The ''Akizuki''-class destroyer was a destroyer

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

built for the

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

(JMSDF) in the late 1950s. This class was planned to be a

flotilla leader A flotilla leader was a warship of late 19th century and early 20th century navies suitable for commanding a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships, typically a small cruiser or a large destroyer (known as a destroyer leader). The flotil ...

with the enhanced

command and control Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ... hatemploys human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization or en ...

capability, so sometimes this class was classified as the "DDC" (commanding destroyer) unofficially.

Design

Initially, the American Military Assistance Advisory Group-Japan (MAAG-J) recommended a modified version of the American , but Japan had already constructed surface combatants of their own at that time. As a result, the project of this class was financed by the Off Shore Procurement (OSP) of the United States, but design and construction were completely indigenous. Like its predecessors, the and es, this class adopted a "long forecastle" design with inclined afterdeck called "Holland Slope", named after the scenic sloping street in

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...

City. With the enlargement of the hull, the steam turbine propulsion system was uprated with higher-pressure boilers (570 psi). This class was equipped with both gunnery weapons of the ''Murasame'' class and the torpedo/mine weapons of the ''Ayanami'' class. And alongside these anti-submarine weapons similar to them of the ''Ayanami'' class, the ''Akizuki'' class were the first vessels equipped with a Mk.108 Weapon Alpha. While the JMSDF desired this American ASW rocket launcher originally, it became clear that its performance wasn't as good as it was believed. It was later replaced by a Type 71 quadruple ASW rocket launcher (Japanese version of the Swedish M/50) in 1976.

References

{{Combatant ship classes of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Destroyer classes