View source for Japanese destroyer Suzukaze

{{short description|Destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy}}

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= IJN DD Suzukaze in 1937.jpg
|Ship caption= ''Suzukaze'' on trial run at Uraga Channel, Summer 1937.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country= [[Empire of Japan]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Empire of Japan|naval}}
|Ship name= ''Suzukaze''
|Ship namesake=
|Ship ordered= 1934 FY
|Ship builder=[[Uraga Dock Company]]
|Ship laid down= 9 July 1935
|Ship launched= 11 March 1937
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned= 31 August 1937
|Ship decommissioned= 
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck= 10 March 1944
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=Torpedoed and sunk by [[USS Skipjack (SS-184)|USS ''Skipjack'']], 25 January 1944
|Ship notes=
}} 
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=
|Ship class= {{sclass|Shiratsuyu|destroyer}}
|Ship displacement= {{convert|1685|LT|t|0|lk=in|abbr=on}}
|Ship length=*{{convert|103.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} [[Length between perpendiculars|pp]]
*{{convert|107.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} waterline 
|Ship beam= {{convert|9.9|m|ftin|abbr=on}} 
|Ship draft= {{convert|3.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} 
|Ship propulsion=*2 shaft [[Kampon]] geared [[turbine]]s
*3 boilers, {{convert|42000|hp|abbr=on}} 
|Ship speed= {{convert|34|kn|mph km/h|lk=in}}
|Ship range= {{convert|4000|nmi|km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|18|kn|km/h|abbr=on}} 
|Ship complement=226
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*5 × [[12.7 cm/50 Type 3 naval gun]]s (2×2, 1×1)
*2 × [[Hotchkiss M1929 machine gun|{{convert|13.2|mm|in|abbr=on}}]] AA guns
*8 × {{convert|24|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s
*16 × [[Depth charge]]s 
|Ship armor=
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox service record
|is_ship=yes
|label= 
|partof=
|codes=
|commanders=
|operations=*[[Battle of Tarakan (1942)]]
*[[Battle of the Java Sea]] (1942)
*[[Battle of Midway]] (1942)
*[[Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands]] (1942)
*[[First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal]] (1942)
*[[Battle of Tassafaronga]] (1942)
*[[Battle of Kula Gulf]] (1943)
|victories=
|awards=
}}
|}

{{nihongo|'''''Suzukaze'''''|涼風|"cool breeze"}}<ref>Nelson. ''Japanese-English Character Dictionary''. page 556</ref> was the tenth and final vessel of ten {{sclass|Shiratsuyu|destroyer}}s, and the fourth to be built for the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] under the [[2nd Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Japan, 1934)|Circle Two Program]] (''Maru Ni Keikaku'').<ref>Lengerer, pp. 92-3</ref>

==History==
The ''Shiratsuyu''-class destroyers were modified versions of the {{sclass|Hatsuharu|destroyer|4}}, and were designed to accompany the Japanese main striking force and to conduct both day and night [[torpedo]] attacks against the [[United States Navy]] as it advanced across the [[Pacific Ocean]], according to Japanese naval strategic projections.<ref>Peattie & Evans, ''Kaigun''.</ref> Despite being one of the most powerful classes of destroyers in the world at the time of their completion, none survived the [[Pacific War]].<ref>Globalsecurity.org, IJN Shiratsuyu class destroyers</ref>
''Suzukaze'', built at the [[Uraga Dock Company]] was [[Keel laying|laid down]] on 9 July 1935, [[Ship launching|launched]] on 11 March 1937 and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 31 August 1937.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0426.htm| title= Shiratsuyu class 1st class destroyers| last= Nishidah| first= Hiroshi| year= 2002| work= Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy| access-date= 2010-02-02| archive-url= https://archive.today/20120722084658/http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0426.htm| archive-date= 2012-07-22| url-status= dead}}</ref>

==Operational history==
At the time of the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]], ''Suzukaze'' was assigned to Destroyer Division 24 of Destroyer Squadron 4 of the [[IJN 2nd Fleet]] together with her [[sister ship]]s {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Umikaze|1936|2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Kawakaze|1936|2}}, and {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Yamakaze|1936|2}}, and had sortied from [[Palau]] as part of the [[Battle of the Philippines (1941-42)|Philippine invasion force]], covering landings at [[Legazpi, Albay|Legaspi]] and [[Lamon Bay]]. From January 1942, ''Suzukaze'' participated in operations in the [[Netherlands East Indies]], including the invasion of [[Tarakan Island]]. She was later assigned to patrols of [[Staring Bay]] in the [[Sulawesi]], where she was torpedoed on 4 February 1942 by the [[submarine]] {{USS|Sculpin|SS-191|6}}. The resultant explosion killed nine crewmen and caused extensive damage, requiring a return to [[Sasebo Naval Arsenal]] at the end of March for repairs.

