The Kagerō class was an enlarged and improved version of the preceding . Their crew numbered 240 officers and enlisted men. The ships measured 118.5m (388.8feet) overall, with a beam of 10.8m (35.4feet) and a draft of 3.76m (12.34feet).[1] They displaced 2065t at standard load and 2529t at deep load.[2] The ships 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 52000shp for a designed speed of 35kn. The ships had a range of 5000nmi at a speed of .[3]
The main armament of the Kagerō class consisted of six Type 3 1271NaN1 guns in three twin-gun turrets, one superfiring pair aft and one turret forward of the superstructure. They were built with four Type 96 251NaN1 anti-aircraft guns in two twin-gun mounts, but more of these guns were added over the course of the war. The ships were also armed with eight 610mm torpedo tubes for the oxygen-fueled Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedo in two quadruple traversing mounts; one reload was carried for each tube.[2] Their anti-submarine weapons comprised 16 depth charges.[3]
On 7 April 1945, Isokaze escorted the battleship from the Inland Sea on her Operation Ten-Go attack on the Allied forces on Okinawa. She was struck by aircraft of Task Force 58 and scuttled by the destroyer with gunfire[4] 150miles southwest of Nagasaki (30.46°N 128.92°W). Of those on board, 20 were killed and the rest were rescued by other ships. Yamatos other escorts, including, and Yamato herself, were sunk afterwards, Asashimo losing all hands during the encounter.
Isokaze's wreckage was located in an underwater survey in May 2016, but the news was not made public until February 10, 2018.