Warships. Destroyers. The first Japanese
Japan... A very interesting country, perhaps the first in the world in terms of adoration of its military fleet For the last two hundred years. And while this once commanded respect, today's revanchism is somewhat unsettling. But one must admit—the Japanese know how to build ships. But it wasn't always so.
The Japanese navy, which performed so well in the Russo-Japanese War, was not so much Japanese as British. Licensed production, so to speak, at best, but the Japanese military had no qualms about ordering ships directly from Britain.
The ships discussed here were built in Japan and based on Japanese designs. However, many experts claim that the Minekaze, Sawakaze, Okikaze, Hakaze, Yakaze, Nadakaze, Shimakaze, Akikaze, Shiokaze, Yukaze, Hokaze, Tamikaze, Nokaze, Namikaze, and Numakaze were very similar in appearance to German destroyers.
Indeed, this series of ships (and several subsequent ones) were similar to German and Austro-Hungarian ships of the time. For example, the torpedo tube was positioned between the bridge and the forecastle, a design unique to the Germans. However, the Japanese didn't mount the torpedo tubes side by side, like the Germans, but instead installed a single twin tube on a rotating mount. This allowed for firing in the forward sector—well, not exactly forward, but at least a torpedo could be fired at a 40-45 degree angle. However, the tube would become swamped in heavy seas. The bridge had to be moved aft.
Interesting place for a torpedo tube actually
The torpedoes had a caliber of 533 mm and were significantly more powerful than their predecessors: the warhead weight increased to 203 kg, and the range was 15,500 m at 27 knots or 7,000 m at 37 knots. The Japanese had always been strong when it came to torpedoes. The tubes were guided by electric motors, and loading remained manual for the time being.
How did the designers deal with it? artillery, cannot be called successful. The complement of four 120mm, 45-caliber guns was arranged as follows: one gun at the bow, one each forward and aft of the second funnel, and one on the aft superstructure. The result was not very effective: only one gun each could fire forward and aft, and the middle guns could only fire in very narrow lateral sectors, as the funnels obstructed their fire.
The last three destroyers of the project (Nokaze, Namikaze, and Numakaze) had a different gun layout: gun No. 3 was moved to the forward part of the aft superstructure. This didn't solve the issue of aiming angles, but it did simplify the ammunition supply.
Minekaze and her sister ships were the first production Japanese destroyers equipped with geared turbines. Four Kampon boilers and two two-stage turbines produced 38,500 horsepower. This was enough to reach a speed of 39 knots, and Shimakaze reached 40,4 knots during trials.
By comparison, American destroyers of the time had 27,000-horsepower propulsion systems, and therefore could reach a maximum speed of 34-35 knots. However, despite the Japanese ships' significantly greater fuel capacity, the Minekaze-class ships' cruising range was a quarter shorter than that of American and British destroyers. This was due to the lower efficiency of their turbines.
Main characteristics of the ship:
Displacement: 1367-1680 tons
Length: 102,6 m
Width: 9,0 m
Draft: 2,9 m
Engines: 2 steam turbines, 4 boilers
Power: 38,500 hp
Speed: 39 Knots
Cruising range: 6,700 km at a speed of 14 knots
Crew: 148 people
Armament:
Artillery: 4 × 120 mm Type 3 guns, 2 × 7,7 mm machine guns
Mine and torpedo armament: 6 (3×2) × 533-mm torpedo tubes, 20 min.
Upgrades
In general, by the mid-30s, the Minekaze-class destroyers were considered obsolete, and as the Japanese fleet began to receive ships of new classes in decent quantities, they began to think up new roles for the “oldies.”
By the start of the war, most Minekaze-class destroyers had been converted into so-called fast transports. Their hulls were reinforced, and some of their armament was removed, leaving two 120mm guns and one torpedo tube. The idea proved to be a sensible one; such fast transports, with the ability to fire shells and torpedoes, proved useful in supplying remote garrisons throughout the Pacific. Although their speed dropped to 36 knots, it remained unrealistic compared to the speeds of regular cargo ships.
