " . Completed on 31 October 1942 , " Agano " participated in the battles for Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands during 1943 . " Agano " was badly damaged in Rabaul harbor by aircraft from USS " Saratoga " and USS " Princeton " , and in a subsequent attack by aircraft from TF38 on 11 November she received a torpedo hit . Ordered to home waters for repair , she was torpedoed and sunk north of Truk by the US submarine USS " Skate " , on 16 February 1944 . " Noshiro " . Commissioned on 30 June 1943 , " Noshiro " participated in operations in the Solomon Islands and was damaged during the US carrier aircraft raids on Rabaul on 5 November 1943 . She served in the Marianas in the summer of 1944 , and was part of Admiral Kurita ' s force during the Battle of the Philippine Sea . At the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944 . She was west of Panay while withdrawing from the Battle off Samar on the morning of 26 October when she was sunk by aircraft from USS " Wasp " ( CV - 18 ) and USS " Cowpens " ( CVL - 25 ) . " Yahagi " . Commissioned on 29 December 1943 " Yahagi " saw action in the Marianas in May / June 1944 , during the Battle of the Philippine Sea , and during the Battle of Leyte Gulf . After the US invasion of Okinawa on 1 April 1945 , she was ordered to accompany the " Yamato " on its suicide mission against the American fleet at Okinawa . " Yahagi " was hit by some seven torpedoes as well as a dozen bombs , and sank on the afternoon of 7 April 1945 . " Sakawa " . " Sakawa " was not completed until the end of 1944 , by which time there was little fuel available . She survived the war unscratched . After the war she was expended in the atom bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in 1946 .