October 1944, prior to The Battle of Leyte Gulf
by Kym Knight
1/350 IJN Maya (Aoshima)
This kit is the first release version of the Maya, bought just 3 days before the announcement of their 'retooled' upgrade. I don't normally build two of the same class, as having built a 42' Takao, but the Maya being the anti-aircraft cruiser of the 4 sisters, made it sufficiently different to warrent her inclusion.
First thing on the build agenda was the ordering of WEM's Takoa class cruiser P/E set, which mainly covers the 3 all-gun ships, but had enough of the right parts to to do the job. Also ordered, was a number of LionRoar, Voyager, K-A Models accessory P/E sets along with Veteren Type 89 12.7 AA guns and Master Model 203mm brass barrels.
Next was the mandatory waterlining of the hull which after 6 or so previous 'cutdowns'is becoming quite easy. One thing I've learned to do so as to stop the hull from 'going bananas' (lifting at each end), is to fix a square wooden strake (about 8mm x 8mm) to the entire centerline length of the base plate. After trimming the hull bulkheads to waterline size, I cut out a 8 x 8mm slot in the center of each bulkhead which will sit over the wooden stiffener.
Paint is WEM's Colourcoat Kure Grey
Pictures of the Maya are quite rare in this timeframe, so I used Claudio Matteini's (thanks Claudio) incredible 1/700 build as some of my reference. I still have a bit to do before she is completely finished as she will be at anchor with a number of other ships that were preparing for Leyte Gulf.
Maya was one of the heavily-armored and heavily armed Takao-class heavy cruisers. Captain Jisaburo Ozawa, later WW2-era vice admiral, was her captain between 15 Nov 1934 and 28 Oct 1935. At the start of the Pacific War, she supported the invasion of the Philippine Islands. Between Jan and Mar 1942, she supported the invasion of the Dutch East Indies. On 3 Mar 1942, she was present at the sinking of the American gunboat Asheville south of the island of Java. In Apr 1942, she search for the carriers that launched the Doolittle Raiders, but did not succeed. In Jun 1942, she supported in the invasion of the Aleutian Islands in the North Pacific Ocean. In Aug 1942, she was sent to the Solomon Islands, and participated in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons between 23 and 25 Aug 1942. On 14 Nov 1942, she was attacked by submarine USS Flying Fish with six torpedoes, though all six missed. Later, she was attacked by a SBD Dauntless dive bomber of US Navy VB-10 squadron which crashed into Maya, igniting 120-millimeter shells, killing 37. She returned to Yokosuka, Japan for repairs and refit in 1943. Upon completion, she was assigned to the Northern Fleet to run supply missions to the Kurile Islands and the Aleutian Islands. On 26 Mar 1943, she participated in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands, receiving some damage that sent her back to Yokosuka. In Aug 1943, she was the flagship of the Fifth Fleet charged with evacuating the Japanese garrison at Attu in the Aleutian Islands. In Sep 1943, she began transport missions between Truk and Rabaul. In Nov, she was attacked by SBD Dauntless dive bombers from carrier USS Saratoga, receiving a bomb hit on the aircraft deck which started a major fire, killing 70. She received temporary repairs at Rabaul, and returned to Yokosuka for repairs at the end of 1943. Between Dec 1943 and Apr 1944, she had her No. 3 turret and various armament were removed to make space for 13 Type 96 triple-mount 25-millimeter anti-aircraft guns, 6 twin 127-millimeter dual purpose guns, 4 quadruple Type 92 torpedo mounts for Type 93 Long Lance torpedoes, and a Type 22 surface search radar. She served in the Philippine Islands area between Apr and Jun 1944, and then participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, in which she received damage by near misses. While being repaired, she received 18 single-mount Type 96 25-millimeter anti-aircraft guns to combat the increasingly menacing American air power. On 23 Oct, she was among the ships ambushed at Palawan Passage. Torpedoed by USS Dace at about 0550 hours, she received four hits on the port side, one in the forward chain locker, one opposite No. 1 turret, one in the No. 7 boiler room, and the last one in the aft engine room. Secondary explosions disabled her by 0600 hours, and she sink five minutes later to port. 336 men died in the sinking including commanding officer Captain Ranje Oe, and 769 were rescued by destroyer Akishimo. Some of the survivors were delivered to battleship Musashi, which sank the following day, and 143 of Maya's men were lost with Musashi.
