View source for Akatsuki-class destroyer (1931)

{{short description|Destroyer class of the Imperial Japanese Navy}}
{{distinguish|text=the much earlier [[Akatsuki-class destroyer (1901)|''Akatsuki'' class]] of the [[Russo-Japanese War]] period}}
{{Other ships|Akatsuki-class destroyer}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Inazuma II.jpg
|Ship image size = 300px
|Ship caption={{ship|Japanese destroyer|Inazuma|1932|2}} underway, circa 1936
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Akatsuki'' class
|Builders=*[[Sasebo Naval Arsenal]]
*[[Maizuru Naval Arsenal]]
*[[Uraga Dock Company]]
*[[Fujinagata Shipyards]]
|Operators=*{{navy|Empire of Japan}}
|Class before={{sclass|Fubuki|destroyer|4}}
|Class after={{sclass|Hatsuharu|destroyer|4}}
|Subclasses=
|Cost=
|Built range= 
|In commission range= 1932–1944
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=4
|Total ships cancelled=
|Total ships lost=3
|Total ships retired=1
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Destroyer]]
|Ship displacement= {{convert|1750|LT|t|0}}
|Ship length= {{convert|118.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{convert|10.4|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|3.2|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*2 shaft [[Kampon]] geared [[turbine]]s
*3  boilers
*{{convert|50000|hp|abbr=on}}
|Ship speed= {{convert|38|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range=*{{cvt|5000|nmi}} at {{convert|14|kn}}
|Ship complement=233
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*3 × twin [[Type 3 127 mm 50 caliber naval gun]]s
*2 × single [[Hotchkiss 13.2 mm machine gun|Type 93 13 mm machine guns]]
*3 × triple {{convert|610|mm|in|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s
*18 × [[Type 93 torpedo]]es
*18 × [[depth charge]]s
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft= 
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
The {{nihongo|'''''Akatsuki''-class destroyer'''|暁型駆逐艦|Akatsuki-gata kuchikukan}} was a [[ship class|class]] of four [[destroyer]]s of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]].<ref>Jentsura, ''Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945''</ref>  According to most sources, they are regarded as a sub-class of the {{sclass|Fubuki|destroyer|4}}, partly because the Imperial Japanese Navy itself kept the improvements made a secret, and did not officially designate these four destroyers as a separate class.

==Background==
After a number of years of operational experience with the ''Fubuki'' class, the [[Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff]] issued requirements for four additional {{nihongo|''Special Type''|特型|Tokugata}} destroyers, with a maximum speed of {{convert|39|kn|km/h|lk=in}}, range of {{convert|4000|nmi|km}} at {{convert|14|kn|km/h}}, and armed with [[Type 8 torpedo]]es. These destroyers were intended to operate with the new series of fast and powerful [[cruiser]]s also under consideration as part of a program intended to give the Imperial Japanese Navy a qualitative edge with the world's most modern ships. The new vessels were built from 1931 to 1933.<ref>Fitzsimons, ''Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare'' p.1040</ref>

==Design==
The main difference in design between the ''Akatsuki'' vessels and the standard ''Fubuki''-class was the use of a new high-pressure boiler, which enabled the number of boilers to be reduced from four to three without a reduction in power. This also enabled the fore smokestack to be made narrower than on standard ''Fubuki''-class vessels, and this feature was the most evident visual recognition feature between the two designs. Other improvements over the ''Fubuki'' class included a larger bridge structure, with the addition of another level to house improved fire control facilities, and a splinter-proof torpedo launcher/turret, which allowed the torpedo launcher tubes to be reloaded in action.<ref>Fitzsimons, ''Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare'' p.1040.</ref> The four ships incorporated many weight-saving measures, and {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Hibiki|1932|2}} was the first all-welded Japanese ship.<ref name="Stille">{{cite book |last1=Stille |first1=Mark |title=Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers1919–45 (1) |date=2013 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Oxford, UK |isbn= 978-1-84908-984-5 |pages=32–35}}</ref>

