Yūgumo-class destroyer

Background

The Yūgumo class was a repeat of the preceding with minor improvements that increased their anti-aircraft capabilities. The first 11 ships of the class were ordered as part of the 1939 4th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme. Another 16 ships (the Hayanami sub-class) were ordered as ships #340 to #355 as part of the 1941 Rapid Naval Armaments Supplement Programme, but of these eight were canceled before being laid down. Another eight ships (the Kai-Yūgumo sub-class) were planned as ships #5041 to #5048 under the 1942 Modified 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme, but these were also canceled.

Design and description

The Yūgumo class was 45 tons heavier and a few feet longer than the Kagerō class, distinguishable in silhouette primarily by the shape of the bridge. The Yūgumo class had a forward slope on the bridge, which was intended to reduce wind resistance and improve stability. Another difference was that the Yūgumo-class vessels were built by three different shipyards, and there were minor differences between individual ships, depending on the builder and when the ship was built.

The general specifications for the Yūgumo class was a 119.17 m overall length, with a beam of 10.8 m and a draft of 3.76 m. They displaced 2110 t at standard load and 2560 t at deep load. Their crew numbered 228 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 52000 shp for a designed speed of 35 kn.

The main battery of the Yūgumo class consisted of six Type 3 127 mm guns in three twin-gun turrets, one superfiring pair aft and one turret forward of the superstructure. Despite this, the process of replacing the No. 2 gun turret with anti-aircraft guns was never carried out on any ship of this class. The ships were also armed with eight 610 mm torpedo tubes in two quadruple traversing mounts; one reload was carried for each tube. Their anti-submarine weapons comprised two depth charge throwers for which 36 depth charges were carried.

As built, the Yūgumo class had four Type 96 25 mm anti-aircraft guns in two twin-mounts forward of the aft smokestack. as with other destroyer classes, as the Pacific War progressed, anti-aircraft armaments were increased, averaging over 20 by the Battle of Leyte Gulf. From 1943, two triple-mounts replaced the dual mounts aft and one twin-mount Type 96 was added forward of the bridge and a Type 22 radar. Units surviving into 1944 had a second pair of 25mm triple-mounts added on a platform behind the forward smokestack since they retained their No. 2 gun turrets. Uniquely, the Naganami carried a M2 Browning 50 caliber machine gun captured from the wrecked American submarine USS Darter on 25 October 1944 as some sort of war prize. The six units surviving into late 1944 received up to twelve additional single-mount Type 96s and a Type 13 radar. also received a number of Type 93 13mm machine guns.

Ships in class

Service

Yūgumo was the only ship of her class completed before Japan's entry into WW2 on 5 December 1941, just two days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. She and the following ships of her class saw a variety of escorting duties before Yūgumo, Makigumo, and Kazagumo escorting carriers during the battle of Midway, where they assisted the sinking aircraft carrier Hiryū. In turn, Makigumo's crew committed a war crime when they, albeit very reluctantly, murdered the downed USS Yorktown pilots Frank W. O'Flaherty and Bruno Gaido. Off to the Guadalcanal campaign, more escorting missions ensued, but mixed with troop and supply transport missions, plus escorting carriers at the battles of the Eastern Solomons and Santa Cruz. In the latter battle, the class earned its first notable surface action when Makigumo assisted in finishing off the crippled aircraft carrier USS Hornet. After escorting transports during the naval battle of Guadalcanal, Naganami, Takanmai, and Makinami all saw notable action at the battle of Tassafarona, Naganami serving as Admiral Tanaka's flagship. Takanami was sunk by American cruiser gunfire, accounting for the class's first loss, but not before unleashing a torpedo spread that crippled the heavy cruisers USS Minneapolis and USS New Orleans, blowing their bows clean off, while Makinami helped to sink the heavy cruiser USS Northampton.

With the start of 1943, several ships of the class took part in the evacuation of Guadalcanal. Makinami was crippled by air attacks and forced into several months of repair, while Makigumo was more fatally lured into a minefield by American PT Boats where she blew up and sank. The class saw more escorting and transport missions throughout the following months, until Kiyonami took part in the battle of Kolombangara, where she combined torpedoes with other destroyers to sink the destroyer USS Gwin and cripple the light cruisers USS Honolulu and USS Saint Louis. However, just a week later she was sunk by land based aircraft with just one survivor. On 7 October, Yūgumo herself was sunk at the battle of Vella Lavella by gunfire and torpedoes from the destroyers USS Chevalier, O'Bannon, and Selfridge, but not before firing a torpedo spread that hit and sank Chevalier (and indirectly damaged O'Bannon). In November, Suzunami was sunk by land-based aircraft in Rabaul, while Ōnami and Makinami were sunk by gunfire and torpedoes from the destroyers USS Charles Ausburne, Claxton, and Dyson at the battle of Cape Saint George.

