Akizuki-class destroyer (1959)

For the WWII class of the same name, see Akizuki-class destroyer (1942). For the 21st century class, see Akizuki-class destroyer (2010).
Akizuki (DD-161)
Class overview
Name: Akizuki-class destroyer
Operators:  Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
Preceded by: Murasame-class destroyer
Succeeded by: Yamagumo-class destroyer
In service: 1960–1993
Completed: 2
Retired: 2
General characteristics
Displacement:2,350 long tons (2,388 t) standard
2,890 long tons (2,936 t) normal
Length:118m
Beam:12m
Draft:4m
Propulsion:2 steam turbines, 4 boilers (45000 shp) / 2 shafts, 2 propellers
Speed:32 knots, max. (60 km/h)
Complement:330
Armament:3 × 5"/54 caliber Mk.16 guns
4 × 3"/50 caliber Mk.22 guns (Type 57)
1 × Mk.108 ASW rocket launcher
2 × Hedgehog ASW mortars
2 × Mk.2 ASW torpedo racks
4 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes
2 × Y-gun Depth charge throwers
2 × Depth charge racks

The Akizuki-class destroyer was a destroyer class built for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) in the late 1950s. This class was planned to be a flotilla leader with the enhanced command and control capability, so sometimes this class was classified as the "DDC" (commanding destroyer) unofficially.

At the beginning, the American Military Assistance Advisory Group-Japan (MAAG-J) recommended a modified version of the American Fletcher-class destroyer, but Japan had already constructed surface combatants of their own at that time. So finally, the project of this class was financed by the Off Shore Procurement (OSP) of United States, but design and construction were completely indigenous.[1]

Like its predecessor Murasame-class DDAs and Ayanami-class DDKs, this class adopted a "long forecastle" design with inclined afterdeck called "Holland Slope", named after the scenic sloping street in Nagasaki City.[2] With the enlargement of the hull, the steam turbine propulsion system was uprated with higher-pressure boilers (570 psi).[3]

This class was equipped with both gunnery weapons of Murasame-class DDAs[4] and torpedo/mine weapons of Ayanami-class DDKs. And alongside these anti-submarine weapons similar to them of the Ayanami-class, this class was the first vessels equipped with a Mk.108 Weapon Alpha. The JMSDF desired this American brand-new ASW rocket launcher earnestly, but then, it became clear that it was not as good as it was supposed to be. So later, it was replaced by a Type 71 375mm quadruple ASW rocket launcher (Japanese version of the Swedish M/50) in 1976.[5]

Pennant no. Name Laid down Launched Commissioned Decommissioned
DD-161
ASU-7010 		Akizuki 31 July 1958 26 June 1959 13 February 1960 7 December 1993
DD-162
ASU-7012
TV-3504 		Teruzuki 15 August 1958 24 June 1959 29 February 1960 27 September 1993

References

  1. ↑ "History of Japanese destroyers since 1952". Ships of the World (in Japanese) (Kaijin-sha) (742): 91–97. June 2011.
  2. ↑ "1. Hull (Hardware of JMSDF destroyers)". Ships of the World (in Japanese) (Kaijin-sha) (742): 100–105. June 2011.
  3. ↑ Yasuo Abe (June 2011). "2. Propulsion system (Hardware of JMSDF destroyers)". Ships of the World (in Japanese) (Kaijin-sha) (742): 106–111.
  4. ↑ "2. Guns (Shipboard weapons of JMSDF 1952-2010)". Ships of the World (in Japanese) (Kaijin-sha) (721): 88–93. March 2010.
  5. ↑ "3. Underwater weapons (Shipboard weapons of JMSDF 1952-2010)". Ships of the World (in Japanese) (Kaijin-sha) (721): 94–99. March 2010.