View source for Japanese destroyer Yakaze

{{short description|Destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy}}

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
 | Ship image =Yakaze.jpg
 | Ship image size =325px
 | Ship caption = ''Yakaze'' in July 1922.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
 | Hide header =  
 | Ship country = [[Empire of Japan]]
 | Ship flag ={{shipboxflag|Empire of Japan|naval}}
 | Ship name = ''Yakaze''
 | Ship namesake =  
 | Ship ordered = 1917 fiscal year
 | Ship builder = [[Mitsubishi Heavy Industries|Mitsubishi]], [[Nagasaki]]
 | Ship laid down =24 January 1918
 | Ship launched =10 April 1920
 | Ship completed =19 July 1920  
 | Ship commissioned =19 July 1920 
 | Ship reclassified =As radio-controlled [[target ship]], 20 July 1942
 | Ship fate = [[ship breaking|Scrapped]], 1948
 | Ship struck =  
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header =  
| Header caption = (As built)
| Ship class = {{sclass|Minekaze|destroyer}}
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1366|t|LT|abbr=on}} (normal)
*{{convert|1676|t|LT|abbr=on|0}} ([[deep load]])
|Ship length=*{{convert|97.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[Length between perpendiculars|pp]])
*{{convert|102.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[o/a]])
|Ship beam={{convert|9.04|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|2.9|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=*{{convert|38500|shp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}}
*4 × Kampon [[water-tube boiler]]s
|Ship propulsion=2 shafts; 2 × Kampon geared [[steam turbine]]s
|Ship speed= {{convert|39|kn|lk=in}} 
|Ship range={{convert|3600|nmi|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|14|kn}}
|Ship complement=148
| Ship armament=*4 × single [[Type 3 120 mm 45 caliber naval gun|{{convert|12|cm|abbr=on|1}} Type 3 guns]]
*3 × twin {{convert|53.3|cm|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s
*20 × [[naval mine|mines]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header =  
| Header caption = (As target vessel)
| Ship class = 
|Ship displacement={{convert|1531|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} (full load)
|Ship power={{convert|11260|shp|kW|abbr=on}} 
|Ship speed={{convert|24|kn}}
| Ship armament =*1 × {{convert|5|cm|abbr=on|1}} gun
*4 × [[Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun|{{convert|25|mm|abbr=on}} Type 96]] [[AA gun]]s
| Ship notes =  
}}
{{Infobox service record
|is_ship=yes
|label= 
|partof=
|codes=
|commanders=
|operations=[[Second Sino-Japanese War]]
|victories=
|awards=
}}
|}

The '''Japanese destroyer {{nihongo|''Yakaze''|矢風| Arrow Wind}}''' was one of 15 {{sclass|Minekaze|destroyer}}s built for the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] (IJN) during the late 1910s. A decade later, the ship served as a [[plane guard]]. During the [[Pacific War]], she was initially as the [[mother ship]] for a remotely controlled [[target ship]] and then became a radio-controlled target ship herself in 1942. Although she was badly damaged in mid-1945, ''Yakaze'' survived the war and was [[ship breaking|scrapped]] in 1948.

==Design and description==
The ''Minekaze'' class was designed with higher speed and better [[seakeeping]] than the preceding {{sclass|Kawakaze|destroyer|2}}s.<ref name=gg3>Gardiner & Gray, p. 243</ref> The ships had an [[length overall|overall length]] of {{convert|102.5|m|ftin|sp=us}} and were {{convert|94.5|m|ftin|sp=us}} [[between perpendiculars]]. They had a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|9.04|m|ftin|sp=us}}, and a mean [[draft (hull)|draft]] of {{convert|2.9|m|ftin|sp=us}}. The ''Minekaze''-class ships displaced {{convert|1366|t|LT|sp=us|0}} at [[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard load]] and {{convert|1676|t|LT|sp=us|0}} at [[deep load]].<ref name=w1>Whitley, p. 188</ref> They were powered by two [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] geared [[steam turbine]]s, each driving one [[propeller shaft]], using steam provided by four [[Kampon]] [[water-tube boiler]]s. The turbines were designed to produce {{convert|38500|shp|kW|lk=in}}, which would propel the ships at {{convert|39|kn|lk=in}}. The ships carried {{convert|401|t|LT|0|sp=us}} of [[fuel oil]] which gave them a range of {{convert|3600|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|14|kn}}. Their crew consisted of 148 officers and crewmen.<ref name=j5>Jentschura, Jung & Mickel, p. 141</ref>

