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 96anti-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
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.
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]
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ISBN0-87021-893-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.
ISBN1-59114-119-2.
Stille, Mark (2013). Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers 1919–45 (2): Asahio to Tachibana Classes. Botley, UK: Osprey Publishing.
ISBN978-1-84908-987-6.
Sturton, Ian (1980). "Japan". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press.
ISBN0-85177-146-7.
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.
ISBN978-1-59114-630-8.