Mutsuki-class destroyer

Mutsuki 1930
Class overview
Name	Mutsuki
Operators	Imperial Japanese Navy
Preceded by	Kamikaze
Succeeded by	Fubuki
Built	1924-1927
Planned	12
Completed	12
Lost	12

Displacement:	1,315 tons standard
Length:	102.72 m (337 ft)
Beam:	9.16 m (30 ft 1 in)
Draft:	2.96 m (9 ft 9 in)
Propulsion:	4 x Ro-Gō Kampon water-tube boilers 2 x Kampon geared turbines 38,500 shp 2 shafts
Speed:	37.25 knots (69 km/h)
Complement:	154 (Dai-19-Gō Kuchikukan, 1926)
Armament:	(Dai-19-Gō Kuchikukan, 1926) 4 × 3rd Year Type 120 mm (4.7 in) L45 guns, 2 x Type 92 7.7 mm machine gun, 2 x (III) 12th Year Type torpedo tubes (12 × 610 mm 8th Year Type torpedoes), 18 x depth charges 16 x Ichi-Gō naval mines (Mutsuki, December 1941) 4 × 3rd Year Type 120 mm (4.7 in) L45 guns, 2 x Type 93 13 mm AA guns, 2 x Type 92 7.7 mm machine gun, 2 x (III) 12th Year Type torpedo tubes (12 × 610 mm 8th Year Type torpedoes), 18 x depth charges (Uzuki, December 1942) 4 × 3rd Year Type 120 mm (4.7 in) L45 guns, 2 x Type 93 13 mm AA guns, 2 x Type 92 7.7 mm machine gun, 2 x (III) 12th Year Type torpedo tubes (12 × 610 mm 8th Year Type torpedoes), 18 x depth charges 1 x landing craft (Uzuki, September 1944) 2 × 3rd Year Type 120 mm (4.7 in) L45 guns, 16 x Type 96 25 mm AA guns, 1 x (III) 12th Year Type torpedo tubes (6 × 610 mm 8th Year Type torpedoes), 36 x depth charges

US Navy recognition diagram for Mutsuki class destroyers.

The Mutsuki class destroyers (睦月型駆逐艦, Mutsuki-gata kuchikukan) was a class of destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. They were all completed from 1924 to 1927. They were planned as Kamikaze class destroyers at Eight-eight fleet project, however, they were planned after the Washington Naval Treaty to boost destructive power of torpedo, because construction of a battleship became impossible. In 1941, they already grew old, but became war potential to be next to Fubuki class destroyers because they were equipped with 610 mm torpedoes. And none of them was able to survive in Pacific War.

Ships in class

Ship	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Fate
Mutsuki	21 May 1924	23 July 1925	25 March 1926	Sunk 25 August 1942
Kisaragi (II)	3 June 1924	5 June 1925	21 December 1925	Sunk 11 December 1941
Yayoi (II)	11 January 1924	11 July 1925	28 August 1926	Sunk 11 September 1942
Uzuki (II)	11 January 1924	15 October 1925	14 September 1926	Sunk 12 December 1944
Satsuki (II)	1 December 1924	25 March 1925	15 November 1925	Sunk 21 September 1944
Minazuki (II)	24 March 1924	25 March 1926	22 March 1927	Sunk 6 June 1944
Fumizuki (II)	20 October 1924	16 February 1926	3 July 1926	Sunk 18 February 1944
Nagatsuki (II)	16 April 1925	6 October 1926	30 April 1927	Sunk 7 July 1943
Kikuzuki (II)	15 June 1925	15 May 1926	20 November 1926	Sunk 5 May 1942
Mikazuki (II)	21 August 1925	12 July 1926	5 May 1927	Sunk 29 July 1943
Mochizuki	23 March 1926	28 April 1927	31 October 1927	Sunk 24 October 1943
Yūzuki	27 November 1926	4 March 1927	25 July 1927	Sunk 23 December 1944

Naming History

Original name and means	Renamed on 1 August 1928 and means
Dai-19-Gō Kuchikukan (第十九号駆逐艦), No.19 Destroyer	Mutsuki (睦月), January by the Lunisolar calendar
Dai-21-Gō Kuchikukan (第二十一号駆逐艦), No.21 Destroyer	Kisaragi (如月), February by the Lunisolar calendar
Dai-23-Gō Kuchikukan (第二十三号駆逐艦), No.23 Destroyer	Yayoi (彌生), March by the Lunisolar calendar
Dai-25-Gō Kuchikukan (第二十五号駆逐艦), No.25 Destroyer	Uzuki (卯月), April by the Lunisolar calendar
Dai-27-Gō Kuchikukan (第二十七号駆逐艦), No.27 Destroyer	Satsuki (皐月), May by the Lunisolar calendar
Dai-28-Gō Kuchikukan (第二十八号駆逐艦), No.28 Destroyer	Minazuki (水無月), June by the Lunisolar calendar
Dai-29-Gō Kuchikukan (第二十九号駆逐艦), No.29 Destroyer	Fumizuki (文月), July by the Lunisolar calendar
Dai-30-Gō Kuchikukan (第三十号駆逐艦), No.30 Destroyer	Nagatsuki (長月), September by the Lunisolar calendar
Dai-31-Gō Kuchikukan (第三十一号駆逐艦), No.31 Destroyer	Kikuzuki (菊月), September by the Lunisolar calendar
Dai-32-Gō Kuchikukan (第三十二号駆逐艦), No.32 Destroyer	Mikazuki (三日月), Crescent
Dai-33-Gō Kuchikukan (第三十三号駆逐艦), No.33 Destroyer	Mochizuki (望月), Full moon
Dai-34-Gō Kuchikukan (第三十四号駆逐艦), No.34 Destroyer	Yūzuki (夕月), Evening moon

Books

• Rekishi Gunzō, History of Pacific War Vol.64 Mutsuki class destroyer, Gakken (Japan), May 2008, ISBN 4-05-605091-2
• Collection of writings by Sizuo Fukui Vol.5, Stories of Japanese Destroyers, Kōjinsha (Japan) 1993, ISBN 4-7698-0611-6
• The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.51 Japanese Destroyers II, Ushio Shobō (Japan), May 1981, Book code 88343-53
• Model Art Extra No.340, Drawings of Imperial Japanese Naval Vessels Part-1, Model Art Co. Ltd. (Japan), October 1989, Book code 08734-10