Operation RY

Nauru and Ocean Islands were isolated but rich with phosphate deposits; the deposits were identified around 1900. Nauru was under Australian mandate control, and Ocean Island (or Banaba) was headquarters of the British Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony. In both places, the Melbourne-based British Phosphate Commissioners (BPC) had been running the phosphate mining since 1919, under the Nauru Island Agreement. The phosphate deposits were mined for making fertilisers, ammunition and explosives.

During the Second World War, the German auxiliary cruisers {{Ship|German auxiliary cruiser|Orion||2}} and {{Ship|German auxiliary cruiser|Komet||2}} sank five merchant ships and bombarded the island in early December 1940, causing damage to the phosphate mining and disrupting the Allied production of phosphate. Following the raids, the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board requested that the British Admiralty redeploy Australian naval units to meet the threat posed by raiders. The armed merchant cruiser {{HMAS|Manoora|F48|6}} arrived off Ocean Island on 4 January 1941, and Australian and New Zealand warships maintained a continual presence off the islands during the subsequent months. A naval company and two field guns were deployed to each island. The attacks also led to the introduction of convoys between Australia and New Zealand.

In late February 1942, as a Japanese invasion of Nauru and Ocean Island was feared, the Free French destroyer {{Ship|French destroyer|Le Triomphant||2}} departed the New Hebrides to evacuate both places. The ship arrived on 23 February and completed the evacuation without serious incident.

Although Operation MO was cancelled on 8 May 1942 immediately following the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Imperial Japanese Navy forces departed Rabaul and Bougainville on 11 May to execute the RY operation.

On 11 May 1942, the Imperial Japanese invasion force departed Rabaul, under the command of Rear Admiral Shima Kiyohide and consisting of the cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Tatsuta|1918|2}}, the minelayers {{Ship|Japanese minelayer|Okinoshima||2}} (flagship) and {{Ship|Japanese minelayer|Tsugaru||2}} and the destroyers {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Uzuki|1925|2}} and {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Yūzuki||2}}, covered by the 5th Cruiser Division, under the command of Vice Admiral Takeo Takagi, consisting of the heavy cruisers {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Myōkō||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Haguro||2}} with the Destroyer Division 30 destroyers {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Ariake|1934|2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Mochizuki|1927|2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Shigure|1935|2}} and {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Shiratsuyu|1935|2}}. The invasion troops from the 6th Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) and Kashima SNLF were carried by the transports Kinryū Maru and Takahata Maru.Bullard, p. 57.

While steaming through driving rain off New Ireland and west of Buka Island, Okinoshima, which had been damaged by airplanes from Yorktown during the invasion of Tulagi on 4 May 1942, was torpedoed at 04:52 by the United States Navy submarine {{USS|S-42|SS-153|2}} (Commander Oliver G. Kirk) and severely damaged.{{Cite web | title = Battle of the Coral Sea | work = Naval History & Heritage | publisher = US Navy | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/history/CoralSea.htm | access-date = 6 June 2011 | archive-date = 24 June 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110624081224/http://www.history.navy.mil/history/CoralSea.htm | url-status = dead }}{{Cite web | title = USN Ships USS S-42 (SS-153) | work = NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER | publisher = US Navy | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-s/ss153.htm | access-date = 6 June 2011 | archive-date = 14 February 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110214134830/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-s/ss153.htm | url-status = dead }} The invasion force's escorts closed S-42 and depth charged the area until 1130, causing damage. The submarine left the area to return to base at Moreton Bay, Brisbane. Rear Admiral Shima transferred his flag to Yūzuki southwest of Buka Island, Bougainville. At 06:40, Okinoshima capsized under tow by Mochizuki in St. George's Channel at {{Coord|05|06|S|153|48|E}}.

While returning to Rabaul after being dispatched to assist repair work on Okinoshima, the repair ship {{Ship|Japanese repair ship|Shoei Maru||2}} was torpedoed off Cape St George, New Ireland, by {{USS|S-44|SS-155|2}}.{{Cite web | title = USN Ships USS S-44 (SS-155) | work = NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER | publisher = US Navy | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-s/ss155.htm | access-date = 6 June 2011 | archive-date = 18 September 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110918020357/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-s/ss155.htm | url-status = dead }} She sank at 1440 at {{Coord|04|51|S|152|54|E}}.

In spite of the loss of Okinoshima, the rest of the Japanese forces continued with the operation. As these forces were en route, however, a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft from Tulagi sighted the United States Navy aircraft carriers {{USS|Enterprise|CV-6|6}} and {{USS|Hornet|CV-8|2}} heading towards Nauru. The two US carriers, acting on intelligence obtained from intercepted Japanese communications, had been sent to the area as a feint to try to stop the Japanese operation.

