A Brave Warrior
After the withdrawal from the Naval treaties, plans were laid to build
Kagero-class warships.
The Yukikaze was the 8th completed destroyer built of the Kagero-class
in January 1940.
The Yukikaze saw fierce action at Midway, Guadalcanal, Mariana Islands,
Leyte Gulf, as well as serving in other battles throughout the Pacific
Theater.
Furthermore, she also served as a patrol ship and assisted in
transportation duties.
At the time of her completion, she initially came armed with three dual
12.7cm gun turrets and two quadruple 61cm torpedo launchers,
but in the latter stages of the War, her armament was strengthened with a
complement of AA guns as well as radar
changing her beautiful silhouette into one of ferociousness.
Even at the Ten-Ichi-Go operation in April 1945 where she fought hard
alongside with the doomed Yamato, she was able to save many survivors
and return safely to port.
The Yukikaze survived WWII relatively undamaged she was therefore named
"the Lucky Destroyer".
After the war, she was used to ferry Japanese soldiers and personnel
back to Japan.
Later, she was transferred to the Republic of China for war reparation
and served with distinction throughout the 1960s. |
