Fubuki-class destroyer

The Fubuki-class destroyers (吹雪型駆逐艦) was a class of twenty-four destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Fubuki class has been called "the world's first modern destroyer." The Fubuki class not only set a new standard for Japanese vessels, but for destroyers around the world. At a time when British and American destroyers had changed little from their un-turreted, single-gun mounts and light weaponry, the Japanese destroyers were bigger, more powerfully armed, and faster than any similar class of vessel in the other fleets. They remained formidable opponents to the end of World War II, despite being much older than many of their adversaries.

Background
After the end of World War I, the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff issued requirements for a destroyer with a maximum speed of 39 knots, range of 4000 nautical miles at 14 knots, and armed with large numbers of the recently developed Type 8 torpedoes. These destroyers were intended to operate with the new series of fast and powerful new cruisers also under consideration as part of a program intended to give the Imperial Japanese Navy a qualitative edge with the world's most modern ships.

The resultant Fubuki-class was ordered under the 1923 fiscal year budget, with ships completed between 1926 and 1931. Their performance was a great improvement over previous destroyer designs, so much so that they were designated Special Type destroyers (特型). The large size, powerful engines, high speed, large radius of action, and unprecedented armament gave these destroyers the firepower similar to many light cruisers in other navies.

The Fubuki class vessels were originally intended to only have hull numbers due to the projected large number of warships the Japanese Navy expected to build through the Eight-eight fleet plan. This proved to be extremely unpopular with the crews and was a constant source of confusion in communications with the earlier Kamikaze and Mutsuki-classes, and naval policy was changed in August 1928. Hence, the Fubuki-class vessels were assigned names as they were launched.

The closest equivalents in the United States Navy were the Porter- and Somers-class destroyers, of which only thirteen vessels were constructed in the 1930s to function as destroyer squadron leaders.

Design
The initial design for the Fubuki class was based on a 2000 ton displacement hull with a single 5-inch (127 mm) battery, two twin 24-inch torpedo tubes (just introduced in JAPANESE DESTROYER Mutsuki), and capable of 40 knots (74 km/h). Following the abandonment of the Washington Naval Treaty from 1923, the design was modified to 1680 standard tons with more guns and more torpedo tubes. However, their increased displacement more than offset their more powerful engines, resulting in a slower top speed than originally planned.

The main battery consisted of six Type 3 127 mm 50 caliber naval guns, mounted in pairs in three weather-proof, splinter-proof, gas-tight gun turrets which were far ahead of their time. On the last 14 vessels of the series, these guns were dual purpose guns which could be elevated to 70 degrees, making them the world's first destroyers with this ability. Ammunition was brought up on hoists from magazines located directly underneath each gun turret, which have a far greater rate of fire than other contemporary destroyers, where ammunition was typically manually loaded.

Unlike the earlier Minekaze series destroyers, the Fubuki did not have a forecastle break containing the forward torpedo launchers. Instead, the forward launchers were located between the siamesed smokestacks. Originally Type 8 torpedoes were carried, arranged in three triple mountings.

To increase comfort and combat ability even in bad weather, the forecastle was raised, and the bridge enlarged and enclosed. The bow was given a significant flare, to offer protection against weather in the Pacific.

Between June 1928 and March 1933, twenty-four Fubuki class destroyers were built, in three groups. As completed, Fubuki had twin 5-inch guns in "A", "X", and "Y" positions, with triple torpedo tubes in "D", "P", and "Q", making them the most powerful destroyers in the world at the time of their completion.

Development
The first group, or Fubuki-class, consisted of the first ten vessels completed in 1928 and 1929, were simpler in construction than the vessels that followed. They had a rangefinder on the compass bridge, an exposed gun-fire control room, and were equipped with a “Type A” gun turret that only elevate both of its barrels at the same time and only to 40 degrees. The first group can be distinguished from later ships by their lack of ventilators atop the stacks.

The second group, or Ayanami-class, were built in 1930 and 1931, and had larger bridges which encompassed the rangefinder, an azimuth compass sighting device, the gun-fire control room, as well as a range finding tower. Furthermore, the boiler room's air inlet　was changed from a pipe to a bowl shape. They also benefited from the deployment of “Type B” turrets, which could elevate each gun separately to 75° for AA use, making them the world's first destroyers with this capability.

The third group, also known as the Akatsuki-class, were built from 1931 to 1933. These vessels had larger boilers and a narrower fore funnel. Improvements included a unique splinter-proof torpedo launcher-turret, which allowed the torpedo launcher tubes to be reloaded in action (something which Western destroyers still did not have in the 1990s).

However, the Fubuki-class also had a number of inherent design problems. The large amount of armament combined with a smaller hull displacement than in the original design created issues with stability. After the Tomozuru Incident, in which the top-heavy design of many Japanese warships called basic design issues into question, additional ballast had to be added. In the Fourth Fleet Incident, during which a typhoon damaged virtually every ship in the Fourth Fleet, issues with the longitudinal strength of the Fubuki class hull was discovered. As a result, all vessels were reconstructed between 1935 and 1937. This increased the displacement to 2050 tons standard tons and over 2400 tons full load. The rebuild reduced the top speed slightly.

During World War II, as surviving vessels returned to the Japanese home islands for repair and refit, the anti-aircraft armament was steadily upgraded. In 1945, the "X" turret was replaced on surviving vessels to create space and lighten the top for the addition of 14 -Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Guns, two additional 13 mm anti-aircraft machine guns, 18 more depth charges, and radar were installed.

Operational history
Of the 24 Fubuki-class vessels completed, one (Miyuki) was sunk in a collision in 1934. The remaining vessels served throughout the Pacific War. In November 1942, the Ayanami damaged the battleship USS South Dakota (BB-57) with her gunfire during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal before being attacked by USS Washington (BB-56), which crippled the battleship JAPANESE BATTLESHIP Kirishima as well. She was scuttled the following day by JAPANESE DESTROYER Uranami. In August 1943, John F. Kennedy's PT-109 was rammed, split asunder and sunk by the Amagiri of this class.

Eight ships of the class were sunk by submarines, and two by mines, the rest by air attacks. Only Hibiki and Ushio survived the war. Hibiki was taken by the Soviet Navy as a prize of war, and continued to be used until 1964.