Fubuki (1936)
Class overview
Name	Fubuki class
Builders	Maizuru Naval Arsenal (6) Sasebo Naval Arsenal (6) Uraga Dock Company (5) Fujinagata Shipyards (4) Tōkyō Ishikawajima Shipyard (2) Mitsubishi Shipbuilding & Eng. Co. Yokohama Shipyard (1)
Operators	Imperial Japanese Navy  Soviet Navy (post-war withHibiki)
Preceded by	Mutsuki class
Succeeded by	Hatsuharu class
Subclasses	Type I (Fubuki class) Type II (Ayanami class) Type III (Akatsuki class)
Built	1926–1933
In commission	1928–1953
Completed	24
Lost	22
Retired	2
General characteristics
Type	Destroyer
Displacement	1,750long tons (1,780 t) standard 2,050long tons (2,080 t) re-built
Length	111.96 m (367.3 ft)pp 115.3 m (378 ft) waterline 118.41 m (388.5 ft) overall
Beam	10.4 m (34 ft 1 in)
Draft	3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Propulsion	2 shaftKampon gearedturbines 4 (Groups I & II) or 3 (Group III) boilers 50,000 hp (37,000 kW)
Speed	38 knots (44 mph; 70 km/h)
Range	5,000 nmi (9,300 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h)
Complement	219
Armament	6 ×Type 3 127 mm 50 caliber naval guns (3 × 2) 2 ×Type 93 13mm machine guns (2 × 1) 9 × 610 mm (24 in)torpedo tubes (3 × 3) 18 × 8th Year Typetorpedoes (later replaced to the Type 90 torpedo) 18 ×depth charges

TheFubuki-class destroyers (吹雪型駆逐艦,Fubukigata kuchikukan) were aclass of twenty-fourdestroyers of theImperial Japanese Navy.^[1] TheFubuki class has been described as the world's first modern destroyer.^[2] They remained effective in their role to the end ofWorld War II, despite being much older than contemporary ships of foreign nations.^[3]

Following the ratification of theWashington Naval Treaty in 1922, theImperial Japanese Navy General Staff issued requirements for a destroyer with a maximum speed of 39knots (72 km/h; 45 mph), range of 4,000nautical miles (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph), and armed with large numbers of torpedoes. As the treaty placed Japan in an inferior position relative to the United States and Great Britain in terms of capital ships, the obvious course of action would be to build large numbers of other types of ships not restricted by the treaty, with the most powerful weaponry possible.^[4] These destroyers were intended to operate with the new series of fast and powerfulcruisers also under consideration as part of a program intended to give the Imperial Japanese Navy a qualitative edge with the world's most modern ships.^[5]

The resultantFubuki class was ordered under the 1923 fiscal year budget, based on a smaller 1750 ton design, with ships completed between 1926 and 1931. Their performance was a great improvement over previous destroyer designs, so much so that they were designatedSpecial Type Destroyers (特型駆逐艦,Toku-gata Kuchikukan). The large size, powerful engines, high speed, large radius of action, and unprecedented armament gave these destroyers the firepower similar to manylight cruisers in other navies.^[6] The closest equivalents in theUnited States Navy were thePorter andSomers-class destroyers, of which only thirteen vessels were constructed in the 1930s to function as destroyer squadron leaders.^[7]

The initial design for theFubuki-class was based on a 2000-ton displacement hull with a single 12.7 cm (5.0 in) battery, two twin 24-inchtorpedo tubes (as introduced inMutsuki), and capable of 40 knots (74 km/h). Following the adoption of theWashington Naval Treaty from 1923, the design was modified to 1680 standard tons with more guns and more torpedo tubes. However, their increased displacement more than offset their more powerful engines, resulting in a slower top speed than originally planned.^[8]

The engines were powered by fourKampon boilers running two-shaft gearedturbines at 50,000 shp, yielding a rated speed of 35knots (65 km/h), with a range of 5000 nautical miles.

The S-shaped curved bow introduced on theMutsuki class was retained; however, the well deck in front of the bridge was removed, which made it possible to extend theforecastle further aft and to flare the hull back to the first stack, which increased seaworthiness. The forecastle was also raised one deck in height to reduce the effect of heavy seas on the forward gun mount. Thebridge enlarged and enclosed.^[9] The bow was given a significant flare, to offer protection against weather in thePacific.

TheFubuki-class vessels were originally intended to have only hull numbers. This proved to be extremely unpopular with the crews and was a constant source of confusion in communications with the earlierKamikaze andMutsuki classes, and naval policy was changed in August 1928. Hence, theFubuki-class vessels were assigned names as they were launched.

Between June 1928 and March 1933, twenty-fourFubuki-class destroyers were built. Several modifications took place throughout production, and the twenty-four units can be broken down into three groups. The final four ships were so different they were given a new class name. As completed,Fubuki had twin 5-inch guns in "A", "X", and "Y" positions, with triple torpedo tubes in "D", "P", and "Q",^[10] making them the most powerful destroyers in the world at the time of their completion.

TheFubuki-class destroyers were far more capable than the previousMutsuki-class in armament. Themain battery consisted of sixType 3 127 mm 50 caliber naval guns, mounted in pairs in three weather-proof, splinter-proof, gas-tightgun turrets that were far ahead of their time.^[8] The Group I vessels could elevate to over 40 degrees, but from Group II (the last 14 vessels of the series), these guns weredual-purpose guns that could be elevated to 70 degrees, making them the world's first destroyers with this ability.^[11] Ammunition was brought up on hoists from magazines located directly underneath each gun turret, which had a far greater rate of fire than those of other contemporary destroyers in which ammunition was typically manually loaded.^[6] However, the gun houses were not bullet-proof, and were thus actually still gun mounts, rather than proper turrets.^[4]

The three triple 24-inch (610 mm)torpedo launchers withType 8 torpedoes which had proved successful on theMutsuki-class was again used, and each tube had a reload, giving the destroyer a complement of 18 torpedoes in total. The forward launchers were located between thesmokestacks.