1944 saw the completion of the last ship of the Yūgumo class, the Kiyoshimo, on 15 May 1944. In February, Asashimo depth charged and sank the submarine USS Trout, their last victory over an enemy warship. To return the favor, later that June Kazagumo was torpedoed and sunk by the submarine USS Hake, while Hayanami was sunk by the submarine USS Harder. Shortly afterwards, several Yūgumo class destroyers escorted aircraft carriers at the battle of the Philippine Sea, but in July Tamanami was sunk by the submarine USS Mingo. The remaining ships of the Yūgumo class took part in Admiral Kurita's center force at the battle of Leyte Gulf, where Naganami and Asashimo left the battle early to escort the crippled heavy cruiser Takao, while Kiyoshimo was forced to retire after being damaged by air attacks. Several ships were involved in the battle off Samar, but did little of note. In the final stages of the battle, Hayashimo and Fujinami were sunk by carrier aircraft, while Naganami inspected the wrecked submarine USS Darter, which had run aground, failing to scuttle the wreck while stealing a M2 Browning 50 caliber machine gun from the wreck as a war prize. In November, Okinami and Akishimo were sunk in harbor by land based aircraft, while Hamanami and Naganami were sunk by carrier aircraft at the battle of Ormoc Bay. Rounding out 1944 in December, Kishinami was torpedoed and sunk by the submarine USS Flasher, while Kiyoshimo was crippled by land based aircraft, then finished off by the torpedo boat PT-223.

Asashimo was the only Yūgumo class destroyer to survive into 1945. However, she met her end escorting the battleship Yamato during that ship's doomed final mission, departing Japan on the 6th of April. However, the next day Asashimo developed engine trouble and began to fall out of formation. When early 400 carrier aircraft attacked, a division of torpedo bombers from the light carrier USS San Jacinto pounced on the vulnerable Asashimo and sank the destroyer with all hands, bringing an end to the Yūgumo class destroyers.

Gallery

File:Yugumo Bridge.png|Yūgumo File:Makigumo II.jpg|Makigumo File:Japanese destroyer Kazagumo on 28 March 1942.jpg|Kazagumo File:Naganami.jpg|Naganami File:Makinami-194304-05.jpg|Makinami File:Kiyonami Rabaul.png|Kiyonami File:IJN DD Oyashio in 1943.jpg|Tamanami File:Capt. Matsuzaki and Fujinami.JPG|Fujinami File:Hayanami.jpg|Hayanami File:Hamanami.jpg|Hamanami File:Destroyer Okinami settled in shallow waters in Manila Bay, February 1945.jpg|Okinami File:B942KXrCcAI3XJK.jpg|Kishinami File:Asashimo.jpg|Asashimo File:Hayashimo.jpg|Hayashimo File:IJN DD Akishimo 1944 under construction.jpg|Akishimo File:Musashi Sibuyan Sea.jpg|Kiyoshimo and Musashi

Notes

References

References

1. (2013). "Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers 1919–45 (2)". Osprey Publishing.
2. Sturton, p. 195
3. Whitley, p. 203
4. Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 150
5. The guns were in a new type of mount (known as the "D" mount) which was able to elevate up to 75° to increase their performance against aircraft; however, their slow rate of fire, slow traversing speed, and the lack of any sort of high-angle [[Ship gun fire-control system. fire-control system]] meant that they were virtually useless as [[anti-aircraft gun]]s.Campbell, p. 192
6. "IJN Yugumo: Tabular Record of Movement".
7. 主要兵器, 大日本帝国軍. (2018-02-04). "巻雲【夕雲型駆逐艦 二番艦】Makigumo【Yugumo-class destroyer】".
8. 主要兵器, 大日本帝国軍. (2024-03-17). "長波【夕雲型駆逐艦 四番艦】その2Naganami【Yugumo-class destroyer】".
9. "Battle of Tassafaronga — The Japanese Destroyers".
10. "IJN Takanami: Tabular Record of Movement".
11. 主要兵器, 大日本帝国軍. (2018-02-04). "巻波【夕雲型駆逐艦 五番艦】Makinami【Yugumo-class destroyer】".
12. "IJN Kiyonami: Tabular Record of Movement".
13. "Destroyerhistory.com\actions\vellalavella".
14. "IJN Suzunami: Tabular Record of Movement".
15. "IJN Asashimo: Tabular Record of Movement".
16. 主要兵器, 大日本帝国軍. (2018-02-04). "玉波【夕雲型駆逐艦 九番艦】Tamanami【Yugumo-class destroyer】".