The were a
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 ...
of two
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
s of 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 ...
. The class is sometimes referred to as the ''Tanikaze'' class in some sources; however, ''Tanikaze'' was launched and commissioned later than ''Kawakaze''.
Background
Construction of the new ''Kawakaze''-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's
8-4 Fleet Program in fiscal 1915. A large destroyer with long range, capable of providing escort to the new
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 ...
and the two s were considered a part of this reduced spending naval program from the previous
Eight-eight fleet
The was a Japanese naval strategy formulated for the development of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the first quarter of the 20th century, which stipulated that the navy should include eight first-class battleships and eight armoured cruisers or b ...
project..
Although funding was authorized for only one destroyer, ''Tanikaze'', the
Italian government
The government of Italy is in the form of a democratic republic, and was established by a constitution in 1948. It consists of legislative, executive, and judicial subdivisions, as well as a Head of State, or President.
The Italian Constitutio ...
unexpectedly refunded Japan for its down payment of 870,000
Yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...
on the , which had been transferred to the
Royal Italian Navy
The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' changed its name to '' Marina Militare'' (" ...
before completion in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. These funds were used to complete a second vessel, which was also named ''Kawakaze''.
Design
Initially conceived of as a follow-on version of the earlier s, however, it was the first to use the new
Type 3 120 mm 45 caliber naval gun
12 cm/45 3rd Year Type naval gun was a Japanese naval gun and coast defense gun used on destroyers, and torpedo boats of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.
Design and development
The 12 cm/45 gun designed in 1895 was an i ...
s that were to be used many subsequent classes of Japanese destroyers. In addition, given the experience with deployment of Japanese destroyers for extended periods overseas in World War I, the
hull
Hull may refer to:
Structures
* Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle
* Fuselage, of an aircraft
* Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds
* Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship
* Submarine hull
Mathematics
* Affine hull, in affi ...
and
bow needed to be reinforced to handle heavy seas. Furthermore, the navy wanted to add the latest technologies in terms of the new 533 mm
torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...
es in three double launchers.
It was furthermore decided to use the same Brown-Curtis
heavy fuel oil fired geared steam turbine engines as on the ''Tenryū''-class cruisers. The result was a ship was much more powerful that the earlier ''Isokaze'' class, and capable of high speed operation.
Operational history
The ''Kawakaze''-class destroyers served during the interwar period. ''Kawakaze'' was retired on 1 April 1934 and ''Tanikaze'' a year later.
[Nishida, Imperial Japanese Navy]
List of ships
References
Notes
Books
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External links
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{{WWI Japanese ships
Destroyer classes