Destroyer-class destroyers of the Hatsuharu type ( Hatsuharugat cutican jap 初春 型 駆 逐 艦 ) are the type of destroyers of the Japanese Imperial fleet of the 1930s.
Hatsuharu type destroyers | |
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型 駆 逐 艦 | |
"Nanohi" and "Hatsuharu" in 1933 | |
Project | |
A country |
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Operators |
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Previous type | " Fubuki " |
Subsequent type | " Siratsuyu " |
Years built | 1931 - 1935 |
Years in the ranks | 1933 - 1945 |
Scheduled | 12 |
Built by | 6 |
Losses | 6 |
Main characteristics | |
Displacement | normal / full Initially: 1802.4 / 1981 t After upgrading: 2099/2299 t [1] |
Length | 107.2 m (at the waterline) [1] |
Width | 10.0 m [1] |
Draft | 3.43 m (normal initially) 3.96 m (highest after modernization) [2] |
Engines | 2 MAL “Kampon”, 3 Kampon Ro Go Go Boilers |
Power | 42,000 hp (30.98 MW) |
Mover | 2 propellers |
Travel speed | 33.0 knots (after upgrading) |
Navigation range | 4,150 nautical miles with 14 knots [3] |
Crew | 212 people |
Armament | |
Artillery | 2 × 2, 1 × 1 - 127 mm / 50 Type 3 |
Flak | 2 × 1 40 mm / 39 type " B " |
Anti-submarine weapons | Type 94 bomb, up to 36 depth charges |
Mine-torpedo armament | 9 (3 × 3), later 6 (2 × 3) - 610 mm TA type 90 (18 torpedoes type 90 ) |
They were designed under the guidance of Kikuo Fujimoto as counterparts of “ standard ” destroyers that fit into the limitations of the 1930 Treaty of London. According to the shipbuilding program of 1931, 12 units were ordered, six of which, allocated to the Hatsuharu type, were built by two state and two private shipyards. The ships were considered largely unsuccessful, and immediately after the entry into service (the last two - even during construction) were upgraded, aimed at improving the hull strength and stability. All six destroyers took an active part in the Pacific War and died in full force during the fighting.
Project Development
Shortly after the failure of the Geneva Maritime Conference On October 15, 1927, the Japanese Maritime General Headquarters organized a separate committee to study arms limitations. On August 6, the following year, after 52 meetings and seven plenary sessions, this structure prepared a report submitted on September 24–25 to Minister of State Keisuke Okade . In addition to an extensive range of issues on military construction of the NEF, until 1936, this document also considered the requirements for prospective destroyers of the destroyers:
- Strengthening strike weapons, not only due to the increase in the number of guns and torpedo tubes, but also improving their ammunition, rate of fire and fire control system;
- Superiority in speed over foreign ships not only on smooth water, but also in a stormy sea with a real combat load, and not at the expense of hull strength;
- Improved habitability and full protection against the use of chemical weapons ;
- Improve survivability due to better division of the case into watertight compartments, of greater strength, measures for extinguishing fires and preventing ammunition explosions [4] .
The report proposed to build 96 destroyers (64 large and 32 medium), with the following characteristics:
- First class (large), with a standard displacement of 1,400 tons, a speed of 36 knots and a cruising range of 4,000 nautical miles with a 14-knot course. Their armament was to include at least four universal 127-mm guns and six 610-mm torpedo tubes;
- The second class (medium), with a standard displacement of about 1000 tons, a speed of 34 knots and a cruising range of 3500 nautical miles with a 14-knot course. Their armament was to include at least three universal 127-mm guns and four 610-mm torpedo tubes [5] .
Following this, MGSH, in preparation for the new shipbuilding program, requested funds for the construction of 48 new destroyers (16 first and 32 second classes) to replace 50 old ones planned to be written off before 1936. The struggle for these finances went on for about two years, and the First London Treaty had a significant impact on it, making it impossible to continue the construction of a series of 1,700-ton Fubuki type ships. Approved by the results of the 59th session of the Japanese parliament on March 28, 1931, the First Fleet Replenishment Program included 12 1,400-ton destroyers of the F-45 project, designed under the leadership of Kikuo Fujimoto [6] .
