Fubuki-class Destroyer

Country	Japan
Length	388 feet
Beam	34 feet
Draft	11 feet
Machinery	Four Kampon type boilers, two Kampon type Ro geared turbines, two shafts
Power Output	50000 SHP
Speed	38 knots
Range	5,000nm at 14 knots
Armament	6x127mm 50 caliber Type 3 naval guns, up to 22x25mm Type 96 AA guns, up to 10x13mm AA guns, 9x610mm torpedo tubes, 36 depth charges

Contributor: David Stubblebine

This article refers to the entire Fubuki-class; it is not about an individual vessel.

The Fubuki-class of destroyers revolutionized the way navies viewed the destroyer. When Fubuki appeared in 1928, she was the first destroyer in the world to feature power-worked, weatherproof dual 5" mounts, and torpedo reloads. At that time, she was hands-down the most powerful warship of her size anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, the design was also structurally suspect (a common flaw in Japanese warships of this era) as a result of trying to cram too much weaponry into too small a displacement. Subsequent rebuilds remedied this problem, but at the cost of slightly reduced speed and torpedo reload capability. Ayanami is interesting because she carried the modified Model B 5" gun turret, which had superior elevation: 75 degrees, compared to 50 degrees for the Model A turret, allowing the main guns to also be used as anti-aircraft batteries.

Source: CombinedFleet.com

Photographs