''Suzukaze'' was reassigned to the [[IJN 1st Fleet]] on 10 April, and back to the IJN 2nd Fleet on 14 June. In mid-August, she returned to active duty, escorting the [[aircraft carrier]] {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Chitose||2}} to [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]] and continuing on to join the rest of the fleet at [[Guadalcanal]]. After the [[Battle of the Eastern Solomons]] on 28 August, she escorted the damaged [[cruiser]] {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Jintsu||2}} back to Truk. In the remainder of August through early November, ''Suzukaze'' participated in twelve "[[Tokyo Express]]" high speed transport runs or surface attack missions to Guadalcanal, as well as participating briefly in the [[Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands]] on 26 October under Admiral [[Nobutake Kondō]]. During the [[Naval Battle of Guadalcanal#First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, November 13|First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal]] on the night of 12–13 November 1942, ''Suzukaze'' rescued 1100 survivors from the torpedoed transport ''Naka Maru''. For the rest of the month, ''Suzukaze'' patrolled between [[Shortland Island]], [[Buna, Papua New Guinea|Buna]] and [[Rabaul]]. During the [[Battle of Tassafaronga]] on 30 November, ''Suzukaze'' barely avoided being struck by a salvo of torpedoes fired from the American destroyer {{USS|Drayton|DD-366|6}}.

In December 1942, ''Suzukaze'' continued in transport operations to Guadalcanal, suffering from minor damage in an air raid on 1 January 1943, necessitating repairs at Truk at the end of the month, and return to Sasebo in February. Repairs completed by mid-June, ''Suzukaze'' escorted the cruisers {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Kumano||2}} and {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Suzuya|1934|2}} to Truk and on to Rabaul by the end of June. During the [[Battle of Kula Gulf]] on 5–6 July, ''Suzukaze'' assisted in sinking the cruiser {{USS|Helena|CL-50|6}}, taking a number of hits in return which disabled her forward guns. After repairs at [[Yokosuka Naval Arsenal|Yokosuka]] in late July, ''Suzukaze'' was assigned to escort missions between the Japanese home islands and Truk until early November. During a refit at Sasebo at the end of November, her “X” turret was removed and replaced by additional [[Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun|Type 96 anti-aircraft guns]]. From the end of December to end of January 1944, ''Suzukaze'' escorted numerous convoys to Truk and [[Pohnpei|Ponape]]. On 25 January 1944, while escorting a [[convoy]] from Truk to [[Eniwetok]], ''Suzukaze'' was torpedoed and sunk by the submarine {{USS|Skipjack|SS-184|6}} {{convert|127|nmi|km}} north-northwest of Pohnpei (formerly Ponape) at position {{coord|08|51|N|157|10|E|display=inline, title}}. She was removed from the [[navy list]] on 10 March 1944.

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book | last = D'Albas | first = Andrieu| year = 1965 | title = Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II | publisher = Devin-Adair Pub| isbn = 0-8159-5302-X}}
*{{cite book | last = Brown | first = David| year = 1990 | title = Warship Losses of World War Two| publisher = Naval Institute Press| isbn = 1-55750-914-X}}
*{{cite book | last = Howarth | first = Stephen | year = 1983| title = The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The Drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895–1945 | publisher = Atheneum  | isbn = 0-689-11402-8}}
*{{cite book | last = Jentsura | first = Hansgeorg | year = 1976 | title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945 | publisher = US Naval Institute Press | isbn = 0-87021-893-X }}
* {{cite book|last=Lengerer|first=Hans|title=The Japanese Destroyers of the Hatsuharu Class|publisher=Conway|location=London|year=2007|series=Warship 2007|pages=91–110|isbn=978-1-84486-041-8}}
*{{cite book | last = Nelson | first = Andrew N. | year = 1967 | title = Japanese–English Character Dictionary | publisher = Tuttle | isbn = 0-8048-0408-7 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/modernreadersjap00nels }}
*{{cite book | last = Watts | first = Anthony J | year = 1967 | title = Japanese Warships of World War II | publisher = Doubleday | isbn =  978-0-3850-9189-3}}
*{{cite book | last = Whitley | first = M J| title = Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia | publisher = Arms and Armour Press | year = 2000| location = London | isbn = 1-85409-521-8 }}

==External links==
*{{cite web | url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/suzuka_t.htm  | title= IJN ''Suzukaze'': Tabular Record of Movement| last= Nevitt | first= Allyn D. | year= 1997 | work= Long Lancers | publisher= Combinedfleet.com}}
*{{cite web | url= http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0426.htm | title= Shiratsuyu class destroyers | last= Nishidah | first= Hiroshi | year= 2002 | work= Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy | access-date= 2010-02-02 | archive-url= https://archive.today/20120722084658/http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0426.htm | archive-date= 2012-07-22 | url-status= dead }}

{{Shiratsuyu class destroyer}}
{{January 1944 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suzukaze}}
[[Category:Shiratsuyu-class destroyers]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of Japan]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Ships built by Uraga Dock Company]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by American submarines]]
[[Category:1937 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in January 1944]]