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Friday 9 December 2016

Japanese destroyer 1st class Minekaze in 1922

Laid down at Maizuru in April 1918, launched in February 1919 and completed in May 1920.

The military liaison officer at the Dutch embassy at Japan supplied in his letter dated Tokyo, Japan 1 February 1922 to the supreme command of the Dutch army with the general technical characteristics of the Japanese modern 1.345 ton 1st class destroyers. The attachments were in English and not translated by him to prevent a wrong translation of the technical details.

General technical characteristics of the modern 1.345 ton 1st class destroyers. Displacement 1.345 tons and as dimensions 320’ (between perpendiculars)-336.6” (over all) x 29’3” x 9”6”. High short forecastle, deadwood and stern cut away. The machinery consisted of Brown Curtiss high pressure and low pressure backing turbines with reduction gears on each shaft and without cruising turbines except the destroyers built at Mitsubishi and Nagasaki which were fitted out with Parsons turbines with Parsons rigid frame reduction gear, straight tube condensers and 4 small tube oil fired Kwansei boilers supplying 37.000-38.500 hp via 2 screws allowing a speed of 34 (design)-37/41 (trials) knots. Cylindrical steam and mud drums blowers with straight tubes 1-1.8” except about 4 rows bear outside that are curved at the mud drums and 3” outside rows also curved at mud drums. With an oil bunker capacity of around 315 tons and an economical speed of 16 knots was their range 4.000 nautical miles. Blowers comparable with Sirocco blowers. Turning circle 450-500 yards. Roll completed in 8 seconds. The armament consisted of 4x1-4.7” guns 40 cal in center line (1 forecastle, 1 deckhouse between funnels, 1 deckhouse abaft tunnels, 1 deckhouse aft resulting in 1 firing ahead, 4 broadside and 1 aft), 2 machineguns on bridge wings, 3x2-21” torpedo tubes on center line 1 in well abaft forecastle, 1 just forward of main mast and 1 abaft mainmast for which 6 torpedoes were carried (6 in tubes, 4 reloads) and 2 mine tracks aft. Fitted out for minesweeping. Two 30” search lights. Four boats, Two funnels. Two masts. Crew numbered 148 men.

Source
Archive Dutch Naval Staff 1886-1942 inventory number 137 (National Archive at The Hague, Netherlands.