4th Mogami-class heavy cruiser (Total 4), named after the Kumano River on the island of Honshu in central Japan
Invasion of French Indochina (July 1941) - with her sister ships Mogami, Mikuma & Suzuya
Invasion of Malaya (December 1941)
The Hunt for Force Z (Royal Navy battleship Prince of Wales, battlecruiser Repulse) on 9 December 1941 - with Chōkai; Suzuya; submarine I-65; light cruiser Sendai
Indian Ocean Raid (6 April 1942) - sank 5 British & American ships (with Suzuya; destroyer Shirakumo & Shiokaze汐風)
Battle of Midway (June 1942) - with Suzuya; Mikuma; Mogami
refit at Kure (6 June 1943) - 13-mm machine guns were replaced by two triple-mount Type 96 anti-aircraft guns .a Type 21 radar was installed.
refit at Singapore (March ~ May 1944) - 8 single-mount Type 96 guns were added.
Battle of the Philippine Sea (20 June 1944) - Kumano was attacked by aircraft from USS Bunker Hill, Monterey & Cabot. (with aircraft carrier Hiyō [sank]; battleship Haruna [badly damaged]
refit at Kure (25 June 1944) - Type 13 and Type 22 radars were installed, more Type 96 AA guns were added
Battle of Samar (25~29 October 1944) - Kumano was badly damaged under aerial attack.
departing Manila for Taiwan (4~6 November 1944) - Kumano was badly damaged by torpedoes from U.S. submarines.
during repairs in Santa Cruz on 25 November 1944, Kumano was sunk by aircraft from USS Ticonderoga.
Kumano under aerial attack (SB2C-3 Helldiver from VB-7) on 26 October 1944. (Kumano's bow was blown off by a torpedo launched from the destroyer USS Johnston (DD-557) during the Battle off Samar on 25 October)