Japanese destroyer Tokitsukaze
Encyclopedia
was the tenth vessel to be commissioned in the 19-vessel destroyer
s built for the Imperial Japanese Navy
in the late-1930s under the Circle Three Supplementary Naval Expansion Program
(Maru San Keikaku).
-sized , with improvements made by Japanese naval architects to improve stability and to take advantage of Japan’s lead in torpedo
technology. They were designed to accompany the Japanese main striking force and in both day and night attacks against the United States Navy
as it advanced across the Pacific Ocean
, according to Japanese naval strategic projections. Despite being one of the most powerful classes of destroyers in the world at the time of their completion, only one survived the Pacific War
.
Tokitsukaze, built at the Uraga Dock Company
, was laid down on 20 February, 1939, launched on 10 November, 1939 and commissioned on 15 December 1940.
, Tokitsukaze, was assigned to Destroyer Division 16 (Desdiv 16), and a member of Destroyer Squadron 2 (Desron 2) of the IJN 2nd Fleet
, and had deployed from Palau
, as part of the escort for the aircraft carrier
in the invasion of the southern Philippines.
In early 1942, Tokitsukaze participated in the invasion of the Netherlands East Indies
, escorting the invasion forces for Menado, Kendari
and Ambon
in January, and the invasion forces for Timor
and eastern Java
in February. On 27-26 February, she participated in the Battle of the Java Sea
, taking part in a torpedo attack on the Allied fleet. During the month of March, Desron 2 was engaged in anti-submarine operations
in the Java Sea
. At the end of the month, Tokitsukaze deployed from Ambon for the invasion of Western New Guinea. At the end of April, she returned to Kure Naval Arsenal
for repairs, docking on 2 May.
On 21 May 1942, Tokitsukaze and Desron 2 steamed from Kure to Saipan
, where they rendezvoused with a troop convoy and sailed toward Midway Island
. Due to the defeat of the Carrier Striking Force and loss of four fleet carriers in the Battle of Midway
, the invasion was called off and the convoy withdrew without seeing combat. Desdiv 16 was ordered back to Kure. On 14 July, Tokitsukaze was reassigned to the IJN 3rd Fleet
and was assigned to escort the transport Nankai Maru to Rabaul
, returning with the cruiser to Kure in mid-August. Tokitsukaze returned to the Solomon Islands
before the end of the month, in time to participate in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons
on 24 August, as an escort to Ryūjō and . After the battle, she assisted in the rescue of the survivors from Ryūjō and spent the month of September on patrols based out of Truk. She escorted the damaged carrier to Kure for repairs in mid-October.
During the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October, she was part of Admiral Nagumo
’s Strike Force. In early November, she returned to Kure with , and participated in training exercises in the Inland Sea
through the end of the year.
After redeploying to Shortland Island
, on 10 January, while providing cover for a supply-drum transport run
to Guadalcanal
, Tokitsukaze assisted in sinking the American PT boat
s PT-43 and PT-112. Through the end of February, she continued to be used as a high speed transport in the evacuation of Japanese forces from Guadalcanal
.
During the Battle of Bismarck Sea on 3 March 1943, Tokitsukaze was damaged by an Allied air attack, which killed 19 crewmen and left her dead in the water. Her skipper, Commander Mayasyoshi Motokura, gave the order to abandon ship, and the survivors were taken aboard . The abandoned vessel was discovered southeast of Finschhafen
and sunk by Allied aircraft the following morning at coordinates (07°16′S 148°15′E).
She was removed from the navy list
on 1 April 1943.
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s built for 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...
in the late-1930s under the Circle Three Supplementary Naval Expansion Program
3rd Naval Armaments Supplement Programme (Japan, 1937)
The otherwise known as the "Circle Three" Plan was the third of four expansion plans of the Imperial Japanese Navy between 1930 and the start of World War II.-Background:...
(Maru San Keikaku).
Background
The Kagerō-class destroyers were outwardly almost identical to the preceding light cruiserLight cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
-sized , with improvements made by Japanese naval architects to improve stability and to take advantage of Japan’s lead in torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
technology. They were designed to accompany the Japanese main striking force and in both day and night attacks against the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
as it advanced across the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, according to Japanese naval strategic projections. Despite being one of the most powerful classes of destroyers in the world at the time of their completion, only one survived the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
.
Tokitsukaze, built at the Uraga Dock Company
Uraga Dock Company
was a major privately owned shipyard in Uraga, Japan, which built numerous warships for the Imperial Japanese Navy.-History:Uraga Dock Company was founded by Enomoto Takeaki in 1869. A shipyard had already existed in Uraga from the end of the Edo period...
, was laid down on 20 February, 1939, launched on 10 November, 1939 and commissioned on 15 December 1940.
Operational history
At the time of the attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, Tokitsukaze, was assigned to Destroyer Division 16 (Desdiv 16), and a member of Destroyer Squadron 2 (Desron 2) of the IJN 2nd Fleet
IJN 2nd Fleet
The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy.-History:First established on 28 December 1903, the IJN 2nd Fleet was created by the Imperial General Headquarters as a mobile strike force of cruisers and destroyers to pursue the Imperial Russian Navy's Vladivostok-based cruiser squadron while the...
, and had deployed from Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
, as part of the escort for the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
in the invasion of the southern Philippines.
