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IJN Isokaze

1940 WORLD WAR 2

IJN Isokaze Story

As an island nation, Japanese war planners embarked on a massive naval construction campaign on the eve of World War II. Ordered in 1937, Isokaze is one of 19 powerful Shadow-class destroyers in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN).

Her keel was laid on November 25, 1938, and officially launched on June 19, 1939. Isokaze enlisted on November 30, 1940, completing her war service career until the end of the battle in 1945though she had previously been badly damaged during a suicide mission against the Americans on the IJN Yamato on April 7, 1945 in Okinawa and sank.

When completed, the vessel displaces 2,530 tons (short), has a length of 388.8 feet, a beam of 35.4 feet, and a draft of 12.5 feet. Her machine consisted of two steam turbines that produced 52,000 horsepower and drove two shafts. This makes the Isokaze a fast warship, capable of reaching speeds of 35 knots under ideal conditions - a key quality of the destroyer type.

Her crew consisted of 239 officers and seamen, and her profile included a turret above the forecastle, a bridge superstructure behind the turret, a pair of tandem funnels near midship, and additional turrets mounted aft. Isokaze is a long, skinny boat with a fairly low profile, which helps her blend well into the horizon.

The heart of every destroyer is its weapons. However, destroyers also need speed to be fully functional, which limits the caliber of mounted weapons.

Her main gun remains impressive, consisting of 6 x 5" (127mm) guns that provide lethal broadside and angles of attack from the bow and stern (less lethal here). She consists of 28 x 25mm anti-machine gun, completed with 4 x 13mm machine guns when working at very close range. Like other surface warships of the time, the Isokaze was also equipped with torpedo tubes, an 8 x 24" (610mm) unit.

This barrel is larger than the typical 21"/533mm barrel on other warships. The Isokaze can also act as an escort/sub hunter, delivering 36 depth charges into battle.

Sailing without sonar or radar puts Isokaze and her class at a distinct disadvantage compared to Anglo-American warships operating on the Pacific coast. Regardless, this class has found considerable success with the perfect combination of speed and firepower.

Her hull is well-built for the rigors of navigating rough seas, and her range has proven to be impressive, allowing her to keep up with long-range patrols of predatory enemy submarines.

Isokaze had a war career from the beginning to the final months. In April 1945, she was assigned to protect the IJN Yamato's suicide trip to Okinawa as part of the escort fleet. After being discovered by the Americans, the group was attacked by Air Task Force 58, causing irreparable damage to Isokaze.

The ship sank, and their participation in the Great War was over for good. Yamato herself never made it to her destination, and was sunk by American planes the same day.

A powerful statistic on the ferocity and combat capability of the Allies in the Pacific, all but one of the 19 Shadow-class ships survived the war. The only surviving ship was the IJN Yukikaze, which subsequently served Taiwan until its decommissioning in 1966.