Japanese destroyer Yūnagi (1924)
Yūnagi, 5 September 1936
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History | |
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Empire of Japan | |
Name | Yūnagi |
Builder | Sasebo Naval Arsenal |
Laid down | 17 September 1923 as Destroyer No. 17 |
Launched | 23 April 1924 |
Completed | 24 May 1925 |
Renamed | Yūnagi, 1 August 1928 |
Stricken | 6 October 1944 |
Fate | Sunk by USS Picuda, 25 August 1944 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Kamikaze-class destroyer |
Displacement |
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Length |
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Beam | 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in) |
Draft | 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion | 2 shafts; 2 × Kampon geared steam turbines |
Speed | 37.3 knots (69.1 km/h; 42.9 mph) |
Range | 3,600 nmi (6,700 km; 4,100 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
Complement | 148 |
Armament |
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Service record | |
Operations: |
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The Japanese destroyer Yūnagi (夕凪, "Evening Calm") was one of nine Kamikaze-class destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the 1920s. During the Pacific War, she participated in the occupation of the Gilbert Islands and the Battle of Wake Island in December 1941 and then the occupations of New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in early 1942.
Design and description
The Kamikaze class was an improved version of the
The main armament of the Kamikaze-class ships consisted of four
Early in the war, the No. 4 gun and the aft torpedo tubes were removed in exchange for four
Construction and career
Yūnagi, built at the
Pacific War
At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Yūnagi and Asanagi were assigned to Destroyer Division 29 of Destroyer Squadron 6 of the 4th Fleet, based at Truk. The destroyer provided cover for the Gilbert Islands invasion force from 8–10 December 1941, and subsequently was assigned to the second Wake Island invasion force on December 23.[7]
From January through March 1942, Yūnagi provided cover for the landings of Japanese forces during
Yūnagi participated in the Battle of Savo Island from 8–9 August 1942, engaging the destroyer USS Jarvis in combat, but withdrawing without taking any damage.[8] She spent the remainder of August through March 1943 on patrols in the Solomon Islands and central Pacific.[9]
After a refit at Sasebo in March 1943, Yūnagi was reassigned to the
On 2 October, Yūnagi helped provide cover for the evacuation of Japanese troops from Kolombangara and made numerous "Tokyo Express" runs throughout the Solomon Islands through the end of the year. In January 1944, she returned to Sasebo for repairs, after which she escorted troop convoys to Saipan in March and April. In May, the ship was reassigned to Destroyer Division 22, Destroyer Squadron 3, Central Pacific Area Fleet, performing convoy escort duties in the Philippines and environs through June.
On 19–20 June, Yūnagi escorted Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa’s 1st Supply Force at the Battle of the Philippine Sea.[12] Afterwards, she was assigned to escort tanker convoys via Manila to Kure.
On 18 July 1944 Yūnagi was reassigned directly to the
Notes
- ^ Watts & Gordon, pp. 263–64
- ^ Whitley, p. 189
- ^ Gardiner & Gray, p. 245
- ^ a b c Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 142
- ^ Whitley, pp. 189–90
- ^ Watts & Gordon, p. 264
- ^ a b Nevitt
- ^ Dull. A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy
- ^ Morison. The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943
- ^ Kilpatrick. Naval Night Battles of the Solomons
- ^ Brown. Warship Losses of World War Two
- ^ D'Albas. Death of a Navy: Japanese Naval Action in World War II
References
- Ahlberg, Lars & Nevitt, Allyn D. (1986). "Question 10/84". Warship International. XXIII (3): 317–318. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- 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.
- Nevitt, Allyn D. (1998). "IJN Yunagi: Tabular Record of Movement". Long Lancers. Combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
- Watts, Anthony J. & Gordon, Brian G. (1971). The Imperial Japanese Navy. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0385012683.
- Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-326-1.