akizuki

The Akizuki: A Journey from the IJN to Heroic End

The Akizuki , the lead ship of her class, was an Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) destroyer that participated in the Pacific War. Laid down in 1940 and launched in 1941, Akizuki was designed in response to the Japanese navy’s growing need for anti-aircraft (AA) escorts as carrier operations became more prevalent in the Pacific. By June 1942, the IJN saw carrier fleets being sunk at an alarming rate by the United States Navy (USN) and Royal Navy (RN) and needed to improve protection for her fleet carriers. Akizuki was one of the first class of destroyers to reflect this change in emphasis; no longer was the primary mission to provide anti-ship torpedo strikes like previous classes such as Kagerō , but now Akizuki was equipped with enhanced anti-aircraft capabilities and armor. This article will focus on the design and specifications of Akizuki and what made her unique as a destroyer during World War II, along with her key roles in major battles.

Akizuki saw service in a wide range of naval battles from the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and the Guadalcanal Campaign to the Battle of Cape Esperance and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. She was a victim of the country’s dwindling resources and, by the time of her final battle at Leyte Gulf, the destroyer had been reduced to a transport supply ship and ultimately a decoy during the great battle. The article will discuss Akizuki’s construction and commissioning, highlighting important milestones leading up to her final deployment in the Pacific. It will also provide an overview of key battles where Akizuki played significant roles, such as Midway, Eastern Solomons, Cape Esperance, and Leyte Gulf.

Her fate as an IJN destroyer is also covered, describing how she was sunk on October 25, 1944, in the Battle off Cape Engaño during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The destroyer’s impressive legacy will be discussed, which has influenced modern naval destroyer designs. As an author and expert historian of major battles of World War II, I will provide detailed accounts of the ship’s battles, design features, and her ultimate sacrifice during one of the largest naval battles in history at Leyte Gulf. I will also compare Akizuki’s capabilities and limitations with those of other contemporary destroyers and highlight what made her unique in the context of the IJN’s war efforts. Ultimately, this article aims to give readers a comprehensive understanding of Akizuki’s history, from her innovative design to her heroic end in the Pacific War.

Design and Specifications

The Akizuki-class destroyers were one of the three groups of destroyers that were laid down in 1939-1940 as part of the IJN’s Circle Four building program. This class of destroyer was designed in response to the increasing Allied threats of American and British carrier groups. Thus, they were formally classified as Type-B or specialized anti-aircraft destroyers for fleet air defense screening.

Akizuki was laid down on June 30, 1940, at the Maizuru Naval Arsenal and launched on July 2, 1941. The destroyer was completed and commissioned on June 11, 1942. With only a 20-month period between laying down and commissioning, it can be argued that the IJN was rushing construction before the start of the Pacific War.

Akizuki displaced 2,700 long tons (2,700 t) standard and had an overall length of 134.2 meters (440 ft 3 in), a beam of 11.6 meters (38 ft 1 in), and a draught of 4.15 meters (13 ft 7 in). The Akizuki-class was significantly longer than and had a larger displacement than her immediate predecessors, the Kagerō class, by about 50 feet (15 m) and 700 long tons (710 t), respectively. A larger size offered more stability, a higher freeboard, and thus better seaworthiness and survivability.

Power was generated by two Kampon geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft. They were powered by steam from three Kampon water-tube boilers. This combination produced 52,000 shaft horsepower (39,000 kW), which was used to propel the destroyer at a maximum speed of 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph). The built-in fuel storage offered a range of 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at a cruising speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph).

Akizuki was equipped with a crew of 263 officers and enlisted personnel, which would increase to 315 by October 1944, a modification made necessary by the additional weaponry added during her career. However, despite the increase in manpower, additional space for the crew was not an issue for the Akizuki-class. The living conditions for the crew were considered quite decent, with enough space for them to carry out their duties comfortably.

