Japanese destroyer Fujinami
 The Fujinami with a portrait of Captain Tatsuji Matsuzaki | |
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Fujinami |
| Completed: | 31 July 1943 |
| Struck: | 10 January 1945 |
| Fate: | Sunk in action, 27 October 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) |
| Draught: | 3.75 m (12 ft 4 in) |
| Speed: | 35 knots (40 mph; 65 km/h) |
| Complement: | 228 |
| Armament: | • 6 × 127 mm (5.0 in)/50 caliber DP guns • up to 28 × 25 mm (0.98 in) AA guns • up to 4 × 13 mm (0.51 in) AA guns • 8 × 610 mm (24 in) torpedo tubes for Type 93 torpedoes • 36 depth charges |
Fujinami (藤波) was a Yūgumo-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her name means "Purple Wave" or "Waves of Wisterias".[1] Damaged by dud aerial torpedo during air raid at Rabaul 5 November 1943, 1 KIA and 9 WIA. Participated in the Battle of Philippine Sea.
Fate
In the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Fujinami escorted the 1st Diversion Attack Force, commanded by Admiral Kurita Takeo. She sustained minor damage from the air attacks on 24–25 October due to near-misses and strafing. In the Battle off Samar on 25 October Fujinami was detached to assist Chōkai, then she removed survivors and scuttled the cruiser with a torpedo. On 27 October, while steaming to assist Hayashimo, Fujinami was sunk by aircraft from USS Essex, 80 miles (130 km) north of Iloilo (12°0′N 122°30′E / 12.000°N 122.500°E). She was lost with all hands, including the Chōkai survivors. The commanding officer was Cmdr. Tatsuji Matsuzaki from 31 July 1943 – 27 October 1944 (KIA). Some US survivors of the escort carrier Gambier Bay have stated that Captain Matsuzaki restrained his men from firing on them as they floated by the Fujinami and was allegedly seen to salute the American sailors. Some of the Gambier Bay survivors searched for a photo of Captain Matsuzaki so that they could honor him on their website.
See also
- List of World War II ships
- List of ships of the Japanese Navy
References
- ↑ Destroyers. The word nami means "wave" (e.g. Tsunami); the word fuji means "wisteria", and can allude to the color purple, the color of wisteria flowers.
External links
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