Japanese destroyer Kuri

Kuri at anchor, 1937
History
Empire of Japan
Name	Kuri
Builder	Kure Naval Arsenal, Hiroshima, Japan
Laid down	5 December 1919
Launched	19 March 1920
Completed	30 April 1920
Stricken	25 October 1945
Fate	Surrendered, struck a mine off of Pusan, Korea 8 October 1945
General characteristics as built
Type	Momi-class destroyer
Displacement	850 long tons (864 t) (normal) 1,020 long tons (1,036 t) (deep load)
Length	275 ft (83.8 m) (pp) 280 ft (85.3 m) (o/a)
Beam	26 ft (7.9 m)
Draft	8 ft (2.4 m)
Installed power	3 × Kampon water-tube boilers 21,500 shp (16,000 kW)
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 × geared steam turbines
Speed	36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph)
Range	3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	110
Armament	3 × single 12 cm (4.7 in) guns 2 × twin 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes

The Japanese destroyer Kuri (栗) was one of 21 Momi-class destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in the late 1910s. She struck a mine off of Pusan, Korea, in October 1945 and was subsequently stricken from the naval list.

Design and description

The Momi class was designed with higher speed and better seakeeping than the preceding Enoki-class second-class destroyers. The ships had an overall length of 280 feet (85.3 m) and were 275 feet (83.8 m) between perpendiculars. They had a beam of 26 feet (7.9 m), and a mean draft of 8 feet (2.4 m). The Momi-class ships displaced 850 long tons (864 t) at standard load and 1,020 long tons (1,036 t) at deep load. Kuri was powered by two Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by three Kampon water-tube boilers. The turbines were designed to produce 21,500 shaft horsepower (16,000 kW) to give the ships a speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph). The ships carried a maximum of 275 long tons (279 t) of fuel oil which gave them a range of 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). Their crew consisted of 110 officers and crewmen.

The main armament of the Momi-class ships consisted of three 12-centimeter (4.7 in) Type 3 guns in single mounts; one gun forward of the well deck, one between the two funnels, and the last gun atop the aft superstructure. The guns were numbered '1' to '3' from front to rear. The ships carried two above-water twin sets of 533-millimeter (21 in) torpedo tubes; one mount was in the well deck between the forward superstructure and the bow gun and the other between the aft funnel and aft superstructure.

Construction and career

Kuri, built at the Kure Naval Arsenal in Hiroshima, Japan, was launched on March 19, 1920, and completed on April 30, 1920. During the Sino-Japanese War she supported the naval landing at Anqing during the Battle of Wuhan. At the start of the Pacific War she took part in the blockade of Corregidor island and Manila during the Battle of the Philippines and spent the rest of the conflict on patrol duty convoy escort. She was surrendered at Qingdao at the end of the war, but struck a mine off of Pusan on October 8, 1945, while on minesweeping duty. The ship was officially stricken from the naval list on October 25.

References

• Friedman, Norman (1985). "Japan". In Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-907-3.
• Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander & Cundall, Peter (18 November 2018). "IJN Second Class Destroyer Kuri: Tabular Record of Movement". KUCHIKUKAN! Stories and Battle Histories of the IJN's Second-Class Destroyers. Combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
• Jentschura, Hansgeorg; Jung, Dieter & Mickel, Peter (1977). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN 0-87021-893-X.
• Watts, Anthony J. & Gordon, Brian G. (1971). The Imperial Japanese Navy. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-35603-045-8.