Kamikaze
Country | Japan |
Ship Class | Kamikaze-class Destroyer |
Builder | Mitsubishi Nagasaki Shipyard |
Laid Down | 15 Dec 1921 |
Launched | 25 Sep 1922 |
Commissioned | 19 Dec 1922 |
Sunk | 7 Jun 1946 |
Displacement | 1,422 tons standard; 1,747 tons full |
Length | 336 feet |
Beam | 30 feet |
Draft | 10 feet |
Machinery | Four Kampon water-tube boilers, 2 Kampon geared steam turbines, 2 shafts |
Bunkerage | 420t fuel oil |
Power Output | 38,500 shaft horsepower |
Speed | 35 knots |
Range | 3,600nm at 14 knots |
Crew | 148 |
Armament | 3x12cm Type 3 guns, 2x2x53.3cm torpedo tubes, 20x25mm Type 6 AA guns, 4x13.2mm Type 93 machine guns, 4x depth charge throwers, 18 depth charges |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseDestroyer No. 1 was commissioned into service in 1922, and she was assigned to Destroyer Division 1 with home port of Ominato Guard District at Mutsu Bay in northern Japan. In 1928, she was renamed Kamikaze. She spent the early months of the Pacific War guarding waters of northern Japan. Around this time, she had her No. 4 gun and aft torpedo tubes removed, replaced by anti-aircraft weaponry and depth charge throwers. In Jun 1942, she escorted the task force sailing for the Aleutian Islands. Between 1943 and 1944, she routinely patrolled the Kurile Islands and the Aleutian Islands areas. In Jan 1945, she was assigned to the Combined Fleet, and her home port was shifted to Moji on the island of Kyushu in southwestern Japan; during this time, she supported operations between Japan and Singapore. In May 1945, she participated in actions against British destroyers, sustaining light damage. In Jun 1945, she sortied from Singapore to Batavia, Java, Dutch East Indies to escort cruiser Ashigara, which was tasked to transport 1,600 Army troops from Java to Singapore. The group came across submarines SS Blueback, HMS Trenchant, and HMS Stygian. Kamikaze forced HMS Trenchant to submerge with gunfire, and then continued the attack with depth charges. While fleeting, HMS Trenchant fired eight torpedoes toward Ashigara at 1215 hours, five of which struck. Ashigara sank at 1237 hours. Kamikaze rescued 853 members of the crew (including Rear Admiral Hayao Miura) and 400 Army passengers. In late Jun 1945, she rescued 200 survivors of tanker Toho Maru, which was sunk by USAAF B-24 bombers. On 18 Jul 1945, she counter attacked submarine USS Hawkbill, causing great damage, though Hawkbill was able to escape, thus surviving the encounter. After the Japanese surrender, Kamikaze was turned over to British authorities returning to Singapore. She was officially struck from the naval register in Oct 1945, but continued to serve, unarmed, as a repatriation vessel. After several trips taking military personnel from Singapore; Bangkok, Thailand; and Saigon, French Indochina back to Japan, she was wrecked after running aground off the southern coast of Japan in Jun 1946, while attempting to rescue survivors of unarmed escort vessel Kunashiri (also on repatriation duty).
ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia
Last Major Revision: Aug 2018
Destroyer Kamikaze Interactive Map
Photographs
Kamikaze Operational Timeline
15 Dec 1921 | The keel of Destroyer No. 1 was laid down by the Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Nagasaki, Japan. |
25 Sep 1922 | Destroyer No. 1 was launched at the Mitsubishi shipyard in Nagasaki, Japan. |
19 Dec 1922 | Destroyer No. 1 was commissioned into service. |
1 Aug 1928 | Destroyer No. 1 was renamed Kamikaze. |
21 Jan 1941 | Kamikaze arrived at Moji, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. |
4 Dec 1941 | Kamikaze departed Ominato Guard District, Aomori Prefecture, Japan for patrol duties in the Hokkaido-Kurile Islands area. |
25 Apr 1942 | Lieutenant Commander Shohei Matsumoto was named the commanding officer of Kamikaze, relieving Lieutenant Commander Kanematsu Hashimoto. |
2 Jun 1942 | Kamikaze departed Kashiwabara, Japan to support the Aleutian Islands attack. |
19 Jul 1942 | Kamikaze departed Kataoka Bay, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan to patrol nearby waters. |
23 Oct 1942 | Kamikaze departed Hokkaido, Japan for operations in the Attu, Aleutian Islands area. |
1 Nov 1942 | Kamikaze arrived at Kataoka Bay, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan to patrol nearby waters. |
13 Nov 1942 | Kamikaze arrived at Ominato, Aomori Prefecture, Japan for patrols in the Tsugaru Strait area. |
