Japanese destroyer Hibiki
Encyclopedia
{| was the twenty-second of twenty-four destroyer
s, or the second of (if that sub-class is regarded independently), 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. They remained formidable ships well into the Pacific War
.
s in other navies. The Akatsuki sub-class was an improved version of the Fubuki, externally almost identical, but incorporating changes to her propulsion system.
Hibiki, built at the Maizuru Naval Arsenal
in Osaka
was the third in the “Type III” improved series of Fubuki destroyers, incorporating a modified gun turret
which could elevate her main battery of 12.7 cm/50 Type 3 naval guns to 75° as opposed to the original 40°, thus giving the gun a nominal ability as an anti-aircraft weapon. Hibiki was laid down on February 21, 1930, launched on June 16, 1932 and commissioned on March 31, 1933.
s, , , and , were assigned to Destroyer Division 6.
, Hibiki was assigned to Destroyer Division 6 of Desron 1 of the IJN 1st Fleet
, and had deployed from Mako Guard District
to provide cover for Admiral Nobutake Kondō’s Southern Force, escorting Japanese troopships for landing operations in the Malaya
and the invasion of the Philippines, and continued to support operations throughout the Philippines to the end of March 1942.
After repairs at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal
in April, Hibiki deployed from Ōminato Guard District
in support of the invasion of Kiska
in the Aleutians campaign of May–June 1942. On June 12, she was damaged at Kiska in an attack by United States Navy
PBY Catalina
flying boat
s, and was forced to return to Ōminato at the end of the month. Repairs at Yokosuka lasted until October.
From November 1942 through the end of April 1943, Hibiki served as an escort for aircraft carrier
s and in various missions between Yokosuka and Truk, except for the month of January 1943, which she spent in dry dock
at Yokosuka.
From May 1943, Hibiki returned to northern waters, and was assigned to patrols off the coast of Hokkaidō
and the Chishima islands. Hibiki subsequently assisted in the evacuation of surviving Japanese forces from the Aleutians through August.
After maintenance at Yokosuka in September, Hibiki was sent to Shanghai, from which it escorted a troop convoy to Truk and Rabaul
. Through the end of November, she was assigned to escort of tanker convoys between Balikpapan
, Singapore and Truk and as a high speed transport between Truk, Ponape
and various islands in the Carolines
. She rescued the survivors from the torpedoed tanker Terukawa Maru on December 21. From the end of December to April 1944, Hibiki served as an escort for , , and in various missions in the western Pacific and Netherlands East Indies. She returned to Kure Naval Arsenal
, for maintenance in April, during which additional anti-aircraft guns were fitted at the expense of one of her main gun turrets.
During May and June 1944, Hibiki was assigned to escort of tanker convoys. On May 14, she rescued the 125 survivors of her torpedoed sister ship
.
During the Battle of the Philippine Sea
, Hibiki was assigned to the First Supply Force, and suffered minor damage and two crewmen killed in strafing attacks by Allied aircraft.
In August, Hibiki escorted two convoys from Moji
to Takao
and Okinawa. In September, after departing from Takao with a convoy bound for Manila, Hibiki was torpedoed by ; the explosion almost severed her bow
. She was withdrawn back to Yokosuka for extensive repairs.
On January 25, 1945, Hibiki was reassigned to Destroyer Division 7 of the IJN 2nd Fleet
, but was retained in Japanese home waters. She was then reassigned to the First Escort Fleet in May, and transferred to Kure Naval District
, where she remained as a guard ship to the surrender of Japan
. After the end of the war, she was demilitarized and used as a repatriation vessel, and was struck from the navy list
on October 5, 1945.
at Nahodka as a prize of war
, and placed in service with the Soviet Navy
under the name Verniy , after being rearmed with Soviet-made weapons (6 x 130-mm, 7 x 25-mm, 4–6 x 12,7mm guns, 6 x 533-mm TT). She was placed in service with the Soviet Pacific Fleet based at Vladivostok
from July 7, 1947. She was renamed again on July 5, 1948 as Dekabrist . She was retired from service on February 20, 1953 and subsequently scrapped.
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, or the second of (if that sub-class is regarded independently), built for 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...
in the inter-war period. When introduced into service, these ships were the most powerful destroyers in the world. They remained formidable ships well into the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
.
History
Construction of the advanced Fubuki-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's expansion program from fiscal 1923, intended to give Japan a qualitative edge with the world's most modern ships. The Fubuki-class had performance that was a quantum leap over previous destroyer designs, so much so that they were designated . The large size, powerful engines, high speed, large radius of action and unprecedented armament gave these destroyers the firepower similar to many light cruiserLight cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
s in other navies. The Akatsuki sub-class was an improved version of the Fubuki, externally almost identical, but incorporating changes to her propulsion system.
Hibiki, built at the 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...
in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
was the third in the “Type III” improved series of Fubuki destroyers, incorporating a modified 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...
which could elevate her main battery of 12.7 cm/50 Type 3 naval guns to 75° as opposed to the original 40°, thus giving the gun a nominal ability as an anti-aircraft weapon. Hibiki was laid down on February 21, 1930, launched on June 16, 1932 and commissioned on March 31, 1933.
Operational history
On completion, Hibiki along with her sister shipSister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
s, , , and , were assigned to Destroyer Division 6.
World War II
At the time of the attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, Hibiki was assigned to Destroyer Division 6 of Desron 1 of the IJN 1st Fleet
IJN 1st Fleet
The was the main battleship fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy.-History:First established on 28 December 1903, the IJN 1st Fleet was created during the Russo-Japanese War when the Imperial General Headquarters divided the Readiness Fleet into a mobile strike force of cruisers and destroyers to...
