The were a
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
* Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used d ...
of two
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
s of the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...
. The class is sometimes referred to as the ''Tanikaze'' class in some sources; however, ''Tanikaze'' was launched and commissioned later than ''Kawakaze''.
Background
Construction of the new ''Kawakaze''-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's
8-4 Fleet Program in fiscal 1915. A large destroyer with long range, capable of providing escort to the new
battleship
A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...
and the two s were considered a part of this reduced spending naval program from the previous
Eight-eight fleet project..
Although funding was authorized for only one destroyer, ''Tanikaze'', the
Italian government
The government of Italy is that of a democratic republic, established by the Italian constitution in 1948. It consists of Legislature, legislative, Executive (government), executive, and Judiciary, judicial subdivisions, as well as of a head of ...
unexpectedly refunded Japan for its down payment of 870,000
Yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the euro.
T ...
on the , which had been transferred to the
Royal Italian Navy
The , ) (RM) or Royal Italian Navy was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy () from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the changed its name to ''Marina Militare'' ("Military Navy").
Origins ...
before completion in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. These funds were used to complete a second vessel, which was also named ''Kawakaze''.
Design
Initially conceived of as a follow-on version of the earlier s, however, it was the first to use the new
Type 3 120 mm 45 caliber naval guns that were to be used many subsequent classes of Japanese destroyers. In addition, given the experience with deployment of Japanese destroyers for extended periods overseas in World War I, the
hull
Hull may refer to:
Structures
* The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis
* Fuselage, of an aircraft
* Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds
* Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft
* Submarine hull
Ma ...
and
bow needed to be reinforced to handle heavy seas. Furthermore, the navy wanted to add the latest technologies in terms of the new 533 mm
torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...
es in three double launchers.
It was furthermore decided to use the same Brown-Curtis
heavy fuel oil
Heavy fuel oil (HFO) is a category of fuel oils of a tar-like consistency. Also known as bunker fuel, or residual fuel oil, HFO is the result or remnant from the distillation and cracking process of petroleum. For this reason, HFO contains seve ...
fired geared steam turbine engines as on the ''Tenryū''-class cruisers. The result was a ship was much more powerful that the earlier ''Isokaze'' class, and capable of high speed operation.
Operational history
The ''Kawakaze''-class destroyers served during the interwar period. ''Kawakaze'' was retired on 1 April 1934 and ''Tanikaze'' a year later.
[Nishida, Imperial Japanese Navy]
List of ships
References
Notes
Books
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External links
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{{WWI Japanese ships
Destroyer classes