World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseDestroyer No. 1 was commissioned into service in 1922, and she was assigned to Destroyer Division 1 with home port of Ominato Guard District at Mutsu Bay in northern Japan. In 1928, she was renamed Kamikaze. She spent the early months of the Pacific War guarding waters of northern Japan. Around this time, she had her No. 4 gun and aft torpedo tubes removed, replaced by anti-aircraft weaponry and depth charge throwers. In Jun 1942, she escorted the task force sailing for the Aleutian Islands. Between 1943 and 1944, she routinely patrolled the Kurile Islands and the Aleutian Islands areas. In Jan 1945, she was assigned to the Combined Fleet, and her home port was shifted to Moji on the island of Kyushu in southwestern Japan; during this time, she supported operations between Japan and Singapore. In May 1945, she participated in actions against British destroyers, sustaining light damage. In Jun 1945, she sortied from Singapore to Batavia, Java, Dutch East Indies to escort cruiser Ashigara, which was tasked to transport 1,600 Army troops from Java to Singapore. The group came across submarines SS Blueback, HMS Trenchant, and HMS Stygian. Kamikaze forced HMS Trenchant to submerge with gunfire, and then continued the attack with depth charges. While fleeting, HMS Trenchant fired eight torpedoes toward Ashigara at 1215 hours, five of which struck. Ashigara sank at 1237 hours. Kamikaze rescued 853 members of the crew (including Rear Admiral Hayao Miura) and 400 Army passengers. In late Jun 1945, she rescued 200 survivors of tanker Toho Maru, which was sunk by USAAF B-24 bombers. On 18 Jul 1945, she counter attacked submarine USS Hawkbill, causing great damage, though Hawkbill was able to escape, thus surviving the encounter. After the Japanese surrender, Kamikaze was turned over to British authorities returning to Singapore. She was officially struck from the naval register in Oct 1945, but continued to serve, unarmed, as a repatriation vessel. After several trips taking military personnel from Singapore; Bangkok, Thailand; and Saigon, French Indochina back to Japan, she was wrecked after running aground off the southern coast of Japan in Jun 1946, while attempting to rescue survivors of unarmed escort vessel Kunashiri (also on repatriation duty).

Destroyer Kamikaze Interactive Map

Photographs

Kamikaze Operational Timeline