Completed in 1925, the Abukuma was the last ship in the Nagara-class of light cruisers/destroyer
flotilla leaders and took part in many major naval engagements in the Pacific War. Due to a
collision with the cruiser Kitakami during an exercise in 1930, the Abukuma featured a different
bow shape than her sister ships and was thus easily distinguishable. Fast and well-armed with
seven 140mm guns and eight torpedo tubes, the cruiser first saw action in Chinese waters,
protecting transports near Shanghai. It then acted as flagship for the destroyers that escorted
the Pearl Harbor carrier strike force in December, 1941. The Abukuma was also present at
several battles in the South Pacific as well as the Aleutian Islands, before finally being sunk off
the coast of the Philippines by U.S. aircraft in 1944.