Akizuki was also armed with four twin-mount Type 98 100mm/65 caliber dual-purpose guns. These guns were modern at the time and offered a muzzle velocity of 1,000 meters per second and were capable of engaging targets up to 19,500 meters away at an elevation of 45 degrees, and up to 14,000 meters at an elevation of 90 degrees (AA fire). The most notable feature of the Type 98 guns was that it could be reloaded at any angle without the need to reset it to 0° as was necessary with other destroyers guns of that era. This feature greatly improved the effective rate of fire to up to 21 rounds per minute per gun. Secondary AA armament was also included in the form of two twin 25mm Type 96 mounts, one on either side of the bridge. The total numbers of AA guns on Akizuki-class destroyers would increase over the course of the war to a total of 25-41 single or triple 25mm guns on each destroyer as they became increasingly incorporated into the class’ armament schemes.

Akizuki was not just an AA destroyer, and retained the ability to deliver a serious torpedo punch with a single quadruple Type 92 launcher, mounting four Type 93 “Long Lance” torpedoes and four reloads, carried amidships. Her anti-submarine warfare (ASW) armament was also updated to two Type 94 depth charge projectors with an initial allowance of up to 54 depth charges. This amount would be increased to 72 depth charges for many ships of this class in a retrofit at a later date.

Sensor-wise, Akizuki was fitted with a Type 21 air-search radar when it was commissioned. This would be later updated to a Type 13 air-search and Type 22 surface-search radar in later retrofit. She was also one of the first destroyers in the IJN to have a divided machinery configuration with two separate engine rooms and boiler rooms instead of the combined single compartment used for the Kagerō-class. In that aspect, her survivability and seaworthiness would be significantly higher than the previous generation.

Overall, the Akizuki-class destroyers could be described as a balanced design in almost all areas, and this would make the class a very useful asset, for both offense and defense, as well as make it a versatile ship during her service in the Pacific War.

What Made Akizuki Special

Akizuki-class destroyer ships, the lead ship among them being Akizuki , were special for many reasons in the World War II era. The most prominent feature was the fact that Japan was years behind other major naval powers when it came to AA firepower. Unlike the 127mm guns mounted on United States Navy destroyers, Japanese destroyers were equipped with 100mm Type 98 dual-purpose (DP) guns. The Type 98 was far superior to those mounted on most other destroyers, even among her contemporaries, since it had the ability to engage targets up to 14,000 meters away at a high elevation of 90°, while also maintaining a relatively high rate of fire. This is in addition to the fast elevation speed of up to 16 degrees per second, as well as the fact that it could be reloaded at any elevation and not have to be lowered to 0°, unlike most other destroyers’ guns of that time.

The Type 98 DPs were equipped with 0.40 kg HE AA rounds with time fuzes and would also have the added benefit of semi-active radar homing once they were integrated into a ships radar system. The fact that these were capable of defeating the kamikaze threat with ease made the Akizuki-class special compared to her sister classes such as the Kagerō-class, Minekaze-class, and the Asakaze-class.

The other reason Akizuki and her class were so special was because she could be seen as the direct precursor to the postwar ASW escort destroyers. As the name might suggest, these types of destroyers were designed with the primary role of escorting capital ships such as aircraft carriers and battleships against submarine and air attacks, a function that the Akizuki-class performed quite effectively in that time and age. The fact that Akizuki-class destroyers, with their Type 98 DPs, were capable of delivering a fair amount of AA fire along with a healthy punch from their torpedo armaments made them an important tool that the IJN used in their Pacific battles.

In terms of size, the Akizuki-class was a medium-sized destroyer that was fairly comparable to the Japanese Fubuki or Kagerō class in size and, in certain aspects, speed, and weaponry. For her size, she was fairly quick in comparison to other ships of the same generation, with a speed of up to 33 knots. The armament array that was present on her was also comparable to the previous classes in terms of both AA and torpedo capabilities.

Construction and Commissioning

Akizuki was laid down at the Maizuru Naval Arsenal, which was one of the three major IJN shipyards in Japan, along with Kure and Sasebo. Completed on June 30, 1940, the construction process went smoothly and, on July 2, 1941, the ship was launched and named Akizuki . However, it was only on June 11, 1942, that Akizuki was officially completed and commissioned with Captain Yasuji Koga in command. A shakedown cruise in the local area was carried out before being assigned her first duties, which was to escort the carrier Zuikaku to the Aleutian Islands in mid-June of 1942. This was in preparation for a possible American retaliation for the loss of four fleet carriers at the Battle of Midway.