Anti-aircraft capability was also as per theMutsuki-Class, with two Type 92 7.7 mm anti-aircraft machine guns located in front of the second stack. These were replaced byType 93 13 mm AA Guns before the start of the war. Following the start of thenPacific War, a number of units received an additional pair of Type 93 guns mounted in front of the bridge, which were later changed toType 96 25mm AA Guns. In late 1943 to early 1944, one of the aft guns was replaced with two triple Type 96 guns, and an additional raised gun platform with another two triple Type 96 guns was added between the two aft torpedo launchers, In late 1944, the remaining units received more Type 96 guns as single mounts on the forecastle and stern.Yūgiri received a Type 22 radar in November 1943, and the remaining seven units were so fitted in 1944. The few ships remaining in late 1944 also received the Type 13 radar.^[4]

The first group, orFubuki class, consisting of the first ten vessels completed in 1928 and 1929, were simpler in construction than the vessels that followed. They had a rangefinder on the compass bridge and an exposed gun-fire control room, and were equipped with a "Type A" gun turret that elevated both of its barrels at the same time and only to 40 degrees.^[12] The first group can be distinguished from later ships by their massive circular air ducts abreast the two stacks leading to the boiler room, with the exception ofUranami, which integrated the ventilation ducts into the platforms built around the stacks.^[4]

The second group, orAyanami class, were built in 1930 and 1931, and had larger bridges that encompassed the rangefinder, anazimuth compass sighting device and the gun-fire control room, as well as a range finding tower. Furthermore, the boiler room's air inlet was changed from a pipe to a bowl shape. They also benefited from the deployment of "Type B" turrets, which could elevate each gun separately to 75° forAA use, making them the world's first destroyers with this capability.^[12]

The third group, also known as theAkatsuki class, were built from 1931 to 1933. These vessels had three larger boilers instead of the previous four and a narrower fore funnel. Improvements included a unique splinter-proof torpedo launcher-turret, which allowed the torpedo launcher tubes to be reloaded in action.^[12]

However, theFubuki class also had a number of inherent design problems. The large amount of armament combined with a smaller hull displacement than in the original design created issues with stability. Despite design features intended to reduce weight, including use of welding on the hull and lighter alloys above the main deck, the ships exceeded their design weight by over 200 tons, which was even more of a problem with the Group II ships, with their larger bridge and heavier gun mounts. After theTomozuru Incident, in which the top-heavy design of many Japanese warships called basic design issues into question, additionalballast had to be added.

In theFourth Fleet Incident, during which atyphoon damaged virtually every ship in theFourth Fleet, an issue with the longitudinal strength of theFubuki-class hull was discovered. As a result, all vessels were reconstructed between 1935 and 1937. An additional 40 tons of ballast was added, the bridge reduced in size and the height of the smoke stacks was decreased. The number of torpedo reloads were reduced from nine to three (for the center launcher only), and fewer shells were stored for the guns. The amount of fuel carried was also increased to help lower the center-of-gravity. Eight of theAyanami class were retrofitted with the lighter "Type C" gun mounts. These changes increased the displacement to 2050 tons standard tons and over 2400 tons full load. The rebuild reduced the top speed slightly to 34 knots.

Of the 24Fubuki-class vessels completed, one (Miyuki) was sunk in a collision in 1934.^[13] The remaining vessels served during the Pacific War. In November 1942, theAyanami damaged the battleshipUSS South Dakota with her gunfire during theNaval Battle of Guadalcanal before being attacked byUSS Washington, which crippled the battleshipKirishima as well. She was scuttled the following day byUranami. In August 1943,John F. Kennedy'sPT-109 was rammed, split asunder and sunk byAmagiri of this class.

Eight ships of the class were sunk bysubmarines, two bymines, the rest by air attacks. OnlyHibiki andUshio survived the war.Hibiki was taken by theSoviet Navy as aprize of war, and continued to be used until 1964.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toFubuki class destroyers.

• Evans, David (1979).Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887–1941. US Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-192-7.
• Brown, David (1990).Warship Losses of World War Two. Naval Institute Press.ISBN 1-55750-914-X.
• Howarth, Stephen (1983).The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The Drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895–1945. Atheneum.ISBN 0-689-11402-8.
• Jentsura, Hansgeorg (1976).Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. US Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-893-X.
• Morison, Samuel Eliot (1958).The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943, vol. 5 ofHistory of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Boston:Little, Brown and Company.ISBN 0-316-58305-7.
• Nelson, Andrew N. (1967).Japanese–English Character Dictionary. Tuttle.ISBN 0-8048-0408-7.
• Watts, Anthony J (1967).Japanese Warships of World War II. Doubleday.ISBN 978-0-3850-9189-3.
• Whitley, M J (2000).Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Arms and Armour Press.ISBN 1-85409-521-8.

• Nishida, Hiroshi."Materials of IJN: Fubuki class destroyer".Imperial Japanese Navy. Archived fromthe original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved29 July 2009.
• Globalsecurity.org."IJN Fubuki class destroyers".
• Globalsecurity.org."IJN Akatsuki class destroyers".
• Combined Fleet.com."Nihon Kaigun: Fubuki Class".

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