Matsu-class destroyer
![]() Momi, one of the members of this class
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Class overview | |
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Name | Matsu class |
Builders |
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Operators | |
Preceded by |
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Subclasses | Tachibana class |
Built | 1943–1945 |
In commission | 1944–1971 |
Planned |
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Completed |
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Cancelled | 122 |
Lost | 10 |
Retired | 22 + 1 (JDS Wakaba) |
General characteristics Matsu class | |
Displacement |
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Length |
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Beam | 9.35 m (30 ft 8 in) |
Draft | 3.30 m (10 ft 10 in) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 27.8 knots (32.0 mph; 51.5 km/h) |
Range | 3,500 nmi (6,500 km) at 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h) |
Complement | 211 |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Electronic warfare & decoys | 1 × 22-Gō surface search radar (wavelength 10 cm) |
Armament |
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General characteristics Tachibana class | |
Displacement |
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Length |
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Beam | 9.35 m (30 ft 8 in) |
Draft | 3.41 m (11 ft 2 in) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 27.3 knots (31.4 mph; 50.6 km/h) |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Electronic warfare & decoys |
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Armament |
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General characteristics Kaiten carrier[4] | |
Armament |
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The Matsu-class destroyers (松型駆逐艦, Matsu-gata kuchikukan) were a class of destroyer built for the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in the late stages of World War II. The class was also designated the Type-D Destroyer (丁型駆逐艦, Tei-gata kuchikukan). Although sometimes termed Destroyer escorts, they were larger and more capable than contemporary United States Navy destroyer escorts or the Imperial Japanese Navy kaibōkan vessels.[5]
Background[]
Even by 1942, the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff realized that attrition of its destroyer force was not sustainable. There was a growing need for a simplified design which could be quickly mass-produced which could serve primarily as convoy escorts and as destroyer-transports in front-line locations, but would still be capable of working with the fleet if necessary. Emphasis was placed on anti-aircraft guns and anti-submarine weapons, and radar, as operations against surface targets was deemed unlikely. Forty-two vessels were ordered and work began in August 1943.
In the middle of 1944, the orders for twenty-four of these vessels were replaced with a further-simplified design, designated the Tachibana-class destroyer (橘型駆逐艦, Tachibana-gata kuchikukan) or Modified Type-D Destroyer (改丁型駆逐艦, Kai Tei-gata kuchikukan). The Tachibana-class had straight lines and a modular construction to facilitate mass-production. The Imperial Japanese Navy had plans to build another hundred and twelve Tachibana-class vessels, but only fourteen were completed before construction was cancelled, with resources diverted to "special-attack units".[5]
Design[]
The Matsu-class destroyers displaced 1,260 long tons (1,280 t) standard with a length of 100.0 m (328 ft 1 in) overall. In order to simplify construction and reduce construction time, the Matsu-class destroyers used the same turbine engine as the Ōtori class, with two Kampon boilers The engine could develop only 19,000 shp (14 MW), which gave the vessels a top speed of just under 28 kn (32 mph; 52 km/h). The boiler and the machinery rooms were separated to improve on survivability to combat damage.[5]
The class was well armed for a ship of its size. The main battery was the 12.7 cm/40 Type 89 naval gun used as a primary anti-aircraft gun on many Japanese capital ships. A single gun was located forward with an anti-spray shield rather than a gun turret, and a dual mount was located aft with no protection at all. However, the lack of a high-angle fire-control director limited the anti-aircraft effectiveness of these weapons. Each vessel also had a quadruple torpedo launcher with Type 93 torpedoes, but no reloads.[5]
Further anti-aircraft protection was provided by four Type 96 AA gun triple-mounts and eight single-mounts and both a Type 22 and Type 13 radar. The number of single-mounts was increased on certain individual vessels to thirteen. For anti-submarine warfare, each vessel also had two Type 94 depth charge projectors with 48 depth charges.[5]
The Tachibana-class, entering service in 1945, had the same armament as the Matsu-class, but initially with 13 single-mount Type 96s instead of eight. This was later increased to as many as 19. Only one vessel, Take, was modified to launch a single kaiten manned torpedo from her stern, although there were plans to covert another 11 to this configuration just before the war came to an end.[5]
Operational history[]
Matsu-class destroyers were assigned to Destroyer Divisions 43, 52, and 53. Few Matsu-class units saw extensive service beyond Japanese home waters, and none of the Tachibana-class.[5]
Matsu and Tachibana classes comparison[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Fig_of_IJN_DD_Take_1944-1945.gif)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Fig_of_IJN_DD_Tachibana_1945.gif)
Property | Matsu class | Tachibana class |
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Project number | F55 | F55B |
Building method | Ordinary | Modular design |
Main materials | High-Tensile Strength steel (upper deck only) and Carbon steel | Carbon steel only |
Hull | Double bottom | Single bottom |
Bow | Knuckle bow | Straight bow |
Stern | Destroyer stern | Transom stern |
Bilge Keel | Boxy (Solid) | Flat board |
Active sonar | Type 93 | Type 3 |
Hydrophone | Type 93 | Type 4 |
Turbines | high-pressure, intermediate-pressure, low-pressure, and cruising | high-pressure and low-pressure |
Ships of the classes[]
Forty-two vessels were ordered in Fiscal Year 1943 under the Modified 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Programme as #5481-#5522. Eighteen of these were completed to the original Matsu design, but the other twenty-four were altered to a modified (simplified) design which became known as the Tachibana class. Eight of this batch were completed to that design, while orders for sixteen were subsequently cancelled (of which eleven had not been laid down).
