After that, because of fuel shortage that disabled her from setting sail, all her anti aircraft and secondary guns are taken to be used for homeland defence. Haruna become guard ship for the Kure Naval Port.
Then during the air raid on Kure in July 28th 1945, despite fighting back with Type-3 shells, Haruna received 20 hits and sink to the bottom.The war ended... just a half month after that.
Because she's been lost, Haruna is scrapped after the war and changed into materials for bus and buildings.
Not only she participated through the whole war, she also helps to rebuild the country after it.Among the four sisters, Kirishima is also ordered one day later to Mitsubishi Shipyard. Both started their construction in the same time so in this respect they're twins.On March 3rd 1942, Haruna and Kongou bombarded Christmas Island. There's just three rounds from the main gun and 14 from the secondary guns. Then a white flag is raised on the island and a motorboat with the enemy commander came to them. At this point, there's still no plan on doing landing on the island so they hurriedly pulled their main force away.Haruna is ordered on April 1911 to the Kobe Kawasaki Shipyard and begin construction in April 19th 1915.
Until that time, capital ships of the navy are always either ordered from overseas company or to the naval arsenals. Haruna is the first Japanese capital ship ordered to civilian shipyard.Although it's said that Kongou-class are reclassified into fast battleship after the second remodelling that gave them 30 knots maximum speed, in reality this is only for Kongou and Haruna. It's for this reason that both often participated in missions together.
With their anti aircraft equipments and communication capability, Kongou class are assigned to escort the aircraft carriers and has been doing so since Pearl Harbour.
Finally in October, Haruna participated in Battle of Leyte Gulf, the last organized operation of the combined fleet as part of the first attack force. While Kongou managed to sink enemy carrier, Haruna can't give much result because of the previous damage to her hull. On their way back, Kongou is sunk by submarine, leaving Haruna as the only Kongou class ship left.After the operations in Indian Ocean is over, Japanese met great defeat in the Battle of Midway. Just two months later the enemy retaliated in Operation Watchtower, landed on Guadalcanal and took over the airfield.
On October 13th 1942, she participated in attack on this Henderson Airfield with Kongou. Not only temporarily disabling the runway, they also destroyed 48 airplanes and heavily damaged 20 airplanes from the 92 stationed there.
But they also lost their sisters Hiei and Kirishima in this battle to take back the Guadalcanal island airfield.June 19th in the following year, Haruna participated in Battle Of the Phillipine Sea as escort for the carrier division. But because the aircraft carriers have to go further to the front to launch attack, the escorts can't fulfil their duty. Not only that, Haruna also got damaged by two hits.
The effect of this damage is more than expected and even after repairs, her hull would vibrate if she goes to full speed.
