The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia: Hatsuharu Class, Japanese
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The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia | |
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U.S. Navy. Via Wikimedia Commons
| Tonnage | 2099 tons standard displacement |
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| Dimensions | 359'3" by 32'9" by 9'11"109.50m by 9.98m by 3.02m |
| Maximum speed | 30.5 knots |
| Complement | 200 |
| Armament | 2x2 5"/50 dual-purpose guns2x2 25mm/50 AA guns2x3 Long Lance torpedo tubes (12 torpedoes)2 depth charge throwers (14 depth charges) |
| Machinery | 2-shaft geared turbine (42,000 shp)3 Kampon boilers |
| Bunkerage | 500 tons fuel oil |
| Range | 6000 nautical miles (11,000km) at 15 knots |
| Modifications | 1942: Replaced one dual 5" turret with a single 5" turret. Removed torpedo reloads. Added 2x3 25mm guns, 4x1 13mm/76 guns, and two more depth charge throwers (total 36 depth charges).1944: Remove 1x2 25mm guns. Add 1x3, 2x1 25mm guns. Late 1944: Add 8x1 25mm guns. Type 13 radar added to some units. |
The _Hatsuharus_were completed in 1933-35, primarily in naval yards. They had the distinction of being the first Japanese destroyers to enter service armed with the Long Lance torpedo.
The London Naval Treatyof 1930 allowed each navy to build a maximum of 16% of its destroyers with a displacement of up to 1850 tons. The remainder could not exceed 1500 tons. By the time the Hatsuharuswere under design, Japan had reached its quota for the heavier destroyers, and the new class attempted to fit as much of the capability of the 1850 ton destroyers as possible onto a 1500 ton displacement. Considerable ingenuity went into weight savings, but the design attempted too much, and the final weight was greater than hoped for. The ships were also quite top heavy.
After the _Tomozuru_capsized in a typhoon, the Hatsuharus were thoroughly redesigned to reduce top weight. The superstructure was cut down, a single 5" gun and one bank of torpedoes was removed, and displacement increased to 2099 tons. (Japan had by this point renounced the naval treaty system.) Thus stabilized, the ships became capable units. However, six additional units planned were redesigned as the Shiratsuyu class to incorporate the lessons learned from the first six units.
Units in the Pacific:
| Hatsuharu | Patrolling the Sea of Japan(DesDiv 21) | Sunk by aircraft1944-11-13 off Manila |
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| Hatsushimo | Patrolling the Sea of Japan(DesDiv 21) | Mined1945-7-30 while maneuvering to avoid air attack, off Maizuru |
| Nenohi | Patrolling the Sea of Japan(DesDiv 21) | Torpedoed1942-7-4 near Attuby Triton |
| Wakaba | Patrolling the Sea of Japan(DesDiv 21) | Sunk by aircraft1944-10-24 near Panay |
| Ariake | Patrolling the Sea of Japan(DesDiv 27) | Sunk by aircraft1943-7-27 off New Britain |
| Yugure | Patrolling the Sea of Japan(DesDiv 27) | Sunk by aircraft1943-7-19 near Kolombangara |
References
CombinedFleet.com (accessed 2007-11-28)
Gogin (2010; accessed 2013-3-5)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2009, 2012 by Kent G. Budge. Index
