Japanese destroyer Shimakaze
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | |
| Laid down: | 8 August 1941 |
| Launched: | 18 July 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 10 May 1943 |
| Fate: | Sunk in action, 11 November 1944 near Cebu, Philippines |
| Struck: | |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 2,567 tons standard, 3,048 tons full load |
| Length: | 413 ft 5 in (125 m) |
| Beam: | 36 ft 9 in (11.2 m) |
| Draught: | 13 ft 7 in (4.1 m) |
| Speed: | 39 knots |
| Range: | 1,400 nm at 30 knots |
| Machinery: | 2 shaft geared steam turbines, 3 Kanpon type boilers, 75,000 hp (service) |
| Complement: | 240 |
| Armament: | 6 × 5 in (127 mm) / 50 caliber DP guns, up to 28 × 25 mm AA guns, up to 4 × 13 mm AA guns, 15 × 24 in torpedo tubes (3x5), 36 depth charges |
Shimakaze was a one-off super-destroyer built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. A virtual cruiser, she was armed with six 127mm dual purpose guns and conventional anti-aircraft and anti-submarine weaponry. More importantly, she was also armed with 15 torpedo tubes each capable of firing the deadly 24-inch Long Lance torpedo. The ship was a testbed for an enormously powerful high-temperature, high-pressure steam engine that was able to develop nearly 80,000 shaft horsepower. This made her one of the fastest destroyers in the world: her designed speed was 39 knots, but on trials she made 40.9 knots. Ordered in 1939 under the Fourth Naval Replacement Programme (the Maru Yon programme), Shimakaze was laid down in Maizuru naval dockyard in August 1941 and completed on 10 May 1943. She saw action in the evacuation of Kiska in July 1943 and was present in 1944 at the Battle of the Philippine Sea. While flagship of Destroyer Squadron 2, she was sunk by American aircraft on 8 November 1944 during the Battle of Ormoc Bay. Japan had intended to lay down sixteen similar destroyers, with long term plans for a total of 32 to equip 4 destroyer squadrons, but a lack of industrial capacity prevented them from being realized.
Speed Test:
This ship was powered with experimental steam turbine (This made construction of sistership very difficult) and has speed test on April 7th, 1943 marked 40.90knots with 79,240 horse power.
Commanding Officers
Chief Equipping Officer - Cmdr. Hiromu Hirose - 20 March 1943 - 10 May 1943
Cmdr. Hiromu Hirose - 10 May 1943 - 5 October 1943
Cmdr. Hiroshi Uwai - 5 October 1943 - 11 November 1944
[edit] References
- M.J Whitley, Destroyers of World War 2, 1988 Cassell Publishing ISBN 1-85409-521-8
