Lengerer, Hans/Ahlberg, Lars Akizuki-class Destroyers. In the Imperial Japanese Navy During World War II

The destroyers of the Akizuki class were very different from the standard fleet type of Imperial Japanese Navy destroyers inaugurated with the Fubuki class. They were designed for the protection of the Imperial Japanese Navy's carrier task forces, and in order to achieve this they carried a particularly powerful antiaircraft armament and had an extremely long radius of action. However, only 12 out of a planned number of 39 entered service, and they arrived too late to play a crucial role in the decisive carrier battles of World War II. Despite this, their history is of particular interest since the Akizuki class foreshadowed the postwar fleet escort. This is the history of their design and construction, and it relies heavily on Japanese source material and includes numerous photos and drawings.

However, only 12 of 39 planned destroyers of this type were commissioned, and they arrived too late to play a decisive role in the decisive carrier battles of the Second World War. Nevertheless, their history is of particular interest, as the "Akizuki" class anticipated the post-war naval escort. This is the story of her design and construction, based largely on Japanese source material and including numerous photographs and drawings.