Japanese destroyer Sawakaze
Encyclopedia
was a 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
.
from fiscal 1917-1920, as an accompaniment to the medium-sized with which they shared many common design characteristics. Equipped with powerful engines, these vessels were capable of high speeds and were intended as escorts for the projected battlecruiser
s, which were ultimately never built.
Sawakaze, built at the Mitsubishi shipyards
at Nagasaki, was the second ship of this class. It was laid down on January 7, 1918, launched on January 7, 1919 and commissioned on March 6, 1920.
On completion, Sawakaze was teamed with sister ships , , and at the Sasebo Naval District
to form Destroyer Division 2 under the IJN 2nd Fleet
.
From 1930-1932, Destroyer Division 2 was reassigned to the IJN 1st Air Fleet
as part of the escort of the aircraft carrier
to assist in search and rescue
operations for downed aircraft.
At the time of the First Shanghai incident
of 1932, Destroyer Division 2 was engaged in river patrol duties along the Yangzi River in China
.
From 1935 to December 1938, Sawakaze was assigned to the Tateyama Naval Air Base as a search and rescue craft, and was scheduled to be retired at the end of 1938; however with the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War
, it was kept on active status, and assigned to the Yokosuka Naval District
. It remained based at Tateyama until March 1942.
, Sawakaze was still based at Tateyama. It was reassigned to Yokosuka from March 1942 and assigned anti-submarine patrols
of the entrance of Tokyo Bay
for the duration of the war, making only an occasional convoy escort run along the coast of Japan to Muroran, Hokkaidō
or Kobe
. From December 1944, it was taken off of active combat status and assigned as a training ship for the Yokosuka Anti-submarine Warfare School. In its February 1945 revamp, Sawakaze gained a Type 22 radar, four Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun, a nine-tube 15-cm rocket launcher
, and 36 depth charge
s. All torpedo launchers and the front three main gun mounts were removed.
From May 1945, Sawakaze served as a target vessel
for the 1st Tokko Air Corps
suicide flights. Sawakaze was at Yokosuka
at the time of the surrender of Japan
. It was removed from navy list
on September 15, 1945, and was subsequently scuttled
to become part of the breakwater
at the port of Onahama Port
, Fukushima prefecture
.
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...
, 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...
immediately following World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. 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
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 large-sized Minekaze-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's 8-4 Fleet ProgramEight-eight fleet
The was a Japanese naval strategy formulated for the development of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the first quarter of the 20th century, which laid down that the Japanese navy should include eight first-class battleships and eight armoured cruisers or battlecruisers.-History and development:The...
from fiscal 1917-1920, as an accompaniment to the medium-sized with which they shared many common design characteristics. Equipped with powerful engines, these vessels were capable of high speeds and were intended as escorts for the projected battlecruiser
Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
s, which were ultimately never built.
Sawakaze, built at the Mitsubishi shipyards
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
, or MHI, is a Japanese company. It is one of the core companies of Mitsubishi Group.-History:In 1870 Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi took a lease of Government-owned Nagasaki Shipyard. He named it Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works, and started the shipbuilding business on a full scale...
at Nagasaki, was the second ship of this class. It was laid down on January 7, 1918, launched on January 7, 1919 and commissioned on March 6, 1920.
On completion, Sawakaze was teamed with sister ships , , and at the Sasebo Naval District
Sasebo Naval District
was the third of five main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the western and southern coastline of Kyūshū, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan and Korea, as well as patrols in the East China Sea and the Pacific...
to form Destroyer Division 2 under 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...
.
From 1930-1932, Destroyer Division 2 was reassigned to the IJN 1st Air Fleet
1st Air Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy at the beginning of World War II contained the world's largest carrier fleet. At the centre, was the 1st Air Fleet which was a grouping of naval aircraft and aircraft carriers...
as part of the escort of the 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...
to assist in search and rescue
Search and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
operations for downed aircraft.
At the time of the First Shanghai incident
January 28 Incident
The January 28 Incident was a short war between the armies of the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan, before official hostilities of the Second Sino-Japanese War commenced in 1937.- Naming :...
of 1932, Destroyer Division 2 was engaged in river patrol duties along the Yangzi River in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
From 1935 to December 1938, Sawakaze was assigned to the Tateyama Naval Air Base as a search and rescue craft, and was scheduled to be retired at the end of 1938; however with the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
, it was kept on active status, and assigned to the Yokosuka Naval District
Yokosuka Naval District
was the first of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included Tokyo Bay and the Pacific coasts of central and northern Honshū from the Kii Peninsula to Shimokita Peninsula.-History:...
. It remained based at Tateyama until March 1942.
World War II history
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...
, Sawakaze was still based at Tateyama. It was reassigned to Yokosuka from March 1942 and assigned anti-submarine patrols
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
of the entrance of Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
for the duration of the war, making only an occasional convoy escort run along the coast of Japan to Muroran, Hokkaidō
Muroran, Hokkaido
is a city and port located in Iburi, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is the capital city of Iburi Subprefecture.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 96,724 and a density of 1,210 people per km². The total area is 80.65 km².- History :...
or Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
. From December 1944, it was taken off of active combat status and assigned as a training ship for the Yokosuka Anti-submarine Warfare School. In its February 1945 revamp, Sawakaze gained a Type 22 radar, four Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun, a nine-tube 15-cm rocket launcher
Multiple rocket launcher
A multiple rocket launcher is a type of unguided rocket artillery system. Like other rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers are less accurate and have a much lower rate of fire than batteries of traditional artillery guns...
, and 36 depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s. All torpedo launchers and the front three main gun mounts were removed.
From May 1945, Sawakaze served as a target vessel
Target ship
A target ship is a vessel — typically an obsolete or captured warship — used for naval gunnery practice or for weapons testing.-Rationale:Sinking redundant warships is an effective way of testing new weapons and warships in as realistic a manner as possible. Whilst practice torpedoes are fired...
for the 1st Tokko Air Corps
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
suicide flights. Sawakaze was at Yokosuka
Yokosuka, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 419,067 and a population density of 4,160 people per km². It covered an area of 100.62 km²...
at the time of 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...
. It was removed from 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 September 15, 1945, and was subsequently scuttled
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
to become part of the breakwater
Breakwater (structure)
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...
at the port of Onahama Port
Iwaki, Fukushima
is a city located in the southern part of the Hamadōri coastal region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.A designated "core city", Iwaki is also one of the growing number of hiragana cities. Its area is 1,231.35 km², making it the 10th largest city in Japan...
, Fukushima prefecture
Fukushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
.