, and had deployed from Mako Guard District
Mako Guard District
The was the major navy base for the Imperial Japanese Navy in Taiwan before and during World War II. Located in at Mako ), , the Mako Guard District was responsible for control of the strategic Straits of Taiwan and for patrols along the Taiwan and China coastlines and in the South China Sea...
to provide cover for Admiral Nobutake Kondō’s Southern Force, escorting Japanese troopships for landing operations in the Malaya
Battle of Malaya
The Malayan Campaign was a campaign fought by Allied and Japanese forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 31 January 1942 during the Second World War. The campaign was dominated by land battles between British Commonwealth army units, and the Imperial Japanese Army...
and the invasion of the Philippines, and continued to support operations throughout the Philippines to the end of March 1942.
After repairs at Yokosuka Naval Arsenal
Yokosuka Naval Arsenal
was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy, and was located at Yokosuka city, Kanagawa prefecture on Tokyo Bay, south of Yokohama...
in April, Hibiki deployed from Ōminato Guard District
Ominato Guard District
The was the major navy base for the Imperial Japanese Navy in northern Honshu before and during World War II. Located in Mutsu Bay, The was the major navy base for the Imperial Japanese Navy in northern Honshu before and during World War II. Located in Mutsu Bay, The was the major navy base for...
in support of the invasion of Kiska
Kiska
Kiska is an island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska located at . It is about long and varies in width from - Discovery :...
in the Aleutians campaign of May–June 1942. On June 12, she was damaged at Kiska in an attack by United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
PBY Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
s, and was forced to return to Ōminato at the end of the month. Repairs at Yokosuka lasted until October.
From November 1942 through the end of April 1943, Hibiki served as an escort for aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s and in various missions between Yokosuka and Truk, except for the month of January 1943, which she spent in dry dock
Dry dock
A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...
at Yokosuka.
From May 1943, Hibiki returned to northern waters, and was assigned to patrols off the coast of Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
and the Chishima islands. Hibiki subsequently assisted in the evacuation of surviving Japanese forces from the Aleutians through August.
After maintenance at Yokosuka in September, Hibiki was sent to Shanghai, from which it escorted a troop convoy to Truk and Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
. Through the end of November, she was assigned to escort of tanker convoys between Balikpapan
Balikpapan
Balikpapan is a seaport city on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo, Indonesia, in the East Kalimantan province, a resource-rich region well known for its timber, mining, and petroleum export products. Two harbors, Semayang and Kariangau , and the Sepinggan International Airport are the main...
, Singapore and Truk and as a high speed transport between Truk, Ponape
Ponape
Ponape may refer to:*Pohnpei, an island in the Federated States of Micronesia*Ponape , a German sailing ship...
and various islands in the Carolines
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
. She rescued the survivors from the torpedoed tanker Terukawa Maru on December 21. From the end of December to April 1944, Hibiki served as an escort for , , and in various missions in the western Pacific and Netherlands East Indies. She returned to Kure Naval Arsenal
Kure Naval Arsenal
was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. -History:The Kure Naval District was established at Kure, Hiroshima in 1889, as the second of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the Japanese home islands along with the establishment of the...
, for maintenance in April, during which additional anti-aircraft guns were fitted at the expense of one of her main gun turrets.
During May and June 1944, Hibiki was assigned to escort of tanker convoys. On May 14, she rescued the 125 survivors of her torpedoed sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
.
During the Battle of the Philippine Sea
Battle of the Philippine Sea
The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II which effectively eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War...
, Hibiki was assigned to the First Supply Force, and suffered minor damage and two crewmen killed in strafing attacks by Allied aircraft.
In August, Hibiki escorted two convoys from Moji
Moji-ku, Kitakyushu
is a ward of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is the former city of Moji which was one of five cities merged to create Kitakyūshū in 1963. It faces the city of Shimonoseki across the Kanmon Straits between Honshū and Kyūshū....
to Takao
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...
and Okinawa. In September, after departing from Takao with a convoy bound for Manila, Hibiki was torpedoed by ; the explosion almost severed her bow
Bow (ship)
The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
. She was withdrawn back to Yokosuka for extensive repairs.
On January 25, 1945, Hibiki was reassigned to Destroyer Division 7 of the IJN 2nd Fleet
IJN 2nd Fleet
The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy.-History:First established on 28 December 1903, the IJN 2nd Fleet was created by the Imperial General Headquarters as a mobile strike force of cruisers and destroyers to pursue the Imperial Russian Navy's Vladivostok-based cruiser squadron while the...
, but was retained in Japanese home waters. She was then reassigned to the First Escort Fleet in May, and transferred to Kure Naval District
Kure Naval District
was the second of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the Inland Sea of Japan and the Pacific coasts of southern Honshū from Wakayama to Yamaguchi prefectures, eastern and northern Kyūshū and Shikoku....
, where she remained as a guard ship to the surrender of Japan
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
. After the end of the war, she was demilitarized and used as a repatriation vessel, and was struck from the navy list
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on October 5, 1945.
In Soviet service
On April 5, 1947, Hibiki was turned over to the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
at Nahodka as a prize of war
Prize of war
A prize of war is a piece of military property seized by the victorious party after a war or battle, typically at sea. This term was used nearly exclusively in terms of a captured ship during the 18th and 19th centuries....
, and placed in service with the Soviet Navy
Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...
under the name Verniy , after being rearmed with Soviet-made weapons (6 x 130-mm, 7 x 25-mm, 4–6 x 12,7mm guns, 6 x 533-mm TT). She was placed in service with the Soviet Pacific Fleet based at Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
from July 7, 1947. She was renamed again on July 5, 1948 as Dekabrist . She was retired from service on February 20, 1953 and subsequently scrapped.