Gunichi Mikawa
| Gunichi Mikawa | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | August 29, 1888 Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan |
| Died | February 25, 1981 (aged 92) |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |
 Imperial Japanese Navy
|
| Years of service | 1910-1945 |
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Commands held |
Aoba, Chōkai, Kirishima 3rd NGS Division Mobilization, 3rd Battleship Division, 8th Fleet, 2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleet, 13th Air Fleet, South Western Area Fleet, 3rd Southern Expeditionary Fleet |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Order of the Rising Sun (3rd class) Order of the Rising Sun (4th class) Order of the Sacred Treasure (2nd class) |
Gunichi Mikawa (三川 軍一 Mikawa Gun'ichi?, 29 August 1888 – 25 February 1981) was a Vice-Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II.
Mikawa was the commander of a heavy cruiser force that won a spectacular IJN victory over the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Navy at the Battle of Savo Island in Ironbottom Sound on the night of 8–9 August 1942. In this battle, his squadron of cruisers, plus one destroyer, sank three USN cruisers, plus the RAN heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra; Mikawa's force suffered no losses in the actual battle, although heavy cruiser Kako was sunk by the undetected American submarine S-44 on the return to their base near Rabaul in the Bismarck Archipelago. However, his later career was of mixed success, and he was reassigned to lesser posts after the loss of a troop convoy destined for New Guinea.
Mikawa survived the war, and he retired back to Japan, where he died in 1981 at the age of 92.
Mikawa was a native of Hiroshima prefecture. He graduated from the 38th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1910, ranked third of his class of 149 cadets. After midshipman service in the cruisers Asama and Soya, and battleships Satsuma and Kongō, he attended Naval Torpedo and Gunnery Schools from 1913–1914. In late 1914, he joined the cruiser Aso for World War I duty, including a cruise to China. This was followed by tours in the destroyer Sugi and transport Seito and studies at the Japanese Naval War College.
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