Japan - Minekaze and Kamikaze class Destroyers.

BB1987

Post subject: Japan - Minekaze and Kamikaze class Destroyers.

Posted: May 15th, 2015, 8:38 pm

Posts: 2818
Joined: May 23rd, 2012, 1:01 pm
Location: Rome - Italy

The Minekaze and Kamikaze were two classes of Destroyers built by the IJN for the Hachi-Hachi Kantai.

Construction of the large-sized Minekaze-class destroyers was authorized as an accompaniment to the medium sized Momi class with which they shared many common design characteristics.
Equipped with powerful engines, these vessels were capable of high speeds and were intended as escorts for the projected Amagi-class battlecruisers, which were ultimately never built.
The Minekaze class incorporated a number of distinctive design innovations including a lengthened forecastle with a break forming a well deck immediately forward of the bridge. This arrangement offered the advantage of a low, semi protected area for the forward torpedo tubes albeit at the cost of becoming awash in heavy seas. The engines utilized four Kampon boilers running two-shaft geared turbines at 38,500 shp, yielding a rated speed of 39 knots (72 km/h). However, as with previous designs, high fuel consumption meant limited range.
Armament consisted of four Type 3 120 mm 45 caliber naval guns, six 21" torpedo tubes in three sets of double launchers and two 7.7 mm machine guns. Ships of this class could also be equipped to carry up to 20 mines.

The Kamikaze-class vessels were an extension and improvement to the ongoing Minekaze-class program, 27 ships were planned, but ultimately only 9 were built after the Washington Naval Treaty was signed.
The Kamikaze-class ships were visually identical to the earlier Minekaze class, apart from slight detail changes in the bridge, the first to be strengthened by steel plating. This gave the vessels a higher center of gravity, and to counteract this they were built with an increased displacement and a wider beam for better stability. Although they had slightly less speed of 37.5 knots (69.5 km/h) they were considered satisfactory compared with the Minekaze class.

Harukaze as of 1924:
[ img ]

The IJN originally planned that the Kamikaze-class ships should have names, but upon completion they were given numbers due to the projected large number of warships the IJN expected to build through the Eight-eight fleet plan: The fifth ship, to be named Makaze, was so renamed Dai-5-Gō Kuchikukan (Destroyer n°5) upon commissioning.This proved to be extremely unpopular with the crews and was a constant source of confusion in communications. In August 1928, names were assigned, with Dai-5-Gō Kuchikukan beign renamed Harukaze.

Kamizakze as of 1930:
[ img ]

Yunagi as of 1936:
[ img ]

Tentative plan, not yet finalized, more drawings will come at a alter date:

Minekaze Class:
- Minekaze as of 1920
- Nokaze as of 1923
- Nadakaze as of 1941
- Kawakaze as of 1944
- Yukaze as of 1944
- Namikaze as of 1945

Kamikaze Class:
- Harukaze as of 1924 (done)
- Kamikaze as of 1930 (done)
- Yunagi as of 1936 (done)
- Kamikaze as of 1944
- Harukaze as of 1944

_________________
My Worklist
Sources and documentations are the most welcome.

-Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)
-Koko's carrier-based aircrafts of WWII
-Koko Kaiun Yuso Kaisha - KoKaYu Line (Koko AU spinoff)
-Koko - Civil Aviation

Last edited by BB1987 on August 14th, 2015, 1:43 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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