The was one of the primary classes of new destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy

Imperial Japanese Navy

The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...

 (IJN) after 1942. The IJN called them from their plan name. They were designed to fight larger ships, aircraft and submarines.

This is considered to have been the most useful class of destroyers Japan fielded during the war and was well regarded in the IJN. They mounted a superb 3.9" (100mm) dual-purpose gun in four twin mounts. They also were among the first Japanese vessels equipped with radar. The ships were lighter in their torpedo armament, compared to contemporary destroyers (a single mount of four tubes, plus reloads), but the ships compensated with stronger anti-aircraft armament.

Ships of the Fuyuzuki and Michizuki subclasses were modified to simplify and speed-up construction.

Four ships were used for war reparation.

Akizuki class

Project number F51. General production type of the Akizuki-class. Seven vessels were built under the Maru 4 Programme

4th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Japan, 1939)

The was one of the armaments expansion plan of the Imperial Japanese Navy .-Background:In 1939, the IJN started new naval armaments expansion plan...

 (Ship # 104-109) and the Maru Kyū Programme

Rapid Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Japan, 1941)

The was one of the armaments expansion plan of the Imperial Japanese Navy .-Background:In August 1941, the IJN started building warships for war...

 (Ship # 360).

Ship #	Ship	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Fate
104	(秋月)	Maizuru Naval Arsenal	30 June 1940	2 July 1941	11 June 1942	Sunk during the Battle of Cape Engaño on 25 October 1944. Decommissioned on 10 December 1944.
105	(照月)	Mitsubishi, Nagasaki Shipyard	13 November 1940	21 November 1941	31 August 1942	Heavily damaged by USS PT-37 and PT-40 off Savo Island Savo Island Savo Island is a volcanic island in the Solomon Islands group in the South Pacific ocean. It is located to the northeast of the northern tip of Guadalcanal Island at . Politically, Savo Island is a part of the Solomons' Central Province. The indigenous language of Savo is the Savosavo language.The...  on 11 December 1942. Scuttled on 12 December 1942. Decommissioned on 20 January 1943.
106	(涼月)	Mitsubishi, Nagasaki Shipyard	15 March 1941	3 March 1942	29 December 1942	Survived war at Sasebo Sasebo, Nagasaki is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park... . Decommissioned on 20 November 1945. Converted to breakwater at Kitakyūshū in July 1948.
107	(初月)	Maizuru Naval Arsenal	25 July 1941	3 April 1942	29 December 1942	Sunk during the Battle of Cape Engaño on 25 October 1944. Decommissioned on 10 December 1944.
108	(新月)	Mitsubishi, Nagasaki Shipyard	8 December 1941	29 June 1942	31 March 1943	Sunk during the Battle of Kula Gulf Battle of Kula Gulf The naval Battle of Kula Gulf took place in the early hours of 6 July 1943 during World War II and was between United States and Japanese ships off the coast of Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands.-Background:...  on 6 July 1943. Decommissioned on 10 September 1943.
109	(若月)	Mitsubishi, Nagasaki Shipyard	9 March 1942	24 November 1942	31 May 1943	Sunk by during the Battle of Ormoc Bay Battle of Ormoc Bay The Battle of Ormoc Bay was a series of air-sea battles between Imperial Japan and the United States in the Camotes Sea in the Philippines between 11 November and 21 December 1944, part of the Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II. The battles resulted from Japanese operations to...  on 11 November 1944. Decommissioned on 10 January 1945.
360	(霜月)	Mitsubishi, Nagasaki Shipyard	6 July 1942	7 April 1943	31 March 1944	Sunk by USS Cavalla USS Cavalla (SS-244) USS Cavalla , a Gato-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for a salt water fish, best known for sinking the Japanese aircraft carrier Shōkaku, a veteran of the Pearl Harbor attack....  off Anambas Islands 02°21′N 107°20′E on 25 November 1944. Decommissioned on 10 January 1945.

Fuyuzuki class

Project number F51. The Fuyuzuki subclass were originally going to be built to the same specifications as the Akizuki class but contruction was more simplified. Four vessels were built under the Maru Kyū Programme

Rapid Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Japan, 1941)

The was one of the armaments expansion plan of the Imperial Japanese Navy .-Background:In August 1941, the IJN started building warships for war...

 (Ship # 361-364). Main differences from from the Akizuki class were simplified bow design, removed rear deck house and two-dimensional air inlet for boilers. However, the IJN was not satisfied with the design. More modifications were ordered, leading to the Michizuki subclass.

