Japanese destroyer Ayanami (1929)

Coordinates: 9°10′S 159°52′E / 9.167°S 159.867°E / -9.167; 159.867
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other ships with the same name, see Japanese destroyer Ayanami.
Ayanami on 30 April 1930
History
Empire of Japan
NameAyanami
Ordered1923 Fiscal Year
BuilderFujinagata Shipyards
Yard numberDestroyer No. 45
Laid down20 January 1928
Launched5 October 1929
Commissioned30 April 1930
Stricken15 December 1942
Nickname(s)The Demon of Solomon (Islands), Kurohyо̄ (黒豹)[citation needed]
FateSunk by gunfire from USS Washington, 15 November 1942
General characteristics
Class and typeFubuki-class destroyer
Displacement
Length
  • 111.96 m (367.3 ft) pp
  • 115.3 m (378 ft) waterline
  • 118.41 m (388.5 ft) overall
Beam10.4 m (34 ft 1 in)
Draft3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Propulsion
  • 4 × Kampon type boilers
  • 2 × Kampon Type Ro geared turbines
  • 2 × shafts at 50,000 ihp (37,000 kW)
Speed38 knots (44 mph; 70 km/h)
Range5,000 nmi (9,300 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h)
Complement219
Armament
Service record
Operations:

Ayanami (綾波, lit. 'Twilled Waves')[1] was the eleventh of twenty-four Fubuki-class destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. When commissioned, 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.

launched on 5 October 1929 and commissioned on 30 April 1930.[7] Originally assigned hull designation “Destroyer No. 45”, she inherited the name of her predecessor
on 1 August before her launch.

In her original construction, Ayanami was over 200 tons overweight.[8] Following the 4th Fleet Incident, which saw major cracks develop in the hulls of several IJN vessels as a result of severe weather, which occurred only a year after her commissioning, Ayanami and the rest of the ships in her class were quickly taken back to the shipyards to have added top weight reduction and strengthening of the hull.[8]

Operational history

On completion, Ayanami, along with her

IJN 2nd Fleet. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, from 1937, Ayanami covered landing of Japanese forces in Shanghai and Hangzhou
. From 1940, she was assigned to patrol and covered landings of Japanese forces in south China.

At the time of the

Battle of Malaya
.

On 19 December, Ayanami sank the Dutch submarine HNLMS O 20 with assistance from her sister ships Uranami and Yugiri and rescued 32 survivors.[9][page needed]

Ayanami subsequently was part of the escort for the

Saigon
as well.

In March, Ayanami was assigned to

Japanese raids into the Indian Ocean. On 13–22 April she returned via Singapore and Camranh Bay to Kure Naval Arsenal, for maintenance.[10]

On 4–5 June, Ayanami participated in the

Mergui for a projected second Indian Ocean raid. The operation was cancelled due to the Guadalcanal campaign, and Ayanami was ordered to Truk instead, arriving in late August. During the Battle of the Eastern Solomons on 24 August Ayanami escorted the fleet supply group to Guadalcanal. She was assigned to numerous "Tokyo Express" transport missions to various locations in the Solomon Islands in October and November.[12][page needed
]

Ayanami's final mission, on November 14–15, 1942, was that of the

Susumu Kimura in the light cruiser Nagara
).

Ayanami was first sighted by the American destroyer USS Walke, but the light cruiser Nagara was located soon after and the four destroyers' attentions shifted to it. Torpedo and shellfire from Ayanami, Nagara, and Uranami sank two of the four destroyers (USS Preston and USS Walke), mortally wounded USS Benham (which was scuttled after the battle), and severely damaged USS Gwin, causing heavy American losses in the first phase of the battle.

Lee's USS Washington then sighted Ayanami and shelled her. The Japanese destroyer sustained critical damage and 27 of her crew were killed; she fired one shell, which missed Washington. Thirty surviving crew members including Commander Sakuma escaped in a boat to Guadalcanal; the remainder were taken off by Uranami. At the same time Washington crippled and sank the battleshipKirishima. Later in the night Uranami scuttled the abandoned Ayanami with a single torpedo, and she sank soon after 02:00. Her wreck remains at the bottom of Ironbottom Sound.[13][page needed]

On 15 December 1942, Ayanami was removed from the

navy list.[14]

The wreck

In late July 1992

marine archeologist Robert Ballard led an expedition to Ironbottom Sound, finding thirteen newly discovered shipwrecks. Among these new finds were the remains of Ayanami. They were found southeast of Savo Island at 9°10′S 159°52′E / 9.167°S 159.867°E / -9.167; 159.867
at a depth of approximately 700 metres (2,300 ft). The hull and keel of the ship appear to have been broken by a starboard torpedo blast just behind the bridge; the ship came to rest in two pieces, with the stern upright, and the bow twisted and lying on its starboard side.

Notes

  1. ^ Nelson. Japanese-English Character Dictionary. page 708, 540
  2. ^ Stille, Mark (2013). Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers 1919–45: Minekaze to Shiratsuyu Classes. Osprey Publishing. p. 21.
  3. ^ Fitzsimons, Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare p.1040
  4. ^ a b Stille, Mark (2013). Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers 1919–45: Minekaze to Shiratsuyu Classes. Osprey Publishing. p. 22.
  5. ^ Peattie & Evans, Kaigun page 221-222.
  6. ^ F Fitzsimons, Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare (London: Phoebus, 1977), Volume 10, p.1040.
  7. ^ Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Fubuki class 1st class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Archived from the original on 2012-07-11. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  8. ^ a b Stille, Mark (2013). Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers 1919–45: Minekaze to Shiratsuyu Classes. Osprey Publishing. p. 24.
  9. ^ Brown. Warship Losses of World War II
  10. ^ Nevitt, Allyn D. (1997). "IJN Ayanami: Tabular Record of Movement". Long Lancers. Combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 2016-07-24.
  11. ^ a b Stille, Mark (2013). Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers 1919–45: Minekaze to Shiratsuyu Classes. Osprey Publishing. p. 26.
  12. ^ D’Albas. Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II.
  13. ^ Hammel. Guadalcanal: Decision at Sea.
  14. ^ Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Fubuki class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Archived from the original on 2012-07-11. Retrieved 2009-03-05.

References

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Japanese_destroyer_Ayanami_(1929)&oldid=1168348596"