- Yes
- No
- Tech Tree
- Event/Gift
- Squadron
- Premium
- I don’t want to see it added
As outfitted in 1943, before major refits
IJN Yukikaze at sea in 1939.
Background
IJN Yukikaze was the 8th ship of the Kagerou-class destroyers. She was laid down on the 8th of August, 1938, launched on the 24th of March, 1939, and commissioned into the Imperial Japanese Navy on the 20th of January, 1940. Her name, Yukikaze, or 雪風, means “Snowy Wind.” She was the only ship of her class to survive the war.
The Kagerou-class, more correctly the Kagerō-class, was built on the preceding Asashio-class. Using the same hull and bridge, these ships had almost the same silhouette as the Asashios, with the main difference being storage for torpedoes was in a different spot. The Kagerous, and the Asashios before them, were continuations of the Fubuki-class design ethos, switching back to a powerful 6-gun main armament and two quadruple torpedo launchers. These “Special” type destroyers were among the most powerful destroyers in service of any navy at the outbreak of war, remaining powerful adversaries throughout the war.
Yukikaze took part in various actions during the war, earning a reputation as “Lucky” due to an ability to get out of multiple operations with little to no damage. She would fight through the entire Guadalcanal Campaign, and several actions in and around the Philippines, ultimately concluding her service in the IJN Operation Ten-Go, with the only damage she took being from the aforementioned Operation. She finished the war mostly unharmed, being transferred to the Republic of China Navy as the ROCN Dan Yang (DD-12), where she would server throughout the Cold War. She was damaged beyond repair in a typhoon in the 1969, and was scrapped in 1970.
Service History
Yukikaze had a long career, first seeing action in the early war during the invasions of the Philippines and Dutch East Indies. She was present for the Battle of the Java Sea, facing off against the ABDACOM (American-British-Dutch-Australia Command). She was in a fleet with the heavy cruisers Nachi, Haguro, the light cruisers Naka and Jintsuu, and thirteen other destroyers, escorting a convoy of the Eastern Invasion Force. Against this fleet was the Allied ABDACOM fleet consisting of the heavy cruisers HMS Exeter and USS Houston, the light cruisers HNLMS De Ruyter, HNLMS Java, and HMAS Perth, and nine destroyers (three British, two Dutch, and three American).
The battle consisted of several attempts, over seven hours, of the ABDACOM fleet attempting to reach and attack the Japanese invasion convoy; each time being driven back by the Japanese escorts, with heavy losses on the Allied fleet. During this battle, Yukikaze would lead several torpedo attacks on the ABDACOM fleet, which inflicted minimal damage.
Yukikaze was present for both Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, both times on escort duty and not seeing any action.
She was then present for the First Battle of Guadalcanal, escorting Hiei and Kirishima on a mission to bombard Henderson Field, along with the light crusier Nagara and ten other destroyers; heavy rain squalls had broken up the destroyers and they were operating in small task forces, and Yukikaze would be operating with Amatsukaze and Teruzuki.
Early on the morning of the 13th of November, 1942, signs of the enemy fleet had been noticed, and by 1:48, Hiei and the destroyer Akatsuki had illuminated the cruiser USS Atlanta with their searchlights, at near point-blank range, starting a massive and chaotic skirmish. Yukikaze and Teruzuki rushed into action, without Amatsukaze as the latter was blocked by the battleships, and the two destroyers would overwhelm and set aflame the destroyer USS Cushing, after the US fleet had been scattered due to poor command. Yukikaze would then assist Hiei in sinking the destroyer USS Laffey, first with gunfire and then hitting Laffey with a torpedo, blowing off Laffey’s stern and breaking her keel. Minutes later, Hiei was crippled by point-blank 8-inch fire from USS San Francisco, with damaged machinery and a jammed rudder, forcing the battleship into constant circles to starboard. Throughout the morning of the 13th, Hiei was subjected to attack from bombers, and she was then hit by three torpedoes, followed by another three torpedoes a few hours later. Yukikaze had attempted to help the stricken battleship, but after taking massive damage, the battleship was scuttled. Yukikaze would then pick up survivors from Hiei, among them Admiral Abe, then escorting damaged ships (and herself returning) to Truk, arriving on the 18th.
