the Akizuki Class were originally Ordered as five more Fuyutsuki class, however with the lost Fuyutsuki in 1917 the Naval staff Launched a investigation in to her sinking. the investigation found serious problems with her design, so the five ships were Reordered to a different design.
Ordered: 27 February 1915
Laid down: 2 May 1916
Launched: 9 August 1922
Commissioned: 17 August 1923
Fate: 17 February 1944
Status: Sunk.
General characteristics
Displacement: 1,422 t (1,400 long tons)
Length: 102.5 m (338 ft)
Beam: 9.1 m (29 ft)
Draft: 2.9 m (9 ft)
Installed power: 2-shaft steam turbine, 4 water-tube boilers, 38,500 shp (28,700 kW)
Armament:
5 × single TYPE 23 12cm/45 (127mm)
1 × twin TYPE 6 53cm ( 533mm) torpedo tubes
After modernization:
Armament:
2 x twin TYPE 29 12cm/50 (127mm)
1 x single TYPE 27 4cm/66 (40mm)
2 x triple TYPE 36 2cm/60 (25mm)
4 x single TYPE 36 2cm/60 (25mm)
Armour:
Deck: .(7–10 mm)
in August 1923 Akizuki was Commissioned in to the Kanati navy, on the 20th Akizuki began her sea trials, during her gunnery practice a crew member had mishandled some of her ammunition, as it was loaded in to her 1st turret, the shell went off, the explosion kill 10 of her crew and injured 20 more.
Asagochi and Okitsukaze were Commissioned on 1st of September and the 3rd of September, unlike their sister Asagochi and Okitsukaze had one last 5 inch gun turret, and in it's place was a single TYPE 27 40mm anti-aircraft, in 1924 Nishikaze and Hae were Commissioned,
unlike Asagochi and Okitsukaze Nishikaze and Hae had a Twin 40mm instead of a single 40mm.
in April 1932 the Akizuk and Asagochi were sent Heguri Naval Arsenal for modernization, their superstructures rebuilt, the bridge area was enclosed to improve endurance in bad weather, the four open gun mounts replaced with tow new twin TYPE 29 dual purpose, on the morning September 4th 1934, Asagochi,Nishikaze and Hae were docked at Tajima Naval Arsenal along the battleship Iwami and the cruisers yoshii and Tenryu, Iwami was in Dry dock undergoing repairs for her main gun director and to her rudder, the Asagochi,Nishikaze and Hae along the yoshii getting ready for morning Patrols, on the bridge of Nishikaze, her captain Shinji Noguchi spotted a group of unidentified aircraft, at first he thought that they kanati air force but saw that they were very low to the surface of the water and then they
the aircraft pulled up followed by several splashes, as the aircraft flew overhead, on the bottom of their wings was the roundel of the Imperial Japanese air force, a another crew member shouted that torpedos had been spotted in the water off Nishikazes starboard bow,
two torpedos hit Nishikazes, one hit bow and a another hit her a midships, the torpedo that hit a midships caused a explosion that ripped her in two,
Asagochi was hit by four armor piercing bombs, she quickly sank to the bottom of the Harbor. the Hae was hit by two 410mm shells from the battleship mutsu, she also quickly sank to the bottom of the Harbor like sister. by the end of the day the Japanese had sank three destroyers, one light cruiser and two Minesweepers. and one battleship captured.
after the Japanese invasion and takeover of the Kantai islands, the two remaining Akizuki Class destroyers were assigned to Destroyer Division 6 in 1937 along with the four Akatsuki-class destroyer, in 1941 Akizuki along with the Akatsuki were deployed from Mako Guard District to provide cover for landing operations in British Malaya and later for in operations against the Netherlands East Indies, in
May 1942 the Akizuk was assigned to a separate Cover Force, to Cover the Japanese light carrier Shōhō, during the battle the Akizuk
was hit by two bombs from aircraft of the uss Lexington, one of the bombs hit aft magazine causing it to explode, she sink in under 3 minutes with the lost 102 of her crew.
by January 1944 the kanati islands was now free of Japanese control, on the 10th a secret communication was sent out to all kanati navy ships, with the home islands now free. all ships the could return did, on the 15th Prime Minister issei Fujita sent out a message to all american ships that were listening, the message was that the kantai islands was now free and that we declared war on Japan, on the 20th Okitsukaze was assigned to Destroyer Division 2 along with the Ushio and Akebono, on the 23th of January Destroyer Division 2 along with the carrier unryu and the cruiser Senjo were to meetup with the US Task Force 58. as the two fleets meetup with each other, the unryu's fleet a pulled alongside the US fleet, a pinnace boat was Launched from the unryu on this pinnace was the admiral of the kanati navy Hisoka Ito. as pinnace came alongside the uss Lexington a stairway lower from her deck, as Hisoka stepped on to the deck of the Lexington he was meet with Admiral Marc Mitscher, on 23th of January 1944 the alliance between United States and kantai islands was signed of the deck of the Lexington. on the 17th of February the Okitsukaze patrolling off the east coast of the kanati islands were she was
torpedoed by the japanese submarine I 38, she quickly sank with the lost 78 of her crew
Ships in class: (laid down-launched-commissioned - fate)
Akizuk 1915-1916-1923 - Suck 1942
Asagochi 1915-1916-1923 - Suck 1934
Okitsukaze 1915-1916-1923 - Suck 1944
Nishikaze 1915-1917-1924 - Suck 1934
Hae 1915-1917-1924 - Suck 1934