Another thirty-two vessels were authorised in Fiscal Year 1944 under the Wartime Naval Armaments Supplement Programme as #4801-#4832, all to the Tachibana design. Six of this batch were completed to that design, while another four were ordered and laid down but were subsequently cancelled on 17 April 1945; the remaining twenty-two were never ordered.
A further eighty vessels were projected in Fiscal Year 1945 to a further modification of the design, known as the Kai-Tachibana class, but no orders were placed before the end of the war brought an end to the programme.
Ship name | Ship # | Kanji & translation | Class | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
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Matsu | 5481 | 松 (Pine tree) | Matsu | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 8 August 1943 | 3 February 1944 | 28 April 1944 | Sunk on 4 August 1944 by US Navy ships 50 miles northwest of Chichijima (Ogasawara Islands) |
Take | 5482 | 竹 (Bamboo) | Matsu | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 15 October 1943 | 28 March 1944 | 16 June 1944 | Surrendered to United Kingdom on 16 July 1947 at Singapore, scrapped |
Ume | 5483 | 梅 (Japanese apricot) | Matsu | Fujinagata Shipyards | 25 January 1944 | 24 April 1944 | 28 June 1944 | Sunk 31 January 1945 by US Army Air Force aircraft 20 miles south of Taiwan |
Momo | 5484 | 桃 (Peach) | Matsu | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 5 November 1943 | 25 March 1944 | 10 June 1944 | Sunk 15 December 1944 by US Navy submarine USS Hawkbill 140 miles south-west of m.Bolinao (o-in Luzon) |
Kuwa | 5485 | 桑 (Mulberry) | Matsu | Fujinagata Shipyards | 20 December 1943 | 25 May 1944 | 15 July 1944 | Sunk 3 December 1944 by US Navy destroyers during the Battle of Ormoc Bay (o-in Luzon) |
Kiri | 5486 | 桐 (Paulownia) | Matsu | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 1 February 1944 | 27 May 1944 | 14 August 1944 | Delivered to Soviet Union on 29 July 1947 at Nakhodka, renamed Vozrozhdionny (Возрождённый), converted to target ship TsL-25 (1949) and depot ship PM-65 (1957), scrapped in 1969. |
Sugi | 5487 | 杉 (Cedar) | Matsu | Fujinagata Shipyards | 25 February 1944 | 3 July 1944 | 25 August 1944 | Surrendered at Kure. Handed over to the Republic of China on 6 July 1947 in Shanghai, called ROCN Hui Yang. Removed from the ROC Navy list 11 November 1954 and scrapped. |
Maki | 5488 | 槇 (Podocarpaceae) | Matsu | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 19 February 1944 | 10 June 1944 | 10 August 1944 | Surrendered to United Kingdom on 14 August 1947 at Singapore, scrapped 1947 |
Momi | 5489 | 樅 (Abies firma) | Matsu | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 1 February 1944 | 16 June 1944 | 3 September 1944 | Sunk on 5 January 1945 by US Navy carrier aircraft 28 miles west-southwest of Manila |
Kashi | 5490 | 樫 (Live oak) | Matsu | Fujinagata Shipyards | 5 May 1944 | 13 August 1944 | 30 September 1944 | Surrendered to United States on 7 August 1947 at Sasebo, scrapped 20 March 1948 |
Yaezakura | 5491 | 八重櫻 (Prunus verecunda Antiqua) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 18 December 1944 | 17 March 1945 | N/A | Discontinued on 23 June 1945 (60%). Sunk 18 July 1945 |
Kaya | 5492 | 榧 (Torreya nucifera) | Matsu | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 10 April 1944 | 30 July 1944 | 30 September 1944 | Transferred to the Soviet Union 5 July 1947 in Nakhodka, It was called "Volevoy", converted to target ship "TSL-23" (1949), then to the floating heater "OT-61" (1958); excluded from the lists of the fleet on 1 August 1959 and scrapped. |
