Japanese destroyer Minekaze

Minekaze (峯風) was the lead ship of the s, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy immediately 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 large-sized Minekaze-class destroyers was authorized as part of the Imperial Japanese Navy's 8-4 Fleet Program from fiscal 1917-1920, as an accompaniment to 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.

Minekaze, built at the Maizuru Naval Arsenal, was the lead ship of this class. It was laid down on April 20, 1918, launched on February 8, 1919 and commissioned on May 29, 1920.

On completion, Minekaze was teamed with sister ships JAPANESE DESTROYER Sawakaze, JAPANESE DESTROYER Okikaze, and JAPANESE DESTROYER Yakaze, at the Sasebo Naval District to form Destroyer Division 2 under the IJN 2nd Fleet.

From 1930-1932, Destroyer Division 2 was reassigned to the IJN 1st Air Fleet as part of the escort of the aircraft carrier JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CARRIER Akagi, to assist in search and rescue operations for downed aircraft.

At the time of the First Shanghai Incident of 1932, Minekaze was engaged in river patrol duties along the Yangzi River in China. In 1937-1938, Minekaze was assigned to patrols of the northern and central China coastlines in support of Japanese efforts in the Second Sino-Japanese War

World War II history
At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Minekaze was based at the Chinkai Guard District in Korea, and was assigned to patrols of the Tsushima Straits and Chishima Islands coastlines.

From April 1942, Minekaze was reassigned to the Sasebo Naval District for patrol/convoy escort duties. At the end of September, it escorted convoys to Saipan, Truk and Rabaul, and from the end of November 1942 to February 1944 was assigned to patrol/escort duties in the East China Sea. On February 1, 1944, Minekaze was reassigned to the 1st Surface Escort Division, of the General Escort. Four days later, it departed Moji escorting a convoy bound for Takao. The convoy was spotted by the submarine USS Pogy (SS-266) off the east coast of Taiwan and Minekaze was torpedoed and sunk on February 10, 1944 approximately seven miles SE of Wu-shih Pi, Taiwan (23.2°N, 121.5°W).

On March 31, 1944 Minekaze was removed from navy list.