In June of 1942 her guns were used in anger once more as Japanese forces landed at the Alaskan Aleutian Islands in an attempt to divert American attention northward. With her work done, Takao returned to Ominato in northern Japan by the end of the month.
The Battle of Guadalcanal began on August 7th, 1942 and would span until February 9th, 1943. Takeo played a part in the reinforcement initiative where she and some of her sisters fought in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons (August 24-25, 1942). While the battle proved a draw tactically it was an Allied strategic success and the Battle of Guadalcanal as a whole marked another strategic Allied victory. During the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands (October 25-27, 1942), Takao's guns were part of the melee that resulted in the loss of the American carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) - a major blow to Allied strength in the Pacific. Her guns were then unleashed on Allied positions at Henderson Field and she managed to land several direct hits on USS South Dakota before returning to Truk by the end of the year.
With Guadalcanal falling to the Allies, an evacuation campaign was authorized and warships like Takao serving in the cover/support role. In July of 1943 she was sent back to Yokosuka where she took on more AA guns as Allied air power became an ever-increasing threat. She reinforced Rabaul on August 27th by delivering fighting forces and supplies before forming the defense around several key IJN carriers in an effort to meet the American carrier force head-on. This task force failed to find the American group which led to Takao sailing for Truk to await her next orders.
On November 5th, 1943, Takao took damage from American dive bombers while refueling at Rabaul. Her controls were damaged and 23 of her sailors killed as two bombs found their mark. Her damage proved extensive enough that she was ordered back to Yokosuka for repairs, which were lengthy, and she did not sail again until January of 1944. During this time, engineers added more AA guns and a radar fit which attempted to put her on par with the American and British warships in the theater.
In action once more, Takao survived an American torpedo attack in April of 1944 before forming part of the defense force in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. She was present at the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot which saw hundreds of Japanese warplanes downed (as many as 645 stated in some sources). Actions there forced the vessel to take on even more AA guns in June and her radar was upgraded. Her finalized layout included the aforementioned 8" and 4.7" guns but her aircraft defense network now numbered 66 x 25mm Type 96 guns in one-, two-, and three-gun turrets as well as 4 x 13.2mm Type 93 heavy machine guns. Her torpedo armament remained and a depth charge function added to combat enemy submarines making their mark against Japanese surface ships in the war.
She then supported operations at Singapore and Brunei during October and took two torpedoes from USS Darter (SS-227) on October 23rd. These strikes damaged two of her four propeller shafts and flooded key machinery areas though she managed to escape a complete demise. Her sisters, IJN Atago and IJN Maya, were not as fortunate and sunk. Back in Singaporean waters, it was decided that Takao's damage was too severe to make the return trip to Yokosuka for repairs and she became a stationary floating gun battery used to defend the Seletar Naval Base for the foreseeable future. A small crew was assigned to her.
Nevertheless, to the Allies the vessel still posed a serious threat in the theater and a daring surprise attack by way of midget submarine was launched by the British. Six mines blew a hole in her hull which added to her damage though she remained afloat nonetheless. She remained on station until the end of hostilities in August of 1945 before being surrendered to British forces on September 21st. She was then sunk as a target on October 19th, 1946 and her name officially struck from the Naval Register the following year. IJN Atago had been torpedoed and lost on October 23rd, 1944 along with IJN Maya. IJN Chokai followed on October 25th, 1944 during the Battle of Samar (Leyte Gulf, Philippines).
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