Nara | 5493 | 楢 (Oak) | Matsu | Fujinagata Shipyards | 10 June 1944 | 12 October 1944 | 26 November 1944 | Scrapped 1 July 1948 |
Yadake | 5494 | 矢竹 (Arrow bamboo) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 2 January 1945 | 1 May 1945 | N/A | Construction stopped 17 April 1945. Launched to empty the dock. Converted to breakwater, 1948 |
Kuzu or Madake | 5495 | 葛 (Kudzu) or 真竹 (Phyllostachys bambusoides) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 19 March 1945 | N/A | N/A | Discontinued on 17 April 1945. |
Sakura | 5496 | 櫻 (Cherry blossom) | Matsu | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 2 June 1944 | 6 September 1944 | 25 November 1944 | Sunk by a mine in the port of Osaka 11 July 1945 |
Yanagi | 5497 | 柳 (Willow) | Matsu | Fujinagata Shipyards | 20 August 1944 | 25 November 1944 | 8 January 1945 | Heavily damaged by aircraft and ran aground on 14 July 1945 at Ōminato, scrapped on 1 April 1947 |
Tsubaki | 5498 | 椿 (Camellia) | Matsu | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 20 June 1944 | 30 September 1944 | 30 November 1944 | Scrapped 28 July 1948 |
Kaki | 5499 | 柿 (Persimmon) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 5 October 1944 | 11 December 1944 | 5 March 1945 | Surrendered to United States on 4 July 1947 at Qingdao. Sunk as target off 35°29′N 123°35′E / 35.483°N 123.583°E, 19 August 1947 |
Kaba | 5500 | 樺 (Birch) | Tachibana | Fujinagata Shipyards | 15 October 1944 | 27 February 1945 | 29 May 1945 | Surrendered to United States on 4 August 1947 at Sasebo, scrapped 1 March 1948 |
Hayaume | 5501 | 早梅 (early blooming Prunus mume ) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | N/A | N/A | N/A | Cancelled in 1945. |
Hinoki | 5502 | 檜 (Chamaecyparis obtusa) | Matsu | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 4 March 1944 | 4 July 1944 | 30 September 1944 | Damaged 5 January by air attack while in company with the Momi, returned to Manila for repair and was sunk while leaving Manila Bay 7 January 1945 by US Navy destroyers[6] |
Katsura | 5503 | 桂 (Cercidiphyllum) | Tachibana | Fujinagata Shipyards | 30 November 1944 | 23 June 1945 | N/A | Construction stopped 23 June 1945. Converted to breakwater. |
Tobiume | 5504 | 飛梅 (A sacred Prunus mume at Dazaifu Tenman-gū) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | N/A | N/A | N/A | Cancelled in 1945. |
Kaede | 5505 | 楓 (Maple) | Matsu | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 4 March 1944 | 25 June 1944 | 30 October 1944 | Surrendered at Kure. Handed over to the Republic of China on 6 July 1947 in Shanghai, named ROCN Heng Yang. Removed from the ROC Navy list in 1950, then scrapped in 1962. |
Fuji | 5506 | 藤 (Wisteria) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | N/A | N/A | N/A | Cancelled in 1945. |
Wakazakura | 5507 | 若櫻 (Young cherry blossom) | Tachibana | Fujinagata Shipyards | 15 January 1945 | Discontinued on 11 May 1945, scrapped. | ||
Keyaki | 5508 | 欅 (Zelkova serrata) | Matsu | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 22 June 1944 | 30 September 1944 | 15 December 1944 | Surrendered to United States on 5 July 1947 at Yokosuka, Sunk as target off 34°44′N 140°01′E / 34.733°N 140.017°E, 29 October 1947 |
Yamazakura | 5509 | 山櫻 (Cherry blossom at mountain) | Tachibana | Fujinagata Shipyards | N/A | N/A | N/A | Cancelled in 1945. |
Ashi | 5510 | 葦 (Phragmites) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | Cancelled on 26 March 1945. | |||
Tachibana | 5511 | 橘 (Citrus tachibana) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 8 July 1944 | 14 October 1944 | 20 January 1945 | Sunk on 14 July 1945 by US Navy carrier aircraft off Hakodate |
Shinodake | 5512 | 篠竹 (Simon bamboo) | Tachibana | Fujinagata Shipyards | N/A | N/A | N/A | Cancelled in 1945. |
