1/700 Hatsuyuki Destroyer

Tamiya 31404

Hatsuyuki was a Japanese destroyer whose keel was laid in 1927, launched in 1928, and commissioned in the Imperial Japanese Navy in March 1929. The length of the ship at the time of launching was 118.4 m, width 10.4 m, and the actual full displacement – 2,050 tons. Destroyer Hatsuyuki’s top speed was up to 38 knots! The main armament at the time of the launch was 6 127 mm guns in three twin turrets, and the secondary armament were 25 mm cannons, depth charges, and nine 610 mm torpedo tubes with nine spare torpedoes.

Hatsuyuki was the third Fubuki-class destroyer. When designing destroyers of this type, the focus was on the most powerful armament – especially torpedo ones – and high maximum speed, at the expense of e.g. armor and, in particular, the living conditions of the crew. As a result, a series of ships was created that aroused the admiration of Western experts and the concern of US and British naval intelligence services! In the course of the service, however, some design shortcomings were revealed: first of all, the wrong center of gravity, which resulted in poor stability of these destroyers, as well as insufficient overall strength of the structure. However, all Fubuki-class ships underwent repairs and modernizations in the period 1935-1938, which eliminated the above-mentioned disadvantages. Undoubtedly, destroyers of this type were among the best destroyers in the world at the turn of the 1930s and 1940s, maintaining their combat value throughout the entire war in the Pacific. Destroyer Hatsuyuki began its service in World War II with operations in the Malaya region at the turn of 1941-1942. Then, at the turn of February and March 1942, he served in the region of the Dutch East Indies. In June 1942, it took part in the Battle of Midway as a cover for the Japanese main forces. After the battle, he was sent to the Solomon Islands, to be fought in the Guadalcanal area. In October of that year, as part of these activities, he took part in the Battle of Cape Esperance. In early 1943, he took part in the evacuation of the Japanese forces from the island after the lost campaign. Destroyer Hatsuyuki was sunk in a bombing raid on July 17, 1943.