Construction
Body and layout
The design of ship hulls was similar to that used on earlier destroyers of the Fubuki type . They had the same long forecastle, similar forms of the bow and the contours needed for high speed and seaworthiness. At the same time, in order to save weight, Fujimoto decided to increase the number of strength elements of the structure while simultaneously weakening them, reducing the proportion of rivets in favor of welding, reducing the number of double-thickness cladding sheets, flanges and corners. As a result, the hutsuharu hull weighed 518.52 tons, 66.5 tons less than its predecessor [7] .
On the forecastle of the ships were placed two 127-mm installations (twin and single) in a linear-elevated pattern, first used on Japanese destroyers. Behind them was a massive superstructure, three tiers of which were married with a foremast . They housed navigation equipment and four fire control posts, with anti-shatter protection of 10 mm steel sheets of type D [approx. 1] [8] .
In the central part of the building there were two inclined chimneys , on the rear platform - anti-aircraft guns. Between the pipes on the elevated platform was placed the first torpedo tube, between the second pipe and the aft superstructure with a main mast - two more, all with fast reloading systems. At the stern were installed the second paired 127-mm installation and anti-submarine armament [8] .
The actual standard displacement on the first two ships had already reached 1,530 tons, compared with 1,400 under the project. The meta-centric height with a normal displacement of 1802 tons was only 0.588 m. On tests, both destroyers demonstrated a small period and a large swing, especially during turns. On August 9, 1933, during torpedo firing, the Hatsuharu at full speed received a heel of 38 °, as a result of which a panic arose among the crew. This led to a temporary installation of a 30 cm wide boule and subsequent upgrades. On the most recently built Ariake and Yugure, the metacentric height increased to 0.912 m with a normal displacement of 1832 tons [9] .
On the "Ariake" and "Yugure" also, on an experimental basis, installed two rudders instead of one. However, after unsuccessful sea trials, they returned to the previous scheme, as allowing one to accelerate 1 knot more [10] .
Armament
The artillery armament of the Hatsuhara-type destroyers was represented by two paired and one single 127-mm units. The 127 mm / 50 Type 3 was developed in the early 20s, it had a barrel length of 50 calibres and separate loading. Single-barrel installation of type A was placed on the forecastle. The paired type B in the extremities were similar to those on the second and third series of the Fubuki type, also having a maximum elevation angle of 75 ° and lightweight plating. Nominally, being universal, they were not very suitable for anti-aircraft fire due to low rate of fire and aiming speed. In the latter, Ariake and Yugure, two type C installations were installed with the elevation angle reduced to 55 °, and the single type A was initially located in the stern [11] . The fire control system on all destroyers included the center-sight sighting device and a 3-meter range finder on the nose superstructure [8] .
Small-caliber anti-aircraft armament was represented by two single 40-mm machine guns of the “Bi” type ( “Vikkers” Mk VIII ) at the sites between chimneys [12] . These installations were imported from Great Britain from 1926/1927, later produced in Japan under a license [11] .
Torpedo armament consisted of three built-in rotary 610-mm torpedo tubes type 90 model 2. With a mass of 14.14 tons, a length of 8.87 m and a width of 4.465 m, they had hydraulic guidance, a full turn took 25 seconds [3] . To protect the calculations, there were shields made originally from duralumin , and later from chromium-nickel steel 3 mm thick [13] . Torpedo tubes were located on the upper deck, the first - between the chimneys, the other two - in front of the aft superstructure [8] . The system of their fast reloading was a reduced and lightweight analogue used on Takao- type cruisers: it included a winch, steel cables (instead of a toothed chain), and electrohydraulic loading mechanisms [11] .
Used combined-cycle torpedo type 90 (ammunition - 18 units) was adopted by the NEF in 1932. With a starting mass of 2.540 tons, it was equipped with a two-cylinder piston engine and could travel 15,000 meters at 35 knots, 10,000 at 42 and 7,000 at 46. The warhead was 400 kg of trinitroanisole . For their guidance on destroyers, a Type 90 sight, a Type 92 torpedo shooting control device and a 2-meter range finder were used [14] .