Yomogi | 5513 | 蓬 (Artemisia princeps) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | ||||
Tsuta | 5514 | 蔦 (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 31 July 1944 | 2 November 1944 | 8 February 1945 | Surrendered at Kure. Used to repatriate Japanese. Handed over to the Republic of China on 31 July 1947 in Shanghai. It was renamed ROCN Hua Yang, removed from the ROC Navy list on 11 November 1954. |
Aoi | 5515 | 葵 (Malvaceae) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | N/A | N/A | N/A | Cancelled in 1945. |
Shiraume | 5516 | 白梅 (White blossom of Prunus mume) | Tachibana | Fujinagata Shipyards | ||||
Hagi | 5517 | 萩 (Lespedeza) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 11 September 1944 | 27 November 1944 | 1 March 1945 | Surrendered to United Kingdom on 16 July 1947 at Singapore, scrapped |
Kiku | 5518 | 菊 (Chrysanthemum) | Tachibana | Fujinagata Shipyards | N/A | N/A | N/A | Cancelled in 1945. |
Kashiwa | 5519 | 柏 (Daimyo oak) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | ||||
Sumire | 5520 | 菫 (Viola) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 21 October 1944 | 27 December 1944 | 26 March 1945 | Surrendered to United Kingdom on 23 August 1947 at Hong Kong, sunk as target 1947 |
Kusunoki | 5521 | 楠 (Cinnamomum camphora) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 9 November 1944 | 8 January 1945 | 28 April 1945 | Surrendered to United Kingdom on 1947 |
Hatsuzakura | 5522 | 初櫻 (Year's first cherry blossom) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 4 December 1944 | 10 February 1945 | 18 May 1945 | Delivered to Soviet Union on 29 July 1947 at Nakhodka, renamed Vetrenny and soon Vyrazitel'ny (Выразительный), converted to target ship TSL-26 (1949), scrapped in 1958. |
Kigiku | 4801 | 黄菊 (Yellow chrysanthemum) | Tachibana | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Cancelled in March 1945. |
Hatsugiku | 4802 | 初菊 (Year's first chrysanthemum) | Tachibana | |||||
Akane | 4803 | 茜 (Madder) | Tachibana | |||||
Shiragiku | 4804 | 白菊 (White Chrysanthemum) | Tachibana | |||||
Chigusa | 4805 | 千草 (Grass) | Tachibana | |||||
Wakakusa | 4806 | 若草 (Spring grass) | Tachibana | |||||
Natsugusa | 4807 | 夏草 (Summer grass) | Tachibana | |||||
Akikusa | 4808 | 秋草 (Autumn grass) | Tachibana | |||||
Nire | 4809 | 楡 (Elm) | Tachibana | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 14 August 1944 | 25 November 1944 | 31 January 1945 | Scrapped April 1948 |
Nashi | 4810 | 梨 (Pyrus pyrifolia) | Tachibana | Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation | 1 September 1944 | 17 January 1945 | 15 March 1945 | Sunk 28 July 1945 at Kure by US aircraft. Salvaged on 30 September 1954, Transferred to JDS Wakaba on 31 May 1956. Refitted in 1958 as a radar trials ship; sonar added in 1960. Struck on 31 March 1971 and scrapped 1972–1973. |
Shii | 4811 | 椎 (Castanopsis) | Tachibana | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 18 September 1944 | 13 January 1945 | 13 March 1945 | Delivered to Soviet Union on 5 July 1947 at Nakhodka, renamed Vol'ny (Вольный), converted to target ship TSL-24 (1949), scrapped in 1960. |
Enoki | 4812 | 榎 (Japanese Hackberry) | Tachibana | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 14 October 1944 | 27 January 1945 | 31 March 1945 | Sunk 26 June 1945 sunk in shallow water by contact mine at Obama, Fukui, raised and scrapped 1948.[7] |
Azusa | 4813 | 梓 (Catalpa) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 29 December 1944 | N/A | N/A | Discontinued on 17 April 1945. |
