Japanese destroyer Yūnagi (1924)
 Yunagi in September 1936
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Yunagi |
| Owner | Empire of Japan |
| Operator | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Builder | Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Japan |
| Yard number | Destroyer No. 17 |
| Laid down | September 17, 1923 |
| Launched | April 23, 1924 |
| Commissioned | May 24, 1925 |
| Renamed | as Yunagi August 1, 1928 |
| Stricken | October 6, 1944 |
| Fate | sunk August 25, 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Kamikaze class destroyer |
| Type | Destroyer |
| Displacement | list error: <br /> list (help) 1,400 long tons (1,400 t) normal, 1,720 long tons (1,750 t) full load |
| Length | list error: <br /> list (help) 97.5 m (320 ft) pp, 102.6 m (337 ft) overall |
| Beam | 9.1 m (30 ft) |
| Draught | 2.9 m (9.5 ft) |
| Propulsion | list error: <br /> list (help) 2 shafts 4 x Ro-Gō Kampon water-tube boilers 2 x Kampon geared turbines 38,500 ihp (28,700 kW) 2 shafts |
| Speed | 36.88 knots (68.30 km/h) |
| Range | list error: <br /> list (help) 3600 nm @ 14 knots (6,700 km at 26 km/h)} |
| Complement | 168 |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) 3 ×Type 3 120 mm 45 caliber naval gun 10 × Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Guns 4 × 21 inch torpedo tubes 16 × naval mines |
| Service record | |
| Operations: |
list error: <br /> list (help) Battle of Wake Island New Guinea Campaign Solomon Islands Campaign Battle of Savo Island Battle of the Philippine Sea |
Yūnagi (夕凪, ”Evening Calm”)[1] was the ninth and final vessel of the Kamikaze-class destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.
History
Construction of the large-sized Kamikaze-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's 8-4 Fleet Program from fiscal 1921–1923, as a follow on to the Minekaze class, with which they shared many common design characteristics.[2]Yūnagi, built at the Sasebo Naval Arsenal, was laid down on September 17, 1923, launched on April 23, 1924 and commissioned on May 24, 1925.[3] Originally commissioned simply as “Destroyer No. 17”, it was assigned the name Yūnagi on August 1, 1928.
World War II history
At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Yūnagi was assigned to Destroyer Division 29 of Desron 6 in the IJN 4th Fleet, based at Truk. It provided cover for the Gilbert Islands invasion force from December 8-10, 1941, and subsequently was assigned to the second Wake Island invasion force from December 23.
From January through March 1942, Yūnagi provided cover for the Japanese invasion forces for Rabaul, New Britain and Lae. While patrolling out of Lae on March 10, it suffered medium damage from strafing attacks, forcing a return to Sasebo for repairs by April. Once repairs were completed in June, Yunagi escorted convoys from Moji in Kyūshū back to Rabaul, via the Philippines and Palau.
Yūnagi participated in the Battle of Savo Island from August 8-9, 1942, engaging USS Jarvis in combat, but withdrawing without taking any damage.[4] It spent the remainder of August through March 1943 on patrols in the Solomon Islands and central Pacific.[5]
After refit at Sasebo in March 1943, Yūnagi was reassigned to the IJN 8th Fleet, returning to Rabaul in June. During June and July, it made several "Tokyo Express" troop transport runs to Kolombangara [6], assisting in the sinking of USS Strong on July 4[7] and in the Battle of Kolombangara on July 12. On July, while at Shortland, Yūnagi was hit by an Allied air raid, which caused medium damage to its hull.
On October 2, Yūnagi helped provide cover for the evacuation of Japanese troops from Kolombangara and made numerous “Tokyo Express” runs throughout the Solomon Islands through the end of the year.
In January 1944, Yūnagi returned to Sasebo for repairs, after which it escorted troop convoys to Saipan in March and April. In May, it was reassigned to Destroyer Division 22, Desron 3, Central Pacific Area Fleet, performing Philippines-area convoy escort duties through June.
On June 19-20, Yūnagi escorted Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa’s 1st Supply Force at the Battle of the Philippine Sea.[8] Afterwards, it was assigned to escort tanker convoys via Manila to Kure.
On July 18, 1944 Yūnagi was reassigned directly to the Combined Fleet. From August 10-18, 1944, it escorted a convoy from Moji via Mako towards Manila, but detached to Takao to assist the damaged Eiyō Maru. On its return from Takao to Manila, it was torpedoed and sunk 20 miles north-northeast of Cape Bojeador, Luzon 18°46′N 120°46′E / 18.767°N 120.767°E by the United States Navy submarine USS Picuda on August 25, 1944, with 32 crewmen killed and 19 wounded.[9]
Yūnagi was struck from the navy list on October 6, 1944. [10]
References
- Brown, David (1990). Warship Losses of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-914-X.
- D'Albas, Andrieu (1965). Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II. Devin-Adair Pub. ISBN 0-8159-5302-X.
- Dull, Paul S. (1978). A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941-1945. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-097-1.
- Howarth, Stephen (1983). The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The Drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895–1945. Atheneum. ISBN 0689114028.
- Jentsura, Hansgeorg (1976). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. US Naval Institute Press. ISBN 087021893X.
- Kilpatrick, C. W. (1987). Naval Night Battles of the Solomons. Exposition Press. ISBN 0-682-40333-4.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Morison, Samuel Eliot (1958). The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943, vol. 5 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-58305-7.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Nelson, Andrew N. (1967). Japanese–English Character Dictionary. Tuttle. isbn 0804804087.
- Watts, Anthony J (1967). Japanese Warships of World War II. Doubleday. ASIN B000KEV3J8.
- Whitley, M J (2000). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1854095218.
External links
- Nevitt, Allyn D. (1997). "IJN Yunagi: Tabular Record of Movement". Long Lancers. Combinedfleet.com.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help) - Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Kamikaze class 1st class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help) - Jones, Daniel H. (2003). "IJN Minekaze, Kamikaze and Mutsuki class Destroyers". Ship Modeler's Mailing List (SMML).
Notes
- ^ Nelson. Japanese-English Character Dictionary. Page 270, 193
- ^ Howarth, The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun.
- ^ Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Kamikaze class 1st class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
- ^ Dull. A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy
- ^ Morison. The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943
- ^ Kilpatrick. Naval Night Battles of the Solomons
- ^ Brown. Warship Losses of World War Two
- ^ D'Albas. Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II
- ^ Nevitt, Allyn D. (1997). "IJN Yunagi: Tabular Record of Movement". Long Lancers. Combinedfleet.com.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help) - ^ Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Kamikaze class 1st class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy.