2nd Tone-class heavy cruisers (Total 2, sister ship is Tone), named after the Chikuma River, in Nagano prefecture of Japan
Commissioned: 20 May 1939
Attack on Pearl Harbor [7 December 1941] - with Tone
Battle of the Java Sea [1~5 March 1942] - Chikuma, with Tone, and destroyers Kasumi and Shiranui sank Dutch freighter Modjokerto. Chikuma, with battleships Hiei & Kirishima and aircraft carriers Sōryū & Akagi sank USS Edsall. Chikuma sank Dutch merchant Enggano on 4 March 1942. (which had earlier been damaged by a floatplane from the cruiser Takao).
Indian Ocean Raids [5 April 1942] - Tone participated in sinking Royal Navy cruisers HMS Cornwall & HMS Dorsetshire.
Battle of Midway [4~7 June 1942] - with Tone.
US invasion of Guadalcanal [16 August 1942] - Tone & Chikuma were ordered south with the aircraft carriers Shōkaku, Zuikaku, Zuihō, Jun'yō, Hiyō and Ryūjō. Also joined by battleships Hiei, Kirishima, seaplane tender Chitose, and cruisers Atago, Maya, Takao, Nagara.
Battle of the Eastern Solomons [24 August 1942] - Chikuma & Tone participated in damaging USS Enterprise. (Ryūjō was sunk by planes from carrier USS Saratoga)
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands [25~27 October 1942] - Chikuma &Tone (with destroyer Teruzuki) participated in sinking carrier USS Hornet and damaged battleship USS South Dakota and cruiser USS San Juan. Chikuma was hit by two bombs, destroying one floatplane on the aircraft catapult.
refit & repair at Kure [~27 February 1943] - added two twin Type 96 25-mm AA guns & a Type 21 air-search radar.
refit at Kure [12 December 1943] - added more 25-mm AA guns (Total to 20)
Battle of the Philippine Sea [13 June 1944]
Battle of Leyte Gulf [23 October 1944] - Chikuma (with Kumano, Suzuya and Tone) sortied from Brunei towards the Philippines. Cruisers Atago and Maya were sunk, and Takao was damaged.
Battle of the Sibuyan Sea [24 October 1944] - Musashi was sunk and Tone was hit by bombs.
Battle off Samar [25 October 1944] - Chikuma was attacked and sunk by aircraft from USS Manila Bay, USS Kitkun Bay, USS Ommaney Bay & USS Natoma Bay. (cruisers Chōkai and Suzuya were sunk. Battleships Yamato, Nagato, Haruna and cruiser Myōkō were damaged.)
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