Kagerō-class destroyer

The Kagerō-class destroyers (陽炎型駆逐艦,) were a class of ships in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. There were 19 ships total in the class. The IJN called them Destroyer Type-A (甲型駆逐艦,) from their plan name.

Description
This class was armed with six 5 in (127 mm)/50 cal. guns and eight 24 inch (610 mm) torpedo tubes for the "Long Lance" torpedo. At the time of introduction, these destroyers were among the most deadly destroyers afloat, primarily due to the excellent range and lethality of its 'Long Lance' torpedo. Only the lack of radar hindered their otherwise superb design. As with most pre-World War II ships, Kagerōs were also deficient in anti-submarine and anti-aircraft weaponry as designed. Over the course of the war these deficiencies were remedied, with depth charge capacity increased to 36 and the addition of four depth charge launchers; anti-aircraft weaponry also increased steadily from four 25 mm cannons at the start of the war to twenty-eight mounts by the war's end, which necessitated the removal of the X turret.

Wartime attrition was hard on the Kagerōs, with 18 of 19 ships lost. In all, six were sunk by air attack, five by submarine attack, five in battle with other surface forces, one by a mine, and the remaining two sunk by a combination of mines and air attack. The Yukikaze was the only Kagerō-class ship afloat at the end of the war.

Books

 * , History of Pacific War Vol.64 Mutsuki class destroyer, Gakken (Japan), May 2008, ISBN 4-05-605091-2
 * Collection of writings by Sizuo Fukui Vol.5, Stories of Japanese Destroyers, Kōjinsha (Japan) 1993, ISBN 4-7698-0611-6
 * Model Art Extra No.340, Drawings of Imperial Japanese Naval Vessels Part-1, Model Art Co. Ltd. (Japan), October 1989, Book code 08734-10
 * Daiji Katagiri, Ship Name Chronicles of the Imperial Japanese Navy Combined Fleet, Kōjinsha (Japan), June 1988, ISBN 4-7698-0386-9
 * The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.41 Japanese Destroyers I, Ushio Shobō (Japan), July 1980, Book code 68343-42