IJN “SAZANAMI" JAPANESE DESTROYERS IKAZUCHI 1900/1905

The Sazanami was a Japanese destroyer of British construction, the keel of which was laid in 1897, launched in 1899, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in August of the same year (1899). The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 68.4 m, width was 6.2 m, and her full displacement was 420 tons. The maximum speed was up to 30 knots. At the time of launch, the unit was armed with a single 76.2 mm gun, five 57 mm guns and two 460 mm torpedo tubes. Sazanami was the last of the six Ikazuchi-class destroyers. Ships of this class were developed under the influence of the experience of the Japanese-Chinese War (1894-1895), when it turned out that small units with high maximum speed and torpedoes could pose a serious threat to much larger ships, including battleships. All the Kazuchu Ikazuchi-class destroyers were built at the British Yarrow Shipbuilders, which at that time was the world leader in the production of this type of vessel. It is fairly commonly accepted that these were the first real destroyers in the Japanese Navy. Units of this class undoubtedly had a high top speed, good armament for their size, but guaranteed their crews a very low standard of living, and were also susceptible to high waves. Sazanami served in the Japanese fleet in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion in China (1900) as well as in the war with Russia (1904-1905). He was decommissioned in 1913.