BATTLESHIP REPLICA. The building of the Office of the Governor of Dinagat Islands, which replicates Japan’s World War II Battleship Yamashiro, is set to open on Dec. 1, 2023. The PHP50-million building is a manifestation of gratitude to Japan, which provided support to the island province during the pandemic and the onslaught of Typhoon Odette in 2021. (Photo courtesy of Janrelh Edera)
BUTUAN CITY – The PHP50-million building of the Office of the Governor of Dinagat Islands, a replica of the World War II Japanese Battleship Yamashiro, will open on Dec. 1.
In a statement on Wednesday, Governor Nilo Demerey Jr. said the new building is a symbol of the "enduring friendship between Japan and Dinagat Islands and the whole country as well."
“Japan, during the pandemic and after the onslaught of Typhoon Odette in Dec. 2021, donated around PHP700 million for the recovery of the island and its residents,” Demerey said.
The building, he said, would also serve as a token of appreciation for Japan's continuous assistance to the people of the Dinagat Islands.
The Yamashiro was the flagship of the seven Japanese battleships that faced the Seventh Fleet of the United States with the support of Australian gun cruiser, the HMAS Shropshire, and destroyer, the HMAS Arunta, during the Battle of Surigao Strait on Oct. 25, 1944.
Vice Admiral Shoji Nishimura, head of Japan’s Southern Force, was in Yamashiro when he commanded Japan’s fleet during the battle, which included another battleship, the Fuso, the heavy cruiser Mogami, and the destroyers Shigure, Michishio, Asagumo, and Yamagumo.
Nishimura was among the more than 4,000 Japanese navy men who died after the Yamashiro and five other ships were destroyed during the battle.
The Yamashiro sunk in the vicinity of Hibosong Island in the town of Loreto on Dinagat Island.
Demerey said the edifice would be a captivating attraction, standing alongside famous tourist sites in Dinagat and enriching the island province's historical significance. (PNA)