Over the next few months, Yukikaze would be involved in more escort missions, escorting the carrier Hiyou at first, then the carriers Zuihou and Zuikaku, in December, 1942 and January, 1943 respectively. In March, 1943, she was escorting a troop convoy when the convoy was attacked by American aircraft during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Despite four destroyers and eight transports of the convoy being sunk, Yukikaze would suffer no damage and took on survivors of various ships.
She was then involved in the Battle of Kolombangara, where her force, consisting of the light cruiser Jintsuu and four other destroyers, along with four destroyer-transports. As the skies grew dark, early on the morning of the 13th of July, the Allied fleet detected the approaching Japanese fleet. The allies had assumed surprise had been achieved, but unbeknownst to them, several Japanese ships possessed radar detection equipment (the naval equivalent of RWR), Yukikaze among them. Using this detection equipment, Yukikaze led the destroyers Hamakaze, Kiyonami, and Yuugure in a torpedo attack which would see the cruiser HMNZS Leander being struck and forced to retire from the battle. Minutes later, Yukikaze would lead another torpedo attack that would sink the destroyer USS Gwin, and badly damage the cruisers USS St. Louis and USS Honolulu; in Honolulu’s case, blowing the bow off. Again, Yukikaze would emerge unscathed.
The cruisers USS St. Louis and HMNZS Leander firing during the Battle of Kolombangara, both would be struck by torpedoes from Yukikaze.
Following the battle, Yukikaze escorted more convoys before accidentally damaging herself, on the 22nd of May, 1944, by scraping her hull on a reef; more damage than had been sustained in either of the previous two campaigns.
Yukikaze took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea as a carrier escort, taking no damage during air attacks and eventually scuttling the ship Seiyo Maru. She was then present for the Battle of Leyte Gulf, surviving various air attacks on the 24th of October, 1944, before engaging Taffy 3 at the Battle of Samar; this would be her last action against enemy shipping. She launched torpedoes at the US escort carriers, scoring no hits, and was present in the destroyer line that battled the sole destroyer USS Johnston, scoring hits for no damage.
While returning to Japan after this battle, the battleship Kongou and the destroyer Urakaze were both sunk in an attack by the submarine USS Sealion, but once again Yukikaze was not damaged and successfully made it to Japan. She would then escort the new carrier Shinano in November, during her trials, and the carrier was sunk by the submarine USS Archerfish. Yukikaze would return to port once again, with no damage. Her last action of the war would be escorting the battleship Yamato during the ill-fated Operation Ten-Go. Enroute, on the 7th of April, 1945, the force was attacked by over 380 US carrier aircraft, and Yamato, the cruiser Yahagi, and four destroyers were sunk. Yukikaze would finally sustain damage, in the form of a few strafing runs that killed three and injured fifteen.
Because of her participation in some of the most dangerous battles of the war, all while sustaining little-to-no damage, Yukikaze gained the reputation of being “An Unsinkable Ship,” or “A Miracle Ship.” She took part in 10 major battles, and over 100 escort missions, during the war, with the only damage being from herself or slight machine gun fire.
Post-war, on the 6th of July, 1947, Yukikaze was transferred to the Republic of China Navy as war reparation, and renamed Dan Yang (丹陽) (DD-12). She would become the flagship of the ROCN, being unarmed until 1952, and then in 1953 she was refitted with 127mm/40 Type 89s, in addition to the 100mm/65 Type 98s already aboard. In 1956, she had all Japanese armaments removed and replaced by three open-air 5"/38 mounts, 3"/50 guns in the place of the torpedo tubes, Bofors 40mms, and newer depth charges; the torpedoes were removed as the ROCN did not have access to the 610mm torpedo, and thus had no use for them.
