Japanese destroyer Akebono (1930)
 Akebono underway on 29 July 1936.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Akebono |
| Namesake | Japanese destroyer Akebono (1899) |
| Ordered | 1923 Fiscal Year |
| Builder | Fujinagata Shipyards |
| Yard number | Destroyer No. 52 |
| Laid down | 25 November 1929 |
| Launched | 7 November 1930 |
| Commissioned | 31 July 1931 |
| Stricken | 10 January 1945 |
| Fate | Sunk in air raid near Manila, the Philippines, 14 November 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Fubuki-class destroyer |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 10.4 m (34 ft 1 in) |
| Draft | 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in) |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 38 knots (44 mph; 70 km/h) |
| Range | 5,000 nmi (9,300 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h) |
| Complement | 219 |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Operations: |
|
Akebono (曙, "Daybreak")[1] was the eighteenth of twenty-four Fubuki-class destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. When introduced into service, these ships were the most powerful destroyers in the world.[2] They served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, and remained formidable weapons systems well into the Pacific War.
History
Construction of the advanced Fubuki-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's expansion program from fiscal 1923, intended to give Japan a qualitative edge with the world's most modern ships.
Operational history
On completion, Akebono was assigned to Destroyer Division 7 under the
World War II history
At the time of the
At the end of April, Akebono escorted Myōkō and Haguro to Truk, and subsequently joined Admiral Takeo Takagi's force at the Battle of the Coral Sea.[8] At the end of May, she escorted Zuikaku from Truk back to Kure Naval Arsenal.
During the
On 14 July, Akebono was reassigned to the Combined Fleet, and escorted the battleship Yamato and aircraft carrier Taiyō at the Battle of the Eastern Solomons on 24 August. Akebono remained assigned to Taiyō through September, and to the aircraft carrier Unyō from October to February 1943. Through the rest of 1943, Akebono continued to serve as an escort for Unyō, Taiyō, Ryūhō, Zuihō or Jun'yō in various missions throughout the Pacific, except for a period in December when she was assigned to "Tokyo Express" transport missions in the Solomon Islands.[9]
On 1 January 1944, Akebono was reassigned to the
On 13 November 1944, Akebono, while alongside destroyer Akishimo at Cavite pier near Manila, was attacked in a USAAF air raid. A direct bomb hit set both ships ablaze, and the following day a large explosion on Akishimo blew a hole in Akebono, which sank upright in shallow water at position 14°35′N 120°55′E / 14.583°N 120.917°E, with 48 crewmen killed and 43 wounded.[11]
On 10 January 1945, Akebono was removed from the
See also
- Akebono-class destroyer escort
Notes
- ^ Nelson. Japanese-English Character Dictionary. Page 488
- ^ Globalsecurity.org. "IJN Fubuki class destroyers".
- ^ Fitzsimons, Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare p.1040
- ^ Peattie & Evans, Kaigun page 221-222.
- ^ F Fitzsimons, Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare (London: Phoebus, 1977), Volume 10, p.1040.
- ^ Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Fubuki class 1st class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ^ Brown. Warship Losses of World War II
- ^ Morison. Coral Sea, Midway and Submarine Actions, May 1942 – August 1942.
- ^ Nevitt, Allyn D. (1997). "IJN Akebono: Tabular Record of Movement". Long Lancers. Combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- ^ Morison. Leyte, June 1944 – January 1945,
- ^ D'Albas. Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II.
- ^ Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Fubuki class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
References
- D'Albas, Andrieu (1965). Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II. Devin-Adair Pub. ISBN 0-8159-5302-X.
- Brown, David (1990). Warship Losses of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-914-X.
- Howarth, Stephen (1983). The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The Drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895–1945. Atheneum. ISBN 0-689-11402-8.
- Jentsura, Hansgeorg (1976). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. US Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-893-X.
- ISBN 0-252-06995-1.
- ISBN 0-252-07063-1.
- Nelson, Andrew N. (1967). Japanese–English Character Dictionary. Tuttle. ISBN 0-8048-0408-7.
- Watts, Anthony J (1967). Japanese Warships of World War II. Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-3850-9189-3.
- Whitley, M J (2000). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-521-8.
External links
- Nevitt, Allyn D. (1997). "IJN Akebono: Tabular Record of Movement". Long Lancers. Combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Fubuki class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- Globalsecurity.org. "IJN Fubuki class destroyers".