On the Nokaze, Numakaze and Namikaze, such work resulted in their displacement increasing to 1,692 tons, and their speed dropping to 34,5 knots.
But not all of them became transport vehicles.
For example, in 1937, the Yakaze was converted into a command ship for the radio-controlled target ship Settsu. All torpedo tubes and two guns were removed, four 25mm anti-aircraft guns were added, and the ship was filled with various remote-control equipment.
Okikaze was completely disarmed and decommissioned in 1938. But with the outbreak of war in 1941, she was reactivated as a destroyer with her original armament.
The Nadakadze and Shimakadze had an interesting fate. Just before the war, they were converted into patrol vessels armed with two 120mm guns, ten 25mm machine guns, two 533mm torpedo tubes, and 16 depth charges. But their patrols didn't last long.
In 1941, the patrol ships were converted into carriers for Zaihatsu landing craft, losing one more gun each. The ships could carry two landing craft and 250 troops, resulting in medium-sized landing ships. To balance the situation, the ships' forward boilers were removed, reducing their power output to 19,500 horsepower and their speed to 20 knots. To compensate for the increased role aviationBy 1944, the anti-aircraft armament had been increased: the Nadakadze had 16, the Shimakadze had 20.
After striking a mine that tore off a chunk of her stern in September 1944, the Namikaze was converted into a carrier for Kaiten human-controlled torpedoes. Her stern was cut down to the waterline, and the forward boiler was removed, reducing her speed to 28 knots. Her armament consisted of a single 120mm gun, twelve 25mm automatic guns, eight machine guns, and a strike armament. weapon made up two "Kaiten".
They wanted to refit the Shokaze, damaged in January 1945, in roughly the same way, but with four Kaiten as armament and a tank with 50 tons of fuel for them, but the work was not completed before the end of the war.
In 1945, the Sawakaze, Shiokaze, and Yukaze were converted into anti-aircraft patrol ships. Type 13 radars were installed on Shiokaze and Yukaze, and Type 22 radars were installed on Sawakaze. The ships also lost their forward boilers, which reduced their speed to 16 knots. The armament of Yukaze and Shiokaze consisted of four 120-mm guns, ten 25-mm anti-aircraft guns, and two torpedo tubes. Sawakaze was stripped of her torpedo tubes and guns Nos. 1, 2, and 3, and a nine-barrel launcher for 150-mm anti-submarine warheads was experimentally installed in its place. missiles.
Combat service
During the Pacific War, the Minekaze class was used primarily for escort duty and suffered heavy losses, typical of all Japanese destroyers.
Sawakaze (Swamp Wind)
Survived until the end of the war, serving on patrol in Yokosuka. Scrapped for scrap in 1947.
Minekaze (The Wind's Peak)
Primarily engaged in patrol duty in the East China Sea, escorting convoys to Truk, Saipan, and Rabaul. While escorting ships to Takao, she was sunk by the American submarine USS Pogie on February 10 near Taiwan.
Yakaze (Swift Wind)
It patrolled the coast of China and served as a base for commanding a target ship. On July 18, 1945, it was damaged during an American air raid on Yokosuka and was towed to a dry dock in Nagaura, where it eventually sank due to lack of repairs.
Okikaze (Coastal Wind)
She carried out patrol duty in the north near Hokkaido, and during World War II, the destroyer conducted anti-submarine patrols at the entrance to Tokyo Bay. Only occasionally did Okikaze escort convoys along the coast of Japan to Kushimoto, Wakayama, or patrol the coast of northern Honshu.
On January 10, 1943, Okikaze was torpedoed by the American submarine Trigger just 35 miles southeast of Yokosuka. One torpedo hit below deck, the second aft. The ship sank, taking the lives of most of the crew, including the captain.
