Japanese destroyer Hatsuzuki

Hatsuzuki on trials, December 1942
History
Empire of Japan
Name	Hatsuzuki
Builder	Maizuru Naval Arsenal
Laid down	25 July 1941
Launched	3 April 1942
Completed	29 December 1942
Commissioned	29 December 1942
Stricken	10 December 1944
Fate	Sunk, 25 October 1944
General characteristics
Class and type	Akizuki-class destroyer
Displacement	2,700 long tons (2,743 t) standard 3,700 long tons (3,759 t) full load
Length	134.2 m (440 ft 3 in)
Beam	11.6 m (38 ft 1 in)
Draft	4.15 m (13 ft 7 in)
Propulsion	3 × Kampon type boilers 2 × Kampon geared turbines 2 × shafts, 50,000 shp (37 MW)
Speed	33 knots (38 mph; 61 km/h)
Range	8,300 nmi (15,400 km) at 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h)
Complement	263
Armament	December 1942 : 8 × 100 mm (4 in)/65 cal Type 98 DP guns 4 × Type 96 25 mm (0.98 in) AA guns (2×2) 4 × 610 mm (24 in) torpedo tubes 8 × Type 93 torpedoes 56 × Type 95 depth charges October 1944 : 8 × 100 mm (4 in)/65 cal DP guns 29 × 25 mm AA guns (5×3 + 14×1) 4 × 610 mm (24 in) torpedo tubes 8 × Type 93 torpedoes 56 × Type 95 depth charges

Hatsuzuki (初月) was an

, to cover the escape of allied ships, Hatsuzuki single-handedly faced an overwhelming force of four cruisers and at least 9 destroyers for two hours before she was sunk with only 8 survivors.

Design and description

The Akizuki-class ships were originally designed as

Each ship had two

The main armament of the Akizuki class consisted of eight

Career and fate

In October 1944 Hatsuzuki was part of the Northern Force commanded by Admiral

.

On the 25 October, during the

).

The only survivors of her crew were 8 men in a lifeboat with 17 Zuikaku crewmen who made their way to Luzon by the 14th November, having been providentially cast off when Hatsuzuki got underway to engage the enemy.

Notes

References

• Jentschura, Hansgeorg; Jung, Dieter & Mickel, Peter (1977). Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute.
  ISBN 0-87021-893-X
  .
• ISBN 1-59114-119-2
  .
• Stille, Mark (2013). Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers 1919–45 (2): Asahio to Tachibana Classes. Botley, UK: Osprey Publishing.
  ISBN 978-1-84908-987-6
  .
• Sturton, Ian (1980). "Japan". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press.
  ISBN 0-85177-146-7
  .
• Todaka, Kazushige, ed. (2020). Destroyers: Selected Photos from the Archives of the Kure Maritime Museum; the Best from the Collection of Shizuo Fukui's Photos of Japanese Warships. Japanese Naval Warship Photo Album. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.
  ISBN 978-1-59114-630-8
  .
• ISBN 1-85409-521-8
  .

External links

• CombinedFleet.com: Akizuki-class destroyers
• CombinedFleet.com: Hatsuzuki history