Takeo Kurita was born in 1889 and graduated from the Japanese Naval Academy in 1910. Specializing in torpedoes, he had extensive service in destroyers during the 1920s and 1930s, and was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1938.
During World War II, he was one of the most actively-employed Japanese Navy flag officers. Rear Admiral Kurita commanded a cruiser division during the East Indies invasion and the Battle of Midway, losing the cruiser Mikuma during the latter action. As a Vice Admiral later in 1942, Kurita led a battleship division in the Guadalcanal campaign, conducting an intense bombardment of Henderson Field on 14 October. He subsequently commanded major naval forces during the Central Solomons campaign, the Battle of Philippine Sea and the Leyte Gulf Campaign. In the latter action, on 24-25 October 1944, he led the main Japanese surface force in the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea and the Battle off Samar, suffering heavy losses at the hands of overwhelming U.S. submarine, air and surface units.
This page features our only picture of Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita, IJN.
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the "Online Library's" digital images, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
NOTES:
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the "Online Library's" digital images, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 4 May 1999
Coding updated 3 May 2009