Sakura at Sasebo, 1918 |
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Class overview | |
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Builders: | Maizuru Naval Arsensal |
Operators: | Imperial Japanese Navy |
Preceded by: | Umikaze class destroyer |
Succeeded by: | Urakaze class destroyer |
In commission: | 1912-05-21 - 1932-04-01 |
Completed: | 2 |
Active: | 0 |
Lost: | 0 |
Retired: | 2 |
General characteristics | |
Type: | Destroyer |
Displacement: | 530 tons normal, 830 tons full load |
Length: | 79.2 meters pp, 83.6 meters overall |
Beam: | 7.3 meters |
Draught: | 2.2 meters |
Propulsion: | 3-shaft Parsons steam turbine, 8 boilers, 20,500ihp |
Speed: | 30 kn (56 km/h) |
Range: | 2,400 nmi (4,400 km) @ 12 kn (22 km/h) |
Complement: | 94 |
Armament: |
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The Sakura class destroyers (櫻型駆逐艦 Sakuragata kuchikukan ) was a class of two destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. [1]
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Although unable to obtain funding in fiscal year 1907 for additional Umikaze-class destroyers, which were expensive due to their large size and imported turbine engines, the Imperial Japanese Navy was also unwilling to purchase three additional Kamikaze-class destroyers as recommended by the government. In a compromise, the Navy agreed to purchase two medium size ships instead.
Both were designed and built at the Maizuru Naval Arsenal in Japan. [2]
The Sakura-class ships were half the displacement of the previous Umikaze class but with the same basic hull design. Externally, the design went from four to three smokestacks, which was a first for the Japanese Navy; however, internally the troublesome heavy oil-fired Parsons steam turbine engines of the Umikaze-class were replaced by standard coal-fired triple expansion steam engines, which gave better reliability and fuel consumption. The lower rated power of 9,500 shp gave the vessels a maximum speed of 30 knots (56 km/h), however, better fuel consumption equated to longer range, which was what the Imperial Japanese Navy needed.
Armament was similar to that of the Umikaze-class, with one QF 4.7 inch Gun Mk I - IV, mounted on the deck forward of the bridge, and four 3-inch (76 mm) QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval guns, mounted one on either side and two towards the stern of the ship, with two 450-mm torpedoes launchers.
Japan had fifty destroyers operational at the start of World War I. [3] Although intended for coastal operation [4], with the Umikaze-class destroyers too short in range to operate overseas and with all previous classes of destroyers too small and/or obsolete for front-line service, the two Sakura-class destroyers were Japan’s most advanced front-line destroyers during the opening stages of the war. Both were deployed extensively overseas as part of Japan’s contribution to the war effort under the terms of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.
The Sakura class ships were re-rated as second-class destroyers on August 28, 1912, and served to April 1, 1932 when both were retired. [5]
Kanji | Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
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櫻 | Sakura | Maizuru Naval Arsenal, Japan | 1911-03-31 | 1911-12-20 | 1912-05-21 | retired 1932-04-01 |
橘 | Tachibana | Maizuru Naval Arsenal, Japan | 1911-04-29 | 1912-01-27 | 1912-06-25 | retired 1932-04-01 |
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Sakura_class_destroyer Sakura class destroyer] at Wikimedia Commons
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