However, the ''Akatsuki'' class shared a number of inherent design problems with the ''Fubuki'' class. The large amount of armament combined with a smaller hull displacement than in the original design created issues with stability. After the [[Tomozuru Incident|''Tomozuru'' Incident]], in which the basic design of many Japanese warships was called into question, additional [[ballast tank|ballast]] had to be added. In the [[Fourth Fleet Incident]], during which a [[typhoon]] damaged virtually every ship in the [[IJN 4th Fleet|Fourth Fleet]], issues with the longitudinal strength of the ''Akatsuki''-class hull was discovered. As a result, all vessels were reconstructed from 1935 to 1937. An additional 40 tons of ballast was added, the bridge reduced in size and the height of the smoke stacks was decreased. The number of torpedo reloads were reduced from nine to three (for the center launcher only), and fewer shells were stored for the guns. The amount of fuel carried was also increased to help lower the center-of-gravity. This increased the displacement to 2050 tons standard load and over 2400 tons full load.<!--this is correct usage, don't change it--> The rebuild reduced the top speed slightly to 34 knots.

===Armament===
The [[main battery]] consisted of six [[Type 3 127 mm 50 caliber naval gun]]s, mounted in pairs in three weather-proof, splinter-proof, gas-tight [[gun turret]]s. These guns were [[dual purpose gun]]s that could be elevated to 75 degrees, making them the world's first destroyers with this ability.<ref>Fitzsimons, ''Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare'', Volume 10, p. 1040.</ref>  Ammunition was brought up on hoists from [[Magazine (artillery)#Naval magazines|magazines]] located directly underneath each gun turret, which had a far greater rate of fire than those of other contemporary destroyers in which ammunition was typically manually loaded.<ref name="Peattie page 221-222">Peattie & Evans, ''Kaigun'' pp. 221-222.</ref> However, the gun houses were not bulletproof, and were thus actually still gun mounts, rather than proper turrets.<ref name="Stille"/>

The three triple {{convert|24|in|mm|adj=on|0}} [[torpedo tube|torpedo launchers]] used on the standard ''Fubuki'' class were retained, and originally Type 8 torpedoes were carried. These were later replaced with the [[Type 93 torpedo|Type 93 "Long Lance"]] oxygen-propelled torpedoes during [[World War II]].<ref name="Peattie page 221-222"/>

Anti-aircraft capability was initially two [[Hotchkiss 13.2 mm machine gun|Type 93 13 mm AA guns]] mounted in front of the second stack. In 1943, an additional pair of Type 93 guns was mounted in front of the bridge, which was later changed to [[Type 96 25 mm AT/AA gun|Type 96 25 mm AA guns]] on {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Hibiki|1932|2}} and {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Ikazuchi|1931|2}} in January 1944. These vessels also lost one of their aft guns in April 1944 in exchange for two triple Type 96 guns, and another pair of triple Type 96 guns was added between the aft torpedo mounts.  ''Hibiki'' had another 20 single-mount Type 96s added, as well as a Type 22 and Type 13 radar, before the end of the war.<ref name="Stille"/>

==Operational history==
Of the four ''Akatsuki''-class vessels, only ''Hibiki'' survived the war, and was awarded as a [[prize of war]] to the [[Soviet Navy]], and continued to be used a floating barracks ship until retirement in 1953. Eventually, she was used as target practice in the 1970s, where she was finally sunk. {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Akatsuki|1932|2}} was lost at the [[Naval Battle of Guadalcanal]] in November 1942, where she was sunk by American cruiser and destroyer gunfire. ''Ikazuchi'' was sunk while escorting a convoy 200 miles south-southeast of Guam on April 14, 1944 by the submarine {{USS|Harder|SS-257|6}}. {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Inazuma|1932|2}} exploded after being struck by torpedoes launched by {{USS|Bonefish|SS-223|6}} in the [[Celebes Sea]] near [[Tawitawi]] on 14 May 1944.

