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]
The destroyer was ordered in 1937. Nowaki was laid down on 8 November 1939 and launched on 17 September 1940. The ship was commissioned into the IJN on 28 April 1941.
Nowaki was initially assigned to Destroyer Division 4 of the Destroyer Squadron 4. At the beginning of World War II, she was engaged as an escort during the invasion of the Philippine Islands and during subsequent operations around Malaya. On 1–4 March, while in company with the cruisers,,, and destroyer, she was involved in sinking a number of Allied vessels during operations in the Java Sea. On 1 March, Nowaki assisted Arashi in sinking the Dutch motorship Toranja and the British minesweeper Scott Harley, and later that day captured the Dutch steamship Bintoehan. On 2 March, Nowaki assisted in sinking the destroyer . On 3 March 1942, Nowaki helped sink the gunboat . On 4 March, Nowaki assisted in sinking the Australian sloop and the British Motor Minesweeper 51, tanker Francol, and depot ship Anking.
During the Battle of Midway, Nowaki took survivors off the damaged aircraft carrier and then helped scuttle her with torpedoes. Later that year Nowaki and the remaining destroyers of Destroyer Division 4 were reassigned to Destroyer Squadron 10 based in Truk. For the remainder of 1942 and most of 1943, Nowaki operated in and around the Solomon Islands. Nowaki fled Truk on 17 February 1944 in the midst of the massive American air and surface attack known as Operation Hailstone and escaped pursuit by US Task Force 50.9 with minor splinter damage despite being straddled several times by 16 inch salvos from and at extreme range.
Returning to the Central Pacific after repairs in Japan, Nowaki took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. In the Battle off Samar on 25 October 1944, Nowaki took part in the torpedo attack on the U.S. escort carriers and assisted in sinking the destroyer . Later, she removed survivors from the cruiser and scuttled her with torpedoes, although recent studies suggests that she only managed to arrive in time to rescue the survivors, as Chikuma herself had sunk beforehand. The next day, Nowaki was isolated from the rest of the centerforce when she was met by the gunfire of the light cruisers,, and .[4] Lit aflame and badly crippled by gunfire, Nowaki was finished off by torpedoes from the destroyer, 65miles east-southeast of Legaspi (13°N 178°W). There were no survivors, including the rescued Chikuma sailors.