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 134.2m (440.3feet) overall, with beams of 11.6m (38.1feet) and drafts of 4.15m (13.62feet).[1] They displaced 2744t at standard load and 3470sp=usNaNsp=us at deep load.[2] Their crews numbered 300 officers and enlisted men.[3]
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 52000shp for a designed speed of 33kn. The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them ranges of 8300nmi at speeds of .[4]
The main armament of the Akizuki class consisted of eight 1001NaN1 Type 98 dual-purpose guns in four twin-gun turrets, two superfiring pairs fore and aft of the superstructure. They each carried a dozen 250NaN0 Type 96 anti-aircraft (AA) guns in four triple-gun mounts. The ships were also each armed with four 610adj=onNaNadj=on 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]
On 25 November 1944, Shimotsuki was torpedoed and sunk by the submarine 220miles east-northeast of Singapore (2.35°N 127°W) with heavy loss of life.
. Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. Annapolis, Maryland. 2005. Third Revised. 1-59114-119-2. Jürgen Rohwer.