The was a class

Ship class

A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....

 of four destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

s of the Imperial Japanese Navy

Imperial Japanese Navy

The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...

. Almost identical in appearance to the previous Fubuki class, they are regarded as a sub-class by many authors, 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. This class of destroyer should not be confused with the much earlier Akatsuki class

Akatsuki class destroyer (1901)

- Notes :...

 of the Russo-Japanese War

Russo-Japanese War

The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...

 period.

Background

After a number of years of operational experience with the Fubuki-class, the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff

Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff

The was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy. In charge of planning and operations, it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo.-History:...

 issued requirements for four additional destroyers, with a maximum speed of 39 knot

Knot

A knot is a method of fastening or securing linear material such as rope by tying or interweaving. It may consist of a length of one or several segments of rope, string, webbing, twine, strap, or even chain interwoven such that the line can bind to itself or to some other object—the "load"...

s, range of 4000 nautical miles (7,408 km) at 14 knots (27.4 km/h), and armed with Type 8 torpedoes. These destroyers were intended to operate with the new series of fast and powerful new cruiser

Cruiser

A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...

s also 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 1931-1933.

Design

The Akatsuki vessels had larger boilers and a narrower fore funnel than the previous Fubuki, and internally the number of boilers was reduced from four to three due to improvements in boiler design and efficiency. Other improvements over the Fubuki-class included a splinter-proof torpedo launcher-turret, which allowed the torpedo launcher tubes to be reloaded in action (something which Western destroyers still did not have in the 1990s).

However, the Akatsuki-class shared a number of inherent design problems with the Fubuki-class. The large amount of armament combined with a smaller hull displacement than in the original design created issues with stability. After the Tomozuru Incident, in which the basic design of many Japanese warships was called into question, additional ballast

Ballast tank

A ballast tank is a compartment within a boat, ship or other floating structure that holds water.-History:The basic concept behind the ballast tank can be seen in many forms of aquatic life, such as the blowfish or argonaut octopus, and the concept has been invented and reinvented many times by...

 had to be added. In the Fourth Fleet Incident, during which a typhoon damaged virtually every ship in the Fourth Fleet

IJN 4th Fleet

The was a fleet designation of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Fourth Fleet designation was used during three separate periods. The initial designation was for a group of ships that were assigned to work together during the Russo-Japanese conflict and the period of its immediate aftermath...

, issues with the longitudinal strength of the Akatsuki class hull was discovered. As a result, all vessels were reconstructed in 1935-1937. This increased the displacement to 2050 tons standard tons and over 2400 tons full load. The rebuild reduced the top speed slightly.

The main battery consisted of six Type 3 127 mm 50 caliber naval guns, mounted in pairs in three weather-proof, splinter-proof, gas-tight gun turret

Gun turret

A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...

s . Ammunition was brought up on hoists from magazines located directly underneath each gun turret, which had a greater rate of fire than other contemporary destroyers, where ammunition was typically manually loaded. The mounts could elevate each gun separately to 75° elevation for AA use. Originally Type 8 torpedoes were carried, arranged in three triple mountings. These were later replaced with the famous Type 93 "Long Lance"

Type 93 torpedo

The Type 93 was a -diameter torpedo of the Imperial Japanese Navy , launched from surface ships. It is commonly referred to as the Long Lance by most modern English-language naval historians, a nickname given it after the war by Samuel E. Morison, the chief historian of the U.S...

 oxygen-propelled torpedoes during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

Type I (Fubuki)

Kanji	Name	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Fate
暁	Akatsuki Japanese destroyer Akatsuki was the twenty-first , or the lead ship of the Akatsuki-class destroyer , built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the inter-war period. When introduced into service, these ships were the most powerful destroyers in the world...	Sasebo Naval Arsenal Sasebo Naval Arsenal was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. -History:The Sasebo Naval District was established at Sasebo, Nagasaki in 1886, as the third of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the Japanese home islands. After the establishment of the... , Japan	17 February 1930	7 May 1932	30 November 1932	Sunk in action off Guadalcanal [09.17S, 159.56E] on 13 November 1942; struck 15 December 1942
電	Inazuma Japanese destroyer Inazuma was the twenty-fourth destroyers, or the fourth of , built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the inter-war period. When introduced into service, these ships were the most powerful destroyers in the world...	Fujinagata Shipyards Fujinagata Shipyards was a shipyard and railroad car manufacturer in Osaka, Japan.-History:Fujinagata claimed to have been founded in 1689, making it one of the oldest shipbuilders in Japan. Originally called Hyōgo-ya, and located in central Osaka, it was contracted in 1854 by officials representing the Tokugawa... , Japan	7 March 1930	25 February 1932	15 November 1932	Torpedoed W of Celebes [05.08N, 119.38E] on 14 May 1944; struck 10 June 1944
雷	Ikazuchi Japanese destroyer Ikazuchi was the twenty-third destroyer, or the third , built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the inter-war period. When introduced into service, these ships were the most powerful destroyers in the world...	Uraga Dock Company Uraga Dock Company was a major privately owned shipyard in Uraga, Japan, which built numerous warships for the Imperial Japanese Navy.-History:Uraga Dock Company was founded by Enomoto Takeaki in 1869. A shipyard had already existed in Uraga from the end of the Edo period... , Japan	7 March 1930	22 October 1931	15 August 1932	torpedoed W of Guam [10.13N, 143.51E] on 13 April 1944; struck 10 June 1944
響	Hibiki Japanese destroyer Hibiki | was the twenty-second of twenty-four destroyers, or the second of , built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the inter-war period. When introduced into service, these ships were the most powerful destroyers in the world...	Maizuru Naval Arsenal Maizuru Naval Arsenal was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. -History:The Maizuru Naval District was established at Maizuru, Kyoto in 1889, as the fourth of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the Japanese home islands. After the establishment of the... , Japan	21 February 1930	16 June 1932	31 March 1933	surrendered 5 October 1945; prize of war to USSR on 5 July 1947; scrapped 1953

External links

• Pacific War Online Encyclopedia