- Yes
- Maybe
- Unsure
- No
- 1970 Refit (As built) (All)
- Takatsuki 1986 Refit
- Kikuzuki 1986 Refit
- Unsure
- I said no to the first question
Background
The Takatsuki class destroyers were a class of 4 destroyers built for the JMSDF during the Cold War from the mid 1960’s up until the 1970’s, the ships themselves were built to primarily serve to perform the role of Anti submarine warfare, compared to their predecessors, the Yamagumo class, these ships were far more heavily armed as this ship saw the introduction of the 5" inch/54 however their successor, the Hatsuyuki class which saw the introduction of the 76mm oto melara gun and in terms of lineage the 127mm gun of any sort would not appear on any Japanese non guided missile destroyers until early 2000’s. The ships themselves as mentioned previously were armed with 2 5 inch/54 guns in 2 single mounts with one located near the bow while the other was located on a more elevated position more amidship, additionally they were armed with 1 8-cell ASROC launcher located located between the bridge and forward gun, 1 4 cell 375mm ASW rocket launcher located forward of the forward gun turret, and to top it off the ships were armed with 2 triple Mk 32 torpedo tubes however the ships themselves would begin to differ over time with both Takatsuki and Kikuzuki receiving major upgrades while the other 2 were left unmodified and even then the 2 upgrade ships differed.
History
Takatsuki
Spoiler
JDS Takatsuki was laid down on October 8th, 1964 under the building number 2304 and oddly enough none of her sister were laid down until after Takatsuki was launched on January 7th, 1966, and she would commission on March 15th, 1967, 1 year after her sister Kikuzuki was laid down and 10 days before she would launch as well. Upon entering service she was assigned to the 1st Escort Group as a ship under direct control and deployed to Kure, then the following year at the end of March the 1st Escort Corps was newly commissioned under the 1st Escort group and would be joined by her sister Kikuzuki. Then at the beginning of February she became flagship of the 2nd Escort Group, now being assigned to Sasebo, and during the 10th Yuyomaru was assigned to assist during the incident.
In 1981 she would shift again, now to 1st Escort Group as a flagship once more and was now in Yokosuka, and about 2 years later this changed again and was then assigned to the 1st Escort Corps of the 4th Escort Corps at the end of March, 1983, and during the following year she began a modernization process lasting from April 1st, 1984 all the way up until October 31st, 1985, following this she would generally participate in practicing voyages to North America with her sisters Mochizuki and Nagatsuki as well as her successor Hatsuyuki starting in June, 1994 and in 1995 she was transferred to the Maizuru District Force 2nd Escort Corps, now being based form if not obvious, from Maizuru. In 1997 the 2nd escort was renamed the 24th escort due to the decision to make the revision of the corps number, she was taken out of service in Mid August, 2002 and was scrapped in September the following year.
Kikuzuki
Spoiler
JDS Kikuzuki was laid down on March 15th, 1967 under the building number 2305, she would launch the same day as her sister Takatsuki was commissioned on March 25th, 1967, and she would launch a little over a year later on March 27th, 1968, she was also assigned to the 1st Escort Corps, which was newly formed under the 1st Escort Corps group alongside her sister Takatsuki in Kure all on the same days as of entering service. On June 30th, 1970 she took part in the first practicing voyage around the world as a Maritime Self-Defense Force with the training ship JDS Katori, during the voyage one of her screws would take damage before arriving at Colombo Harbor in Ceylon and during the rest of the voyage she sailed with only 1 functional screw and made it back to Japan on November 18th. Then on February 1st, 1971 she was reassigned as the 1st Escort Corps was reorganized under the 2nd Escort Corps and in June, 1977 she took participated in Hawaii dispatch training with her sister JDS Mochizuki, the submarine JDS Makishio, and 8 P-2J aircraft and would repeat this in 1980 being joined by the Guided missile destroyer JDS Tachikaze instead of Makishio.
In 1983 the 1st Escort Corps was transferred to the 4th Escort Corps with their new home port being in Yokosuka and Kikuzuki would then participate in a practicing voyage around the world. On May 30th, 1985 she would begin to undergo modernization which would last until late December, 1986, next in 1993 she was transferred to the Maizuru District Force 2nd Escort Corps now being based in Maizuru, in 1997 the 2nd escort was renamed the 24th escort due to the decision made to revise the corps number. She would be decommissioned on November 6th, 2003, and was scrapped in 2005.
Mochizuki
Spoiler
JDS Mochizuki was laid down on November 22nd, 1966 under the building number 2306, she was launched on March 15th, 1968 which was 1 year f]after the lead ship of the class, Takatsuki was completed, and she would commission on March 25th, 1969, 2 years after her sister Kikuzuki was launched. Upon entering service Mochizuki was assigned to Second Defense Build-up Group as a ship under direct control and deployed to Sasebo though she would only be there fro 2 years before she was transferred to the 1st Escort Corps of the 2nd Escort Corps with her new homeport being in Kure, in 1972 and 1979 she took part in practicing ocean voyages. During her time in service she would respond to the 10th Yuyomaru incident alongside her older sister Takatsuki as well as an older Harukaze class destroyer and the JDS Haruna. She would take part in dispatch training in Hawaii alongside JDS Kikuzuki, JDS Makishio and eight P-2J aircraft and would repeat this in 1980 with the JDS Tachikaze being present instead of the Makishio.