The main armament of the ''Minekaze''-class ships consisted of four [[Type 3 120 mm 45 caliber naval gun|{{convert|12|cm|sp=us|adj=on|1}} Type 3 guns]] in single mounts; one gun forward of the [[superstructure]], one between the two [[funnel (ship)|funnel]]s, one aft of the rear funnel, and the last gun atop the aft superstructure. The guns were numbered '1' to '4' from front to rear. The ships carried three above-water twin sets of {{convert|53.3|cm|sp=us|adj=on|1}} [[torpedo tube]]s; one mount was in the [[well deck]] between the forward superstructure and the forward gun and the other two were between the aft funnel and aft superstructure. They could also carry 20 [[naval mine|mines]]<ref name=j5/> as well as [[Minesweeper|minesweeping gear]].<ref name=wg8>Watts & Gordon, p. 258</ref>

In 1937, ''Yakaze'' was converted into a radio control ship for the ex-[[battleship]] {{ship|Japanese battleship|Satsuma||2}} that was serving as a target ship. As part of the conversion, her torpedo tubes were removed and her main armament was reduced to one or two 12&nbsp;cm guns.<ref name=w1/> On 20 July 1942, she was reclassified as a target ship for aircraft<ref name=ne/> and her armament was reduced to a single {{convert|5|cm|adj=on|1|sp=us}} gun and four license-built [[Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun|{{convert|25|mm|abbr=on}} Type 96]] light [[AA gun]]s.<ref name=w1/> Her power was reduced to {{convert|11260|shp|kW|abbr=on}} which cut her speed to {{convert|24|kn}}.<ref name=gg3/>

==Construction and career==
''Yakaze'', built at the [[Mitsubishi Heavy Industries|Mitsubishi]] [[shipyard]] in [[Nagasaki, Nagasaki|Nagasaki]], was [[laid down]] on 15 August 1918, [[Ship launching|launched]] on 20 April 1920 and completed on 19 July 1920. On commissioning, ''Yakaze'' was assigned to the [[Kure Naval District]] under the [[IJN 2nd Fleet]].

In 1931, ''Yakaze'' was teamed with [[sister ship]]s {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Minekaze||2}}, {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Okikaze||2}}, and {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Sawakaze|1919|2}} at [[Sasebo Naval District]] to form Destroyer Division 2 under the [[1st Air Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy|1st Air Fleet]] as part of the escort of the [[aircraft carrier]]s {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Akagi||2}} and {{ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Hōshō||2}} to assist in [[search and rescue]] operations for downed aircraft. At the time of the [[January 28 Incident|First Shanghai incident]] of 1932, ''Yakaze'' was engaged in river patrol duties along the [[Yangzi River]] in [[China]]. On 11 March 1939, she collided with the [[submarine]] {{ship|Japanese submarine|I-61||2}}.<ref>『ハンディ版 日本海軍艦艇写真集19巻』72頁。この脚注はこのページ上で4回使用されています。{{in lang|ja}}</ref>  Due to damage and flooding incurred during the [[Attack on Yokosuka]] on 18 July 1945, she is towed to [[Nagaura]] and placed in No. 2 drydock, eventually sinking due to lack of repairmen. At the time of the [[surrender of Japan]] in September 1945, the ''Yakaze'' was still bottomed. Scrapped 1947.<ref name=ne>Nevitt</ref><ref name=gg3/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/Yakaze_t.htm |title=Japanese Target Ships |publisher=Combinedfleet.com |access-date=18 February 2023}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
*{{cite book |editor1-last=Gardiner|editor1-first=Robert|editor2-last=Gray|editor2-first=Randal|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921|year=1985|location=Annapolis, Maryland|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=0-85177-245-5|name-list-style=amp}}
*{{cite book| last = Howarth  | first = Stephen| year = 1983| title = The Fighting Ships of the Rising Sun: The Drama of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1895–1945| publisher = Atheneum | isbn = 0-689-11402-8}}
*{{cite book| last = Jentschura| first = Hansgeorg| first2 = Dieter |last2=Jung|first3=Peter |last3=Mickel| year = 1977| title = Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869&ndash;1945| publisher = United States Naval Institute| location = Annapolis, Maryland| isbn = 0-87021-893-X|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite web| url= http://www.combinedfleet.com/yakaze_t.htm | title= IJN ''Yakaze'': Tabular Record of Movement | last= Nevitt | first= Allyn D. | year= 1997|access-date=10 November 2015 | work= HYOTEKIKAN | publisher=Combinedfleet.com}}
*{{cite book|last1=Watts|first1=Anthony J.|title=The Imperial Japanese Navy|date=1971|publisher=Doubleday|location=Garden City, New York|isbn= 0385012683|last2=Gordon|first2=Brian G.|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=Destroyers of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1988|isbn=0-87021-326-1|location=Annapolis, Maryland}}

{{Minekaze class destroyer}}
{{March 1939 shipwrecks}}
{{July 1945 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yakaze}}
[[Category:Minekaze-class destroyers]]
[[Category:Ships built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries|Yakaze]]
[[Category:1920 ships]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of Japan]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1939]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in July 1945]]