Typhoon Louise (1945)
Typhoon Louise, known in Japan as the Akune Typhoon (阿久根台風, Akune Taifū),[2] was a deadly and destructive tropical cyclone that hit Japan, with the area hardest hit being Hyogo Prefecture. It caused at least 377 deaths and another 74 missing persons, while leaving a wide swath of damage across the country. It took place just after the cessation of World War II, causing severe damage to bases and forces that had just finished fighting in the conflict.
| Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS) | |
Typhoon Louise near peak intensity, battering the Nansei Islands on October 9 | |
| Formed | October 2, 1945 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | |
| (Extratropical after October 12) | |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 120 km/h (75 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 969 hPa (mbar); 28.61 inHg |
| Fatalities | 377 confirmed, 500+ unofficial, 74 missing |
| Damage | > $100,000 (1945 USD)[3] |
| Areas affected | Mariana Islands, Guam, Palau, Caroline Islands, Nansei Islands, Japan |
| Part of the 1945 Pacific typhoon season | |
Being the twenty-third named storm and twelfth typhoon of the 1945 Pacific typhoon season, Louise was first seen developing on October 2 near the Caroline Islands. Moving to the northwest, it slowly organized until it strengthened to a tropical storm on the next day. It then passed between the Northern Mariana Islands on the night of October 4, bringing gale-force winds to the archipelago. However, it remained at that intensity until it started to approach the Ryukyu Islands on October 9, where it strengthened to a minimal typhoon. While at its peak intensity of 120 km/h (75 mph), it devastated the islands, especially Okinawa. It weakened back to a tropical storm on the next day as it curved to the northeast. Louise then passed through the Chūgoku region in Japan, then moved out into the Sea of Japan while further weakening below gale-force winds, before dissipating on October 12 near the Tsugaru Strait.
Data compiled by the Japan Meteorological Agency showed that Louise killed 377 individuals over the Nansei Islands and Japan, with the majority coming from the former.[2] However, some reports at that time estimate that the typhoon possibly killed over 500 persons, also with many of them coming from the country's islands.[3] Some warships in the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean were destroyed and/or sank due to high waves, increasing the number of missing individuals and deaths.[4] Some planes and essential supplies were also destroyed.[5] Despite the new supplies coming into the area to replace the lost goods, the damages and losses were still high.[5] Overall, the typhoon caused hundreds of millions of damage to ships, croplands, and public establishments.[3]
Meteorological history
Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
Unknown
At 00:00 UTC of October 2, the Fleet Weather Center noted that a tropical depression was developing near the Caroline Islands, as a result of an equatorial outflow.[1][5] Steered by high pressure to its north, it slowly moved to the northwest while slowly organizing.[1] It remained a tropical depression at that time until 18:00 UTC of the next day, when it strengthened to a tropical storm, with the Fleet Center naming it Louise.[1] Slow intensification occurred, and in the night of October 4, it passed between the islands of Rota and Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands as a minimal tropical storm.[1] Moving to the northwest, the system slowed down and fluctuated in strength; however, its circulation remained defined in weather maps.[6] On October 7, Louise started to accelerate, with the Fleet Center forecasting that the storm may continue its northwestward trend and make landfall in Formosa; however, a high-pressure near the Philippines turned the system to the north, threatening Okinawa.[5] Early the next day, the system strengthened to a minimal typhoon as it started to enter the East China Sea and impact the Nansei Islands.[5] At that time until the next day, it started to batter the area while at peak intensity of 120 km/h (75 mph).[1] It held its intensity for 21 hours until it weakened back to a tropical storm later that night as it started to curve towards the west, approaching the Japanese archipelago.[1][5] A combination of unfavorable conditions and a plume of cold air further weakened Louise before making landfall somewhere near Akune in Kagoshima Prefecture on October 10.[1][2] It continued moving to the northeast, passing through the Chūgoku region before accelerating to the Sea of Japan, just before extratropical transition.[1][2][7]
On the IBTrACS records by the National Climatic Data Center, Louise moved to the east-northeast after striking the Chūgoku region, passing through the town of Ainan in Ehime Prefecture before moving through the Wakayama Bay, prior to making landfall in its prefecture. It then shifted to the north-northeast, entering the country's main sea, before dissipating on October 12.[1] However, the data from the Japan Meteorological Agency showed that the system, after its landfall in the region, moved through the Sea of Japan before passing near Noto Peninsula, ahead of becoming extratropical on October 12. It then dissipated on the next day, just before entering the Tsugaru Strait.[2]
