JAPANESE NAVY DESTROYER SHIMAKAZE

Shimakaze was a Japanese destroyer laid under the keel in 1941, launched in July 1942, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in May 1943. The length of the ship at the time of launching was 125 m, width 11.2 m, and the actual full displacement - as much as 3,050 tons. Destroyer Shimakaze's top speed was up to 39 knots! The main armament at the time of the launch was 6 127 mm guns in three twin turrets, and the secondary armament was 6 25 mm cannons, depth charge launchers and fifteen 610 mm torpedo tubes! Shimakaze was the only one of a planned series of seventeen ships of this type. The destroyer was ordered under the 1939 fleet expansion program. It was built on the basis of Kagero ships, with the hull extended and a completely new turbo steam power plant. A lot of emphasis was also placed on the strongest possible torpedo armament. The result was a very high-speed, heavily armed ship with an overall high combat value. Despite these considerable advantages, the construction of further units of this type was abandoned in 1942 due to the high costs of building the ship and problems with the engine room, which had already appeared during construction. The destroyer Shimakaze began its combat route during World War II by covering the retreat of Japanese soldiers from Kiska in the Aleutian Islands at the turn of July and August 1943. In 1944, it took part in both the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the Gulf of Leyte, where it suffered minor damage. The destroyer Shimakaze was sunk on November 11, 1944 as a result of attacks by American on-board aviation.