Akikaze

was a , built for the Imperial Japanese Navy immediately following the end of World War I. The ''Minekaze'' class of destroyers were considered advanced for their time; these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s. The class was considered obsolete by the start of the Pacific War but served in a number of roles including minesweeper, aircraft rescue, and ''Kaiten''-carriers. On March 18, 1943, ''Akikaze'' was the scene of a massacre of about 60 civilians on board.

History

Construction of the large-sized ''Minekaze''-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's 8-4 Fleet Program (1917–1920) with the first two ships of the class built under the 1917 fiscal programme, followed by five each under the 1918 and 1919 programmes and two ships under the 1920 fiscal programme. The ''Minekaze''-class destroyer was designed to complement the medium-sized , with which they shared many common design characteristics. Equipped with powerful engines, these vessels were capable of high speeds and were intended as escorts for the projected s, which were ultimately never built. ''Akikaze'' was built at the Maizuru Naval Arsenal and was the ninth ship of the ''Minekaze'' class. She was laid down on 7 June 1920, and launched on 14 December 1920. Completed on 1 April 1921, ''Akikaze'' was commissioned on 16 September 1921.

On completion, ''Akikaze'' joined sister ships , , and at the Yokosuka Naval District to form Destroyer Division 4 under Torpedo Squadron 1 (第1水雷戦隊). In 1938–1939, the division was assigned to patrols of the central China coastline in support of Japanese combat operations in the Second Sino-Japanese War.

World War II

In World War II, ''Akikaze'' performed patrol and convoy escort duties. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, ''Akikaze'' (assigned to Destroyer Division 34 of the IJN 11th Air Fleet) was based at Takao, and provided air sea rescue support for the "Operation M" (the Japanese invasion of the Philippines), and escort of convoys to Davao and Legazpi.

From January to the end of April 1942, ''Akikaze'' was based at Davao, escorting shipping between Davao and Ambon. After a brief return to Maizuru for repairs in May 1942, ''Akikaze'' was based out of Rabaul, escorting transports throughout the Pacific. On 14 March 1943, ''Akikaze'' and two other destroyers attacked a submarine — possibly — near Kairiru Island .

After repairs again at Maizuru in April 1943, ''Akikaze'' returned to Rabaul to resume her escort and patrol duties. She was heavily damaged in an air raid on 2 August which killed her captain Lieutenant Commander Tsurukichi Sabe and resulted 22 other casualties. ''Akikaze'' was forced to return to Maizuru for repairs again in September. Returning to Rabaul again in mid-November, she made several "Tokyo Express" troop transport runs to New Guinea from October 1943-February 1944. In March, she was reassigned to Truk, where she provided escort for convoys between Truk, Saipan and Palau. On 1 May 1944, ''Akikaze'' was reassigned to Destroyer Division 30 of the Central Pacific Fleet. After escorting a convoy from Japan to Davao and Manila, she was based at Manila. However, Destroyer Division 30 was reassigned to the Combined Fleet on 20 August.

On 24–25 October, ''Akikaze'' led the escort for the 2nd Supply Force of Admiral Ozawa's Northern Force at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, rescuing survivors from the torpedoed fleet oiler ''Jinei Maru'', and taking them to Mako.

On 1 November, Destroyer Division 30 — (flagship), , and ''Akikaze'' — departed Mako, escorting aircraft carrier and cruiser toward Brunei. On 3 November, the submarine fired a spread of torpedoes at ''Jun'yō'', but ''Akikaze'', under the command of Lieutenant Commander Nitaro Yamazaki, intercepted them, sacrificing herself to save the carrier. ''Akikaze'' sank with all 205 hands, west of Cape Bolinao, Luzon at position .

On 10 January 1945, ''Akikaze'' was struck from the Navy List.

Massacre of civilians

On 18 March 1943, captained by Lieutenant Commander Tsurukichi Sabe, ''Akikaze'' was the scene of a war crime. During construction of a seaplane base at Kairiru Island ''Akikaze'' evacuated the personnel of the Roman Catholic mission headquarters on that island and also several individuals from Wewak. These included Bishop Joseph Loerks (Lörks), 38 missionaries (31 of whom were German nationals) including 18 nuns, one New Guinea girl, and two Chinese infants (apparently the children of Wewak storekeeper Ning Hee). The vessel then called at Manus, where it picked up 20 others, again mostly Germans, including six missionaries from the Liebenzell Evangelical Mission, three other nuns and three other priests, a European infant, a plantation owner named Carl Muster and plantation overseer Peter Mathies, two Chinese, and apparently four Malays. The commander of ''Akikaze'' then received orders from 8th Fleet HQ to "dispose of" all civilians on board. "Between Manus and Rabaul each of the adults was strung up by the hands on a gallows in the stern of the vessel, shot dead by rifle or machine-gun fire, and thrown overboard. The two Chinese infants and the European baby were thrown over alive." As there were U.S. nationals among the victims, the Australian War Crimes Section in Tokyo, having completed its investigation, on 18 July 1947 handed the matter over to the American authorities, who appear to have taken no further action.See "The Australian War Crimes Trials and Investigations (1942-51), p.51 by DC Sissons.

Notes

References

* Ralph M. Wiltgen: ''The Death of Bishop Loerks and his companions'', Part I: ''The Execution'', in: Verbum SVD 6:4 (1964) 363–397.
* R. Wiltgen: ''The Death of Bishop Loerks and his companions'', Part II: ''The Trial'', in: Verbum SVD 7:1 (1965) 14–44.
* R. Wiltgen: ''Aposteltod in Neuguinea. Der Tod des Bischofs Lörks u. seiner Gefährten'', Steyler Verl., St. Augustin 1966. 75 S.
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* Theo Aerts, (ed): ''The martyrs of Papua New Guinea: 333 missionary lives lost during World War II ''. University of Papua New Guinea Press, Port Moresby, 1994, 276 pp.,

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Akikaze
Minekaze-class destroyers
Ships built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
1920 ships
Second Sino-Japanese War naval ships of Japan
World War II destroyers of Japan
Ships sunk by American submarines
World War II shipwrecks in the South China Sea
Maritime incidents in November 1944
Warships lost with all hands
Japanese hell ships