Japanese destroyer Wakatsuki

"Wakatsuki" redirects here. For the surname, see Wakatsuki (surname).
Wakatsuki under attack at Ormoc Bay, Leyte Island, Philippines, 11 November 1944.
History
Empire of Japan
NameWakatsuki
BuilderMitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard
Laid down9 March 1942
Launched24 November 1942
Completed31 May 1943
Commissioned31 May 1943
Stricken10 January 1945
FateSunk in action, 11 November 1944
General characteristics
Class and typeAkizuki-class destroyer
Displacement
  • 2,700 long tons (2,743 t) standard
  • 3,700 long tons (3,759 t) full load
Length134.2 m (440 ft 3 in)
Beam11.6 m (38 ft 1 in)
Draft4.15 m (13 ft 7 in)
Propulsion
  • 4 × Kampon type boilers
  • 2 × Parsons geared turbines
  • 2 × shafts, 50,000 shp (37 MW)
Speed33 knots (38 mph; 61 km/h)
Range8,300 nmi (15,400 km) at 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h)
Complement263
Armament

Wakatsuki (若月) was an Akizuki-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her name means "Young Moon".

Design and description

The Akizuki-class ships were originally designed as anti-aircraft escorts for carrier battle groups, but were modified with torpedo tubes and depth charges to meet the need for more general-purpose destroyers. The ships measured 134.2 meters (440 ft 3 in) overall, with beams of 11.6 meters (38 ft 1 in) and drafts of 4.15 meters (13 ft 7 in).[1] They displaced 2,701 long tons (2,744 t) at standard load[2] and 3,420 long tons (3,470 t) at deep load.[3] Their crews numbered 300 officers and enlisted men.[2]

Each ship had two Kampon geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by three Kampon water-tube boilers. The turbines were rated at a total of 52,000 shaft horsepower (38,776 kW) for a designed speed of 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph). The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them ranges of 8,300 nautical miles (15,400 km; 9,600 mi) at speeds of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph).[4]

The main armament of the Akizuki class consisted of eight 100-millimeter (3.9 in) Type 98 dual-purpose guns in four twin-gun turrets, two superfiring pairs fore and aft of the superstructure. They each carried a dozen 25-millimeter (1 in) Type 96 anti-aircraft (AA) guns in four triple-gun mounts. The ships were also each armed with four 610-millimeter (24 in) torpedo tubes in a single quadruple rotating mount amidships; one reload was carried for each tube.[5] The first batch of ships were each equipped with two depth charge throwers for which 54 depth charges were carried. Wakatsuki was equipped with a Type 21 early-warning radar on her foremast.[6]

Construction and career

Wakatsuki on fire and sinking, 11 November 1944

The ship was commissioned on 31 May 1943 into the 11th Destroyer Squadron. Wakatsuki participated in rescuing sailors from Shōkaku (June 1944) and Zuikaku (October 1944) when each was sunk by US forces. Both of these carriers participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

On 11 November 1944, Wakatsuki was escorting a troop convoy to Ormoc, Philippines. She was sunk by aircraft of Task Force 38 in Ormoc Bay, west of Leyte (10°50′N 124°35′E / 10.833°N 124.583°E / 10.833; 124.583).

Rediscovery

Wakatsuki's wreck was discovered in early December 2017 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's research vessel RV Petrel 869 ft (265 m) below the surface of Ormoc Bay. She was found to be heavily damaged from both her sinking and impact with the seafloor, resting on her starboard side.[7]

Notes

  1. ^ Sturton, p. 195
  2. ^ a b Whitley, p. 204
  3. ^ Todaka, p. 213
  4. ^ Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 150
  5. ^ Whitley, pp. 204–205
  6. ^ Stille, p. 33
  7. ^ "Rv Petrel". Archived from the original on 2018-08-15. Retrieved 2018-10-15.

References

  • Jentschura, Hansgeorg; Jung, Dieter & Mickel, Peter (1977). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN 0-87021-893-X.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
  • Stille, Mark (2013). Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers 1919–45 (2): Asahio to Tachibana Classes. Botley, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84908-987-6.
  • Sturton, Ian (1980). "Japan". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
  • Todaka, Kazushige, ed. (2020). Destroyers: Selected Photos from the Archives of the Kure Maritime Museum; the Best from the Collection of Shizuo Fukui's Photos of Japanese Warships. Japanese Naval Warship Photo Album. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-630-8.
  • Whitley, M. J. (2000). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell & Co. ISBN 1-85409-521-8.