Khakadze (Winged Wind)
A participant in the Second Sino-Japanese War, the destroyer patrolled the northern and central coasts of China. During World War II, it participated in the invasion of Palembang in Sumatra. From Rabaul in the Solomon Islands, the destroyer supported the attempted invasion of Port Moresby. It escorted convoys to Saipan, from Saipan to Hahajima in the Ogasawara Islands and back, and also escorted several convoys in preparation for the offensive on Guadalcanal. It also participated in the "Tokyo Express" for the rapid transport of troops from Buin to Munda.
In early 1943, the Hakaze carried out patrol and escort missions in the Shortlands-Buka-Rabaul-Kavieng sector. While escorting the seaplane carrier Akitsushima, the Hakaze attacked the American submarine Garfish, but the Americans proved to be overpowering and ultimately torpedoed and sank the Hakaze on January 23, 1943, approximately 15 miles south of Kavieng, New Ireland.
Shimakaze (Island Wind)
A participant in the Second Sino-Japanese War, in April 1940, after a major modernization, she was returned to service as Patrol Boat No. 1. She was half a destroyer: two of her four boilers were removed. She had a speed of 22 knots, and was armed with two 120mm guns, four 25mm anti-aircraft guns, two mortar launchers, and 42 depth charges.
In this configuration, the ship was sent to patrol and escort ships in the Philippines, the Netherlands East Indies, and the Solomon Islands. On January 12, 1943, while escorting the tanker Akebono in the Bismarck Archipelago, she was torpedoed and sunk by the American submarine USS Gardfish near Kavieng, New Ireland.
Shiokaze (The Last Wind)
He met World War II in Palau as part of the escort for the aircraft carrier Ryujo, with which he participated in Operation M, the Japanese invasion of the Philippines.
From early January 1942, Shiokaze was based at Cam Ranh Bay, French Indochina, supporting the invasion of the British protectorate of Sarawak in Borneo, the invasion of Palembang, and the invasion of Java in the Netherlands East Indies.
On March 2, 1942, together with the destroyer Matsukaze, he sank the Dutch minesweeper Ende. He participated with the Ryujo in the invasion of the Andaman Islands and raids in the Indian Ocean. He was temporarily transferred north to participate in the invasion of the Aleutian Islands. He then escorted convoys between Japan and Manila, Singapore, and Palau until the end of January 1945.
On January 31, 1945, she was damaged in an American air attack south of Taiwan while attempting to evacuate aircrews from Aparri, Luzon, and was laid up for repairs. Shiokaze met the Japanese surrender in the dock at Kure.
After the war, the Shiokaze was used as a repatriation ship, evacuating demobilized Japanese soldiers from the Asian continent back to Japan.
Yukaze (Evening Wind)
Served on patrol duty during the Second Sino-Japanese War off the coast of China.
Participant in the Battle of Midway, escorted the aircraft carrier Hosho.
Hosho was subsequently used to train naval aviators off the coast of Japan, and Yukaze continued to serve as an aircraft carrier escort until the end of World War II.
After the war, it served as a transport ship for Japanese soldiers from Asia to Japan.
Akikaze (Autumn Wind)
Participant of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
At the outbreak of World War II, he was based at Takao and participated in the invasion of the Philippines, as well as escorting convoys to Davao and Legazpi.
From May 1942, Akikaze was based at Rabaul, escorting transports throughout the Pacific Ocean. On March 14, 1943, Akikaze and two other destroyers attacked and sank the American submarine Triton.
Made several trips as the "Tokyo Express" - a troop transport to New Guinea, then was transferred to Truk, where she escorted convoys between Truk, Saipan and Palau.
He took part in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, rescuing survivors from the torpedoed oil tanker Jinei Maru.
On November 1, 1944, Destroyer Division 30—the flagship Yuzuki, Uzuki, and Akikaze—departed from Mako, escorting the aircraft carrier Zuiho and the cruiser Kiso en route to Brunei. On November 3, the US submarine Pintado launched several torpedoes at Zuiho, but Akikaze, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Nitaro Yamazaki, intercepted them, sacrificing herself to save the carrier. Akikaze sank with all 205 crew members.
Nadakadze (Wind of the Open Sea)
After patrol duty off the coast of China, the destroyer was converted into patrol boat No. 2 and sent to patrol and escort ships to the Philippines, the Netherlands East Indies, and the Solomon Islands.
