Japanese destroyer Uzuki (1925)

Coordinates: 11°03′N 124°23′E / 11.050°N 124.383°E / 11.050; 124.383
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other ships with the same name, see Japanese destroyer Uzuki.

Uzuki in August 1926
History
Empire of Japan
NameUzuki
NamesakeApril
BuilderIshikawajima Shipyards
Laid down11 January 1924 as Destroyer No. 25
Launched15 October 1925
Completed14 September 1926
RenamedAs Uzuki, 1 August 1928
Stricken10 January 1945
FateSunk by
PT boats
on 12 December 1944
General characteristics
Class and typeMutsuki-class destroyer
Displacement
  • 1,336 t (1,315 long tons) (normal)
  • 1,800 t (1,772 long tons) (
    deep load
    )
Length
  • 97.54 m (320 ft 0 in) (pp)
  • 102.4 m (335 ft 11 in) (
    o/a
    )
Beam9.16 m (30 ft 1 in)
Draft2.96 m (9 ft 9 in)
Installed power
Propulsion2 shafts; 2 × Kampon geared steam turbines
Speed37.25 knots (68.99 km/h; 42.87 mph)
Range4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement150
Armament
Service record
Part of: Destroyer Division 23
Operations:

Uzuki (卯月, "April") was one of twelve Mutsuki-class destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the 1920s. During the Pacific War, she participated in the Battle of Wake Island in December 1941 and the occupations of New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in early 1942.

History

Launching of Uzuki (then known as Destroyer No. 25) on 15 October 1925 at Ishikawajima Shipyard, Tokyo, Japan.

Construction of the Mutsuki-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's build up from fiscal 1923 of ships not covered by the

launched on 15 October 1925 and commissioned on 14 September 1926.[2]
Originally commissioned simply as Destroyer No. 25, the ship was assigned the name Uzuki on 1 August 1928.

In the late 1930s, Uzuki participated in combat actions in the

Invasion of French Indochina
.

World War II history

At the time of the

B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, and returned via Rabaul, Truk and Saipan
back to Sasebo for repairs on 14 September.

Uzuki was assigned to the

IJN 8th Fleet on 1 December 1942, and escorted the aircraft carrier Chūyō from Yokosuka to Truk, and a troop convoy from Truk to Rabaul at the end of the year. However, at Rabaul on 25 December 1942, Uzuki suffered heavy damage in a collision with the torpedoed transport Nankai Maru and was taken in tow by the destroyers Ariake and Urakaze back to Rabaul for emergency repairs. While at Rabaul, the ship was further damaged in an air raid on 5 January 1943. The destroyer Suzukaze towed Uzuki to Truk for further repairs, and then Uzuki returned to Sasebo under her own power by 3 July. Once repairs were completed in mid-October, Uzuki returned to Truk and escorted the cruisers Kiso and Tama, both loaded with troops, back to Rabaul. On 23–24 October, Uzuki sortied to Jacquinot Bay on New Britain to rescue the survivors of her sister ship Mochizuki. Uzuki continued to make "Tokyo Express" transport runs throughout the Solomon Islands to the end of November. On 24–25 November, Uzuki engaged United States Navy destroyers at the Battle of Cape St. George
, during the Japanese evacuation of Buka, but without damage. In December, Uzuki was assigned to escort tankers from Rabaul to Truk and Palau and back.

In January 1944, Uzuki escorted the cruiser

IJN 5th Fleet
.

On 12 December, while escorting a troop convoy from Manila to Ormoc, Uzuki was torpedoed by the PT boats PT-490 and PT-492, 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Cebu at 11°03′N 124°23′E / 11.050°N 124.383°E / 11.050; 124.383,[5] exploding and sinking with the loss of 170 crew including Lieutenant Commander Watanabe, 59 survivors.

Uzuki was struck from the

navy list on 10 January 1945.[6]

Notes

  1. ^ Howarth, The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun.
  2. ^ Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Mutsuki class 1st class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
  3. ^ Morison. The Rising Sun in the Pacific 1931 – April 1942.
  4. ^ Dull. A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy
  5. ^ Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Mutsuki class 1st class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
  6. ^ *Nevitt, Allyn D. (1997). "IJN Uzuki: Tabular Record of Movement". Long Lancers. combinedfleet.com.

References

External links
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