Odake | 4814 | 雄竹 (Great Bamboo) | Tachibana | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 5 November 1944 | 10 March 1945 | 15 May 1945 | Surrendered to United States on 14 July 1947 at Qingdao. Sunk as target off 35°29′N 122°52′E / 35.483°N 122.867°E, 17 September 1947 |
Hatsuume | 4815 | 初梅 (Year's first Prunus mume) | Tachibana | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 8 December 1944 | 25 April 1945 | 18 June 1945 | Surrendered at Maizuru. Handed over to the Republic of China on 6 July 1947 in Shanghai, called ROCN Xin Yang. Removed from the ROC Navy list and scrapped 1961. |
Tochi | 4816 | 栃 (Aesculus) | Tachibana | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 23 January 1945 | (28 May 1945) | N/A | Discontinued on 18 May 1945. Converted to breakwater. |
Hishi | 4817 | 菱 (Water caltrop) | Tachibana | Maizuru Naval Arsenal | 10 February 1945 | N/A | Discontinued on 17 April 1945. | |
Susuki | 4818 | 薄 (Miscanthus sinensis) | Tachibana | N/A | N/A | Cancelled in March 1945. | ||
Nogiku | 4819 | 野菊 (Aster) | Tachibana | |||||
Sakaki | 4820 | 榊 (Sakaki) | Tachibana | Yokosuka Naval Arsenal | 29 December 1944 | Discontinued on 17 April 1945. | ||
N/A | 4821– |
N/A | Tachibana | N/A | N/A | (12 destroyers) Cancelled in March 1945. | ||
N/A | N/A | N/A | Kai-Tachibana | (80 destroyers) Cancelled on 30 June 1945. |
Notes[]
- ^ Fitzsimons, Bernard, general editor. Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 17, p.1853, "Matsu".
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Fitzsimons, Volume 17, p.1853, "Matsu".
- ^ Microform by "The National Institute for Defense Studies". Archived from the original on 8 May 2017..
- ^ Converted to the Take, Kiri, Sugi, Maki, Kashi, Kaya, Kaede, Tsuta, Hagi, Nire, Nashi and Sii, from May to July 1945.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Stille, Mark (2013). Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers 1919–45 (2). Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. p. 38-45. ISBN 978 1 84908 987 6.
- ^ "Long Lancers". www.combinedfleet.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
- ^ "Long Lancers". www.combinedfleet.com. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
Bibliography[]
- Dodson, Aidan & Cant, Serena (2020). Spoils of War: The Fate of Enemy Fleets after Two World Wars. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-4198-1.
- "Rekishi Gunzō"., History of Pacific War Vol.43 Matsu class destroyers, Gakken (Japan), November 2003, ISBN 4-05-603251-3
- "Rekishi Gunzō"., History of Pacific War Vol.51 The truth of Imperial Japanese Vessels Histories 2, Gakken (Japan), August 2005, ISBN 4-05-604083-4
- Collection of writings by Sizuo Fukui Vol.5, Stories of Japanese Destroyers, Kōjinsha (Japan) 1993, ISBN 4-7698-0611-6
- Model Art Extra No.340, Drawings of Imperial Japanese Naval Vessels Part-1, Model Art Co. Ltd. (Japan), October 1989, Book code 08734-10
- Daiji Katagiri, Ship Name Chronicles of the Imperial Japanese Navy Combined Fleet, Kōjinsha (Japan), June 1988, ISBN 4-7698-0386-9
- The Maru Special, Japanese Naval Vessels No.41 Japanese Destroyers I, Ushio Shobō (Japan), July 1980, Book code 68343-42
- Fitzsimons, Bernard, general editor. Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weapons and Warfare, Volume 17, p. 1854, "Matsu". London: Phoebus Publishing, 1978.
- Sturton, Ian (1980). "Japan". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-326-1.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Matsu class destroyers. |
- Matsu class at CombinedFleet.com
- Matsu Class notes by Allyn Nevitt
- Globalsecurity.org. "IJN Matsu class escort destroyers".
- Globalsecurity.org. "IJN Tachibana class escort destroyers".
- Matsu-class destroyers
- Destroyer classes