Japanese destroyer Mikazuki (1926)

For the Japanese destroyer Mikazuki (1906), see Kamikaze-class destroyer (1905).

Japanese destroyer Mikazuki (1926)
Mikazuki on March 8, 1933.
Career
Name:	Mikazuki
Namesake:	Japanese destroyer Mikazuki (1906)
Owner:	Empire of Japan
Operator:	Imperial Japanese Navy
Builder:	Sasebo Naval Arsenal, Japan
Yard number:	Destroyer No. 32
Laid down:	August 21, 1925
Launched:	July 12, 1926
Commissioned:	May 5, 1927
Renamed:	as Mikazuki August 1, 1928
Struck:	October 15, 1943
Fate:	sunk in air attack July 28, 1943
General characteristics
Type:	Destroyer
Displacement:	1,315 long tons (1,336 t) normal, 1,445 long tons (1,468 t) full load
Length:	97.54 m (320.0 ft) pp, 102.72 m (337.0 ft) overall
Beam:	9.16 m (30.1 ft)
Draught:	2.96 m (9.7 ft)
Propulsion:	4 x Ro-Gō Kampon water-tube boilers 2 x Kampon geared turbines 38,500 ihp (28,700 kW); 2 shafts
Speed:	37.25 knots (68.99 km/h)
Range:	3600 nm @ 14 knots (6,700 km at 26 km/h)
Complement:	154
Armament:	4 ×Type 3 120 mm 45 caliber naval gun, 2 x Type 92 7.7 mm machine gun, 2 x triple Type 12 torpedo tubes (12 × 610 mm Type 8 torpedoes), 18 x depth charges 16 x Ichi-Gō naval mines

Service record
Part of:	Destroyer Division 30
Operations:	Battle of Midway Solomon Islands campaign

Mikazuki (三日月, ”Crescent Moon”) was one of twelve Mutsuki-class destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.

History

Construction of the Mutsuki-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's build up following the abandonment of the Washington Naval Treaty from fiscal 1923. The class was a follow-on to the earlier Minekaze-class and Kamikaze class destroyers, with which they shared many common design characteristics. Mikazuki, built at the Sasebo Naval Arsenal was laid down on August 21, 1925, launched on July 12, 1926 and commissioned on May 5, 1927. Originally commissioned simply as “Destroyer No. 32”, it was assigned the name Mikazuki on August 1, 1928.

In the late 1930s, Mikazuki participated in combat actions in the Second Sino-Japanese War, covering the landings of Japanese troops in central and southern China.

World War II history

At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mikazuki was part of Carrier Division 3 under the IJN 1st Fleet, and based in Japanese home waters as escort to the aircraft carriers Hōshō and Zuihō.

During the Battle of Midway on June 4–5, 1942, Mikazuki sortied as part of the escort for Zuihō with Admiral Nobutake Kondō's occupation force, and was thus not involved in combat during that battle. Afterwards, Mikazuki was reassigned to the Southwest Area Fleet.

From July 1942 to March 1943, Mikazuki escorted convoys between Moji, Kyūshū and Taiwan. From the end of March to June 10, 1943, Mikazuki underwent refit at the Sasebo Naval Arsenal, after which she was reassigned to Destroyer Division 30 of Desron 3, in the IJN 8th Fleet based out of Rabaul.

From the end of June 1943 to July 1943, Mikazuki was used primarily as a “Tokyo Express” high speed transport to convey troops and supplies to Kolombangara. She participated in the Battle of Kula Gulf on July 5–6, during which she landed Special Naval Landing Forces under fire. Mikazuki also provided cover during the Battle of Kolombangara on July 12.

On July 27, 1943, Mikazuki grounded on a reef while on a troop transport mission to Tuluvu, New Britain 5°27′S 148°25′E. The following morning, she was attacked and destroyed by USAAF B-25 Mitchell bombers, with loss of eight crewmen.

Mikazuki was struck from the navy list on October 15, 1943.

References

• 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. 
• Morison, Samuel Eliot (1958). The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943, vol. 5 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-58305-7. 
• Nelson, Andrew N. (1967). Japanese–English Character Dictionary. Tuttle. ISBN 0-8048-0408-7. 
• Watts, Anthony J (1967). Japanese Warships of World War II. Doubleday. ASIN B000KEV3J8. 
• 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 Mikazuki: Tabular Record of Movement". Long Lancers. Combinedfleet.com. http://www.combinedfleet.com/mikazu_t.htm. 
• Nishidah, Hiroshi (2002). "Mutsuki class destroyers". Materials of the Imperial Japanese Navy. http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/stc0422.htm. 
• Jones, Daniel H. (2003). "IJN Minekaze, Kamikaze and Mutsuki class Destroyers". Ship Modeler's Mailing List (SMML). http://smmlonline.com/articles/minekaze/minekaze.html.