ARP Haruna

Haruna (ハルナ Haruna?) Fast battleship of the Second Oriental Fleet. Later, guardian of Makie Osakabe and member of Blue Steel.

Voiced by: Hibiku Yamamura

Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova

In 2038, a mysterious fleet of warships, who have lurked around the world in the decades decades before, goes on the offensive against humanity. Modelled after ships that appeared in World War II, but possessing weaponry far superior to those in humanity's possession and protected by an indestructible barrier immune to whatever we have to throw at them, humanity quickly loses control of the seas and our military forces are annihilated in the desperate battles against them. The result was a world where humanity's presence in the oceans was no more, with communication via the seas cut off and humans isolated from each other, blockaded by the "Fleet of Fog".

In 2054, a change became across the Fleet of Fog. The ships of the Fog, impersonal and faceless, started developing "Mental Models", human avatars capable of thinking in ways similar to human beings, with personalities unique to each Mental Model. One of these was the I-401, or, Iona, who made contact with Gunzō Chihaya to become his ship. Gunzō, with Iona and a small band of friends who now crew the I-401, now as Blue Steel seek to restore balance to this lopsided status quo with the Fleet of Fog, to bring a peace where humanity and the Fleet of Fog can happily coexist together.

Haruna, a Fog battleship whose avatar takes the form of a teenage girl wearing a heavy coat that covers all of her body up to the nose, originally, along with Kirishima, attacked Yokosuka to destroy I-401 and Blue Steel. After that effort failed and resulted in the destruction of her hull, she along with Kirishima befriends a girl named Makie and agrees to protect her after finding out the truth behind her, even if this means going against the Fog. Both Haruna and Kirishima not only betray the Fog but also join the Blue Steel Fleet to serve their purpose. In the Cadenza film, Hyuga restores her vessel and comes to assist I-401 in their battle with the Student Council Fleet, engaging Haguro to allow I-401 to escape and confront Musashi.

Historical

Haruna (榛名?, named for Mount Haruna, a volcano in Gunma Prefecture), was a warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War I and World War II. Designed by the British naval engineer George Thurston, she was the fourth and last battlecruiser of the Kongō class, amongst the most heavily armed ships in any navy when built. Laid down in 1912 at the Kawasaki Shipyards in Kobe, Haruna was formally commissioned in 1915 on the same day as her sister ship, Kirishima. Haruna patrolled off the Chinese coast during World War I. During gunnery drills in 1920, an explosion destroyed one of her guns, damaged the gun turret, and killed seven men. During her life, Haruna underwent two major reconstructions. Beginning in 1926, the Imperial Japanese Navy rebuilt her as a battleship, strengthening her armor and improving her speed and power capabilities. In 1933, her superstructure was completely rebuilt, her speed was increased, and she was equipped with launch catapults for floatplanes. Now fast enough to accompany Japan's growing carrier fleet, Haruna was reclassified as a fast battleship. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Haruna transported Imperial Japanese Army troops to mainland China before being redeployed to the Third Battleship Division in 1941. On the eve of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, she sailed as part of the Southern Force in preparation for the Battle of Singapore.

Haruna fought in almost every major naval action of the Pacific Theater during World War II. She covered landings of Japanese forces in Malaya (in present-day Malaysia) and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) in 1942 before engaging American forces at the Battle of Midway and during the Guadalcanal Campaign. Throughout 1943, Haruna primarily remained at Truk Lagoon (Micronesia), Kure Naval Base (near Hiroshima), Sasebo Naval Base (near Nagasaki), and the Lingga Islands (in present-day Indonesia), and deployed on several occasions in response to American carrier airstrikes on Japanese island bases. Haruna participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944, engaging American vessels in the latter. In 1945, Haruna was transferred to Kure Naval Base, where she was sunk by aircraft of Task Force 38 on 28 July 1945.