Ship #	Ship	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Fate
361	(冬月)	Maizuru Naval Arsenal	8 May 1943	20 January 1944	25 May 1944	Survived war at Kitakyūshū. Decommissioned on 20 November 1945. Converted to breakwater at Kitakyūshū in July 1948.
362	(春月)	Sasebo Naval Arsenal	23 December 1943	3 August 1944	28 December 1944	Survived war at Kure Kure, Hiroshima is a city in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 240,820 and a population density of 681 persons per km². The total area is 353.74 km².- History :... . Decommissioned on 5 October 1945. Surrendered to Soviet Union Soviet Union The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....  on 28 August 1947 and renamed Внезапный.
363	(宵月)	Uraga Dock Company	25 August 1943	25 September 1944	31 January 1945	Survived war at Nōmi Nomi, Hiroshima Nōmi was a town located in Saeki District, Hiroshima, Japan.On November 1, 2004 Nōmi was merged with the towns of Ōgaki and Okimi, all from Saeki District, and the old town of Etajima, from Aki District, to form the new city of Etajima and no longer exists as an independent municipality.As of... . Decommissioned on 5 October 1945. Surrendered to Republic of China Republic of China The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...  on 29 August 1947 and Fen Yang. Scrapped in 1963.
364	(夏月)	Sasebo Naval Arsenal	1 May 1944	2 December1944	8 April 1945	Survived war at Kitakyūshū. Decommissioned on 5 October 1945. Surrendered to United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...  on 25 August 1947. Sold and scrapped at Uraga Uraga, Kanagawa is a subdivision of the city of Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is located on the south eastern side of the Miura Peninsula, at the northern end of the Uraga Channel, at the entrance of Tokyo Bay.-History:...  in September 1947-March 1948.

Michizuki class

Project number F53. Final production model of the Akizuki-class. Simplified more than Fuyuzuki-class. Converted 5 vessels from the Maru Kyū Programme

Rapid Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Japan, 1941)

The was one of the armaments expansion plan of the Imperial Japanese Navy .-Background:In August 1941, the IJN started building warships for war...

 (Ship # 365-369) and 16 vessels from the Maru 5 Programme (Ship #770-785 were re-planned to #5061-5076). However, only 1 vessel was completed.

Ship #	Ship	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Fate
365	Michizuki (満月)	Sasebo Naval Arsenal	3 January 1945			16 % complete. Construction stopped on 17 April 1945. Scrapped on 28 February 1948.
366	(花月)	Maizuru Naval Arsenal	10 February 1944	10 October 1944	26 December 1944	Survived war at western Inland Sea. Decommissioned on 5 October 1945. Surrendered to United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...  on 29 August 1947 and renamed DD-934. Sunk as target off Gotō Islands Goto Islands The are Japanese islands in the East China Sea, off the western coast of Kyūshū. The islands are a part of Nagasaki Prefecture.- Geography :There are 140 islands in total, including five main islands:,,,, and....  on 3 February 1948.
367		Maizuru Naval Arsenal				Cancelled on 14 December 1944.
368		Sasebo Naval Arsenal
369		Maizuru Naval Arsenal
5061 5062 5063 5064 5065
5066 5067 5068 5069 5070 5071 5072 5073 5074 5075 5076						Cancelled on 9 June 1944.

Super Akizuki class

Project number V7. High-speed model of the Akizuki-class. Only a project. 16 vessels were planned under the Maru 5 Programme (Ship # 770-785) and 7 vessels were converted from Super Shimakaze-class

Super Shimakaze class destroyer

The Super Shimakaze class destroyers were a projected class of destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy , developed during the Second World War. The intention was to develop a mass-production destroyer based on the experimental destroyer Shimakaze. The IJN Fleet Command gave them the project number...

 under the Kai-Maru 5 Programme

Modified 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Japan, 1942)

The was one of the wartime armaments expansion plans of the Imperial Japanese Navy .-Background:In September 1942, after being defeated in the Battle of Midway, the IJN drew up a new armaments expansion plan. This plan was combined by the 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme and the 6th Naval...

(Ship #733-748 were re-planned to #5077-5083).

Ship #	Ship	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Fate
770-785						Converted to Akizuki-class (later Michizuki-class, Ship # 5061-5076) on 30 June 1942.
5077-5083						Cancelled on 9 June 1944.

External links

• CombinedFleet.com: Akizuki-class destroyers
• IJN Akitsuki Class Destroyers, Globalsecurity.org