Japanese destroyers of World War II included some of the most formidable of their day. This came as a surprise to the Allies, who had generally underestimated Japanese technical capabilities. The Japanese had reassessed their naval needs in the mid-1920s and, placing an emphasis on ship and weapons technology and night-fighting expertise, developed a completely new destroyer design. Subsequent development from one destroyer class to the next was not, however, a smooth progression. Aside from the usual changes arising from experience, serious design faults also came to light and naval treaties imposed restrictions. As a result, the early "Special Type" destroyers required significant changes and the specifications of subsequent classes was reduced in one way or another. Naval treaties were later abrogated in 1937 and so destroyer development continued without regard to limits.
Generally speaking, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) requirements gave rise to warships that were substantially larger than most of their European or American equivalents. In the early war years, their advantages were aggressively exploited against the often second rate and poorly coordinated Allied ships stationed in the region, such as at the Battle of the Java Sea. The Japanese did not, however, continue to install new technology, such as radar, to match their opponents, and destroyer numbers were eroded steadily. The Japanese emphasis on fleet destroyers had neglected the need for large numbers of escort vessels to defend critical merchantmen, a need learnt by both the Royal Navy and the United States Navy in the Battle of the Atlantic. In recognition that quantity was as important as quality in some roles, design policy was therefore modified to produce units that were easier to build and operate. Despite this, Japan's destroyer force was halved by the end of the war. The surviving ships were surrendered to the Allies.
Evolution The oldest Japanese destroyers at the declaration of war with the United States dated from World War I designs and were rated as "class 1" (greater than 1,000 tons (standard)) or "class 2" (under 1,000 tons (standard)). As these became outclassed and unsuitable for front line duties, they were relegated to coastal protection and convoy escort duties, including support of the landings in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), Philippines and Wake Island.Whitley, pp.187, 189–191
The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 assigned Japan a tonnage allocation with which it was dissatisfied. IJN planners assessed their needs to protect Japan's maritime lifelines with the assumption that their most likely opponent would be the United States. A total of 144 destroyers was deemed to be necessary. In order to achieve a long-ranged fleet, capable of operating far from home waters and bases, treaty limitations were disregarded. Japanese naval strategy assumed a major deciding battle against the United States and the destroyers' role would have been to harass and reduce the enemy in the lead up to such a battle. The resultant design was the , which were commissioned during 1928–1932.Whitley, p.192 The Fubukis became the basis for subsequent destroyer development, but they needed significant modification when stability and hull strength problems became apparent. These modifications were worked into new ship designs.Whitley, p.187
The Japanese produced some unusual and advanced features. The third group of Fubukis introduced a unique splinterproof torpedo tube turret (later retrofitted),Fitzsimons, Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare (London: Phoebus, 1977), Volume 10, p.1040. allowing the tubes to be reloaded in action. In addition, they introduced splinterproof, gas-tight turrets for the 5-inch guns, far ahead of their time.Fitzsimons, p.1040. To increase comfort, the forecastle was raised and the bridge enlarged and enclosed,Fitzsimons, p.1040. This would not be common on American destroyers until postwar. to offer protection against weather in the Pacific. Furthermore, in line with Japan's evident preference for two stacks, Fubukis had an unusual siamesed design (that is, having two separate sets of boiler, engine and powertrain system for redundancy).Fitzsimons, diagram p.1040. IJN destroyers almost universally had one or two.
The London Naval Treaty added more restrictions to ship design and displacements were temporarily reduced ( and es) until Japan withdrew from the naval treaties. The subsequent s, s, and s resumed the design evolution and delivered the ships that the IJN desired, with substantially increased displacements. Further technical developments were prototyped in , but the design was not continued.Whitley, p.202 Although the anti-aircraft (AA) defences of Japanese destroyers were shown to be inadequate, the IJN had recognised the need for fleet AA defence and the s were intended to fill this need.Ireland, p.92
The IJN suffered one problem with their destroyers: small batches of different types, which made standardized spares and training (such as on powerplant) impossible. By contrast, the United States Navy's destroyer powerplant was standard across hundreds of ships.Peattie & Evans, Kaigun? Parillo, Japanese Merchant Marine in World War II?
A substantial number of Japanese destroyers were lost in 1942 in actions around the Solomon Islands. The urgent need for replacements necessitated design simplifications to improve construction speed and war experience prompted improvements to damage control and anti aircraft weaponry. The resultant s were commissioned in 1944.Whitley, p.206
Naming history Due to the anticipated expansion of the navy, the IJN issued numerical designations to every destroyer for the short period 1923–1928. However, the bland numerical designations were unpopular with the officers and crews. The IJN abolished destroyers' numerical designations in August 1928, reverting to names. The reverence held by the Japanese for the arts of war, promoted by the pre-war military governments, led to poetic sounding names for warships. Destroyers were allocated names associated with natural phenomena of weather, sky and sea, e.g., wind (kaze), snow (yuki), rain (ame), clouds (kumo), waves (nami), mist (kiri), frost (shimo), tides (shio), and the moon (tsuki).
Statistics Excluding those ships that preceded the first "Special Type", or Fubuki, destroyers, Japan had sixty-eight front-line destroyers in commission at the declaration of war with the Allies (in contrast to the 144 planners had proposed). A further sixty-four were commissioned during the war, but these failed to compensate for the losses incurred and the number of ships available declined steadily until mid-1944. There was a further catastrophic decline in October–November 1944, when over twenty were lost. Only thirty-one survived hostilities.Information derived from Whitley, pp. 187–208 The high level of destroyer losses has been attributed to the poor effectiveness of their anti-aircraft and anti-submarine weaponry and radar, the aggressiveness with which they were used, and their being squandered on supply missions to Guadalcanal.Peattie & Evans, Kaigun? Parillo?
