Vessel Model Special. Volume 98: All About the Hatsuharu-Class Destroyers and Chidori-Class Torpedo Boats

The London Naval Treaty restricted the construction of auxiliary ships and stipulated that individual destroyers could have a displacement of no more than 1,850 tonnes, with those with a displacement of more than 1,500 tonnes limited to a maximum of 16% of the total displacement. The Imperial Japanese Navy, which already had 24 special-type destroyers, could only build ships with a displacement of around 1,400 tonnes. It therefore designed and built the Hatsuharu class, which had armament comparable to the special type but a hull that was 280 tonnes smaller. Since ships under 600 tonnes were not subject to restrictions, Chidori-class torpedo boats were also built, which were equipped with armament comparable to that of destroyers. Both classes were small but heavily armed and had large superstructures that made them top-heavy. After the capsizing of the torpedo boat Chidori (the Tomotsuru incident) in 1934, extensive modifications were made to improve the stability and strength of the hull. This issue explains the development of the Hatsuharu and Chidori classes and the characteristics of each ship based on actual ship data.