DD - Kageró

upravil : FiBe

History and technical description of the destroyers of the type Kageró

Once in march 1936 withdrew Japan from the provisions of the London naval conference, it didn't have to feel restricted in the construction of smaller warships. This is also reflected in the construction of large destroyers. Japanese naval designers could now take full advantage of past experience and also learn from the mistakes and create a completely new design. The first class of destroyers, which was formed under these conditions was class Kageró (Kageró-gata), the japanese navy called Destroyer Type- (Key-gata Kučikukan), which, finally, fully meet the requirements of the navy. The result then was a class of ships, which has become one of the most successful in the imperial japanese navy. Ships of this class participated in every major naval engagement in the pacific battlefield and on the extent of their deployment is also evidenced by the fact that only one ship, Jukikaze, lived to see the end of the war.


Destroyer Jukikaze class Kageró

According to the programme for the year 1937 a decision was made to build 15 ships class Kageró. The vessel should have according to the requirements of the navy to reach a speed of at least 36 knots and be able to offend 5000 nautical miles at a speed of 18 knots. The hull of new ships not to exceed the dimensions of "Special type" (destroyers, designed after the adoption of the London naval conference in 1925), i.e., the length of 115,2 m (378) and a width of 10.36 m (34) and the armament of the same, as in this type of destroyers, 6 guns caliber 127 mm and 9 torpedo tubes caliber 610 mm.

The designers have explored the above requirements of the navy and came to the conclusion that it is impossible to satisfy simultaneously all four conditions. Designed 2 basic alternatives. The first of them represented a vessel with a maximum speed of 35 knots, the other vessel with a range limited to 4500 nautical miles at a speed of 18 knots.
The leadership of the navy after a short deliberation, opting for the first of the options offered and subsequently it was suggested a vessel of a displacement of 2000 long tons (2032 metric tons), with a length of hull between perpendiculars 110,91 m, at a speed of 35 knots and a range of 5000 nautical miles at a speed of 18 knots.

Due to secure adequate stability, was elected the specific shape of the hull, sometimes called the "crumbling", with a shorter length and deeper draught in proportion to its width. The ratio of the volume of the underwater part to the product of the length, width and draught (so-called block coefficient) was 10.74, which in comparison with a factor of 11.2 in "Special type" gave the ships a slimmer torso and thus less resistance to the water.
Perpendicular to the stern of flat-bottomed decreased resistance against the driving force by about 7%. Such a shape of the stern used to be most disadvantageous at normal cruising speed, but in the case of class Kageró, the designers managed to solve this problem by reducing the resistance to propulsion power at a cruising speed of 2%. During the construction of destroyers class Kageró to the maximum extent possible used in welding. Although the japanese navy built after the incident with 4. a fleet of¹⁾ for welding the hulls quite negatively, in this case, this coupling method proved necessary, in particular due to the reduction of the total weight of the vessel. Svařována was mainly ribs, the base for armament, watertight compartments, parts of the lower decks, auxiliary bulkheads and superstructure. On the contrary, it wasn't welding used when assembling the external plates of the shell plating of the hull and the main and upper decks (except bow and aft sections).
The appearance of the ship was typical for the japanese destroyers, with increased gear the deck approximately 1/3 of the length of the hull. Behind the front gun turret was located a short tower-like superstructure with the navigating bridge and the wheelhouse. Followed by the front, main mast, located just behind the superstructure on the main deck. Flue gas from the boiler provided two stacks, around which was stationed anti-aircraft and torpedo armament of the vessels. At the stern, on the low superstructure was placed the second pole and the second gun turret. For the superstructure, then the last gun turret and anti-submarine armament.