Impact
Louise had a very devastating effect on Japan. Overall, the typhoon killed at least 377 individuals[2] (some reports estimated that 500+ deaths were recorded[3]). The storm injured 202 people and 74 persons were recorded as missing.[2] Over 6,181 establishments and houses were destroyed, while 174,146 more were flooded and sustained inundation damage.[2]
It had been raining since the first part of October in Japan, due to a frontal system that arrived before Louise.[8] This exacerbated the damages from the Makurazaki Typhoon, or Typhoon Ida, not a month later.[8] Another reason for the severe damage is the devastation of the land, due to World War II.[8] During the war, excessive clearing of forests resulted in mountain collapse and river flooding.[9][10] Tidal forests had been lost in some coastal areas due to the collection of pine oil.[11] The budget for hydraulic engineering projects was cut, and progress on river improvement slowed.[12] Louise also had a very serious impact on crops and farmlands.[13] The damage was, by prefectures, as follows:
Okinawa Prefecture
The prefecture was occupied by the United States military at the time. This typhoon (dubbed Typhoon "Louise") was also detected by the US military, and it was supposed to head toward Taiwan, but the typhoon abruptly changed direction and headed for Okinawa.[5][14] The minimum pressure was 968.5 hectopascals when the US troops arrived at 16:00 on the 9th.[5] With a wind speed of 80 knots and 30 knots in the narrow harbor, US warships and boats moored in Nakagusuku Bay (the US military named Buckner Bay) were unable to escape to the open sea due to a sudden change in direction.[5] Waves were up to 35 feet high. 12 ships were sunk, 222 were stranded, and 32 were wrecked as a result of these waves.[5]
The wrecked ships during Louise are listed as follows. All locations are at Okinawa unless stated otherwise.
| Ship | Country | Description |
|---|---|---|
| USS APL-12 | United States Navy | The barracks craft was wrecked. |
| USS APL-13 | United States Navy | The barracks craft was wrecked. |
| USS APL-33 | United States Navy | The barracks craft was wrecked. |
| Brockholst Livingston | United States | The Liberty ship was driven ashore, she was declared a total loss.[15] |
| USCGC CG-83301 | United States Navy | The cutter was wrecked.[16] |
| USS Dorsey (DMS-1) | United States Navy | The high-speed minesweeper, a former Wickes-class destroyer, was grounded. She was destroyed on 1 January 1946. |
| USS Extricate (ARS-16) | United States Navy | The Anchor-class rescue and salvage ship was grounded. The wreck was destroyed with explosives on 4 March 1946. |
| FS-406 | United States Army | The Design 381 coastal freighter was driven ashore and wrecked.[17][18] |
| USS Greene (APD-36) | United States Navy | The high speed transport, a former Clemson-class destroyer, was driven ashore at Kutaka, Japan and was declared a constructive total loss. |
| Harrington Emerson | United States | The Liberty ship was driven ashore and wrecked.[19] |
| USS Industry (AMc-86) | United States Navy | The coastal minesweeper was driven ashore. The wreck was sunk in December 1945. |
| Jack Singer | United States | The Liberty ship was driven ashore and declared a constructive total loss.[20] |
| USS Lamberton (AG-21) | United States Navy | The miscellaneous auxiliary, a former Wickes-class destroyer, was driven ashore. She was refloated and repaired. |
| USS LSM-15 | United States Navy | The medium landing ship sank off Okinawa. Thirty-two survivors were rescued by the repair ship USS Vestal ( United States Navy).[21] |
| USS LST-568 | United States Navy | The tank landing ship was driven aground. She was pulled off the next day. She went to the Philippines where she was decommissioned and stripped. Scuttled east of Samar 7 March 1946.[22][23] |
| USS LST-826 | United States Navy | The tank landing ship was driven aground. Her hulk was stripped and sold for scrapping in 1947. |
| USS Nestor (ARB-6) | United States Navy | The Aristaeus-class repair ship was driven aground. She was declared a total loss and consequently scrapped. |
| USS Ocelot (IX-110) | United States Navy | The Service Squadron command ship was wrecked and abandoned. The wreck was sold for scrap in 1948. |
| USS PC-590 | United States Navy | The PC-461-class patrol craft foundered.[16] |
| USS PGM-9 | United States Navy | The PGM-9-class motor gunboat was wrecked. |
| USS Silica (IX-151) | United States Navy | The Trefoil-class concrete barge was grounded. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 3 January 1946.[24] |
| USS SC-636 | United States Navy | The SC-497-class submarine chaser foundered.[25] |
| USS SC-1012 | United States Navy | The SC-497-class submarine chaser was grounded. |
| USS Snowbell (AN-52) | United States Navy | The Ailanthus-class net laying ship, was driven onto a reef and declared a total loss. Her hulk was destroyed with explosives on 14 January 1946. |