In January 1943, Patrol Boat No. 2 was transferred to the Japanese home islands, where it escorted convoys between Moji, Takao, Saigon, Manila and Singapore.
On 25 July 1945, Patrol Boat No. 2 was torpedoed and sunk by the Royal Navy submarine HMS Stubborn near the Lombok Strait, Lesser Sunda Islands, Netherlands East Indies.
Tachikaze (Wind from the Sword Strike)
The ship participated in the 1942 Japanese invasion of the Philippines, escorting ships between Sulawesi and Singapore. It also participated in the invasion of the Andaman Islands, and from June 1942, it was based at Jaluit Atoll or Rabaul, escorting transports to the Marshall and Solomon Islands. The ship was seriously damaged during an air raid on December 27 at Rabaul. After repairs, it returned to service and continued missions in the region.
On February 4, 1944, the Tatikaze ran aground off Kuop Atoll, near Truk Lagoon, while returning from Rabaul. Despite all efforts to refloat it, it remained there. During the Allied Operation Hailstone, the ship was shelled and attacked by aircraft. A torpedo struck the engine room, and the destroyer sank.
Hokaze (Wind in the Sails)
He participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor and served as an escort for the aircraft carrier Taiho. After the attack, he remained with the carrier until April 1943. He was then reassigned to escort the cruiser Nachi.
The Hokaze was then deployed to operations in the north and escorted transports for the invasion of Kiska. In August 1944, the Hokaze escorted the seaplane tender Kimikawa Maru to Kiska, returning to Yokosuka in October to replenish supplies. From October onward, she was assigned to the Southwest Fleet and escorted convoys between Moji and Taiwan.
In March 1943, the Hokage was repaired and fitted with a sonar. In April, she returned to convoy escort duties, based in Balikpapan, Borneo, in the Netherlands East Indies. On July 1, 1943, the Hokage was torpedoed by the submarine USS Thresher in the Makassar Strait, sustaining minor damage.
Until the very end, the Hokaze served as a convoy ship or "Tokyo Express" delivering supplies to garrisons on the New Guinea islands.
On July 6, 1944, the Hokage was torpedoed and sunk by the American submarine USS Paddle in the Celebes Sea. Several crew members survived.
Nokaze (Field Wind)
The first of the final group of destroyers, slightly different in appearance from the original Minekaze, was assigned to the 1st Destroyer Division along with her sister ships, Namikaze, Numakaze, and the flagship, Kamikaze. In 1938–1939, this division patrolled the northern and central coasts of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Nokaze spent virtually the entirety of World War II in northern waters, patrolling the waters near the Aleutian Islands, Hokkaido, and Honshu.
In January 1945, Nokaze departed Moji as part of Convoy HI-91 bound for Singapore, with orders to proceed to Mako, where she was to join the destroyer escort for the battleships Ise and Hyuga.
On February 20, 1945, the Nokaze was torpedoed and sunk by the American submarine USS Pargo north of Nha Trang in the South China Sea. All 209 crew members were killed, and the Kamikaze rescued 21 survivors. The Nokaze was the last of 39 Japanese destroyers sunk by US Navy submarines during the war.
Numakadze (Swamp Wind)
The service of this ship was virtually identical to that of her predecessor, Nokaze, except that in December 1943 Numakaze was transferred to the Combined Fleet and on December 5 departed Moji as part of the 1st Surface Escort Division escorting a convoy to Taiwan.
On December 18, 1943, Numakaze, while pursuing the USS Grayback, was struck by a torpedo, exploded, and sank east-northeast of Naha, Okinawa, with all hands, including Destroyer Division 1 Commander Watanabe Yasumasa.
Namikaze (Wave Wind)
The ship met the beginning of the war in northern waters, where it remained until the end of 1943.
On December 1, 1943, Namikaze was transferred to Moji to escort convoys to French Indochina. In March 1944, the destroyer returned to Ominato to resume patrols of Hokkaido and Chishima.