In 1983 she was reassigned to the direct control of the 3rd Escort Group now being based in Maizuru, of which the following year would see the 2nd Escort Corps formed under the 3rd Escort Corps group and incorporated alongside with JDS Nagatsuki and in 1989 the 2nd Escort Corps was reorganized under the Maizuru District Force. In 1994 she took part in a practicing voyage to North America alongside JDS Nagatsuki, JDS Takatsuki, and JS Shirayuki, the following year however would see Mochizuki transferred to the Maizuru District Force as a ship under direct control before in the beginning of April she was reclassified as special service ship with her hull number be changed to ASU-7019 which would now see her make a return to Sasebo. Due to the fact she as well as Nagatsuki never received any modernizations she like her younger sister would decommission before the 2 older ship with Mochizuki being decommissioned in 1999 and scrapped.
Nagatsuki
Spoiler
JDS Nagatsuki was laid down on March 2nd, 1968, she would be launched on March 19th, 1969, and she would enter service on February 12th, 1970 making her the 4th and final ship of the Takatsuki class. Upon entering service was incorporated into the 3rd Escort Group as a ship under direct control and deployed to Maizuru where unlike all her other sisters would actually not have to change her homeports repeatedly. In 1976 she participated in a voyage to the ocean with the training vessel JDS Katori, and at that time, participated in the observing ceremony of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the United States in New York.
In 1984 the 2nd Escort Corps was newly formed under the 3rd Escort Corps group and incorporated with her sister JDS Mochizuki, and in 1986 she would take part in another practicing in another voyage to the ocean, at which time she participated in the International Fleet Review Ceremony for the 100th Anniversary of the Statue of Liberty which as a result resulted in her finding herself once more in New York on a important occasion, in 1989 the 2nd Escort Corps was reorganized under the Maizuru District Force. In June, 1994 she took part in once more a training voyage to North America with the vessels JDS Takatsuki, JDS Mochizuki, and JDS Shirayuki as the flagship of the training fleet and because of this a wood grain sheet was attached to the equipment of the salute and the equipment panel of the officer’s room, she was decommissioned on April 1st, 1996, and in August the following year she was used as a target by JS Hiei, her sister JDS Takatsuki, and JS Natsushio. Something worth noting about her is her bell, compared to a number of vessels of the JDF she was a bit unique in the fact that she was able to use the same bell as the previous ship that carried her name, that being of the Mutsuki class destroyer Nagatsuki which had been saved by locals and was eventually brought back for the new ship after being handed over to the Maritime Self-Defense Force by the efforts of the then general manager of the Kure district, Tatsuo Chikudo, in November 1970, and her bells are preserved to this day at the Maizuru Navy Memorial Hall.
Specifications
Displacement:
3,100 long tons (3,150 t) standard
4,500 long tons (4,572 t) full load
Length: 136.0 m (446 ft 2 in) overall
Beam: 13.4 m (44 ft 0 in)
Draft: 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in)
Propulsion:
60,000 shp (45 MW), 2 shafts
(Takatsuki and Nagatsuki)
2 × Mitsubishi/WH reaction/impulse steam turbines
2 × Mitsubishi CE water tube boilers
(Kikuzuki)
2 × Mitsubishi/EW impulse steam turbines
2 × Mitsubishi CE water tube boilers
(Mochizuki)
2 × Kawasaki Model NH-300 impulse steam turbines
2 × Kawasaki Model BD-120-1 water tube boilers
Speed: 32 knots (37 mph; 59 km/h)
Range: 6,000 nmi (11,000 km) at 16 kn (18 mph; 30 km/h)
Complement:
270 (Takatsuki, 1967)
260 (Takatsuki, 1985)
Sensors and processing systems:
OPS-11B EWR
OPS-11C EWR (1986)
OPS-17 SSR
AN/SQS-23
AN/SQS-35(J)
Electronic warfare & decoys:
NOLR-1B
NOLQ-1 (1986)
Armament:
(1970) (All)
Spoiler
Primary guns:
2 x 5-inch/54-caliber Mark-42 Mod 7 (127mm) gun turrets (Used 5-inch/54 caliber Type 73 (Mark 42 mod 7) on the latter 2 vessels)
ASW armament:
1 x Mk-16 launcher for 8 RUR-5 ASROC anti-submarine rockets
1 x 15-inch (375mm) 4-barreled ASW rocket launcher
Torpedos:
6 x HOS-301 (Mk-32) 12.75 inch (324mm) torpedo tubes (2 x 3)
Takatsuki (1986)
Spoiler
Primary guns:
2 x 5-inch/54-caliber Mark-42 Mod 7 (127mm) gun turrets
ASM launchers:
2 x quad Mk-141 missile launcher for up to 8 RGM-84 Harpoon SSM
SAM launchers:
1 x Mk-29 launcher for 8 RIM-7 Sea Sparrow SAM
ASW armament:
1 x Mk-16 launcher for 8 RUR-5 ASROC anti-submarine rockets
1 x 15-inch (375mm) 4-barreled ASW rocket launcher
Torpedos:
6 x HOS-301 (Mk-32) 12.75 inch (324mm) torpedo tubes (2 x 3)
Kikuzuki (1986)
Spoiler
Primary guns:
1 x 5-inch/54-caliber Mark-42 Mod 7 (127mm) gun turret
ASM launchers:
2 x quad Mk-141 missile launcher for up to 8 RGM-84 Harpoon SSM
SAM launchers:
1 x Mk-29 launcher for 8 RIM-7 Sea Sparrow SAM
Anti aircraft guns:
1 x Mk-15 Phalanx Close-in-Weapon System (CIWS)
ASW armament:
1 x Mk-16 launcher for 8 RUR-5 ASROC anti-submarine rockets
1 x 15-inch (375mm) 4-barreled ASW rocket launcher
Torpedos:
6 x HOS-301 (Mk-32) 12.75 inch (324mm) torpedo tubes (2 x 3)
Sources
Spoiler
Takatsuki-class destroyer - Wikipedia
Image Sources
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