On June 29, 1942, Akizuki was involved in transporting troops to Makassar. This would be the first in many such missions where the destroyer would engage in such activity, which was characterized by the transport of troops at night in what the IJN referred to as the “Tokyo Express”. It was in August 1942 that Akizuki, at sea with the fleet, was first transferred to the South Pacific and took part in the Battle of Truk in late August, which was part of the overall Battle of the Eastern Solomons, with Admiral Chuichi Nagumo’s carrier force that also consisted of the other fleet carriers Shokaku , Zuikaku , and Ryujo.

Key Roles in Major Battles

Akizuki saw action in numerous naval battles throughout her service history. Her most notable roles were in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and the Guadalcanal Campaign, Battle of Cape Esperance, Battle of the Eastern Solomons, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. During the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, Akizuki was part of Admiral Nagumo’s carrier force, which was assigned the task of intercepting Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher’s TF 61, which was making its way toward the Marquesas Islands with the fleet carriers USS Enterprise and Saratoga.

The battle was essentially a repeat of the previous battle at Midway, which was also an attempt by the Japanese to reinforce Guadalcanal but lost out as the USN had the jump on her. Akizuki, at sea and part of the overall battle, was assigned the task of screening the fleet carriers from air attacks and came to the aid of the damaged Ryujo when it came under attack from USN aircraft.

Akizuki opened up with her Type 98 DPs and scored many hits, including several dive bombers as well as torpedo planes that came in close to press their attacks against the Japanese fleet. The battle saw the Japanese inflicting serious damage on the American fleet carriers but lost Ryujo in the process.

Following this battle, Akizuki became part of the brutal Guadalcanal Campaign, which saw a series of naval battles being fought over the small island. On September 27-29, 1942, Akizuki was at sea while transporting troops to Shortlands where she witnessed an attack by a flight of B-17s and scored hits on at least one. She was further engaged by B-17s on the morning of October 4, 1942, while supporting a troop transport mission to Guadalcanal. Akizuki and her consorts were able to repel the attacks by B-17s, which was made up of 14 planes at the time.

The destroyer also took part in the Battle of Cape Esperance on October 11-12, 1942, where she was part of a high-speed troop transport mission while taking the cover of a naval bombardment led by Vice Admiral Aritomo Goto. As part of a troop convoy that was being escorted by the seaplane carrier Nisshin and the flagship of Admiral Shunji Isaki, Akizuki successfully completed her mission without being discovered.

On the 12th, while at sea in the convoy with the cruiser Tone and the destroyers Hatsuzuki , Natsugumo , Murakumo , and Oyashio , they came under attack from USN PT boats and destroyers in a night surface action that involved the use of radar-guided torpedoes by the Americans. It was during this battle that the three destroyers of the convoy were lost while the cruiser Tone was also damaged. Akizuki, on the other hand, managed to make her escape from the overall battle without being detected by American forces, and this would go on to become a turning point in night battles as the Americans used their latest radar-guided torpedoes to great effect.

In July 1943, Akizuki and her sisters took part in the Battle of Kolombangara, where they were engaged in a close-range night battle in the Solomons as they were on a transport escort mission. The Imperial Japanese Navy, under Admiral Shunji Isaki, engaged the United States Navy under the command of Admiral Norman Scott in this battle, with both sides claiming the destruction of enemy cruisers.

Akizuki was able to fire off some torpedoes during the fight as well as her Type 98 DPs, even though her radar was used to help spot the enemy earlier on. During the action, the Japanese lost the heavy cruiser Jintsu , while the USN also lost the destroyer USS Gwin in the action.

