Akatsuki-class destroyer (1931)

	Inazumaunderway, circa 1936
Class overview
Name	Akatsukiclass
Builders	Sasebo Naval Arsenal; Maizuru Naval Arsenal; Uraga Dock Company; Fujinagata Shipyards;
Operators	Imperial Japanese Navy
Preceded by	Fubukiclass
Succeeded by	Hatsuharuclass
In commission	1932–1944
Completed	4
Lost	3
Retired	1
General characteristics
Type	Destroyer
Displacement	1,750 long tons (1,778 t)
Length	118.5 m (388 ft 9 in)
Beam	10.4 m (34 ft 1 in)
Draft	3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Propulsion	2 shaftKampongearedturbines; 3 boilers; 50,000 hp (37,000 kW);
Speed	38knots(70 km/h; 44 mph)
Range	5,000 nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement	233
Armament	3 × twinType 3 127 mm 50 caliber naval guns; 2 × singleType 93 13 mm machine guns; 3 × triple 610 mm (24 in)torpedo tubes; 18 ×Type 93 torpedoes; 18 ×depth charges;

TheAkatsuki-class destroyer(Hiểu hình 駆 trục hạm,Akatsuki-gata kuchikukan)was aclassof fourdestroyersof theImperial Japanese Navy.^[1]According to most sources, they are regarded as a sub-class of theFubukiclass,partly because the Imperial Japanese Navy itself kept the improvements made a secret, and did not officially designate these four destroyers as a separate class.

Background

After a number of years of operational experience with theFubukiclass, theImperial Japanese Navy General Staffissued requirements for four additionalSpecial Type(Đặc hình,Tokugata)destroyers, with a maximum speed of 39knots(72 km/h), range of 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h), and armed withType 8 torpedoes.These destroyers were intended to operate with the new series of fast and powerfulcruisersalso under consideration as part of a program intended to give the Imperial Japanese Navy a qualitative edge with the world's most modern ships. The new vessels were built from 1931 to 1933.^[2]

Design

The main difference in design between theAkatsukivessels and the standardFubuki-class was the use of a new high-pressure boiler, which enabled the number of boilers to be reduced from four to three without a reduction in power. This also enabled the fore smokestack to be made narrower than on standardFubuki-class vessels, and this feature was the most evident visual recognition feature between the two designs. Other improvements over theFubukiclass included a larger bridge structure, with the addition of another level to house improved fire control facilities, and a splinter-proof torpedo launcher/turret, which allowed the torpedo launcher tubes to be reloaded in action.^[3]The four ships incorporated many weight-saving measures, andHibikiwas the first all-welded Japanese ship.^[4]

However, theAkatsukiclass shared a number of inherent design problems with theFubukiclass. The large amount of armament combined with a smaller hull displacement than in the original design created issues with stability. After theTomozuruIncident,in which the basic design of many Japanese warships was called into question, additionalballasthad to be added. In theFourth Fleet Incident,during which atyphoondamaged virtually every ship in theFourth Fleet,issues with the longitudinal strength of theAkatsuki-class hull was discovered. As a result, all vessels were reconstructed from 1935 to 1937. An additional 40 tons of ballast was added, the bridge reduced in size and the height of the smoke stacks was decreased. The number of torpedo reloads were reduced from nine to three (for the center launcher only), and fewer shells were stored for the guns. The amount of fuel carried was also increased to help lower the center-of-gravity. This increased the displacement to 2050 tons standard load and over 2400 tons full load. The rebuild reduced the top speed slightly to 34 knots.

Armament

Themain batteryconsisted of sixType 3 127 mm 50 caliber naval guns,mounted in pairs in three weather-proof, splinter-proof, gas-tightgun turrets.These guns weredual purpose gunsthat could be elevated to 75 degrees, making them the world's first destroyers with this ability.^[5]Ammunition was brought up on hoists frommagazineslocated directly underneath each gun turret, which had a far greater rate of fire than those of other contemporary destroyers in which ammunition was typically manually loaded.^[6]However, the gun houses were not bulletproof, and were thus actually still gun mounts, rather than proper turrets.^[4]

The three triple 24-inch (610 mm)torpedo launchersused on the standardFubukiclass were retained, and originally Type 8 torpedoes were carried. These were later replaced with theType 93 "Long Lance"oxygen-propelled torpedoes duringWorld War II.^[6]