Fore superstructure torpédobrce class Kageró (Jukikaze in 1947)


Navigation bridge torpédobrce type Kageró (Jukikaze)

Powered new destroyers have become the two systems of turbines with primary reduction gearings, designed Maritime design department, with an output power of 52 000 horses. Steam was přehřívána at a pressure of 30kg/cm2 at a temperature of 350°C. Any system turbine is consisted of 4 turbines - high pressure, medium pressure, low pressure and cruising. The cruising turbine was connected to the středotlakou turbine using a two-step reduction of the transfer. This new method using the travel of the turbine allow for the reduction of the weight of the system and reduce fuel consumption during cruising speed.
Used were three boilers,each with a system of preheating the steam, again constructed the Naval design department. The fuel tanks were placed mainly in the double bottom, the main tank fuel is then located under the front boiler room. Destroyer Amacukaze was equipped with an experimental engine room. The new type boilers allow to reach a higher temperature steam (400°C) and higher pressure (40 kg/cm³) than in the standard boiler.
The main feature of the used type of drive was a significant reduction in fuel consumption. Compared to "Special type" (class Fubuki), has decreased fuel consumption by 21.5%, compared to the previous class, Asašio this was a decrease of 12%. The total weight of the power unit without the fuel was 667 tonnes.


Control room the engine room of the destroyer class Kageró (Jukikaze)

The armament of the new class of destroyers was similar to that in the above classes, starting with "Special type". The main armament consisted of six 12,7 cm L/50 cannon type 3 in three dvouhlavňových towers type "C", one of which was placed in the longitudinal axis of the ship on the elevated bow, zbývajíci two at the stern, also in the axis of the ship, that the tower closer to the center of the ship was located on the superstructure above the level of the rear tower. The maximum elevation of the guns was 55 degrees and the maximum range of 18,000 metres. Gun sight with range finder designers have placed over můstkek for fire control.
The anti-aircraft armament was not too strong, consisted of only two dvouhlavňových 25 mm anti-aircraft automatic cannon type 96, situated on both sides of the second (rear) chimney. Weak protection against attacking planes of the enemy later became the main problem of this class in combat.
The most powerful weapon destroyers class Kageró then there were 2 čtyřhlavňové torpedo tubes caliber 610 mm, of which the first was placed between the first and second stack and the second directly behind the second (rear) chimney. Tubes flew Torpedos-type 93, the so-called "Long spear", a reliable and destructive weapon, whose effectiveness during the war convinced many allied ships. The device to reload torpedo tubes was compared to previous classes has also improved to allow for easier charging in action. For the rear tube was placed behind him, on the port side next to the superstructure, for the front tube was divided into two parts (2 and 2 torpedoes) and was there before torpédometem, on both sides of the front of the chimney. The front tube is, moreover, due to the ventilation in the boiler rooms, was substantially lower than was the case with the older classes of destroyers, which improved the stability of the new ships.
Armament supplemented by two thrower depth charges and a supply of 18 depth charges.
The ships were equipped with sonar, but considerably worse quality, than was the case with similar vessels of other states. Radar wasn't on ships since the beginning of the generation, so the new japanese destroyers in the battle with the adversary in this direction a considerable handicap.


Torpedo vz.93 "Long lance" - the main armament of the destroyers class Kageró

The crew consisted usually of 240 officers and sailors.

The total was in the years 1939-1941 completed 19 ships class Kageró. The test sailing of the first ships of this class have revealed two minor shortcomings of the new vessels. The first of them was the impossibility to achieve a design (and desired) a maximum speed of 35 knots. Series of tests showed that the defect lies in the wrong-shaped screws. After the change of the shape of the blades to reduce cavitation and speed increased to the required 35-35,5 node.
The second error arose due to incorrect theoretical calculations and estimates of fuel consumption, as was found significantly higher than the required 5000 nautical miles. Eg. destroyers, Isokaze during the navigation tests, managed to travel up to 6053 nautical miles at an average cruising speed 18,07 node. If she was aware of this fact earlier, you may have to reduce the size of the fuselage of the new destroyers.

