The Wreck of IJN Jintsu – Blown in Two, Yet Remarkably Preserved

For another on the list of 'pretty unknown shipwrecks' we come to the cruiser, Jintsu. This Japanese light cruiser was sunk in 1943, and her wreck was found in 2019. With how stacked that year was for shipwrecks, I'm not surprised Jintsu's fell a bit by the wayside.

It's a shame, though, because her wreck is quite well preserved. Especially by Japanese standards. Another Indianapolis or Hornet this is not, but the wreck is still in good shape.

Damage aside, of course.

Petrel Video:

[hirisk]

thanks for shedding light on these lesser known wrecks. as a shipwreck fan, these are addictive!

[metaknight]

Forget to mention, in exchange, Jintsu actually managed to hit Leander with a 5.5-inch shell which took out some electrical power

[michaelfranklin]

All three of the unique four stacker "Jintsu" class cruisers were lost in less than a year's time. At least one was involved in the evacuations from Guadalcanal and the Aleutians in 1943. Though very deadly with their torpedos and night fighting training, they didn't handle shell fire and bomb hits well.

[SeanCox-icfm]

The fact that the Torpedoes are still in the tubes is terrifying and dangerous

[michaelinsc]

Another fascinating shipwreck video! Thank you for covering these.

[matthewschreck]

The twin 25mm AA mount was the first of that series of gunmounts. It was standard equipment light AA gun on IJN ships until around 1943, when the triple mount was introduced and became the standard type. The final mount was the single, which started to appear around a year later.

[ThomasWIck-mstj]

Japanese Warships Of World War 2, Anthony J. Watts, Ian Allan 1966, Published by Doubleday, has Jintsu armed with 8 24 inch in 2 Quad Torp mounts. Also states that 21 inch tubes were replaced by 24 inch in 1940.

[mikeynth]

Other than blown in half by a torpedo and subjected to machine-gun six-inch fire, she looks marvellous!

[Normandy]

Another great detailing of a sunken warrior and what the ravages of war do to them.

[garysanborn]

Excellent Video! I love these videos and watch them all! Thanks for all the research!

[metaknight]

Did Jintsu help to sink HMS Electra at the battle of the Java sea? Some sources say she helped to sink the valiant destroyer, while others insist she was sunk in a 1v1 duel with the destroyer Asagumo.

[alephalon]

You brought up an interesting thought about the discrepancy in what documentation said Jintsuu carried in terms of torpedo launchers and what her wreck had. Finding and preserving shipwrecks helps correct errors and clarifies vague knowledge, which is definitely an important part of studying history.

[alanh]

Very good thank you for posting. A video on the history of Japanese shipbuilders would be interesting.

[JGCR]

The discovery slipped under the metaphorical radar, unlike the historical Jintsu which unfortunately didn't ;)

[luisy.gonzalez]

One of many ships damned by the stupid luck of the Yukikaze.

[robertf]

Just a supposition on my part but I suspect that the "rippling" of the plating of the extreme bow is because the Peak Tank remained water / air tight and what we see is compression damage.

[Yakko]

I find myself wondering if these older cruisers should just be classified as large destroyers. Or something along the lines of the AA cruisers of the USN, that were stacked with dual 5" guns.

[j_mack]

The Battle of Samar was more lop sided than this one.