Anti-aircraft capability was initially twoType 93 13 mm AA gunsmounted in front of the second stack. In 1943, an additional pair of Type 93 guns was mounted in front of the bridge, which was later changed toType 96 25 mm AA gunsonHibikiandIkazuchiin January 1944. These vessels also lost one of their aft guns in April 1944 in exchange for two triple Type 96 guns, and another pair of triple Type 96 guns was added between the aft torpedo mounts.Hibikihad another 20 single-mount Type 96s added, as well as a Type 22 and Type 13 radar, before the end of the war.^[4]

Operational history

Of the fourAkatsuki-class vessels, onlyHibikisurvived the war, and was awarded as aprize of warto theSoviet Navy,and continued to be used a floating barracks ship until retirement in 1953. Eventually, she was used as target practice in the 1970s, where she was finally sunk.Akatsukiwas lost at theNaval Battle of Guadalcanalin November 1942, where she was sunk by American cruiser and destroyer gunfire.Ikazuchiwas sunk while escorting a convoy 200 miles south-southeast of Guam on April 14, 1944 by the submarineUSSHarder.Inazumaexploded after being struck by torpedoes launched byUSSBonefishin theCelebes SeanearTawitawion 14 May 1944.

List of ships

Type III (Akatsuki)

List ofAkatsuki-class destroyers (1931)
Kanji	Name	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Fate
Hiểu	Akatsuki	Sasebo Naval Arsenal,Japan	17 February 1930	7 May 1932	30 November 1932	Sunk in actionoff Guadalcanal on 13 November 1942; struck 15 December 1942
Hưởng	Hibiki	Maizuru Naval Arsenal,Japan	21 February 1930	16 June 1932	31 March 1933	Surrendered 5 October 1945; prize of war to USSR on 5 July 1947; sunk as target in 1970s
Lôi	Ikazuchi	Uraga Dock Company,Japan	7 March 1930	22 October 1931	15 August 1932	Torpedoed west of Guam on 13 April 1944; struck 10 June 1944
Điện	Inazuma	Fujinagata Shipyards,Japan	7 March 1930	25 February 1932	15 November 1932	Torpedoed west of Celebes on 14 May 1944; struck 10 June 1944

Notes

^Jentsura,Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945
^Fitzsimons,Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfarep.1040
^Fitzsimons,Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfarep.1040.
^^a ^b ^cStille, Mark (2013).Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers1919–45 (1).Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. pp. 32–35.ISBN 978-1-84908-984-5.
^Fitzsimons,Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare,Volume 10, p. 1040.
^^a ^bPeattie & Evans,Kaigunpp. 221-222.

References

Books

Evans, David (1979).Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941.US Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-192-7.
Brown, David (1990).Warship Losses of World War Two.Naval Institute Press.ISBN 1-55750-914-X.
Howarth, Stephen (1983).The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The Drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895–1945.Atheneum.ISBN 0-689-11402-8.
Jentsura, Hansgeorg (1976).Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945.US Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-893-X.
Morison, Samuel Eliot(1958).The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943, vol. 5 ofHistory of United States Naval Operations in World War II.Boston:Little, Brown and Company.ISBN 0-316-58305-7.
Nelson, Andrew N. (1967).Japanese–English Character Dictionary.Tuttle.ISBN 0-8048-0408-7.
Watts, Anthony J (1967).Japanese Warships of World War II.Doubleday.ISBN 978-0-3850-9189-3.
Whitley, M J (2000).Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia.London: Arms and Armour Press.ISBN 1-85409-521-8.

External links

Nishida, Hiroshi."Materials of IJN: Akatsuki class destroyer".Imperial Japanese Navy.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-12-10.Retrieved2015-07-13.
Globalsecurity.org."IJN Akatsuki class destroyers".
Combined Fleet.com."Nihon Kaigun: Akatsuki Class".
Pacific War Online Encyclopedia

[1] Jentsura,Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945

[2] Fitzsimons,Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfarep.1040

[3] Fitzsimons,Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfarep.1040.

[Stille-4] Stille, Mark (2013).Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers1919–45 (1).Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. pp. 32–35.ISBN 978-1-84908-984-5.

[5] Fitzsimons,Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare,Volume 10, p. 1040.

[Peattie_page_221-222-6] Peattie & Evans,Kaigunpp. 221-222.

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