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Agano is the lead ship of the Agano-class light cruisers. Completed in October 31st of 1942, and was sunk by the submarine USS Skate on February 16th 1944 while heading to Japan from Truk to receive repairs from damage in the Solomons campaign.
They were among the last light cruisers the IJN ever developed, and were heavier than most light cruisers, but were consequently under-armed and under-armored for their weight, as the IJN did not increase those capabilities as much as the mass. The Agano class was characteristic for having only a single smokestack, as the light cruiser design was re-evaluated to have less clutter on the decks, be less overweight for its hull, and hence, have better stability in open seas.
In real life, Agano and her sisters were to have replaced the aging Tenryuu, Kuma, and Nagara classes of light cruisers as destroyer squadron and submarine squadron flagships. Only her sisters Noshiro and Yahagi were able to fulfill that said role, however.
She was completed in mid-1942 and thrown into the front lines of the Guadalcanal and Solomons campaigns, eventually seeing action in the battle of Empress Augusta Bay on 2 November 1943. Just a few days later, she sustained severe damage from an air attack by US carriers and was forced to withdraw to Truk.
Not fully repaired, she was again attacked by US naval forces in Truk on February 1944 and sunk while retreating to Japan, with the destroyer Oite rescuing more than 500 survivors. The next day, Oite herself was sunk with all of the Agano survivors.
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