Powerplant
The destroyers installed 2 turbo gear units with a capacity of 21,000 liters each . with. (15.45 MW ), which set in motion 2 three -blade propellers . The total capacity of 42 thousand horsepower (against 50 700 on the "Fubuki") according to the project was to provide the maximum speed of 35 knots. Both turbo-gear units (106 tons versus 144) and the powerplant as a whole (564.2 versus 791.4) on the Hatsuharu were much smaller than the units and the Fubuki unit and exceeded them in energy efficiency [2] .
Each unit included one low and high pressure turbine. With the help of two gears of the gearbox, they rotated the shaft of the 3.05-m propeller with a maximum speed of 400 rpm. For an economical course, there was a separate cruising turbine connected to the theater. Both MALs were placed next to each other and, in contrast to the Fubuki type, were not separated by a longitudinal bulkhead — they were abandoned because it contributed to tipping over underwater holes from the same side [2] . According to the project, the cruising range with 460 tons of fuel oil was supposed to reach 4000 nautical miles with an 18-node course; in fact, during tests, it was (with 454 tons of fuel) 4150 at a speed of 14 knots [3] .
A pair of turbo-gear units fed three (against four on “Fubuki”) water-tube boilers of the type “Kampon Ro Go” with oil heating, located in three boiler rooms. They produced superheated steam ( 300 ° C ) with a pressure of 20.4 kgf / cm² , and later, in parallel with the increase in the diameter of the steam lines, it was brought to 22.45 kgf / cm² [3] . Two flue pipes were used to remove combustion products: the front from the first and second boiler sections and the rear from the third [8] .
One petrol generator per 100 kW and two diesel engines per 40 kW, with a total power of 180 kW (versus 106 kW on Fubuki), located behind the engine room, were used to power the ship's power grid [3] .
In running tests in 1933, the Nenohi reached a speed of 37.64 knots with a power of 47,500 l. with. and a displacement of 1677 tons. After the reconstruction, only 33.27 knots were achieved, with the displacement and power increasing to 2,070 tons, dropping to 42,163 liters. with. for unclear reasons [3] .
Crew and habitability conditions
According to the project, the crew of the destroyers consisted of 212 people: 12 officers and 200 non-commissioned officers and sailors. The living quarters were located on the middle deck in the extremities and in the forecastle. In the officer cabins per person there were 10,019 m² of area and 17,327 m³ of volume, in the cabin crews — 1,889 m² and 3.049 m³, respectively. In both cases, the rooms were more spacious than on the earlier type of Fubuki [15] .
Construction
Orders for the first three destroyers of the F-45 project (Hatsuharu, Nanohi, Wakaba) were issued in the fall of 1930 (the 1931st fiscal year ). Two of them were built by the fleet arsenal in Sasebo, one by a private shipyard in Urag. Three more ships ("Hatsusimo", "Ariake", "Yugure") were ordered in December 1931 (1932th fiscal year). Orders for them were carried out by the fleet arsenal in Maizuru and private shipyards in Kobe and Urag. After the decision on December 15, 1933 to install the bulls, two types emerged from the ships already launched (the first four) and those on the stocks (the next two, Ariake and Yugure). Finally, on November 19, 1934, following modifications of the hulls after the incident with “Tomodzuru”, six subsequent destroyers were identified in the new type “Sirazuyu”, “Ariake” and “Yugure” became a subtype of the “Hatsuharu” type [10] .
