 Shiratsuyu in 1937. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Japan | |
| Name | Shiratsuyu |
| Ordered | 1931 FY |
| Builder | Sasebo Naval Arsenal |
| Laid down | 14 November 1933 |
| Launched | 5 April 1935 |
| Commissioned | 7 September 1936 |
| Stricken | 10 August 1944 |
| Fate | Sunk in collision 15 June 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Shiratsuyu-classdestroyer |
| Displacement | 1,685long tons (1,712 t) |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 9.9 m (32 ft 6 in) |
| Draft | 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 34knots (39 mph; 63 km/h) |
| Range | 4,000 nmi (7,400 km) at 14 kn (26 km/h) |
| Complement | 180 |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Operations: | |
Shiratsuyu (白露,”White Dew”)[1] was thelead ship of tenShiratsuyu-classdestroyers, and first of six to be built for theImperial Japanese Navy under theCircle One Program (Maru Ichi Keikaku).[2]
TheShiratsuyu-class destroyers were modified versions of theHatsuharu class, and were designed to accompany the Japanese main striking force and to conduct both day and nighttorpedo attacks against theUnited States Navy as it advanced across thePacific Ocean, according to Japanese naval strategic projections.[3] Despite being one of the most powerful classes of destroyers in the world at the time of their completion, none survived thePacific War.[4]Shiratsuyu, built at theSasebo Naval Arsenal waslaid down on 14 November 1933,launched on 5 April 1935 andcommissioned on 7 September 1936.[5]
At the time of theattack on Pearl Harbor,Shiratsuyu was assigned to Destroyer Division 27 of Destroyer Squadron 1 of theIJN 1st Fleet, and remained in Japanese home waters as part of the protection of the Japanesebattleship forces. From mid-January 1942, she was assisted to escorting convoys between Japan andTaiwan, and in mid-February escorted theaircraft carrierZuihō toDavao and back toHashirajima. In April, the destroyer escorted the aircraft carriersShōkaku andZuikaku fromMako toTruk, from which it joined AdmiralTakeo Takagi’s Strike Force at theBattle of the Coral Sea on 7–8 May. At the end of May, the ship escorted the cruisersMyōkō andHaguro back toKure, from which it was assigned to Admiral Shirō Takasu’s, Aleutians Guard Force during theBattle of Midway on 4–6 June. On 14 July she was assigned back to the IJN 2nd Fleet and returned toTruk in mid-August, from which she was deployed as a high speed transport to carry troops to reoccupyMakin Atoll after theMakin Raid.
Until mid-September,Shiratsuyu remained based out ofJaluit in theMarshall Islands, but from October was deployed to theSolomon Islands, where she made several "Tokyo Express" high speed transport runs toGuadalcanal. On an attack mission to Guadalcanal on 25 October, she assisted in sinking the AmericantugboatUSS Seminole and damaging the high-speedminesweeperUSS Zane (DMS-14). She participated in theFirst Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on the night of 12–13 November 1942, rescuing survivors from the torpedoedbattleshipHiei, but was not involved in combat. On 23 November, while on a transport run toLae, she rescued survivors from the destroyerHayashio, which she then scuttled with a torpedo.
However, on her next mission toBuna on 28 November,Shiratsuyu took a direct hit from a bomb during an attack byUSAAFB-17 Flying Fortress bombers in herbow, which required emergency repairs atRabaul,Truk, andSaipan before she should reach Sasebo on 25 February 1943 for complete repairs. She returned to active duty on 20 July 1943 with the IJN 2nd Fleet, escorting the aircraft carrierUnyō from Yokosuka to Truk and back in late August. She returned to Rabaul in mid-October, after which she was assigned to troop transport runs to Qavuvu.
During theBattle of Empress Augusta Bay on 2 November, she collided with the destroyerSamidare, after which she was strafed by American aircraft, leaving four dead and two wounded, and necessitating a return to Sasebo in November. During this refit, onegun turret was removed and replaced by two triple25-mm anti-aircraft guns.
She returned to Truk at the end of December as part of the escort for the cruisersMyōkō,Haguro andTone, continuing on toKavieng in early January. On 31 January, she rescued survivors of torpedoedYasukuni Maru at Truk. From February through April, she was part of the escort for the battleshipMusashi. From the end of April, she was reassigned toTake Ichi convoy duty, escorting troop convoys from China to the Philippines and other points in southeast Asia.
Shiratsuyu was attacked on 8 June off ofBiak by US Navy aircraft, with four killed and five crewmen injured. On the night of 14 June, she collided with the Japanese tankerSeiyo Maru 90 nautical miles (170 km) southeast ofSurigao Strait (09°09′N126°51′E / 9.150°N 126.850°E /9.150; 126.850), after which herdepth charges exploded among survivors. Of her crew, 104 were killed, including her Captain (Cdr Kuro Matsuda). She was removed from thenavy list on 10 August 1944.
