Japanese minesweeper No. 7 (1938)
{{Short description|Japanese warship}}
{{Other ships|Japanese minesweeper W-7}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
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{{Infobox ship image |Ship image= Japanese minesweeper No7 in 1942.jpg |Ship caption= Minesweeper No. 7 near Singapore, September 23, 1942 }} {{Infobox ship career |Hide header= |Ship country=Japan |Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Japan|army}} |Ship name=W-7 |Ship namesake= |Ship ordered= |Ship awarded= |Ship builder=Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding |Ship original cost= |Ship yard number= |Ship way number= |Ship laid down=27 October 1937 |Ship launched=16 June 1938 |Ship sponsor= |Ship christened= |Ship completed= |Ship maiden voyage= |Ship in service= |Ship out of service=10 June 1944 |Ship renamed= |Ship reclassified= |Ship refit= |Ship struck= |Ship reinstated= |Ship homeport=Sasebo, Nagasaki |Ship identification= |Ship motto= |Ship nickname= |Ship honours= |Ship honors= |Ship captured= |Ship fate=Sunk at 11°34'N, 93°08'E. |Ship notes= |Ship badge= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship class=W-7-class minesweeper |Ship tonnage= |Ship displacement=750 tons |Ship length={{cvt|72.2|m|ftin}} |Ship beam= |Ship height={{cvt|7.9|m|ftin}} |Ship draught= |Ship draft= |Ship depth={{cvt|2|m|ftin}} |Ship hold depth= |Ship decks= |Ship deck clearance= |Ship power={{cvt|3850|hp}} |Ship propulsion=Steam |Ship speed={{convert|20|kn}} |Ship range={{cvt|2000|nmi}} |Ship endurance= |Ship complement=88 |Ship sensors= |Ship armament=* 2 × {{cvt|120|mm|in}}/45 cal guns
|Ship armour= |Ship notes= }} |
{{nihongo|No.7|第七号掃海艇|Dai Nana Gō Sōkaitei}}, also sometimes called W-7 was a {{sclass|No.7|minesweeper|||1938}} for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was laid down on 27 October 1937, and completed on 16 June 1938.
Background
The Philippines
On 27 November 1941, W-7 departed from Sasebo, and arrived at Peleliu on 4 December. On 8 December, it departed Peleliu and joined the Fourth Surprise Attack Unit. On 12 December, W-7 participated in the successful invasion of Legaspi. On 19 December 1941, after assisting briefly with operations in Borneo, came back to the Philippines to do some minesweeping. On the way to the Philippines, W-7 and W-8 helped escort a convoy to Lamon Bay, in the Philippines. The convoy arrived at Lamon Bay late at night, and conducted mine-sweeping operations. Two days later, W-7 and W-8 left Lamon Bay, and arrived at Davao on 31 December.
On 7 January, W-7 and MineSweepDiv 21's remaining ships, W-8, W-9, W-11 and W-12 (W-10 having been sunk
during actions off Vigan) departed from Davao and arrived at nearby Magunaga Bay.
Borneo
On 17 December, W-7, along with support from W-8, provided cover for the cruisers {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Kumano||2}} and {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Suzuya|1934|2}}, light cruisers {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Yura||2}} and {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Kinu||2}}, seaplane tender {{ship|Japanese seaplane tender|Kamikawa Maru||2}}, destroyers {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Fubuki|1927|2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Shirakumo|1927|2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Murakumo|1928|2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Shinonome|1927|2}}, and {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Sagiri||2}}, the troop transport {{ship|Japanese transport|Hiyoshi Maru||2}} and a few subchasers during the invasion of Miri.
Dutch East Indies
On 9 January 1942, MineSweepDiv 21's remaining ships left Magunaga Bay, with the light cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Nagara||2}}, the submarine chasers {{ship|Japanese submarine chaser|CH-1||2}}, {{ship|Japanese submarine chaser|CH-2||2}}, and {{ship|Japanese submarine chaser|CH-3||2}}, and patrol boats P-1, P-2, and P-34. On 11 January, the convoy reached the city of Kema, and landed on Madano an hour later. On 20 January, MineSweepDiv 21 left Mandano, and on 21 January, conducted minesweeping operations around the area of Kendari. On 23–24 January, MineSweepDiv 21, along with other ships, helped escort the Kendari invasion force. On 29 January, W-7 helped escort the Ambon Seizure Convoy, and on 31 January, assists in the invasion. On 3 February, W-7 and W-8 left Ambon Island, heading back towards Staring Bay, in Kendari. It arrived there on 5 February. On 6 February, W-7 assisted in escorting the Makassar Occupation Force, and escorted the Kupang Seizure Convoy. On 14 February, W-7 and W-8 departed Makassar, and assisted in operations off Timor between 17 and 20 February. On 25 February, W-7 and W-8 departed from Kendari, and helped escort to Surabaya. After its operations in the Dutch East Indies, W-7 was assigned a series of escort and minesweeping jobs.
Fate
After over two years of safe escorting and minesweeping operations (between 25 February 1942 and 15 April 1944), W-7 was spotted by the British submarine {{HMS|Storm|P233|6}} while escorting a merchant ship from Port Blair, Andaman Islands. Storm fired two torpedoes at the merchant ship, but both missed, and at least one hit W-7. After hitting W-7, Storm went after the merchant vessel. After some time, a submarine chaser and an aircraft arrived on the scene and picked up survivors from W-7. Almost an hour after being hit, W-7 "emitted a huge sheet of flames and slowly sank", according to HMS Storm
References
{{reflist}}
{{Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding|state=autocollapse}}
{{April 1944 shipwrecks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 7 (1938)}}
Category:Ships built by Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding
Category:Minesweepers of Japan
Category:World War II minesweepers of Japan
Category:Mine warfare vessels of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Category:World War II mine warfare vessels of Japan
Category:Maritime incidents in April 1944