Japanese destroyer Wakaba (1934)
Wakaba on 21 October 1937.
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History | |
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Empire of Japan | |
Name | Wakaba |
Ordered | 1931 Fiscal Year |
Builder | Sasebo Naval Arsenal |
Laid down | 12 December 1931 |
Launched | 18 March 1934 |
Commissioned | 31 October 1934 |
Stricken | 10 December 1944 |
Fate | Sunk in action, 24 October 1944 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Hatsuharu-class destroyer |
Displacement | 1,802 long tons (1,831 t) |
Length |
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Beam | 10 m (32 ft 10 in) |
Draught | 3 m (9 ft 10 in) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 36 knots (41 mph; 67 km/h) |
Range | 4,000 nmi (7,400 km) at 14 kn (26 km/h) |
Complement | 200 |
Armament |
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Service record | |
Operations: |
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Wakaba (若葉, ”Young Leaves”)
History
Construction of the advanced Hatsuharu-class destroyers was intended to give the Imperial Japanese Navy smaller and more economical destroyers than the previous Fubuki and Akatsuki-class destroyers, but with essentially the same weaponry.[3] These conflicting goals proved beyond contemporary destroyer design, and the resulting ships were top-heavy design, with severe stability problems and with inherent structural weaknesses. After the "Tomozuru Incident" of 1934 and "IJN 4th Fleet Incident" in 1935, Wakaba underwent extensive modifications on completion to remedy these issues.
The Hatsuharu-class destroyers used the same 50
The 61 cm Type 90 torpedo was mounted in triple tube Type 90 Model 2 launchers It was traversed by an electro-hydraulic system and could traverse 360° in twenty-five seconds. If the backup manual system was used the time required increased to two minutes. Each tube could be reloaded in twenty-three seconds using the endless wire and winch provided.[5] Wakaba was laid down on December 12, 1931, launched on March 18, 1934 and commissioned on October 31, 1934.[6]
Operational history
On completion, Wakaba was assigned to the
World War II history
At the time of the
From May 1942, Wakaba was reassigned to northern operations, and deployed from
Wakaba returned to Sasebo at the end of 1942, and during a refit, her aft
Wakaba returned to northern waters from January 1943, continuing patrols and resupply transport missions to the Aleutians. On 26 March, she participated in the
Wakaba rejoined the IJN 5th Fleet in northern waters at the end of April, escorting convoys between Paramushiro and Ōminato to early July. In July, she participated in the evacuation of the Aleutians as part of a screening force consisting of the destroyers Hatsushimo, Naganami, Shimakaze and Samidare. On 26 July, she was rammed by Hatsushimo in the stern, suffering heavy damage, which necessitated a return to Sasebo for two months of repairs. While at Sasebo, a Type 22 radar was installed, the "X"-turret was removed, and additional 25 mm anti-aircraft guns were added. She was able to return to active duty with the northern fleet in mid-October.
From 24 November, Wakaba escorted
to Yokosuka at the end of the year.At the start of 1944, Wakaba was reassigned directly to Combined Fleet headquarters, and continued in escort missions between Yokosuka and Truk. She returned to northern waters from the end of February to the end of June, with additional 25 mm anti-aircraft guns added during maintenance refits at Ōminato at the end of May and Yokosuka at the end of June. In July, she made two troop transport runs to Iwo Jima as part of the Japanese preparations against the American landings. A Type 13 Radar was added at the end of July. In August through October, she escorted troop convoys from Kure to Taiwan and Luzon.[9]
On 24 October 1944, in the
On 10 December 1944, Wakaba was removed from the
Notes
- ^ Nelson. Japanese-English Character Dictionary. page 773
- ^ Lengerer, pp. 92-3
- ^ GlobalSecurity.org: IJN Hatsuharu class
- ^ "Japan 25 mm/60 (1") Type 96 Model 1". 4 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
- ^ Lengerer, pp. 102-3
- ^ Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Wakaba class 1st class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Archived from the original on 2012-07-08. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ^ Nevitt, Allyn D. (1997). "IJN Wakaba: Tabular Record of Movement". Long Lancers. Combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 2016-07-24.
- ^ Morison. Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls, June 1942-April 1944.
- ^ D’Albas. Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II.
- ^ Brown. Warship Losses of World War II
- ^ Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Wakaba class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Archived from the original on 2012-07-08. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
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.
- Lengerer, Hans (2007). The Japanese Destroyers of the Hatsuharu Class. Warship 2007. London: Conway. pp. 91–110.
- Nelson, Andrew N. (1967). Japanese–English Character Dictionary. Tuttle. ISBN 0-8048-0408-7.
- Morison, Samuel Eliot (1961). Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls, June 1942-April 1944, vol. 7 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. ASIN B0007FBB8I.
- 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 Wakaba: Tabular Record of Movement". Long Lancers. Combinedfleet.com.
- Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Hatsuharu class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Archived from the original on 2012-07-08. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- Globalsecurity.org. "IJN Hatsuharu class destroyers".