As for the number of completed ships of this class, in the older literature and many of the current sources is referred to 18 vessels. Destroyer Akigumo is the these resources sorted into the following classes Júgumo. The inaccuracy was caused by post-war confusions in the examination of the construction programme the japanese navy. That is to say, of course, was not an easy task, when just in the construction program for the years 1937 and 1939, which included class Kageró, 11 ships of the following classes Júgumo and the experimental destroyer Šimakaze, it included five fictitious vessels, which helped to mask the expenses, designed for the clandestine construction of giant battleships of the class Yamato. Inexperienced researchers so after the war, Akigumo, the last vessel of the class Kageró, accidentally included in the following class Júgumo - very probably, only by the name but also by the fact that the Akigumo he served in the 10. division of destroyers, equipped with a different destroyer class Júgumo. Maritime historians, however, in recent years in the examination of plans, photos, and also carried out of both classes of destroyers, came to the fact that the Akigumo belong in fact to the class Kageró.


Destroyer Nowaki class Kageró during the voyage of

During the war it turned out that especially the anti-aircraft armament of destroyers is very weak and insufficient. Therefore, the individual ships gradually přezbrojovány. In the year of the 1943 was on most of the vessels removed the rear gun turret with 12,7 cm L/50 guns in there type 3, affixed to a structure closer to the center of the ship. In its place was installed two tříhlavňové 25 mm anti-aircraft automatic cannon type 96. Double-barrelled anti-aircraft guns of 25 mm around the chimney was replaced by a tříhlavňovými and one double-barreled cannon caliber 25 mm was mounted on the bow in front of the superstructure. Ships also began to be equipped with radars, especially the type of "13" and "22" while Hamakaze became the first destroyer in the japanese navy, which this device got.
Also anti-submarine armament was increased to 4 thrower depth charges and supply depth charges ups to 36 pieces.
In the year of the 1944 continued zesilováni anti-aircraft armament, some ships up to 18-24 25 mm anti-aircraft automatic cannon type 96. On most of the surviving ships also mounted four caliber 13 mm heavy machine guns, type 93.


Destroyer Isokaze class Kageró

Generally, however, was class Kageró recognized the imperial Japanese navy as the perfect solution to the question of destroyers, and their inclusion in services attracted the attention of the other maritime powers. US shortly thereafter, began to develop a class of Fletcher, Uk then the class Battle.

Destroyers class Kageró engage in actions since the beginning of the war operations in the Pacific. Participate in the escort aircraft carriers when, fought in the battles of the Java sea, at Midway, have gone through the whole campaign with the Solomon islands, where he worked also in the famous "Tokyo express". Later also fought with Maria and the Carolinas islands, in the battles of Philippines and also defense Lwo and Okinawa, including last suicidal sortie of the battleship Yamato. The only destroyer class Kageró, who survived the hell of war operations in the Pacific and lived to see the surrender, he was Jukikaze.


¹⁾ 26.September 1935 was 4.fleet hit off the east coast of Japan the typhoon. Ships faced up to 15-foot waves and have sustained a variety of damage. The worst have been affected by the destroyers Júgiri and Hacujuki, belonging to the class of Fubuki (Special type), which is before the bridge broke off and sank bow. Other ships of the same class were also badly damaged. Later investigation revealed the lack of strength of the fuselage in relation to that class of ships.

Source:
CHIHAYA, Masataka, ABE, Yasuo: WSC Warship profile 22: IJN Yukikaze. 1.edition. 50s.
WISNIEWSKI, Piotr: Monograph Morskie-Numer 4, Niszczyciele japońskie 1920-45. 1.edition. Gdynia: And.J.PRESS, 1996. 40s. ISBN 83-86208-38-4
magazine MORZA, STATKI I OKRĘTY: no. 3,march 2007. Warszawa: Magnum-X Sp.from.about.about., published monthly. ISSN 1426-529X
PEJČOCH, Ivo, NOVÁK, Zdeněk, HÁJEK, Tomáš: warships[4]. 1.edition. Prague: Our troops p. p. 1993. 374s. ISBN 80-206-0357-3
https://www.combinedfleet.com/kagero_n.htm
en.wikipedia.org
pl.wikipedia.org
www.history.navy.mil
www.globalsecurity.org

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