Title | Place of construction | Pledged | Launched | Commissioned | Fate | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Subtype "Hatsuharu" | ||||||
Hatsuharu ( Jap. 初春 "Beginning of Spring" ) | Arsenal fleet, Sasebo | May 14, 1931 | February 27, 1932 | September 30, 1933 | American aircraft sunk in the Bay of Manila on November 13, 1944. | |
Nenokhi ( Jap. 子 日 “First Day of the Year” ) | Uraga Dokku Kabusiki Repent, Uraga | December 15, 1931 | December 22, 1932 | September 30, 1933 | American submarine "Triton" sunk on July 5, 1942 near the island of Agattu | |
Wakaba ( Jap. 若 葉 "Young Foliage" ) | Arsenal fleet, Sasebo | December 12, 1931 | March 18, 1934 | October 31, 1934 | American aircraft sunk during a battle in Leyte Gulf on October 24, 1944. | |
Hatsusimo ( jap. 初 霜 "First frost" ) | Uraga Dokku Kabusiki Repent, Uraga | January 31, 1933 | November 4, 1933 | September 27, 1934 | Sank after a blast on a mine at Maizuru on July 30, 1945, after the war it was raised and demolished. | |
Subtype "Ariake" | ||||||
Ariake ( Jap. 有 明 "Breaking Dawn" [Note 2] ) | Kawasaki Shipyard , Kobe | January 14, 1933 | September 23, 1934 | March 25, 1935 | On July 27, 1943, he jumped out onto a reef off the coast of New Britain, the next day he finished off with American bombers. | |
Yugure ( Jap. 夕 暮 "Evening Twilight" ) | Arsenal fleet, Maizuru | April 9, 1933 | May 6, 1934 | March 30, 1935 | American aircraft sunk July 20, 1943 at Colombangara. |
Service history
By the time Japan entered World War II, ships of this type were part of the 21st (“Wakaba”, “Hatsuharu”, “Nenokhi”, “Hatsusimo”) and the 27th (“Ariake”, “Yugure”) divisions 1- th squadron destroyers led by Rear Admiral Sentaro Omari [16] .
At the beginning of 1942, the 21st Division took part in the capture of the Philippines . In May, the compound was sent to the Aleutian Islands , where in July the American submarine Triton sank in Nenohe in July [17] .
The 27th Division in February-March 1942 participated in the invasion of Java . In May, they were part of an escort of the 5th aircraft carrier division under the command of Admiral Tyuiti Hara , in July they were transferred to Midway [18] .
After the defeat at Midway and the reorganization of the fleet in July 1942, Ariake and Wakaba were transferred to the 2nd fleet led by Admiral Kondo , while three other units remained on the Aleutian Islands. The 27th Division spent the second half of 1942, participating in operations to support the Guadalcanal garrison as part of the 2nd destroyer squadron [18] .
In July 1943, the Ariake and Yugure of the Solomon Islands were killed with a difference of a week — the first flew to a reef off the coast of New Britain and was later sunk by American aircraft, like the second before [18] .
In March 1943, Wakaba and Hatsusimo participated in the Battle of the Commander Islands , during which they fired 12 torpedoes at the damaged heavy cruiser Salt Lake City , but could not destroy it. After the evacuation of the Japanese troops from the Aleutian Islands in July, all the surviving ships of this type were transferred to the Philippines. They took part in the defense of the Mariana Islands and the Philippines [18] .
Wakaba was killed during a battle in Leyte Bay on October 24, 1944, under attacks by American carrier-based aircraft [17] .
The Hatsuharu was also sunk by aviation on November 13, 1944, during the breakthrough of the Japanese fleet from Manila Bay [17] .
“Hatsusimo” participated in Operation Ten-Guo on April 6–7, 1945;
Upgrades
After the incident with "Tomodzuru" [app. 3] on all destroyers, measures were taken to improve their stability. “Hatsuharu” and “Nenokhi” were modernized by the fleet arsenal in Kure by the beginning of July 1934, “Hatsusimo” and “Wakaba” - during completion afloat by September and October of the same year, respectively. These works included:
- Dismantling torpedo unit number 3 (and associated canisters for spare torpedoes), aft superstructure, rangefinder platform;
- Transfer of a single 127-mm gun from the forecastle to the place of the former superstructure, between the main-mast and aft twin installation;
- Moving the compass bridge to the tier below (from the third to the second), maximum relief of the nasal superstructure by removing the protective sheets and replacing the VTsN cap with a lightweight alloy;
- The shortening of the first chimney by 1 m, the second by 1.5 m, both masts by 1.5 m, fan air intakes - by 0.3 m;
- Lowering the torpedo tube number 1 by 0.3 m, the platform of anti-aircraft guns by 1.5 m, the platform of searchlights - by 2.0 m;
- Moving the anchor compartment to the deck below;
- Removal of water tanks along the sides and previously installed on the Hatsuharu and Nenokhi 30 cm bullet;
- Laying 70 tons of ballast, reinforcement of the bottom plating sheets;
- Installation of an automatic counter-flood system that used former fuel tanks capable of holding up to 130 tons of seawater [9] .