==List of ships==
{{clear}}

{{clear}}
===Type III (''Akatsuki'')===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="font-size:97%;"
|+ List of ''Akatsuki''-class destroyers (1931)
|-
! scope="col" | Kanji
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Builder
! scope="col" data-sort-type=date | Laid down
! scope="col" data-sort-type=date | Launched
! scope="col" data-sort-type=date | Completed
! scope="col" data-sort-type=date | Fate
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|ja|暁}}
! scope="row" | {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Akatsuki|1932|2}}
| [[Sasebo Naval Arsenal]], Japan
| 17&nbsp;February 1930
| 7&nbsp;May 1932
| 30&nbsp;November 1932
| data-sort-value="13 November 1942" | [[Naval Battle of Guadalcanal|Sunk in action]] off Guadalcanal on 13&nbsp;November 1942; struck 15&nbsp;December 1942
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|ja|響}}
! scope="row" | {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Hibiki|1932|2}}
| [[Maizuru Naval Arsenal]], Japan
| 21&nbsp;February 1930
| 16&nbsp;June 1932
| 31&nbsp;March 1933
| data-sort-value="5 October 1945" | Surrendered 5&nbsp;October 1945; prize of war to USSR on 5&nbsp;July 1947; sunk as target in 1970s
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|ja|雷}}
! scope="row" | {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Ikazuchi|1931|2}}
| [[Uraga Dock Company]], Japan
| 7&nbsp;March 1930
| 22&nbsp;October 1931
| 15&nbsp;August 1932
| data-sort-value="13 April 1944" | Torpedoed west of Guam on 13&nbsp;April 1944; struck 10&nbsp;June 1944
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: center;" | {{lang|ja|電}}
! scope="row" | {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Inazuma|1932|2}}
| [[Fujinagata Shipyards]], Japan
| 7&nbsp;March 1930
| 25&nbsp;February 1932
| 15&nbsp;November 1932
| data-sort-value="14 May 1944" | Torpedoed west of Celebes on 14&nbsp;May 1944; struck 10&nbsp;June 1944
|}

==See also==
*[[List of ship classes of the Second World War]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==

===Books===
*{{cite book | last = Evans | first = David | year = 1979 | title = Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887-1941 | publisher = US Naval Institute Press | isbn = 0-87021-192-7}}
*{{cite book | last = Brown | first = David| year = 1990 | title = Warship Losses of World War Two | publisher = Naval Institute Press| isbn = 1-55750-914-X}}
*{{cite book | last = Howarth | first = Stephen | year = 1983 | title = The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The Drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895–1945 | publisher = Atheneum | isbn = 0-689-11402-8}}
*{{cite book | last = Jentsura | first = Hansgeorg | year = 1976 | title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945 | publisher = US Naval Institute Press | isbn = 0-87021-893-X }}
*{{cite book | last = Morison | first = Samuel Eliot | author-link = Samuel Eliot Morison | year = 1958 | title = The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943, vol. 5 of ''[[History of United States Naval Operations in World War II]]'' | publisher = [[Little, Brown and Company]] | location = Boston | isbn = 0-316-58305-7}}
*{{cite book | last = Nelson | first = Andrew N. | year = 1967 | title = Japanese–English Character Dictionary | publisher = Tuttle | isbn = 0-8048-0408-7 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/modernreadersjap00nels }}
*{{cite book | last = Watts | first = Anthony J | year = 1967 | title = Japanese Warships of World War II | publisher = Doubleday | isbn = 978-0-3850-9189-3}}
*{{cite book | last = Whitley | first = M J | title = Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia | publisher = Arms and Armour Press | year = 2000 | location = London | isbn = 1-85409-521-8 }}

==External links==
*{{cite web |last = Nishida |first= Hiroshi |url= http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0424.htm |title = Materials of IJN: Akatsuki class destroyer |work = Imperial Japanese Navy |access-date = 2015-07-13 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20121210123710/http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0424.htm |archive-date = 2012-12-10 |url-status= dead }}
*{{cite web| last = Globalsecurity.org| url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/japan/akatsuki-dd.htm | title = IJN Akatsuki class destroyers}}
*{{cite web| last = Combined Fleet.com| url = http://www.combinedfleet.com/akatsu_c.htm | title = Nihon Kaigun: Akatsuki Class}}
*[http://pwencycl.kgbudge.com/A/k/Akatsuki_class.htm Pacific War Online Encyclopedia]

{{Akatsuki class destroyer (1931)}}
{{WWII Japanese ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akatsuki-class destroyer (1931)}}
[[Category:Destroyer classes]]
[[Category:Akatsuki-class destroyers (1931)| ]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of Japan]]