On August 21, 1944, the Namikaze was torpedoed by the USS Seal north of Iturup. Its stern was blown off, and it was towed by the destroyer Kamikaze to Otaru for emergency repairs. After repairs, the Namikaze was sent to the Maizuru Naval Arsenal for conversion into a carrier for Kaiten manned torpedoes.
During the conversion, three of the four main guns and all torpedo tubes were removed. The first boiler was also removed, reducing output to 25,000 horsepower and maximum speed to 29,5 knots. Six 25mm Type 96 anti-aircraft guns and eight 13,2mm anti-aircraft machine guns were added. A sloped deck was installed at the stern, which could accommodate two to four Kaiten torpedoes.
After completing repairs on February 1, 1945, Namikaze was assigned to the Combined Fleet, but there are no records of her actually launching a Kaiten in combat. From June 16, 1945, Namikaze was based at Ube in the Seto Inland Sea and was used primarily as a minesweeper.
After the war, the Namikaze was removed from the fleet and handed over to the occupation authorities for use as a transport for the return of Japanese soldiers from Asia.
On October 3, 1947, the former Namikaze was handed over to the Republic of China as war trophy and renamed Shen Yang. Shen Yang initially served in China, but after the defeat of the Kuomintang, she was sent to Taiwan, where she was finally decommissioned in 1960.
Namikaze was the longest-serving of all the Minekaze-class destroyers, serving from 1922 to 1960.
So, what can be said about the firstborn of Japanese destroyer building?
The ships weren't exactly controversial, but the Japanese designers simply weren't able to implement all the ideas and resolve all the problems that arose during their construction. While these were decent ships for World War I, they were completely outdated for World War II.
The main problem with all the Minekazes was the virtual absence of any decent hydroacoustic equipment. While they had hydrophones, they were of the 20s standard, leaving aside sonars and other modern conveniences. This is confirmed by the losses:
- 9 destroyers were sunk by enemy submarines;
- 2 ships were sunk by aircraft.
There's a paradox here: the destroyers, which were supposed to be the scourge of submarines, were mostly lost to torpedoes! In fact, two ships were sunk by the very submarines they were attacking! In other words, the Americans weren't at all afraid of such encounters and emerged victorious. Why? It's simple: if a destroyer is "deaf as a grouse" and unable to detect a submarine, it's a sin not to take advantage of this and slam a torpedo into its side.
The fact that the Okikaze was sunk literally in home waters, a mere 35 miles from one of Japan's main military bases, Yokosuka, suggests that the anti-submarine warfare service wasn't even properly organized. It was completely overwhelmed. And not least because there was a shortage of ships with a reasonable set of anti-submarine warfare equipment.
In principle, it's hard to say that the first attempt was always a flop. No, the ships may have been disappointing, but they certainly served their purpose. A high-speed armed transport, a Kaiten torpedo carrier, a patrol boat… (that's a bit much, of course) – overall, the Japanese weren't afraid to experiment with modernization, and why not? They had nothing to lose anyway.
Another question is that the Japanese were definitely able to draw conclusions and the following types of destroyers were very different from the first-born "Minekaze", but this is already really the next storyHere, we can summarize by saying that being first and being with first is always difficult. But the ships turned out to be seaworthy, adequately armed, if not entirely adequately equipped, and fast. Survivability, of course, was also below average; after all, a single torpedo for a ship of this class isn't very good; if a destroyer sinks from a single torpedo, that indicates real survivability issues. And range was a bit limited, but the Japanese were excellent in this area.
As the Japanese themselves say, a journey of a thousand ri begins with a single step. That first step was taken in 1920, when the first Minekaze were launched. Twenty years later, they were completely obsolete. But in those days, technological progress was advancing at a rapid pace, so it was only natural. But the lessons of the Minekaze were learned, and the ships subsequently achieved a respectable world standard.
Sources:
Robert Gardiner, Randall Gray. All Conway's Fighting Ships.
Alexander Dashyan, Sergey Patyanin, and others. All ships of World War II
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