Survivors Despite the severe losses during the war, some Japanese destroyers survived. They were either scrapped or allocated as war reparation to one of the Allies (China, Netherlands, UK, USA or USSR).
Ship Japanese Class Fate栗, "chestnut"Surrendered September 1945. Mined 8 October 1945. (renamed Patrol Boat No. 36 in 1939)藤, "wisteria"Surrendered August 1945. Ceded to the Netherlands in 1946 and scrapped 1947. (became training ship Tomariura No.2)葦, "reed"Surrendered August 1945. Scrapped 1947.蓮, "lotus"Surrendered September 1945. Scrapped 1946. (became training ship Mitaka)菫, "violet"Surrendered August 1945. Scrapped March 1948.波風, "wave wind"Ceded to China 1947 and renamed Shen Yang.沢風, "swamp/marsh wind"Scrapped 1948.矢風, "arrow wind"Scrapped.夕風, "evening wind"Ceded to UK 1947.春風, "spring wind"Scrapped 1947.神風, "divine wind"Scrapped October 1947.朝顔, "morning glory"Scrapped June 1948.潮, "tide"Scrapped August 1948.響, "echo"Ceded to USSR in 1947 and renamed Verniy. Scrapped 1963.雪風, "snow wind"Surrendered August 1945, ceded to China in 1947 and renamed Tan-Yang. Scrapped after grounding in 1970.涼月, "clear autumn moon"Scrapped 1948.冬月, "winter moon"Scrapped 1948.花月, "flower moon"Ceded to USA August 1947. Sunk as target off Gotō Islands, Japan February 1948.宵月, "early evening moon"Ceded to China August 1947 and renamed Fen Yang. Scrapped 1963.春月, "spring moon"Surrendered August 1945, ceded to USSR August 1947 and renamed Pospeschny.夏月, "summer moon"Ceded to UK September 1947. Scrapped 1948.竹, "bamboo"Ceded to UK July 1947. Scrapped 1948.槇, "Chinese black pine"Ceded to UK August 1947. Scrapped 1947.桐, "paulownia"Ceded to USSR July 1947.杉, "cedar"Ceded to China July 1947, renamed Huiyang. Scrapped 1951.樫, "live oak"Ceded to US August 1947. Scrapped 1948.萱, "Japanese nutmeg"Ceded to USSR July 1947.楓, "maple"Ceded to China July 1947, renamed Hengyang. Scrapped 1962.楢, "oak"Scrapped 1948.椿, "camellia"Scrapped 1948.欅, "keyaki tree" (zelkova serrata)Ceded to US July 1947. Sunk off Bōsō peninsula as target 1947.柳, "willow"Scrapped 1948.
Tasks Japanese destroyers performed the usual range of tasks: fleet and convoy escorts, supply and reinforcement runs to various isolated island outposts and garrisons. Japanese destroyers were particularly skilled at night actions and the use of torpedo salvoes, tactics which attracted success in several actions. This advantage, however, was reduced by the Allies' use of superior radar and resources.
Destroyer classes
Momo
Four (桃, "Peach Tree") ships were built by Japan and commissioned during 1916–17. They displaced 835 tons standard and carried three 4.7-inch (120 mm) guns and six 21-inch (53 cm) torpedo tubes.
By the outbreak of war with the United States in 1941, all had either been scrapped, reduced to non-combatant roles or were used for secondary escort work. One survived the war and was scrapped soon after.
Momi Twenty-one vessels of the (樅, "Fir Tree") were built by Japan and commissioned in the early 1920s as second-class destroyers. They displaced 770 tons standard and carried three 4.7-inch (120 mm) guns and four 21-inch (53 cm) torpedo tubes.
By the outbreak of war with the United States in 1941, all had either been scrapped, reduced to non-combatant roles or were used for secondary escort work. Five survived the war and were scrapped soon after.
Minekaze
Fifteen (峯風, "Summit Wind") ships were commissioned between March 1920 and July 1922, although two of these were converted into destroyer transports in 1940. They were developments of earlier classes, displaced 1,650 tons (full load)All displacements given in this text are full load, unless otherwise stated. and carried four 4.7-inch (120 mm) guns and six 21-inch (53 cm) torpedo tubes. The siting of some of the weaponry was poor. Two of the four guns were placed amidships, one forward and one abaft the after funnel; in this position they had limited arcs of fire, being restricted by the ships' superstructure. One torpedo tube mounting was ahead of the bridge and liable to be washed over by heavy seas.Whitley, p.188
By the start of the war, these ships were no longer suitable for fleet duties, being used instead as escorts. Four survived the war.
Wakatake Eight (若竹, "Young Bamboo") ships were commissioned between September 1922 and November 1923, seven (one lost in a storm in 1932) served in World War II, one re-rated as a patrol boat. They were small (1,100 tons) second-class destroyers, developed from the Momi class. Armament consisted of three 4.7-inch (120 mm) guns (one replaced by two triple 25mm weapons in 1941–1942) and four 21-inch (53 cm) torpedo tubes. Minesweeping and minelaying capabilities were replaced by depth charge launchers.Whitley, p.190