Akatsuki-class destroyer (1901)

For other ships of the same name, see Akatsuki-class destroyer.
Akatsuki-class destroyer Kasumi at Clyde on commissioning, 1902
Class overview
Builders: Yarrow Shipbuilders, Clyde, Scotland
Operators: Empire of Japan Imperial Japanese Navy
Preceded by: Murakumo class destroyer
Succeeded by: Shirakumo class destroyer
In commission: December 14, 1901 to April 1, 1913
Completed: 2
Active: 0
Lost: 1
Retired: 1
General characteristics
Type:Destroyer
Displacement:363 long tons (369 t) normal,
415 long tons (422 t) full load
Length:67.29 m (220.8 ft) pp,
68.45 m (224.6 ft) overall
Beam:6.28 m (20.6 ft)
Draught:1.73 m (5.7 ft)
Propulsion:2-shaft reciprocating, 4 Yarrow boilers, 6,000 ihp (4,500 kW)
Speed:30 knots (56 km/h)
Complement:62
Armament:1 × QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun

5 × QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss

2 × 450 mm torpedoes

The Akatsuki class destroyers (暁型駆逐艦 Akatsukigata kuchikukan) was a class of two torpedo boat destroyers (TBDs) of the Imperial Japanese Navy.[1]

Background

The Akatsuki-class destroyers were ordered under the 1897 fiscal budget as a follow-on to the earlier Ikazuchi-class. Both were ordered to the Yarrow Shipbuilders in Clyde, Scotland.[2]

Design

Substantially identical to the previous Ikazuchi-class, the main difference between the vessels was in the design of its rudder. With the previous class, the rudder was semi-balanced, and had a portion exposed above the waterline. This made the vessel vulnerable to disablement by stray gunfire. The Akatsuki-class was intended to remedy this design flaw. Only two vessels were procured, as the Japanese navy intended to study the technique and to retrofit the existing Ikazuchi-class vessels in Japan.

The design was similar to the four-stack Royal Navy B class, also known as the “Thirty Knotters”.

Both vessels had a flush deck design with a distinctive "turtleback" forecastle that was intended to clear water from the bow during high speed navigation, but was poorly designed for high waves or bad weather. The bridge and forward gun platform were barely raised above the bow, resulting in a wet conning position. More than half of the small hull was occupied by the boilers and the engine room. With fuel and weaponry, there was little space left for crew quarters.

Both were powered by triple expansion steam engines and had coal-fired water-tube boilers. Armament was one QF 12 pounder on a bandstand on the forecastle, five QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss (two sided abreast the conning tower, two sided between the funnels and one on the quarterdeck) and 2 single tubes for 18 inch torpedoes.[3]

Operational history

Both Akatsuki-class destroyers arrived in Japan in time to be used in combat service during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. Akatsuki arrived at Yokosuka on May 7, 1902 and Kasumi on 25 June.

During the Battle of Port Arthur Akatsuki struck a naval mine and sank on May 17, 1904 at 38°38′S 121°05′E / 38.633°S 121.083°E.

After the end of the Russo-Japanese War, Kasumi was re-classified as third-class destroyer on August 28, 1912 and was removed from front line combat service. It was used as an unarmed utility vessel until 1920.[4]

List of Ships

Kanji Name
translation		 Builder Laid down Launched Completed Fate
暁 Akatsuki
"Daybreak"		 Yarrow Shipbuilders, Clyde, UK 1900-12-10 1901-02-13 1901-12-14 mined off Port Arthur 1904-05-17
written off 1905-10-19
霞 Kasumi
"Mist"		 Yarrow Shipbuilders, Clyde, UK 1901-02-01 1902-01-23 1902-02-14 demilitarized 1913-04-01,
BU 1920-07-01

See also

Media related to Akatsuki class destroyer (1901) at Wikimedia Commons

References

Books

External links

Notes

  1. ↑ Jentsura, Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945
  2. ↑ Howarth, The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun
  3. ↑ Cocker, Destroyers of the Royal Navy
  4. ↑ Nishida, Imperial Japanese Navy