 Fumizuki in July 1926 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Fumizuki |
| Namesake | July |
| Builder | Fujinagata Shipyards,Osaka |
| Laid down | 20 October 1924 asDestroyer No. 29 |
| Launched | 16 February 1926 |
| Completed | 3 July 1926 |
| Renamed | AsFumizuki, 1 August 1928 |
| Stricken | 31 March 1944 |
| Fate | Sunk by American aircraft, 18 February 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Mutsuki-classdestroyer |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | |
| Beam | 9.16 m (30 ft 1 in) |
| Draft | 2.96 m (9 ft 9 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 shafts; 2 × Kampon gearedsteam turbines |
| Speed | 37.25knots (68.99 km/h; 42.87 mph) |
| Range | 4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 150 |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of: | Destroyer Division 30 |
| Operations: | |
Fumizuki (文月,”July”) was one of twelveMutsuki-classdestroyers, built for theImperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the 1920s. During thePacific War, she participated in thePhilippines Campaign in December 1941 and theDutch East Indies Campaign in early 1942. In March, she was assigned to convoy escort duties in and aroundMalaya and theDutch East Indies until she was transferred toRabaul in early 1943 to ferry troops aroundNew Guinea and theSolomon Islands.
TheMutsuki class was an improved version of theKamikaze-classdestroyers and was the first with triple 61-centimeter (24 in)torpedo tubes. The ships had anoverall length of 102.4 meters (335 ft 11 in)[1] and were 94.54 meters (310 ft 2 in)between perpendiculars. They had abeam of 9.16 meters (30 ft 1 in), and a meandraft of 2.96 meters (9 ft 9 in). TheMutsuki-class ships displaced 1,336 metric tons (1,315 long tons) atstandard load and 1,800 metric tons (1,772 long tons) atdeep load.[2] They were powered by twoParsons gearedsteam turbines, each driving onepropeller shaft, using steam provided by fourKamponwater-tube boilers. The turbines were designed to produce 38,500shaft horsepower (28,700 kW), which would propel the ships at 37.25knots (68.99 km/h; 42.87 mph). The ships carried 420 metric tons (413 long tons) offuel oil which gave them a range of 4,000nautical miles (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). Their crew consisted of 150 officers and crewmen.[3]
The main armament of theMutsuki-class ships consisted of four12-centimeter (4.7 in) Type 3 guns in single mounts; one gun forward of thesuperstructure, one between the twofunnels and the last pair back to back atop the aft superstructure. The guns were numbered '1' to '4' from front to rear. The ships carried two above-water triple sets of 61-centimetertorpedo tubes; one mount was between the forward superstructure and the forward gun and the other was between the aft funnel and aft superstructure. Four reload torpedoes were provided for the tubes.[3] They carried 18depth charges and could also carry 16mines. They could also fitted withminesweeping gear.[4]
Fumizuki was one of sixMutsuki-class ships reconstructed in 1935–36, with their hulls strengthened, raked caps fitted to the funnels and shields to the torpedo mounts. In 1941–42, most of those ships were converted into fast transports with No. 2 and No. 3 guns removed. In addition, ten license-built25 mm (1.0 in) Type 96 lightAA guns[2] and at least two13.2 mm (0.5 in) Type 93anti-aircraft machineguns were installed.[5] The minesweeping gear was replaced by four depth charge throwers and the ships now carried a total of 36 depth charges. These changes reduced their speed to 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph)[6] and increased their displacement to 1,944 metric tons (1,913 long tons) at normal load.[3] Three more 25 mm guns were added in 1942–43.[6]
Fumizuki, built at theFujinagata Shipyards inOsaka, waslaid down on 20 October 1924,[2]launched on 16 February 1926[4] and completed on 3 July 1926. Originally commissioned asDestroyer No. 29, the ship was assigned the nameFumizuki on 1 August 1928.[3]
At the time of theattack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941,Minazuki was assigned to DestroyerDivision 22 under DestroyerSquadron 5 of the3rd Fleet. Shesortied from theMako Guard District in thePescadores as part of the Japanese invasion force forOperation M (the invasion of thePhilippines), during which time the destroyer helped screen landings of Japanese forces atLingayen Gulf and atAparri.[5]
In early 1942,Fumizuki was assigned to escorting troop convoys fromFrench Indochina forOperation E (the invasion ofMalaya) andOperation J (the invasion ofJava,Netherlands East Indies), in February. From 10 March 1942Fumizuki and Destroyer Division 5 were reassigned to theSouthwest Area Fleet and escorted troop convoy fromSingapore toPenang, andRangoon. She returned toSasebo Naval Arsenal for repairs on 17 June, and returned to Mako in early September.[5]
On 16 September,Fumizuki sustained heavy damage after a collision with the transportKachidoki Maru inFormosa Strait, forcing a return to Sasebo for repairs until early 1943.
At the end of January 1943,Fumizuki escorted theseaplane tenderKamikawa Maru from Sasebo viaTruk andRabaul toShortlands, and remained throughout February to coverOperation KE (troop evacuations fromGuadalcanal). On 25 February,Fumizuki was reassigned to theIJN 8th Fleet. The destroyer participated in severalTokyo Express troop transport missions throughout theSolomon Islands through the end of April, suffering damage from strafing attacks atFinschhafen in March and atKavieng in April.
Fumizuki returned toYokosuka Naval Arsenal for repairs on 4 May. The ship departed Yokosuka on August 20 escorting convoys via Sasebo toSaipan, Truk and Rabaul. From September through January 1944, the destroyer made numerous “Tokyo Express” runs to evacuate troops fromKolombangara andVella Lavella and to land troops atBuka,Bougainville and various areas inNew Guinea. On 2 November,Fumizuki was strafed during anair raid byUnited States Navy aircraft while at Rabaul, with six crewmen killed and four injured. The vessel was again damaged in an air raid near Kavieng on the night of 4 January 1944.[5]
While at Truk on 17 February 1944,Fumizuki received a near miss bomb from aGrumman TBF Avengers duringOperation Hailstone, when carrier-based US Navy aircraft attacked the Imperial Japanese Navy fleet anchorage.[7] The near miss to port amidships disabled her only usable turbine and caused gradual flooding, which the crew could not control, andFumizuki sank on 18 February at07°24′N151°44′E / 7.400°N 151.733°E /7.400; 151.733, with 29 crewmen killed.Fumizuki was struck from theNavy List on 31 March 1944.[5]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in February 1944 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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