Japanese destroyer Akatsuki (1932)
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Nelson. ''Japanese-English Character Dictionary''. Page 483 was the twenty-first , or the lead ship of the (if that sub-class is regarded as a separate class), built for the
Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
in the inter-war period. When introduced into service, these ships were the most powerful destroyers in the world. They remained formidable weapons systems well into the
Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...
.


History

Construction of the advanced ''Fubuki''-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's expansion program from fiscal 1923, intended to give Japan a qualitative edge with the world's most modern ships. The ''Fubuki'' class had performance that was a quantum leap over previous destroyer designs, so much so that they were designated . The large size, powerful engines, high speed, large radius of action and unprecedented armament gave these destroyers the firepower similar to many light cruisers in other navies. The ''Akatsuki'' sub-class was an improved version of the ''Fubuki'', externally almost identical, but incorporating changes to her propulsion system. ''Akatsuki'', built at the
Sasebo Naval Arsenal was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. History The Sasebo Naval District was established at Sasebo, Nagasaki in 1886, as the third of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the ...
was the first of the “Type III” improved series of ''Fubuki'' destroyers, incorporating a modified
gun turret A gun turret (or simply turret) is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechani ...
which could elevate her main battery of
Type 3 127 mm 50 caliber naval gun The 12.7 cm/50 Type 3 naval gun was a medium-caliber naval gun of the Imperial Japanese Navy used during World War II. It was the standard weapon for Japanese destroyers between 1928 and 1944 (except ''Akizuki'' and ''Matsu'' classes). It ...
s to 75° as opposed to the original 40°, thus permitting the guns to be used as dual purpose guns against aircraft. ''Akatsuki'' was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...
on 17 February 1930, launched on 7 May 1932 and commissioned on 30 November 1932.


Operational history

On completion, ''Akatsuki'' was assigned to Destroyer Division 6 along with her
sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...
s, , , and , under the
IJN 1st Fleet The was the main battleship fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy. History First established on 28 December 1903, the IJN 1st Fleet was created during the Russo-Japanese War when the Imperial General Headquarters divided the Readiness Fleet into ...
. She was taking part in maneuvers off
Ise Bay is a bay located at the mouth of the Kiso Three Rivers between Mie and Aichi Prefectures in Japan. Ise Bay has an average depth of and a maximum depth of . The mouth of the bay is and is connected to the smaller Mikawa Bay by two channels: th ...
on 1 August 1935 when she collided with the
submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
at 14:27. ''I-6'' suffered damage to her
periscope A periscope is an instrument for observation over, around or through an object, obstacle or condition that prevents direct line-of-sight observation from an observer's current position. In its simplest form, it consists of an outer case with ...
s. Like others of her type, ''Akatsuki'' was modified during the middle 1930s, both to correct design deficiencies and to enhance combat capabilities. She participated in operations in the
Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
, which broke out in July 1937.


World War II

At the time of the
attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...
, ''Akatsuki'' was assigned to Destroyer Division 6 of Desron 1 of the IJN 1st Fleet, and had deployed from
Mako Guard District The was the major navy base for the Imperial Japanese Navy in Taiwan under Japanese rule, Taiwan before and during World War II. Located in at Mako , (present-day Makung, Pescadores Islands, Republic of China), the Mako Guard District was respons ...
to provide cover for landing operations in
British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ms, Tanah Melayu British) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. U ...
and later for in operations against the
Netherlands East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
, including the invasion of western Java and in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
.IJN Akatsuki: Tabular Record of Movement
/ref> She attacked, but failed to sink the submarine on 17 March 1942. After returning to Yokosuka Naval Arsenal for maintenance in March 1942, ''Akatsuki'' was reassigned to northern operations, and deployed from Ōminato Guard District in support of Admiral Boshiro Hosogaya’s Northern Force in the Aleutians campaign, patrolling waters around
Kiska Kiska ( ale, Qisxa, russian: Кыска) is one of the Rat Islands, a group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. It is about long and varies in width from . It is part of Aleutian Islands Wilderness and as such, special permission is required ...
and Attu during June and July, and towing the damaged ''Hibiki'' from Kiska back to Paramushiro in the
Chishima Islands The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands (; rus, Кури́льские острова́, r=Kuril'skiye ostrova, p=kʊˈrʲilʲskʲɪjə ɐstrɐˈva; Japanese: or ) are a volcanic archipelago currently administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast in the ...
. She continued to be assigned to northern patrols in the Chishima islands and
Aleutian islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a cha ...
through the beginning of August. After maintenance at Yokosuka in late July, ''Akatsuki'' was reassigned as escort for the new aircraft carriers and , which it accompanied to Truk, and missions in the
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...
and back to
Kure Naval District was the second of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the Seto Inland Sea, Inland Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coasts of southern Honshū from Wakayama prefecture, Wakayam ...
. From October, ''Akatsuki'' was used for numerous “
Tokyo Express The Tokyo Express was the name given by Allied forces to the use of Imperial Japanese Navy ships at night to deliver personnel, supplies, and equipment to Japanese forces operating in and around New Guinea and the Solomon Islands during the P ...
” high speed transport runs throughout the Solomon Islands. On October 25, 1942 ''Akatsuki'', ''Ikazuchi'', and conducted a daylight raid into the waters of " Ironbottom Sound" off
Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...
. In the resulting action, the fast minesweeper was damaged and fleet tug and patrol craft ''YP-284'' were sunk before the Japanese ships were driven off by
US Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...
. ''Akatsuki'' suffered light damage when its No.3
gun turret A gun turret (or simply turret) is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechani ...
was hit by coastal artillery, with four crewmen killed. Three weeks later, ''Akatsuki'' returned to "Ironbottom Sound" as part of a powerful bombardment force built around the
battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...
s and . On the night of 12–13 November 1942, in the
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, the Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, the , took place from 12 to 15 November 1942, and was t ...
, this unit encountered a task force of U.S. Navy destroyers and cruisers. Operating on the right flank of the Japanese battleships, ''Akatsuki'' is often credited with illuminating and then torpedoing : however, her junior torpedo officer, Michiharu Shinya – one of her few survivors - later stated unequivocally that ''Akatsuki'' was overwhelmed by gunfire before being able to launch any torpedoes. Soon after illuminating ''Atlanta'', she was heavily hit by American gunfire and sank early in the action near Savo Island at position , with the loss of all but 18 crewmen (out of a total complement of 197), who were later captured by U.S. forces. These crewmen were later imprisoned at the
Featherston prisoner of war camp Featherston prisoner of war camp was a camp for captured Japanese soldiers during World War II at Featherston, New Zealand, notorious for a 1943 incident in which 48 Japanese and one New Zealander were killed. The camp had been established during ...
in
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. On 15 December 1942, ''Akatsuki'' was removed from the
navy list A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval author ...
.


Notes


References

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External links

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Japanese Navy Ships - Akatsuki (Destroyer, 1932)
Naval Historical Center {{DEFAULTSORT:Akatsuki (1932) Akatsuki-class destroyers (1931) Ships built by Sasebo Naval Arsenal 1932 ships Second Sino-Japanese War naval ships of Japan World War II destroyers of Japan Shipwrecks in Ironbottom Sound Maritime incidents in 1935 Maritime incidents in November 1942 Ships of the Aleutian Islands campaign