Japanese destroyer Akishimo
 Akishimo under construction at Fujinagata Shipyard, Osaka, February 1944. | |
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Akishimo |
| Completed: | 11 March 1944 |
| Struck: | 10 January 1945 |
| Fate: | Sunk in action, 14 November 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Yūgumo-class destroyer |
| Displacement: | 2,520 long tons (2,560 t) |
| Length: | 119.15 m (390 ft 11 in) |
| Beam: | 10.8 m (35 ft 5 in) |
| Draft: | 3.75 m (12 ft 4 in) |
| Speed: | 35 kn (65 km/h; 40 mph) |
| Complement: | 228 |
| Armament: | 6 × 127 mm (5.0 in)/50 cal dual purpose guns, up to 28 × 25 mm (0.98 in) anti-aircraft cannons, up to 4 × 13 mm (0.51 in) AA machine guns, 8 × 610 mm (24 in) torpedo tubes, 36 depth charges |
Akishimo (秋霜, "Autumn Frost") was a Yūgumo-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, 23–26 October 1944. Assigned to 1st Diversion Attack Force. On the 23rd, she rescued 769 survivors of the Maya. On the 24th, she assisted the torpedoed Myōkō. On the 25th she suffered minor damage in a collision with Shimakaze. On the 26th she rescued 328 Noshiro survivors.
On 10 November 1944, Akishimo was escorting troop convoy TA No. 4 from Manila to Ormoc, Philippines. She suffered heavy damage in an air attack by U.S. Army B-25 Mitchells during the withdrawal; she took a direct bomb hit and lost her bow with 20 killed and 35 injured. She returned to Manila at 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph), then to Cavite Navy Yard on 11 November for repairs.
On 13 November, a U.S. air raid on Manila struck Akishimo, then alongside Akebono at Cavite pier (14°35′N 120°55′E / 14.583°N 120.917°E). Direct bomb hits set both ships ablaze. On the 14th a large explosion on Akishimo further damaged both ships; Akishimo rolled over onto her starboard side. There were 170 survivors, 15 crewmen killed and 25 wounded.
External links
| ||||||||||||||||||