Gunichi Mikawa

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Gunichi Mikawa
Vice Admiral Mikawa Gunichi (1940–45)
Native name	三川 軍一
Born	(1888-08-29)29 August 1888 Hiroshima Prefecture, Empire of Japan
Died	25 February 1981(1981-02-25) (aged 92)
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service / branch	Imperial Japanese Navy
Years of service	1910–1945
Rank	Vice Admiral
Commands	Hayatomo, Aoba, Chōkai, Kirishima, Weapons and Mobilization Bureau, 7th Squadron, 5th Squadron, 3rd Squadron, 8th Fleet, Naval Navigation School, 2nd Southern Expeditionary Fleet, Southwest Area Fleet, 13th Air Fleet, 3rd Southern Expeditionary Fleet[1]
Battles / wars	World War II Pacific War Attack on Pearl Harbor Indian Ocean Raid Battle of Midway Battle of Savo Island Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
Awards	Order of the Rising Sun (3rd class) Order of the Rising Sun (4th class) Order of the Sacred Treasure (2nd class)[2]

Gunichi Mikawa (三川 軍一, Mikawa Gun'ichi, 29 August 1888 – 25 February 1981) was a vice-admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. Mikawa was the commander of a heavy cruiser force that defeated the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Navy at the Battle of Savo Island in Ironbottom Sound on the night of 8–9 August 1942.

In this battle, his squadron of cruisers, plus one destroyer, sank three USN cruisers, plus the RAN heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra; Mikawa's force suffered no losses in the actual battle, although heavy cruiser Kako was sunk by the undetected American submarine S-44 on the return to their base near Rabaul in the Bismarck Archipelago. However, his later career was of mixed success, and he was reassigned to lesser posts after the loss of a troop convoy destined for New Guinea. After the war Mikawa retired back to Japan, where he died in 1981 at the age of 92.