Japanese destroyer Yayoi (1925)

Yayoi (弥生) was one of twelve Mutsuki-class destroyer destroyers, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.

History
Construction of the Mutsuki-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's build up following the abandonment of the Washington Naval Treaty from fiscal 1923. The class was a follow-on to the earlier Minekaze-class destroyer and Kamikaze class destroyers, with which they shared many common design characteristics. Yayoi, built at the Uraga Dock Company was laid down on January 11, 1924, launched on July 11, 1925 and commissioned on August 28, 1926. Originally commissioned simply as “Destroyer No. 23”, it was assigned the name Yayoi on August 1, 1928.

In the late 1930s, Yayoi participated in combat actions in the Second Sino-Japanese War, including the Invasion of French Indochina in 1940.

World War II history
At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Yayoi was part of Desron 30 under Destroyer Division 6 in the IJN 4th Fleet, and deployed from Truk as part of the Wake Island invasion force. During the First Battle of Wake Island, Yayoi was hit by a shell from the defending USMC-manned six 5"/51 caliber coastal artillery guns, which caused one fatality and 17 injuries among her crew. Yayoi returned on December 23 with the second (and ultimately successful) Wake Island invasion force.

In early 1942, Yayoi escorted a troop convoy from Kwajalein to Truk, and then joined the invasion of the Solomon Islands, covering the landings of Japanese forces on Rabaul, Gasmata (New Britain), New Ireland, Lae and Bougainville during ”Operation R”. During the Battle of the Coral Sea from May 7–8, 1942, Yayoi was assigned to the "Operation Mo" invasion force for Port Moresby. After that operation was cancelled, it returned to Japan in July for refitting at the Sasebo Naval Arsenal.

After repairs were completed in mid-July Yayoi was reassigned to the IJN 8th Fleet and participated in the bombardment of Henderson Field on August 24, 1942. During the Battle of the Eastern Solomons on August 25, 1942, Yayoi rescued survivors from her sister ship JAPANESE DESTROYER Mutsuki, which had been sunk in an attack by USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress bombers.

At the end of August, Yayoi made a number of “Tokyo Express” troop transport runs to Milne, New Guinea. From early September, it began participating in "Operation Ke", the evacuation of Japanese forces from Guadalcanal. On September 11, 1942, after departing Rabaul on an evacuation mission to Goodenough Island, Yayoi came under attack by Allied B-17 Flying Fortress and B-25 Mitchell aircraft, 8 mi northwest of Vakuta Island -8.75°N, 151.41667°W. The attack also killed the commander of Destroyer Division 30 (Captain Shiro Yasutake). Taking on water uncontrollably, Yayoi's captain, Lieutenant Commander Shizuka Kajimoto, gave the decision to abandon ship. JAPANESE DESTROYER Mochizuki and JAPANESE DESTROYER Isokaze later rescued 83 survivors from nearby Normanby Island.

Yayoi was struck from the navy list on October 20, 1942.