Japanese destroyer Akikaze

Akikaze departing Yokosuka, 1923
History
Empire of Japan
NameAkikaze
Orderedfiscal 1918
BuilderMitsubishi shipyards, Nagasaki, Japan
Laid down7 June 1920
Launched14 December 1920
Commissioned16 September 1921
Stricken10 January 1945
FateTorpedoed and sunk on 3 November 1944
General characteristics
Class & typeMinekaze-class destroyer
Displacement
  • 1,234 t (1,215 long tons) (normal)
  • 1,367 t (1,345 long tons) (full load)
Length
  • 97.5 m (319 ft 11 in) p.p.
  • 102.6 m (336 ft 7 in) o/a
Beam8.92 m (29 ft 3 in)
Draft2.79 m (9 ft 2 in)
Installed power28,700 kW (38,500 shp)
Propulsion
Speed72 km/h (39 kn; 45 mph)
Range6,700 km (3,600 nmi; 4,200 mi) at 26 km/h (14 kn; 16 mph)
Complement154
Armament

Akikaze (秋風, Autumn Wind) was a Minekaze-class destroyer, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy immediately following the end of World War I. The Minekaze class of destroyers were considered advanced for their time; these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s. The class was considered obsolete by the start of the Pacific War but served in a number of roles including minesweeper, aircraft rescue, and Kaiten-carriers. On March 18, 1943, Akikaze was the scene of a massacre of about 60 civilians on board.