The Ariake and Yugure being built, in addition to the above, received other contours due to the replacement of one of the hull sections, which later had a negative effect on their speed [9] .
After the incident with the Fourth Fleet in the fall of 1935, by 1937, all destroyers carried out work to further improve their stability and increase the strength of their hulls. In the course of them, the deformed parts of the gunwale , the flap and upper deck were replaced, the welded joints were duplicated by the rivet , moreover, the sheets that made up the outer skin were removed and fastened anew with rivets overlap. In total, this led to an increase in hull weight by 56 tons. The weight of the ballast on the bottom also increased to 84 tons. The normal displacement of destroyers after these two upgrades reached 2099 tons (full - 2299 tons), with an increase in precipitation to 3.52 m (3.71 m) and a significant decrease in travel speed due to the increased resistance [2] .
At the beginning of 1942, one twin 25-mm anti-aircraft machine gun type 96 was placed on the destroyer bridge, and two twin-winged - in place of the 40-mm “Bi” type [16] .
In 1943, instead of a single 127-mm ship, a 25-mm machine gun was placed on the surviving ships, and the rear torpedo tube's quick reloading system was dismantled [16] .
In 1944, Hatsuharu, Wakaba and Hatsusimo received radar detection of surface targets No. 22 (on the foremast) and radar detection of aerial targets No. 13 (on the mainmast). Ammunition depth charges increased to 36 units. Four single 13.2-mm type 93 machine guns were installed in the central part of the hull, a large number of single 25-mm machine guns on the upper deck [16] .
Project Evaluation
Notes
- Comments
- ↑ Structural steel of high strength, containing 0.25 - 0.30% carbon and 1.2 - 1.6% manganese. Developed by the British company David Colville and Sones (hence the designation Dücol or simply D) in 1925, it was somewhat stronger than the earlier type HT.
- ↑ Literally: "The time when the month is still visible in the sky."
- ↑ On March 12, 1934, the destroyer Tomodzuru , which had just been commissioned, rolled over in a storm, killing 97 crew members. This incident led to the removal of the main designer Fujimoto and the introduction of stringent requirements for stability.
- Footnotes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Lengerer, 2007 , p. 98
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Lengerer, 2007 , p. 101.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lengerer, 2007 , p. 102
- ↑ Lengerer, 2007 , p. 91.
- ↑ Lengerer, 2007 , p. 92
- ↑ Lengerer, 2007 , p. 92-93.
- ↑ Lengerer, 2007 , p. 94-95.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Lengerer, 2007 , p. 95
- ↑ 1 2 3 Lengerer, 2007 , p. 97.
- ↑ 1 2 Lengerer, 2007 , p. 99
- ↑ 1 2 3 Lengerer, 2007 , p. 104
- ↑ Lengerer, 2007 , p. 96
- ↑ Lengerer, 2007 , p. 103
- ↑ Lengerer, 2007 , p. 103-104.
- ↑ Lengerer, 2007 , p. 107.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Still, 2013 , p. 38
- ↑ 1 2 3 Still, 2013 , p. 39
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Still, 2013 , p. 38-39.
Literature
- in English
- Hans Lengerer. The Japanese Destroyers of the Hatsuharu Class // Warship. - 2007. - p . 91-110 . - ISSN 1-84486-041-8 .
- Mark Stille. Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers 1919-1945 (1). - Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2013. - 50 p. - ISBN 978-1-84908-984-5 .