| USS Southard (DMS-10) | United States Navy | The high-speed minesweeper, a former Clemson-class destroyer, was driven onto a reef off Tsuken Shima, Japan, and declared a total loss. |
| USS Southern Seas (PY-32) (a.k.a. Lyndonia) | United States Navy | The accommodation ship collided with five other vessels in Buckner Bay and sank off Okinawa with the loss of 13 crew members and one passenger.[26] |
| USS Wateree (ATF-117) | United States Navy | The fleet ocean tug was wrecked, 8 killed. |
| USS Weehawken (CM-12) | United States Navy | The minelayer sank at Tsuken Shima, Japan. She broke in two a week later and was declared a total loss. |
| USS Vandalia (IX-191) | United States Navy | The tanker was driven ashore on Naha Island, Okinawa, and damaged beyond economical repair. She was abandoned on 20 November and sold for scrapping on 31 December. |
| USS YF-744 | United States Navy | The self propelled covered barge was grounded. |
| USS YF-757 | United States Navy | The self propelled covered barge was lost. |
| USS YF-1079 | United States Navy | The self propelled covered barge was grounded and damaged. |
| USS YMS-146 | United States Navy | The Auxiliary Motor Mine Sweeper was lost. |
| USS YMS-275 | United States Navy | The Auxiliary Motor Mine Sweeper was lost. |
| USS YMS-383 | United States Navy | The Auxiliary Motor Mine Sweeper was lost. |
| USS YMS-424 | United States Navy | The Auxiliary Motor Mine Sweeper was grounded, CTL. |
| USS YMS-454 | United States Navy | The Auxiliary Motor Mine Sweeper was grounded, CTL. |
| USS YP-289 | United States Navy | The Yard Patrol Boat was wrecked.[27] |
At the Navy Air Base, 80% of military buildings (such as prefabricated buildings known as Quonset huts) collapsed, and 60 aircraft were destroyed.[5] The US military suffered 36 deaths, 47 missing persons, and 100 serious injuries.[5][28] There were witnesses of the typhoon, also as follows:
Seaman First Class John L. Vandebrul:
The typhoon hit its height at 2 p.m, October 9.
... and we didn't trust our tents so we went up into the hills. We watched the entire camp being blown all over and out of 250 tents, only 20 were left standing. The warehouses were blown down and they were made of steel so that gives you an idea of how strong the wind was. It came at all about 110 miles per hour and all our equipment and bunks were soaked by rain. Wednesday the storm had calmed down and with a blowtorch one of the fellows found, we dried the canvas on our bunks so that we could have something to sleep on that night. We got the chow hall back in working order and had the first fresh meat in a long time as we had to eat K-rations during the storm. We are still rebuilding the camp which is one mess and I don't mean maybe.[29]
Seaman First Class Gerald C. Barwinek:
The only typhoon I ever want to see again is one in the movies.[30]
You have a chance to fight back against Japs but not against a typhoon.[30]
Ralph Harrison, a crewman in six who survived the disaster:
I induced the boys to pray silently from the start, but after we began praying out we were rescued within 30 minutes.[31][32]
Seaman First Class Barney Ball:
Yesterday and last night are one day and night I will never forget.[33]
A typhoon struck here and it sure did a lot of damage. It's a wonder we didn't sink but all we got was a hole in one of the ship's sides. It's nothing much to worry about as it was fixed before too much water got in. Where we are you can see ships all over, stuck on the beach. The storm split a big dry dock right in half. The typhoon was headed for Japan so I imagine they are getting it bad today.
Louise Brugger, a Red Cross Aid which was one of the crewmen to survive as their ship passed through the eye of the typhoon:
Sunday morning it began to get rough.[33]
...and ships began to leave the harbor. It looked like a fleet; battleships, cruisers, destroyers, escorts, carriers, LST's cargo ships, troopships; all-told 1300 ships left the harbor.[33]
References
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- ^ . Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy. Archived from the original on 8 December 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
- ^ "Submarine Chaser Photo Archive: SC-636". NavSource. 2006. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
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- ^ . Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
- ^ "Typhoon Disaster hits U.S. Forces". The Charlotte News. 1945-10-12. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
- ^ "Vandenbrul Tells Of Okinawa Typhoon". Poughkeepsie Journal. 1945-11-04. pp. 4A. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
- ^ a b "Gerald C. Barwinek Describes Typhoon". Marshfield News-Herald. 1945-10-10. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
- ^ "Two Typhoon Survivors Cheat Death". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 1945-10-22. p. 8. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
- ^ "Only Five Survived". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 1945-10-22. p. 8. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
- ^ a b c "Narrow Escapes In Typhoon Cited By Two Local Residences". The Lake Geneva Regional News. 1945-10-11. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-04-02.