In August 1943, Akizuki took part in the Battle of Vella Gulf, which was another sea engagement as part of a Tokyo Express run. It was in this battle that Akizuki was part of an engagement between four destroyers and a group of PT boats and two American destroyers, USS Reid and USS Selfridge. During this battle, the three Japanese destroyers of the convoy, Hagikaze, Arashi, and Kawakaze, were lost as a result of the action and Akizuki managed to escape, thanks to her speed and maneuverability, unscathed. It was during this engagement that the IJN would learn about the devastating nature of the new radar-guided torpedoes used by the Americans in the attack.

Akizuki was also involved in many troop transport missions in the Pacific and took part in many of the so-called “rat transportation” runs, which would become a target for the Japanese fleet as the IJN would later learn. During one of these missions to Wewak in March 1944, Akizuki was able to score a torpedo hit on a Japanese submarine before it was able to escape and continued to support the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) in various operations in the region.

Akizuki’s fate came on October 25, 1944, when she took part in what would turn out to be her final battle, which was the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Akizuki was part of Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa’s “northern force” at sea, a force that was to serve as a decoy to lure the Third Fleet away from the Leyte landing area. It was at sea that she would take part in the battle, which was called the Battle off Cape Engaño and was the largest naval battle in history.

Akizuki and the rest of Admiral Ozawa’s Northern Force at sea were tasked with acting as a decoy and thus they made their way to the area where the overall Battle of Leyte Gulf was to be fought and which would also turn out to be her final battle in the Pacific. On October 25, 1944, a large group of American carrier aircraft from Task Force 38 came in close to finish off the entire force with Akizuki receiving multiple torpedo hits, which caused large explosions that affected some of her nearby ships.

Akizuki had been caught in the crossfire of these explosions, which had a powerful blast as they passed close to her starboard side and that later caught some nearby ships on fire. It was at this moment that she had taken on a 30° list to port and went down with a large part of her crew in the process, including her captain, Captain Yasuji Koga. A total of 183 of her crew would be able to survive the sinking, thanks to other nearby Japanese warships that rescued the survivors, while over 100 of her crew perished as a result of the engagement. Akizuki would be removed from the navy list on December 10, 1944, but she, alongside the rest of Admiral Ozawa’s force, had done a good enough job at their mission that it could be said that they were able to buy enough time for Kurita’s Center Force to get close to the landings, making it the ultimate decoy.

Fate and Legacy

Akizuki met her fate in the Pacific Ocean when she was sunk during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. On October 25, 1944, Akizuki was involved in the battle along with the rest of Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa’s Northern Force, and the resulting battle would come to be known as the Battle off Cape Engaño. The IJN, by then at its wits end with resources fast running out, had hoped to lure the US Third Fleet’s carrier force to the area away from the main assault on Leyte.

A large group of American carrier aircraft from Task Force 38 had been assigned the task of making this possible by finishing off the entire Japanese force. As soon as they got into range, Akizuki’s Type 98 DPs opened up, downing several planes in the process, but she, alongside the rest of the fleet, was unable to fight off the enemy air strikes, and thus the entire force came under attack. The battle was all-out and several large torpedo hits were scored against the destroyer as well as bomb hits that resulted in a large explosion when her torpedoes were hit.

Akizuki was damaged by the nearby explosions from the battleship Yamato and thus, which had caused her torpedoes to explode and thus the ship went down quickly, her exact resting place remaining unknown to this day. She was taken off the navy list on December 10, 1944, and her loss along with the rest of the Japanese force allowed for some time for Kurita’s Center Force to get into position. This would prove to be effective as the Japanese fleet came close to finishing off the American landings before being chased off.

In terms of her legacy, Akizuki’s name was used in the postwar Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) for a class of destroyers that inherited the Type 98 DPs but with additional Aegis-like systems that made these ships some of the most powerful in that era. To historians, Akizuki and her class are known to have been ahead of her time and they would go on to influence modern escort destroyers in many navies across the world.

Final Thoughts

Akizuki was an Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer that played an important role during the Pacific War. She was a part of several naval battles and was involved in a variety of combat operations. These battles included the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the Guadalcanal Campaign, Battle of Cape Esperance, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf, to name but a few. Akizuki was ultimately sunk in October 1944 during the battle at Leyte Gulf. In this sense, she has a special place in the history of World War II and in naval history in general.