29 Apr 1943 | Kamikaze departed Ominato, Aomori Prefecture, Japan for patrols in the Soya Strait area. |
12 May 1943 | Kamikaze departed Odomari, Karafuto Prefecture, Japan (now Korsakov, Russia) for patrols in the northern Kurile Islands area. |
21 Jun 1943 | Kamikaze departed Ominato, Aomori Prefecture, Japan for patrols in the Tsugaru Strait area. |
5 Aug 1943 | Kamikaze departed Otaru, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. |
18 Oct 1943 | Lieutenant Commander Hitoshi Kasuga was made the commanding officer of Kamikaze, relieving Lieutenant Commander Shohei Matsumoto. |
29 Oct 1943 | Kamikaze departed Otaru, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan to escort a convoy. |
1 Nov 1943 | Kamikaze completed convoy escort duty as the convoy arrived at Kataoka Bay, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. |
9 Feb 1944 | Kamikaze began a period of refitting at Hakodate, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. |
8 Mar 1944 | Kamikaze completed a period of refitting at Hakodate, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. |
14 Mar 1944 | Kamikaze departed Ominato, Aomori Prefecture, Japan for the Kurile Islands. |
7 Dec 1944 | Kamikaze began a period of refitting at Ominato, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. |
10 Jan 1945 | Kamikaze completed a period of refitting at Ominato, Aomori Prefecture, Japan and was attached to the Combined Fleet. She departed Ominato later in the day. |
26 Jan 1945 | Kamikaze departed Moji, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan to escort Convoy HI-91 for part of the convoy's journey. |
11 Feb 1945 | Kamikaze departed Mako, Hoko Prefecture, Taiwan. |
14 Feb 1945 | Kamikaze made rendezvous with ships of Operation Kita, which brought warships and resources from Singapore to Japan. |
15 Feb 1945 | Kamikaze was detached from Operation Kita and was ordered to set sail for Singapore. |
20 Feb 1945 | Kamikaze rescued survivors of torpedoed destroyer Nokaze off Annam, French Indochina. |
22 Feb 1945 | Kamikaze arrived at Singapore. |
9 May 1945 | Kamikaze began an escort assignment for cruiser Haguro out of Singapore. |
11 May 1945 | Kamikaze set sail for Singapore. |
14 May 1945 | Kamikaze began an escort assignment for cruiser Haguro out of Singapore. |
16 May 1945 | Kamikaze was lightly damaged by British destroyers in the Strait of Malacca; 27 were killed, 14 were wounded. She arrived at Penang, Straits Settlements later on the same day. |
17 May 1945 | Kamikaze departed Penang, Straits Settlements and rescued 320 survivors of sunken Haguro in the Strait of Malacca. She then set for Singapore. |
4 Jun 1945 | Kamikaze began an escort assignment for cruiser Ashigara out of Singapore. |
5 Jun 1945 | Kamikaze arrived at Batavia, Java, Dutch East Indies. |
7 Jun 1945 | Kamikaze began an escort assignment for cruiser Ashigara out of Batavia, Java, Dutch East Indies. |
8 Jun 1945 | Kamikaze picked up 853 crew and 400 passengers (army troops), survivors of cruiser Ashigara, off Sumatra, Dutch East Indies. |
9 Jun 1945 | Kamikaze arrived at Singapore and disembarked the survivors of cruiser Ashigara. |
12 Jun 1945 | Kamikaze began an escort assignment for oiler Toho Maru out of Singapore. |
15 Jun 1945 | Kamikaze rescued 200 survivors of oiler Toho Maru, which was sunk by a USAAF B-24 bomber. |
18 Jun 1945 | Kamikaze departed Singapore for patrols of waters off Singapore, Malaya, and French Indochina. |
17 Jul 1945 | Kamikaze began an escort assignment for a small tanker convoy out of Singapore toward Ha Tien, Cochinchina, French Indochina. |
18 Jul 1945 | Kamikaze counter attacked submarine USS Hawkbill, which had been attempting to attack vessels being escorted by Kamikaze, off Malaya. USS Hawkbill sustained heavy damage, but was able to escape. |
23 Jul 1945 | Kamikaze arrived at Singapore. |
12 Aug 1945 | Kamikaze departed Singapore with troops aboard for the Anambas Islands, Dutch East Indies. |
5 Oct 1945 | Kamikaze was struck from the naval register. |
7 Jun 1946 | Kamikaze attempted to rescue survivors of the wrecked unarmed escort vessel Kunashiri off Cape Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, but ran aground and became wrecked herself during the process. |
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Chiang Kaishek, 31 Jul 1937
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