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Sendai was the lead ship in her class of light cruisers; she was intended for use as the flagship of a destroyer flotilla. Sendai was completed in 1924, and took part in the Battle of Shanghai in the Second Sino-Japanese War, and later covered the landings of Japanese forces in southern China.

At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Sendai was escorting troop transports carrying for the invasion of Malaya. At 2345 on 7 December 1941, Sendai and her destroyer squadron began shelling Kota Bharu, Malaya.

On 19 December 1941, in the South China Sea, Royal Netherlands Navy submarine O-20 sighted Sendai and her transports. Sendai's floatplane, a Kawanishi E7K2 "Alf", spotted and bombed the O-20, which was also attacked by Japanese destroyers. That night O-20 surfaced to recharge its batteries, gave her away position; and she was sunk.

Sendai made more troop convoy escort runs and covered Japanese landings in the East Indies from December 1941through March 1942. At the end of March, Sendai covered the landing of one battalion of the IJA in the Andaman Islands. At the end of April, Sendai returned to Sasebo for repairs.

In August 1942, with the Guadalcanal campaign heating up, Sendai was sent to escort troop convoys to Rabaul, New Britain and Shortland, Bougainville. On 8 September, Sendai shelled Tulagi and on 12 September Sendai bombarded Henderson Field, Guadalcanal. Sendai remained active in Solomon Island operations through November 1942, participating in both the First Second Naval Battles of Guadalcanal.

On 25 February 1943 Sendai was reassigned to the Eighth Fleet at Rabaul under Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa and remained on patrol around Rabaul through April. Returning to Sasebo in May, Sendai was repaired and modified. Her No.5 5.5-inch (140 mm) gun mount was removed and two triple 25 mm AA gun mounts and Type 21 radar were installed. Repairs were completed 25 June 1943 and Sendai returned to Truk on 5 July.

On 2 November 1943, at the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, the Japanese fleet attempting to reinforce Bougainville was intercepted by USN cruisers and destroyers. Shigure spotted the American destroyers, turned hard starboard and launched eight torpedoes. Sendai also turned hard starboard, but bore down on Shigure, barely avoiding a collision. All four Allied cruisers took Sendai under radar-directed 6-inch gun fire. They hit her with their first salvo and more thereafter, setting her afire. Sendai sank the following morning. Captain Shoji and 184 crewmen went down with the ship, but 236 other crewmen were rescued by destroyers.

On 3 November 1943, Admiral Ijuin and 75 more survivors from Sendai were rescued by Japanese submarine RO-104.

Sendai was removed from the Navy List 5 January 1944.

Displacement: 5195 tons
Length: 152.4 meters
Beam: 14.2 meters
Draught: 4.9 meters
Speed: 35.3 knots
Range: 5,000 nautical miles at 14 knots
Crew: 452
Armament: 7 × 5.5-inch guns, 2 × 80 mm guns, 4 × 610 mm torpedo tubes
Aircraft: 1 floatplane, 1 catapult

Sources: Public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

and pictures from my father's 1943 Naval Recognition Manual

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