Kikuzuki
| Country | Japan |
| Ship Class | Mutsuki-class Destroyer |
| Builder | Maizuru Naval Arsenal |
| Launched | 1 Nov 1926 |
| Sunk | 4 May 1942 |
| Displacement | 1,772 tons standard |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseNumber 31, a 1772-ton Mutsuki class destroyer, was built at Maizuru Dockyard, Japan. Completed in November 1926, she received the name Kikuzuki in 1928. On 4 May 1942, while supporting the Japanese occupation of Tulagi, Solomon Islands, she was attacked by aircraft from USS Yorktown (CV-5) and was sunk near shore in Halavo Bay, a few miles east of Tulagi. Shortly afterwards, she slipped into deeper water and was completely submerged.
ww2dbaseIn mid-1943, the U.S. Navy undertook the salvage of Kikuzuki, in an effort to gain intelligence about Japanese weapons and other capabilities. Later in 1943, after salvage work was largely completed, she was moved into nearby Purvis Bay and allowed to settle in shallow water. Her wreck remains visible to this day, though it is now much deteriorated.
ww2dbaseSource: Naval Historical Center
Last Major Revision: Jan 2005
Destroyer Kikuzuki Interactive Map
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Visitor Submitted Comments
5 Mar 2024 04:02:08 PM
The last photo I saw of her wreck indicates that everything above the waterline had eroded away and not much of the hull itself remains above water.
22 Apr 2024 04:28:52 PM
Her No. 4 main gun is now on display in Maizuru, Japan after restoration.
All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.
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Captain Henry P. Jim Crowe, Guadalcanal, 13 Jan 1943
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15 Jun 2005 04:47:15 AM
this story seems to indicate that, after pearl harbor was cleaned up, the USN had fleet repair facilities to spare!