The were a class of nineteen 1st Class destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during the 1930s, and operated by them during the Pacific War, where all but one were lost.They were also called the, because the second ship,, was launched before the first ship, .
The class was also one of a series called within the Imperial Japanese Navy from their plan name. At the time of introduction, these destroyers were among the deadliest destroyers afloat, primarily due to the excellent range and lethality of their "Long Lance" torpedoes.
Following on the success of the, the Kagerō class was very similar in design, but was slightly larger and incorporated a number of improvements which had been gained through operational experience. It had a heavier main battery and much heavier torpedo armament than other contemporary foreign destroyer designs.[1] The first 15 ships of this class were ordered in 1937 under the 3rd Naval Armaments Supplement Programme and the final four vessels were ordered in 1939 under the 4th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme. The final vessel in the class,, was sometimes mistaken for part of the succeeding by immediate postwar historians due to confusion over the number of fictitious destroyers listed in the Japanese budgetary records in an effort to conceal the budget devoted to the secret battleships.
The Kagerō class used the same hull and bridge as the preceding Asashio class and had an almost identical silhouette. The main visual difference was that the reloads for the forward torpedo launcher were located in front of the launcher instead of to the rear.[1] The ships measured 118.5m (388.8feet) overall, with a beam of 10.8m (35.4feet) and a draft of 3.76m (12.34feet).[2] They displaced 2065sp=usNaNsp=us at standard load and 2529t at deep load.[3] The displacement and beam were thus slightly larger than for the Asashio class, giving greater stability.[1]
Their crew numbered 240 officers and enlisted men. 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 .[4] had an experimental boiler which developed a higher steam pressure, but this did not result in any increase in performance.[1]
As built, the weapons suite of the Kagerō class was identical to that of the preceding Asashio class. The main battery consisted of six 5-inch 12.7 cm/50 Type 3 naval guns in three twin-gun turrets, one superfiring pair aft and one turret forward of the superstructure. The guns were capable of 55-degree elevation. 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.[3] Their anti-submarine weapons initially comprised 16 depth charges,[4] which was increased to 36 during the course of the Pacific War.
In terms of anti-aircraft capability, initially two twin-mount Type 96 AA guns were placed forward of the second smokestack. As the war progressed, the number of Type 96 guns was gradually increased. In 1942–1943, the twin mounts were replaced by triple mounts, and another twin mount was added forward of the bridge. From 1943 to 1944, on surviving vessels the superfiring "X" turret was removed and replaced by two more triple mounts. In late 1944, the seven surviving vessels were fitted with a varying number of additional guns. and received seven single mounts, whereas received 14 single mounts and four Type 93 13 mm machine guns.[1]
became the first Japanese destroyer to be equipped with radar when a Type 22 set was installed in late 1942. The other vessels were equipped with radar as they rotated back to Japan for repair or refit. All seven vessels surviving in mid-1944 also received a Type 13 radar.[1]
During the war the Kagerō class was used extensively in the Solomons campaign, and wartime attrition was severe, with 18 of 19 vessels lost. In all, six were sunk by air attack, five by submarine attack, five in battle with other surface forces, one by a mine, and the remaining two sunk by a combination of mines and air attack. was the only Kagerō-class ship afloat at the end of the war. All but the (sunk in February 1942) took part in the Battle of Midway. 7 out of the only 9 destroyers of the Pearl Harbor strike force were of the Kagero class.
