Japanese destroyer Yūkaze

Yūkaze (夕風, Evening Wind)^[1] was a Minekaze-class destroyer, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy immediately following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.

Yūkaze anchored at Kure with other Japanese destroyers after the surrender of Japan, October 1945
History
Empire of Japan
Name	Yūkaze
Ordered	fiscal 1918
Builder	Mitsubishi-Nagasaki, Japan
Laid down	14 December 1920
Launched	28 May 1921
Commissioned	24 August 1921
Stricken	5 October 1945
Fate	Royal Navy 1947-later scrapped
General characteristics
Class and type	Minekaze-class destroyer
Displacement	1,345 long tons (1,367 t) normal, 1,650 long tons (1,680 t) full load
Length	97.5 m (320 ft) pp, 102.6 m (337 ft) overall
Beam	9 m (30 ft)
Draught	2.8 m (9.2 ft)
Propulsion	2-shaft Mitsubishi-Parsons geared turbines, 4 boilers 38,500 ihp (28,700 kW)
Speed	39 knots (72 km/h)
Range	3,600 nautical miles (6,700 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h)
Complement	148
Armament	4 × Type 3 120 mm 45 caliber naval gun 6 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes in three twin mountings 2 × 7.7 mm machine guns
Service record
Operations:	Second Sino-Japanese War Pacific War

History

Yūkaze commissioning at Nagasaki, 1921

Construction of the large-sized Minekaze-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's 8-4 Fleet Program from fiscal 1917-1920, as an accompaniment to the medium-sized Momi class with which they shared many common design characteristics.^[2] Equipped with powerful engines, these vessels were capable of high speeds and were intended as escorts for the projected Amagi-class battlecruisers, which were ultimately never built.^[3] Yūkaze, built at the Mitsubishi shipyards, Nagasaki, was the tenth ship of this class. The destroyer was laid down on 14 December 1920, launched on 28 May 1921 and commissioned on 24 August 1921.^[4]

Bow of Yūkaze at Yokosuka, showing damage sustained in the collision with Shimakaze, September 12 1928

On completion, Yūkaze was assigned to Yokosuka Naval District as part of Destroyer Division 3 under the IJN 2nd Fleet. On 11 October 1928, in Uraga Channel, while on night training maneuvers, Yūkaze collided with her sister ship Shimakaze, resulting in significant damage and requiring extensive repairs.

In 1937-1938, Yūkaze was assigned to patrols of the central China coastlines in support of Japanese efforts in the Second Sino-Japanese War

World War II history

At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Yūkaze was under Carrier Division 3 in the IJN 1st Fleet based at the Kure Naval District as part of the escort for the old aircraft carrier Hōshō. As such, the destroyer participated in the Battle of Midway.^[5]

Afterwards, Hōshō was used to train naval aviators, remaining in the Inland Sea under the IJN 3rd Fleet, and Yūkaze continued to serve as the aircraft carrier's escort through the end of World War II.^[6]

Yūkaze leaving Sasebo for Singapore, July 1947

On 5 October 1945 Yūkaze was removed from navy list.^[7]

After the war, Yūkaze was used as a repatriation vessel from October 1945 through August 1947, when the ship was turned over to the British Royal Navy as a prize of war in Singapore, where she was broken up for scrap.

Notes

1. Nelson. Japanese-English Character Dictionary. pages 283, 960
2. Howarth, The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun
3. Globalsecurity.org, IJN Minekaze class destroyers
4. Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Minekaze class 1st class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Archived from the original on 2012-07-08. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
5. "Japanese OOB at Midway".
6. Nevitt, Allyn D. (1997). "IJN Yukaze: Tabular Record of Movement". Long Lancers. Combinedfleet.com.
7. Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Minekaze class 1st class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Archived from the original on 2012-07-08. Retrieved 2008-12-20.

References

• 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.
• 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

• Nevitt, Allyn D. (1997). "IJN Yukaze: Tabular Record of Movement". Long Lancers. Combinedfleet.com.
• Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Minekaze class 1st class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Archived from the original on 2012-07-08. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
• Jones, Daniel H. (2003). "IJN Minekaze, Kamikaze and Mutsuki class Destroyers". Ship Modeler's Mailing List (SMML). Archived from the original on 2008-08-28.