The feint was successful. Fearing the threat posed by the US carriers to the RY forces, which did not have air cover, the Japanese cancelled the operation on 15 May, and the naval forces returned to Rabaul.

A second invasion force departed Truk on 26 August 1942, consisting of the cruiser {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Yūbari||2}}, the destroyers {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Oite|1924|2}}, Yūzuki, Ariake, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Yūgure|1934|2}} and {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Yūnagi|1924|2}}, and the transport Hakozaki Maru.

The landing forces landed on Nauru on 29 August and Ocean Island on 30 August unopposed.

{{main|Japanese occupation of Nauru|Japanese occupation of the Gilbert Islands}}

Japanese forces occupied the two islands until the end of the war, but became increasingly isolated as the war progressed.

During the Japanese occupation of Nauru, American aircraft repeatedly bombed the island's facilities.

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book | last = Brown | first = David | year = 1990 | title = Warship Losses of World War Two | publisher = Naval Institute Press | isbn = 1-55750-914-X }}
• {{cite book | last = Lundstrom | first = John B. | year = 2006 | title = Black Shoe Carrier Admiral: Frank Jack Fletcher at Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal | publisher = Naval Institute Press | location = Annapolis, Maryland | isbn = 1-59114-475-2 }}
• {{cite book | last = Lundstrom | first = John B. | year = 2005|edition=New | title = The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway | publisher = Naval Institute Press | location = Annapolis, Maryland, U.S.A. | isbn = 1-59114-471-X }}
• {{cite book | last = Willmott | first = H. P. | year = 2002 | title = The War with Japan: The Period of Balance, May 1942 – October 1943 | publisher = Scholarly Resources Inc. | location = Wilmington, Delaware | isbn = 0-8420-5032-9 }}

• {{cite book| last =Bullard| first =Steven (translator)| title =Japanese army operations in the South Pacific Area New Britain and Papua campaigns, 1942–43| publisher =Australian War Memorial| year =2007| location =Canberra| url =http://ajrp.awm.gov.au/ajrp/ajrp2.nsf/088031725e4569e4ca256f4f00126373/1fcb61d633972daaca257291000abf44?OpenDocument| isbn = 978-0-9751904-8-7 }} (translation of excerpts from the Senshi Sōshō)
• {{cite web|url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/furuta_t.htm|title=IJN Furutaka: Tabular Record of Movement|last=Hackett|first=Bob |author2=Kingsepp, Sander |year=2003|work=Junyokan|publisher=Combinedfleet.com|access-date=10 May 2009}}
• {{cite web | url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/myoko_t.htm | title= IJN Myoko: Tabular Record of Movement | last= Hackett | first= Bob, Sander Kingsepp, and Peter Cundall | year= 1998–2007 | work= Junyokan! | publisher= Combinedfleet.com}}
• {{cite web | url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/Okinoshima_t.htm | title= IJN Minelayer Okinoshima: Tabular Record of Movement | last= Hackett | first= Bob, and Sander Kingsepp | year= 1998–2007 | work= Fusetsukan! | publisher= Combinedfleet.com}}
• {{cite web | url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/tatsuta_t.htm | title= IJN Tatsuta: Tabular Record of Movement | last= Hackett | first= Bob, Sander Kingsepp, and Peter Cundall | year= 1998–2007 | work= Junyokan! | publisher= Combinedfleet.com}}
• {{cite web | url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/tsugaru_t.htm | title= IJN Tsugaru: Tabular Record of Movement | last= Hackett | first= Bob, Sander Kingsepp, and Peter Cundall | year= 1998–2007 | work= Fusetsukan! | publisher= Combinedfleet.com}}
• {{cite book| last = McCarthy| first = Dudley| year = 1959| url = http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/volume.asp?levelID=67907| title = Volume V – South–West Pacific Area – First Year: Kokoda to Wau| series = Australia in the War of 1939–1945, Series 1: Army| location = Canberra| publisher = Australian War Memorial| access-date = 2 November 2006| archive-date = 25 May 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090525001451/http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/volume.asp?levelID=67907| url-status = dead}}
• {{cite web | url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/uzuki_t.htm | title= IJN Uzuki: Tabular Record of Movement | last= Nevitt | first= Allyn D. | year= 1998–2009 | work= Long Lancers! | publisher= Combinedfleet.com}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ry, Operation}}

Category:Pacific Ocean theater of World War II

Category:1942 in Japan

Category:1942 in Nauru

Category:Pacific War

Category:World War II operations and battles of the Pacific theatre

Category:Military operations of World War II

Category:Wars involving Nauru