- In this Japanese name, the family name is Aruga.
Kōsaku Aruga (有賀幸作 Aruga Kōsaku, August 21, 1897 - April 7 1945), was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. He commanded the Yamato during its final mission: Operation Ten-Go.
Biography[]
Aruga was a native of Nagano prefecture, and graduated from the 45th class of the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy in 1917, ranked 58th of 89 cadets. On November 25, 1944, he was given command of the battleship Yamato.[1]
In April 1945, under Operation-Ten Go, Yamato was assigned on a suicide mission against the American forces at the Battle of Okinawa, given only enough fuel for a one-way mission and only a cruiser and eight destroyers as an escort. Yamato was to wreak havoc on the American landing operation, and to beach herself on the Okinawa shore as a coastal fortress.[2] On April 7, 1945, Yamato was sunk by waves of U.S. Navy carrier-based aircraft. Aruga went down with his ship. He was posthumously promoted two steps in rank to vice admiral.[3]
Some sources render his last name as Ariga[4]; the difference is due to an alternate reading of the first kanji character in his family name.
Trivia[]
- The real Kōsaku Aruga was much more heavyset than his anime counterpart.
- He is not present at all in Star Blazers.
References[]
Books[]
- Fuller, Richard (1992). Shokan: Hirohito's Samurai. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1854091514.
- Feifer, George (2001). "Operation Heaven Number One". The Battle of Okinawa: The Blood and the Bomb. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-215-5.
- Hara, Tameichi (1961). "The Last Sortie". Japanese Destroyer Captain. New York & Toronto: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-27894-1.
- Spurr, Russell (1995). A Glorious Way to Die: The Kamikaze Mission of the Battleship Yamato, April 1945. Newmarket Press. ISBN 1-55704-248-9.
- Yoshida, Mitsuru; Richard H. Minear (1999). Requiem for Battleship Yamato. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-544-6.
External links[]
- Nishida, Hiroshi. "Imperial Japanese Navy". http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/px45.htm#v001.
- Chen, Peter. WWDB.com "World War II Database". http://ww2db.com/person_bio.php?person_id=441 WWDB.com.
- Sailing With Resignation Toward a Place to Die
- http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~un3k-mn/ren-ariga.htm
- http://www007.upp.so-net.ne.jp/togo/human/aa/kousaku.html