The Hatakaze class of guided missile 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...

 is a third generation vessel in service with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

The , or JMSDF, is the naval branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. It was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy after World War II....

 (JMSDF). They were the first of the JMSDF's ships to have gas-turbine propulsion.

The core weapon suite is similar to that of the , but various improvements were made in many areas. Most notable are those that allow the Hatakaze class to function as a group flagship. Normally this duty resides with the DDH class, but in case of a DDH being absent due to repairs, accident, or battle damage, the Hatakaze design allows for it to function as a command ship.

Hatakaze destroyers operate the OYQ-4-1 type tactical control system. Its weapon systems include the Standard missile

RIM-66 Standard

The RIM-66 Standard MR is a medium range surface-to-air missile originally developed for the United States Navy . The SM-1 was developed as a replacement for the RIM-2 Terrier and RIM-24 Tartar that were deployed in the 1950s on a variety of USN ships...

 surface-to-air missile

Surface-to-air missile

A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...

, anti-submarine rockets

ASROC

ASROC is an all-weather, all sea-conditions anti-submarine missile system. Developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s, it was deployed in the 1960s, updated in the 1990s, and eventually installed on over 200 USN surface ships, specifically cruisers, destroyers, and frigates...

, the RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile

Anti-ship missile

Anti-ship missiles are guided missiles that are designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming type, many use a combination of inertial guidance and radar homing...

, two Mark 15 20 mm CIWS gun mounts, two torpedo

Torpedo

The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...

 mounts in a triple tube configuration and two 5 inch/54 caliber Mark 42 rapid-fire guns.

Namesakes

Hatakaze was also the name of a pre–World War II destroyer of the Kamikaze class. Commissioned on 1 August 1924, Hatakaze was finally sunk by aerial attack on 15 January 1945.

The name was also shared by an 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...

 destroyer of 3048 tons, built at Maizuru Shipywards in Japan. She was completed in May 1943, being extremely large and fast, with a very heavy torpedo armament. Shimakaze was sunk by U.S. Navy carrier-based aircraft in the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

area on 11 November 1944, along with three other destroyers in the Ormoc Bay area, while escorting troop transports to the vicinity.

Ships in the class

Building no.	Pennant no.	Name	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Home port
2311	DDG-171	Hatakaze	20 May 1983	9 November 1984	27 March 1986	Yokosuka
2312	DDG-172	Shimakaze	13 January 1985	30 January 1987	23 March 1988	Maizuru

External links

• GlobalSecurity.org; JMSDF DDG Hatakaze Class