| Ship | Kanji | Shipyard | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Japanese: 陽炎 | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 3 September 1937 | 27 September 1938 | 6 November 1939 | data-sort-value="8 May 1943" | Air attack SW of Rendova (New Georgia Campaign), 8 May 1943 at -8.1333°N 211°W | ||
| 18 | Japanese: 不知火 | Uraga Dock Company | 30 August 1937 | 28 June 1938 | 20 December 1939 | data-sort-value="27 October 1944" | Air attack N of Iloilo, Panay, 27 October 1944 at 12°N 152°W | ||
| 19 | Japanese: 黒潮 | Fujinagata Shipyards | 31 August 1937 | 25 October 1938 | 27 January 1940 | data-sort-value="8 May 1943" | Mined leaving Vila, Kolombangara (New Georgia Campaign), 8 May 1943 at -8.1333°N 211°W | ||
| 20 | Japanese: 親潮 | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 29 March 1938 | 29 November 1938 | 20 August 1940 | data-sort-value="8 May 1943" | Mined, air attack leaving Vila, Kolombangara (New Georgia Campaign), 8 May 1943 at -8.1333°N 211°W | ||
| 21 | Japanese: 早潮 | Uraga Dock Company | 30 June 1938 | 19 April 1939 | 31 August 1940 | data-sort-value="24 November 1942" | Scuttled after air attack, Guna Bay (New Guinea Campaign), 24 November 1942 at -7°N 177°W | ||
| 22 | Japanese: 夏潮 | Fujinagata Shipyards | 9 December 1937 | 23 February 1939 | 31 August 1940 | data-sort-value="9 February 1942" | Torpedoed S of Makassar, 9 February 1942 at -5.1667°N 143°W | ||
| 23 | Japanese: 初風 | Kawasaki-Kobe | 3 December 1937 | 24 January 1939 | 15 February 1940 | data-sort-value="2 November 1943" | Sunk in Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, 2 November 1943 at -6.0167°N 211°W | ||
| 24 | Japanese: 雪風 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 2 August 1938 | 24 March 1939 | 20 January 1940 | data-sort-value="6 July 1947" | Surrendered to Republic of China on 6 July 1947 at Shanghai, renamed DD-12 Tan Yang (丹陽); scrapped 1970 | ||
| 25 | Japanese: 天津風 | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 14 February 1939 | 19 October 1939 | 26 October 1940 | data-sort-value="6 April 1945" | Air attack E of Xiamen, 6 April 1945 at 24.5°N 128°W | ||
| 26 | Japanese: 時津風 | Uraga Dock Company | 20 February 1939 | 10 November 1939 | 15 December 1940 | data-sort-value="3 March 1943" | Air attack SE of Finschhafen, 3 March 1943 at -7.2667°N 163°W | ||
| 27 | Japanese: 浦風 | Fujinagata Shipyards | 11 April 1939 | 19 April 1940 | 15 December 1940 | data-sort-value="21 November 1944" | Torpedoed NNW of Keelung, Taiwan, 21 November 1944 at 26.15°N 144°W | ||
| 28 | Japanese: 磯風 | Sasebo Naval Arsenal | 25 November 1938 | 19 June 1939 | 30 November 1940 | data-sort-value="7 April 1945" | Scuttled SW of Nagasaki following air attack, 7 April 1945 at 30.46°N 128.92°W | ||
| 29 | Japanese: 浜風 | Uraga Dock Company | 20 November 1939 | 25 November 1940 | 30 June 1941 | data-sort-value="7 April 1945" | Air attack SW of Nagasaki, 7 April 1945 at 30.7833°N 136°W | ||
| 30 | Japanese: 谷風 | Fujinagata Shipyards | 18 October 1939 | 1 November 1940 | 25 April 1941 | data-sort-value="9 June 1944" | Torpedoed in Sibutu Passage, 9 June 1944 at 5.7°N 161°W | ||
| 31 | Japanese: 野分 | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 8 November 1939 | 17 September 1940 | 28 April 1941 | data-sort-value="26 October 1944" | Sunk in the aftermath of the Battle off Samar, 26 October 1944 at 13°N 178°W | ||
| 32–34 | data-sort-value="31 December 1950" | The dummy for the naval budget of the s | |||||||
| 112 | Japanese: 嵐 | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 4 May 1939 | 22 April 1940 | 27 January 1941 | data-sort-value="6 August 1943" | Sunk in Battle of Vella Gulf (New Georgia Campaign), 6 August 1943 at | ||
| 113 | Japanese: 萩風 | Uraga Dock Company | 23 May 1939 | 18 June 1940 | 31 March 1941 | data-sort-value="6 August 1943" | Sunk in Battle of Vella Gulf, 6 August 1943 at -7.8333°N 211°W | ||
| 114 | Japanese: 舞風 | Fujinagata Shipyards | 22 April 1940 | 13 March 1941 | 15 July 1941 | data-sort-value="17 February 1944" | Sunk in surface action during Operation Hailstone at Truk, 17 February 1944 at 7.75°N 171°W | ||
| 115 | Japanese: 秋雲 | Uraga Dock Company | 2 July 1940 | 11 April 1941 | 27 September 1941 | data-sort-value="11 April 1944" | Torpedoed SE of Zamboanga, Philippines, 11 April 1944 at 6.7167°N 145°W |