Dan Yang visited Manila in 1953, where over 50,000 overseas Chinese visited her, and her service included patrolling the South China Sea and intercepting transports of war material. In October of 1953, she captured the Polish tanker Praca, in the west Pacific Ocean. The next year, in May of 1954, she captured the Polish freighter Prezydent Gottwald, which was loaded with machinery and medicine, and then in June of 1954 captured the Soviet tanker Tuapse, which was carrying kersone. All ships were conscripted into the ROCN, and the crews were released, executed, or detained for up to 35 years. She would also see action in the Taiwan Strait, due to her position as one of the few ships with long range guns. The arrival of surplus US destroyers to the ROCN in the 70s put Dan Yang into retirement after she was heavily damaged in a typhoon in 1969.
In Japan, after Dan Yang’s retirement, there was a campaign to have her returned to Japan due to Yukikaze’s status as a symbol of longevity. Her rudder and one of the anchors was repatriated to the Japan Naval Academy Museum, as a goodwill gesture, but unfortunately, she would be scrapped after her damage was deemed unserviceable.
Image depicting the armament of a Kagerou-class destroyer.
Specifications
Mid-1943
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Displacement | 2,530 tons (full load) |
| Length | 118.5m (388ft 9in) |
| Beam | 10.8m (35ft 5in) |
| Draft | 3.76m (12ft 4in) |
| Speed | 35.5 knots (65.7 km/h) |
| Complement | ~240 |
| Weapon | Turret/Mount | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 × 127mm (5")/50 Type 3 | 3 x Twin Type C | Elevation limited to 55 degrees |
| 8 × 25mm/60 Type 96 | 1 x Twin, 2 x Triple | Twin mount in front of bridge, triples around funnel |
| 16 x 24" (610mm) Type 93 Torpedo | 2 x Quad - 8 Torpedo Broadside | One reload per launcher |
| 18 x Type 95 Depth Charges | Unknown launch position, likely stern |
Conclusion
Yukikaze would be an amazing ship to add, both because her class is absent from the game and because of her legendary exploits during the war. While not filling any specific niche, she would be a very good tech tree ship between the Hatsuharu and Isuzu, bolstering a lineup and bringing a Kagerou-class ship to the game. She would fit very nicely in Rank 3, just as any Shiratsuyu-class in the tree should. Another spot she could fit is a folder with Yuugumo, as the latter was the class just after the Kagerous, which Yukikaze is a part of. Her lack of radar compared to contemporaries could be seen as a downside, but her upside is the long range Type 93 torpedoes; with reloads for her launchers, allowing a devastating unseen torpedo broadside from ranges far beyond expected.
She is a ship I would really like to see, because she has such an incredible story. I represented her mid-1943 fit, as opposed to her 1945 fit, because in late-August/early-September of 1943, her ‘X’ turret was removed and replaced with two triple mount 25mms, which, while good, would diminish her offensive capability too much; and I feel that doesn’t represent the ship the way I think it should be. I might make a suggestion for another Kagerou-class in a similar fit, either Amatsukaze, Izokaze, or Hamakaze, if people think it is a good idea, but I think that Yukikaze should be represented as a good fighting ship instead of an air defense ship.
Sources
Wikipedia - Kagerou-class Destroyer
Wikipedia - Japanese Destroyer Yukikaze (1939)
Naval-Encyclopedia - WW2 Japanese Destroyers
CombinedFleet - Yukikaze Tabular Record of Movement
Angelfire - Kagerou-class Destroyer
Ibiblio - Online Library - IJN Yukikaze
Wikipedia - 127mm/50 Type 3 Naval Gun
Navweaps - Japanese 127mm/50 (5") Type 3
Navweaps - Japanese 25mm/60
Navweaps - Japanese WW2 Torpedoes