In early 1942, Tokitsukaze participated in the invasion of the Netherlands East Indies
Dutch East Indies campaign
The Dutch East Indies campaign of 1941–1942 was the conquest of the Dutch East Indies by forces from the Empire of Japan in the early days of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Forces from the Allies attempted unsuccessfully to defend the islands. Indonesia was targeted by the Japanese for its...
, escorting the invasion forces for Menado, Kendari
Kendari
Kendari is the capital of the Indonesian province of South East Sulawesi. The city lies along Kendari Bay. Moramo Waterfall is located 65 km east of Kendari. Kendari is divided into four subdistricts: Kendari, Mandonga, Baruga, and Poasia...
and Ambon
Ambon Island
Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of , and is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Ambon Island consists of 2 territories: The main city and seaport is Ambon , which is also the capital of Maluku province and Maluku Tengah Ambon Island is part of the...
in January, and the invasion forces for Timor
Timor
Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island's surface is 30,777 square kilometres...
and eastern Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
in February. On 27-26 February, she participated in the Battle of the Java Sea
Battle of the Java Sea
The Battle of the Java Sea was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, that sealed the fate of the Netherlands East Indies....
, taking part in a torpedo attack on the Allied fleet. During the month of March, Desron 2 was engaged in anti-submarine operations
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
in the Java Sea
Java Sea
The Java Sea is a large shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf. It was formed as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age. The Java Sea lies between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south; Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east...
. At the end of the month, Tokitsukaze deployed from Ambon for the invasion of Western New Guinea. At the end of April, she returned to Kure Naval Arsenal
Kure Naval Arsenal
was one of four principal naval shipyards owned and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. -History:The Kure Naval District was established at Kure, Hiroshima in 1889, as the second of the naval districts responsible for the defense of the Japanese home islands along with the establishment of the...
for repairs, docking on 2 May.
On 21 May 1942, Tokitsukaze and Desron 2 steamed from Kure to Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, where they rendezvoused with a troop convoy and sailed toward Midway Island
Midway Atoll
Midway Atoll is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, near the northwestern end of the Hawaiian archipelago, about one-third of the way between Honolulu, Hawaii, and Tokyo, Japan. Unique among the Hawaiian islands, Midway observes UTC-11 , eleven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time and one hour...
. Due to the defeat of the Carrier Striking Force and loss of four fleet carriers in the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
, the invasion was called off and the convoy withdrew without seeing combat. Desdiv 16 was ordered back to Kure. On 14 July, Tokitsukaze was reassigned to the IJN 3rd Fleet
IJN 3rd Fleet
The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which was created on six separate occasions.-Russo-Japanese War:First established on 28 December 1903, the IJN 3rd Fleet was created by the Imperial General Headquarters as an administrative unit to manage various vessels considered too obsolete for...
and was assigned to escort the transport Nankai Maru to Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
, returning with the cruiser to Kure in mid-August. Tokitsukaze returned to the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
before the end of the month, in time to participate in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons
Battle of the Eastern Solomons
The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons The naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons (also known as the Battle of the Stewart Islands and, in Japanese sources, as the , took place on 24–25 August 1942, and was the third carrier battle of the Pacific campaign...
on 24 August, as an escort to Ryūjō and . After the battle, she assisted in the rescue of the survivors from Ryūjō and spent the month of September on patrols based out of Truk. She escorted the damaged carrier to Kure for repairs in mid-October.
During the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October, she was part of Admiral Nagumo
Chuichi Nagumo
was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and one time commander of the Kido Butai . He committed suicide during the Battle of Saipan.-Early life:...
’s Strike Force. In early November, she returned to Kure with , and participated in training exercises in the Inland Sea
Inland Sea
The , often shortened to Inland Sea, is the body of water separating Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū, three of the main islands of Japan. It serves as an international waterway, connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Japan. It connects to Osaka Bay and provides a sea transport link to industrial...
through the end of the year.
After redeploying to Shortland Island
Shortland Island
Shortland Island is the largest island of the Shortland Islands, Solomon Islands, at . Named by John Shortland....
, on 10 January, while providing cover for a supply-drum transport run
Tokyo Express
The Tokyo Express was the name given by Allied forces to the use of Imperial Japanese Navy ships at night to deliver personnel, supplies, and equipment to Japanese forces operating in and around New Guinea and the Solomon Islands during the Pacific campaign of World War II...
to Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
, Tokitsukaze assisted in sinking the American PT boat
PT boat
PT Boats were a variety of motor torpedo boat , a small, fast vessel used by the United States Navy in World War II to attack larger surface ships. The PT boat squadrons were nicknamed "the mosquito fleet". The Japanese called them "Devil Boats".The original pre–World War I torpedo boats were...
s PT-43 and PT-112. Through the end of February, she continued to be used as a high speed transport in the evacuation of Japanese forces from Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
.
During the Battle of Bismarck Sea on 3 March 1943, Tokitsukaze was damaged by an Allied air attack, which killed 19 crewmen and left her dead in the water. Her skipper, Commander Mayasyoshi Motokura, gave the order to abandon ship, and the survivors were taken aboard . The abandoned vessel was discovered southeast of Finschhafen
Finschhafen
Finschhafen is a district on the northeast coast of the Morobe province of Papua New Guinea. It is named after the port of the same name.The port was discovered in 1884 by the German researcher Otto Finsch. In 1885 the German colony of German New Guinea created a town on the site and named it...
and sunk by Allied aircraft the following morning at coordinates (07°16′S 148°15′E).
She was removed from the navy list
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on 1 April 1943.