Raizō Tanaka
| Raizō Tanaka | |
|---|---|
Rear Admiral Raizō Tanaka
|
|
| Born | April 27, 1892 Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan |
| Died | July 9, 1969 (aged 77) |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |
 Imperial Japanese Navy
|
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Commands held |
Tachikaze, Ushio, Jintsū, Mako Guard District, Kongō 2nd Destroyer Flotilla, Reinforcements Force |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Order of the Rising Sun (4th class) Order of the Sacred Treasures (2nd class) |
Raizō Tanaka (田中 頼三 Tanaka Raizō?, 27 April 1892 – 9 July 1969) was a rear admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during most of World War II. A specialist in the heavy torpedoes that were carried by all the destroyers and cruisers of the IJN, Tanaka mainly commanded destroyer squadrons, with a cruiser or two attached, and he was the primary leader of the "Tokyo Express" reinforcement and resupply shipments during the long campaign for the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands of the South Pacific Ocean. In his command capacity, Tanaka faced the surface task forces of the United States Navy and its few New Zealander allies many times, often achieving either a victory over, or a stalemate with, often larger enemy squadrons, mostly in night battles. From the Americans, Tanaka acquired the nickname of "Tenacious Tanaka" for his stalwart opposition.
Tanaka′s most outstanding victory was in the Battle of Tassafaronga in which his squadron of destroyers defeated a much larger force of U.S. Navy squadron that included four heavy cruisers and their supporting destroyers. In this battle, Tanaka′s heavily-outgunned destroyers, caught by surprise, used their Long Lance torpedoes to hit four American cruisers, sinking the USS Northampton and heavily damaging the other three. All but one of Tanaka's destroyers escaped the trap that the U.S. Navy had set for them, and they retired northward towards Rabaul.
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