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Japanese destroyer Shimotsuki

Coordinates: 2°21′N 107°20′E / 2.350°N 107.333°E / 2.350; 107.333
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Battleship Ise and destroyer Shimotsuki during the Battle off Cape Engaño
History
Empire of Japan
NameShimotsuki
BuilderMitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard
Laid down6 July 1942
Launched7 April 1943
Completed31 March 1944
Commissioned31 March 1944
Stricken10 January 1945
FateSunk by USS Cavalla, 25 November 1944
General characteristics
Displacement2,701 long tons (2,744 t) (standard)
Length134.2 m (440 ft 3 in)
Beam11.6 m (38 ft 1 in)
Draft4.15 m (13 ft 7 in)
Installed power
Propulsion2 × shafts; 2 × geared steam turbines
Speed33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph)
Range8,300 nmi (15,400 km; 9,600 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement300
Armament

Shimotsuki (霜月) was an Akizuki-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Her name means "November".

Design and description

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The Akizuki-class ships were originally designed as anti-aircraft escorts for carrier battle groups, but were modified with torpedo tubes and depth charges to meet the need for more general-purpose destroyers. The ships measured 134.2 meters (440 ft 3 in) overall, with beams of 11.6 meters (38 ft 1 in) and drafts of 4.15 meters (13 ft 7 in).[1] They displaced 2,701 long tons (2,744 t) at standard load[2] and 3,420 long tons (3,470 t) at deep load.[3] Their crews numbered 300 officers and enlisted men.[2]

Each ship had two Kampon geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by three Kampon water-tube boilers. The turbines were rated at a total of 52,000 shaft horsepower (38,776 kW) for a designed speed of 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph). The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them ranges of 8,300 nautical miles (15,400 km; 9,600 mi) at speeds of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph).[4]

The main armament of the Akizuki class consisted of eight 100-millimeter (3.9 in) Type 98 dual-purpose guns in four twin-gun turrets, two superfiring pairs fore and aft of the superstructure. They each carried a dozen 25-millimeter (1 in) Type 96 anti-aircraft (AA) guns in four triple-gun mounts. The ships were also each armed with four 610-millimeter (24 in) torpedo tubes in a single quadruple rotating mount amidships; one reload was carried for each tube.[5] The first batch of ships were each equipped with two depth charge throwers for which 54 depth charges were carried. Shimotsuki was equipped with a Type 21 early-warning radar on her foremast.[6]

Construction and career

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On 25 November 1944, Shimotsuki was torpedoed and sunk by the submarine USS Cavalla 220 miles (350 km) east-northeast of Singapore (2°21′N 107°20′E / 2.350°N 107.333°E / 2.350; 107.333) with heavy loss of life.

Notes

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  1. ^ Sturton, p. 195
  2. ^ a b Whitley, p. 204
  3. ^ Todaka, p. 213
  4. ^ Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 150
  5. ^ Whitley, pp. 204–205
  6. ^ Stille, p. 33

References

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  • 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.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
  • Stille, Mark (2013). Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers 1919–45 (2): Asahio to Tachibana Classes. Botley, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84908-987-6.
  • Sturton, Ian (1980). "Japan". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
  • Todaka, Kazushige, ed. (2020). Destroyers: Selected Photos from the Archives of the Kure Maritime Museum; the Best from the Collection of Shizuo Fukui's Photos of Japanese Warships. Japanese Naval Warship Photo Album. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-630-8.
  • Whitley, M. J. (2000). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell & Co. ISBN 1-85409-521-8.
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